Review by DC Brown -- The End-Time Foretellers by Ran Weber

[DC Brown]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The End-Time Foretellers" by Ran Weber.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The End-Time Foretellers by Ran Weber is a complicated book. The story begins and ends in Israel, but a great deal of it takes place in Southern California. While Yoav has made himself a quiet yet boring life as a video game merchant in Israel, forces beyond his control will soon be turning his life upside down.

Someone from his past demands his presence, and suddenly he is going to America. As an undercover agent, he has orders, but many of them are vague. There is a new weapon, and many factions are trying to get the firing code. What were the End-Time Foretellers doing? Which side were they on? Yoav had used his hacking skills to follow posts on their message boards which he continued in Los Angeles. So, he had a handle on that part of his mission, but how would he get closer to the arms dealers that were suspected to be doing business with the Iranians? Using his cover as a merchant searching for new gaming products, he enters and wins a hacking contest. The result was that he got closer to one of the arms dealers.

This is a very intense story, and at times, it is hard to follow. One thing I enjoyed about it was that you never really knew who the good guys and who the bad guys were. You thought you knew, but then no, maybe that one is not a good guy. Where does that character stand? How many sides to the problem are there? In my opinion, it was a book you could not race through in an evening or two. With the ever-changing characters, you needed to take a break and think about why they did what they did.

I also enjoyed when the author gave us just a hint of the past, a flash here, a statement there and suddenly you knew a little more about why the character acts the way he does. Also, on the way through the story, you learned much of the Jewish way of life. Because Yoav had not been active in his faith, many of the things he learned in Los Angeles were new to him and me.

This book is an enjoyable read. There is not too much technical language when talking about hacking and complex computer systems. There is no foul language, explicit sex, or violence. Though there are cultural references, they do not take away from the crux of the story. The book is focused on the story and side comments, such as descriptions of the setting, are few. For these reasons, I feel confident in recommending this book to young adults and older readers. I give the book 4 out of 4 stars. This book is different from most mysteries/spy novels, and I think you'll enjoy it.

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The End-Time Foretellers
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[Erin Painter Baker]

This is not my preferred genre, but it does sound like a great book for people who like political thrillers.

[briellejee]

I like how many grey areas the characters have! I'm so excited to read this! Thanks for your review