Thursday, July 12, 2012

The Last Sacrifice by Hank Hanegraaff and Sigmund Brouwer

Helius, Nero’s most trusted adviser, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs—a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero. As Nero’s reign of terror grows, so does his circle of enemies.

My review:

I recently posted a review of the first book in this series, The Last Disciple, and loved it. This book was even better. It picks up where the first book ended and brings all of the characters back from the first book.

As I stated in my other review, the authors wrote these books with the premise that the Tribulation spoken of in Revelation has already happened in the first century. I disagree with that idea, but it is still an interesting idea and did not make me enjoy the books any less because of it.

Hanegraaff and Brouwer came up with some great characters to put in these books, and the best one, in my opinion, was Vetis. He pretty much turns out to be the central character in the books, and they did a great job of developing his character throughout the books. This book was even better than the first, and I did literally read it in one sitting, loving every minute of it.

This is historical fiction, and I have learned a lot about what happened in the days of Nero and what happened with Jerusalem. I would highlt recommend this whole series. It is, to use an over-used word, awesome.
About the authors:

Whether writing youth or adult fiction, Sigmund Brouwer is a best-selling author of more than 40 fast-paced novels. Some of his works encourage young reluctant readers into the world of books, and others provide adults with riveting tales. His youth series include Mars Diaries; Short Cuts Extreme Sports; Lightning on Ice; CyberQuest; The Winds of Light; Dr. Drabble: Genius Inventor; and The Accidental Detectives. His adult fiction titles include Out of the Shadows, Morning Star, Thunder Voice, Double Helix, and Blood Ties.

Sigmund's diverse background surfaces in the characters of his books as he inspires kids to get excited about reading. He grew up in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and developed an early interest in sports like hockey, racquetball, and biking. His poor performance in high school English classes led him to receive a degree in commerce from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and not to pursue writing. When a professor in his undergraduate English course encouraged him to write, Sigmund did, and he eventually received a degree in journalism from Carleton College in Ottawa. After publishing several articles for U.S. and Canadian magazines, he turned to writing books for kids reluctant to read.

In 1993, he cofounded The Young Writers' Institute with home education expert and author Debra Bell and conducts writing camps and seminars for more than 10,000 children every year. His commitment to his faith is an integral part of his creative goals, and Sigmund cites C. S. Lewis as one of his greatest writing influences. Although there is no overt Christian agenda in his novels, the deliberate underpinning of morality and redemption make his books more than tools of escape. He quotes C. S. Lewis, "There is no Christian way to write, just as there is no Christian way to boil an egg."
Sigmund is married to Christian recording artist Cindy Morgan; the couple has two daughters. He writes five pages per day on his laptop, whether he is in an airport, hotel, or dividing his time between family homes in Red Deer and Nashville.

Hank Hanegraaff serves as president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina–based Christian Research Institute International. He is also host of the Bible Answer Man radio program, which is broadcast daily across the United States and Canada as well as around the world through the Internet at http://www.equip.org.

Widely considered to be one of the world's leading Christian apologists, Hanegraaff is deeply committed to equipping Christians to be so familiar with truth that when counterfeits loom on the horizon, they recognize them instantaneously.

Through his live call-in radio broadcast, Hanegraaff equips Christians to read the Bible for all it's worth and answers questions on the basis of careful research and sound reasoning. Additionally, Hanegraaff regularly interviews today's most significant leaders, apologists, and thinkers.

Hanegraaff is the author of award-winning best sellers, including The Prayer of Jesus, Christianity in Crisis, and Resurrection, the latter providing a stirring and persuasive defense of the central event in Christianity. Resurrection and Christianity in Crisis both won the Gold Medallion for excellence in Christian literature awarded by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Hanegraaff's books Counterfeit Revival and The FACE that Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution each won the Silver Medallion. The Prayer of Jesus was honored as a top 10 best-selling nonfiction book in both 2001 and 2002 by the Christian Booksellers Association, while the small-group video presentation "The Prayer of Jesus EZ Lesson Plan" taught by Hanegraaff won a Telly Award in 2003.

Recent releases include The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says about the End Times . . . And Why It Matters Today; The Legacy Study Bible; The Bible Answer Book, Volume 1, which answers common questions regarding Christianity, culture, and cults; and The Bible Answer Book, Volume 2, in which he tackles tough questions, including "How can Christians legitimize a God who orders the genocide of entire nations?" and "How could the Bible command a rape victim to marry her rapist?"
He is also coauthor of the novel Fuse of Armageddon; The Last Disciple fiction trilogy (The Last Disciple, The Last Sacrifice, and, forthcoming, The Last Temple); The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?; and Seven Questions of a Promise Keeper.
Other works include The Covering: God's Plan to Protect You from Evil; The Third Day; Fatal Flaws: What Evolutionists Don't Want You to Know; and The Millennium Bug Debugged.

Hanegraaff is a regular contributor to Christian Research Journal and The Plain Truth magazine. A popular conference speaker, he addresses churches, schools, and businesses worldwide. He is frequently invited to appear on national media programs to discuss a wide range of issues.

Hanegraaff and his wife, Kathy, live in North Carolina and are the parents of nine children—Michelle; Katie; David; John Mark; Hank, Jr.; Christina; Paul; Faith; and baby Grace—and the grandparents of five.


The Last Sacrifice is available from Tyndale Publishing.

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