Review by Riki -- Roadmap to the End of Days
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Riki
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Review by Riki -- Roadmap to the End of Days
[Following is a volunteer review of "Roadmap to the End of Days" by Daniel Friedmann.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Daniel Friedmann marries religion and human history in his latest novel Roadmap to the End of Days. Not only did Friedmann produce a highly interesting and organized novel, but one targeted perfectly towards a varied audience. Themes of freedom and redemption echo the teachings of Abrahamic texts through an expertly crafted metaphor reflective of human antiquity. Not only will this book delight a religious audience, but a scholarly audience set on the historic presence of faith.
Friedmann, former CEO and president of MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates, currently dedicates his time to creating religious based historical novels. As a long time student of religion, Friedmann utilized 14 years of teachings to formulate his own biblical clock formula. Both his previous novels, The Genesis One Code and The Broken Gift, use this formula to combine current scientific findings with the creation timeline. Roadmap to the End of Days expands upon this idea in reconciliation with apocalyptic episodes.
This novel is a perfect example of an E-Reader conscientious experience. Every chapter is filled with difficult concepts based on religious and historical context. Because of the average reader's knowledge, Friedmann hyperlinked strange words or references directly to the glossary. This allowed for an accessible read where I wasn’t hindered by my limited knowledge of the Tanakh. I simply clicked the highlighted word or citation and instantly I was briefed on the history of the biblical character Samson or brought to a simplified time chart of Friedmann’s formula. The E-reader interface was so impeccable, I almost advise against buying a physical copy of this book. To jet back and forth between the glossary and the chapters with a new, robust understanding of both the biblical and historical context made reading this novel a truly engaging experience.
Along with the accessibility of the novel’s form, the organization within the novel created an easy reading experience in an otherwise dense book. The introduction clearly delineated the novel in its entirety and informed me on exactly what I was reading. This familiarized me with more difficult concepts earlier on before testing my admittedly pedestrian knowledge. Friedmann would also periodically summarize the previous chapters for the utmost clarity in the following. I particularly loved this practice because it reminded me of smaller nuances to his formula and biblical history that I would have forgotten otherwise.
I usually don’t go for religion or history based novels, fiction nor non-fiction, but Roadmap to the End of Days was so expertly written and put together that I couldn’t help but love this novel. Friedmann continually uses the extended metaphor of humanity exploring a maze to describe man’s journey towards redemption. This is not only an extremely intelligent move for the audience’s understanding but a beautiful one. The metaphor allowed me to connect overarching ideas of morality and human error present throughout Roadmap to the End of Days.
In conclusion, I must give Roadmap To The End of Days 4 out of 4 stars! This novel displayed impeccable organization, editing, and content. I feel that anyone wanting a well researched, historically accurate novel based on religious ideals needs this book. But before you read Roadmap to the End of Days, I implore you to read Friedmann’s previous novels. Both The Genesis One Code and The Broken Gift build up to the core ideas of Roadmap to the End of Days, giving the reader ample context for more complex ideas. And if his third book is any indication, both his previous novels will be just as enjoyable to read.
******
Roadmap to the End of Days
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4 out of 4 stars
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Daniel Friedmann marries religion and human history in his latest novel Roadmap to the End of Days. Not only did Friedmann produce a highly interesting and organized novel, but one targeted perfectly towards a varied audience. Themes of freedom and redemption echo the teachings of Abrahamic texts through an expertly crafted metaphor reflective of human antiquity. Not only will this book delight a religious audience, but a scholarly audience set on the historic presence of faith.
Friedmann, former CEO and president of MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates, currently dedicates his time to creating religious based historical novels. As a long time student of religion, Friedmann utilized 14 years of teachings to formulate his own biblical clock formula. Both his previous novels, The Genesis One Code and The Broken Gift, use this formula to combine current scientific findings with the creation timeline. Roadmap to the End of Days expands upon this idea in reconciliation with apocalyptic episodes.
This novel is a perfect example of an E-Reader conscientious experience. Every chapter is filled with difficult concepts based on religious and historical context. Because of the average reader's knowledge, Friedmann hyperlinked strange words or references directly to the glossary. This allowed for an accessible read where I wasn’t hindered by my limited knowledge of the Tanakh. I simply clicked the highlighted word or citation and instantly I was briefed on the history of the biblical character Samson or brought to a simplified time chart of Friedmann’s formula. The E-reader interface was so impeccable, I almost advise against buying a physical copy of this book. To jet back and forth between the glossary and the chapters with a new, robust understanding of both the biblical and historical context made reading this novel a truly engaging experience.
Along with the accessibility of the novel’s form, the organization within the novel created an easy reading experience in an otherwise dense book. The introduction clearly delineated the novel in its entirety and informed me on exactly what I was reading. This familiarized me with more difficult concepts earlier on before testing my admittedly pedestrian knowledge. Friedmann would also periodically summarize the previous chapters for the utmost clarity in the following. I particularly loved this practice because it reminded me of smaller nuances to his formula and biblical history that I would have forgotten otherwise.
I usually don’t go for religion or history based novels, fiction nor non-fiction, but Roadmap to the End of Days was so expertly written and put together that I couldn’t help but love this novel. Friedmann continually uses the extended metaphor of humanity exploring a maze to describe man’s journey towards redemption. This is not only an extremely intelligent move for the audience’s understanding but a beautiful one. The metaphor allowed me to connect overarching ideas of morality and human error present throughout Roadmap to the End of Days.
The only con in the entirety of the novel is the author’s religious bias towards Judaism and other Abramic faiths. Roadmap to the End of Days comes from a place of religious devotion and knowledge, but Friedmann never claimed otherwise. This is more of a con for certain readers; audiences that wish to learn about different faiths from a scholarly standpoint might feel uncomfortable with the devoted undertones, but I never felt that Friedmann's faith hindered my understanding.“The precursor to the last section of the glass maze is very confusing. There are many mirrors, making the end seem distant, creating an illusion of several paths, and leading to false turns and uncertainties along the way.”
In conclusion, I must give Roadmap To The End of Days 4 out of 4 stars! This novel displayed impeccable organization, editing, and content. I feel that anyone wanting a well researched, historically accurate novel based on religious ideals needs this book. But before you read Roadmap to the End of Days, I implore you to read Friedmann’s previous novels. Both The Genesis One Code and The Broken Gift build up to the core ideas of Roadmap to the End of Days, giving the reader ample context for more complex ideas. And if his third book is any indication, both his previous novels will be just as enjoyable to read.
******
Roadmap to the End of Days
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Riki's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "The People Up the Holler" by Roger L. Guffey
