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The Last Jihad (The Last Jihad #1)

by Joel C. Rosenberg (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 3,365 ratings · 361 reviews

Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy are two of the shrewdest strategists on Wall Street and close friends of the president of the United States. Their secret project: a billion-dollar oil deal off the coast of Tel Aviv and Gaza that could form the basis of a historic peace treaty and bring enormous wealth to every Israeli and Palestinian. But nothing has prepared Jon or Erin for th...more

Paperback, 307 pages

Published August 21st 2006 by Tyndale House Publishers (first published 2002)

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Aug 25, 2008 booklady rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bear

Recommended to booklady by: my dear friend, Lori

Shelves: 2008, adventure, historical-fiction, war

A cross between Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum (the Bourne series) The Last Jihad is a speculative political thriller and as such not the kind of book I usually read, but I found myself really enjoying it!

Written in 2002, The Last Jihad envisioned a world where Saddam Hussein had not only acquired the wherewithal to produce fully functional ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) but was launching one against the United States. A fascinating and terrifying scenario then, it is no less relevan...more A cross between Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum (the Bourne series) The Last Jihad is a speculative political thriller and as such not the kind of book I usually read, but I found myself really enjoying it!

Written in 2002, The Last Jihad envisioned a world where Saddam Hussein had not only acquired the wherewithal to produce fully functional ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) but was launching one against the United States. A fascinating and terrifying scenario then, it is no less relevant now six years later though the Butcher of Baghdad is dead.

With the Russian Bear reasserting his claims on eastern territories and poor Poland again scrambling desperately for protective allies, it's hard to say which timeperiod today's chessboard is more reminiscent of: pre-World War II or the Cold War era. But either way, although some things have changed, more have remained the same. Nuclear warfare remains a very real, ultimate and dangerous possibility.

This is a fast-paced, well-written book. It is dated, obviously, but still it deals with timeless issues: warfare, leadership, loyalty, greed, good verses evil, weapons of mass destruction, religion, etc. In fiction, we are able to look at how, when, where and why nuclear weapons might be used and examine some of the moral, social, and political issues inherent in their use while still reaching -- even entertaining -- an average audience. This book allowed me to hearken back to my own days in Strategic Air Command, when I sat in a nuclear Command Post and contemplated participating in unleashing nuclear holocaust. It was a fearsome proposition then; it's no less so today.

Mr. Rosenberg is clearly a Hawk--although I cannot imagine too many people wanting to read this book who wouldn't at least consider themselves in the peregrine family. And although I appreciate many things about his writing style, storyline, and especially some of his character's succinct assessments about particular wars, there was one observation I appreciated above all the rest--appreciated and found highly ironic.

In the story, there was a character, Dr. Mordechai who predicted Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait within three days of its actual occurrence. When asked if he had any inside information, he said, no, he didn't need any. Everything a person needed to know in terms of basic intelligence, and fact-finding was available in the newspapers. It wasn't about having the information, but knowing how to analyse it and draw the right conclusions. The difference between Dr. M and the U.S. government was that Dr. M believed Saddam both capable of and prone to acts of unspeakable evil. Dr. M believed that evil forces make men do evil things. The U.S. government did not. So even though the government had more and better information, it did not believe Saddam would act as he had consistently acted in the past and was consequently surprised by the Iraqi invasion of 5 August. Dr. M, an Israeli, said his country was born out of the ashes of evil, the Nazi Holocaust. Until the United States wakes up to the reality of evil and its power, many innocents will suffer. (less)

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Sep 11, 2008 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is kind of hard to explain. The first draft to the publisher or editor was complete before September 11th. Because of the subject material, after 9/11, they put this book on hold for almost a year. Once it felt more appropriate, they modified some of the plot to be post 9/11 by almost 10 years.

The reason that is important is because it was released before the U.S. invaded Iraq as a preemptive strike. So, in this book, Saddam is still alive and leading Iraq. Since the invasion of Iraq,...more

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Oct 13, 2008 Lucy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I cannot remember who recommended this to me, but I'm fairly certain I was told to read it because it's not the kind of book I normally check out.

I knew right away that it might not be my kind of book after seeing the rave reviews by both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the back cover. Hmmmm. In spite of their warning, I forged ahead.

The Last Jihad takes place in 2011 - ten years after the the World Trade Center attacks and enough time later for the current president to have persuaded the Ame...more

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May 31, 2008 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, fiction, mystery-thriller

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Jun 05, 2008 Maurean rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was really a fantastic book. Fast-paced and action-packed from the very first page, the storyline was tense and authentic and I found myself completely engrossed from start to finish. The premise - what if the war on terror goes nuclear - is so timely; great food for thought. One particular quote I found that resonated for me particularly;
"The instruments of war are not evil....Not in and of themselves. Not unless they are in the hands of those who use them for evil. Preventing the slaught...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Mr. Rosenberg writes an interesting political thriller that portrays Middle Eastern nations, with the exception of Israel, as evil and the United States as the good.In Mr. Rosenberg's view, radical Muslims are to blame for the problems in the Middle East. Any student how history will know that, the often bloody, Western intervention in the Middle East is largely responsible. Radical Muslims only make up a small percentage of Islam, with the vast majority wishing to live in peace and free of West...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense-thriller

The book was published in 2002. If I had read this earlier, I would have given it a higher rating, but passage of time dulls the brilliance of Rosenberg's ideas.

The POTUS has been attacked as his motorcade leaves the Denver airport. A Gulfstream G-4, first in the line waiting for clearance to land after the presidential motorcade leaves DIA. The Gulfstream is reportedly out of Canada, and goes silent after being cleared to land and instead aims directly for the president. The president survives,...more The book was published in 2002. If I had read this earlier, I would have given it a higher rating, but passage of time dulls the brilliance of Rosenberg's ideas.

The POTUS has been attacked as his motorcade leaves the Denver airport. A Gulfstream G-4, first in the line waiting for clearance to land after the presidential motorcade leaves DIA. The Gulfstream is reportedly out of Canada, and goes silent after being cleared to land and instead aims directly for the president. The president survives, badly injured, due to the heroic actions of two secret service who are killed protecting the president.

The time is set approximately 2010 (or 2006) and President MacPherson has succeeded George W. Bush as president of the United States. A decorated Navy flyer from the Vietnam War, MacPherson began trading bonds on Wall Street, then switched to a mutual fund firm. Later he started his own global growth fund, and a sister company, part venture capital, and part strategic research. At his election to the presidency, he called upon the man he put in charge of Global Strategix and vice chairman of the Joshua Fund, Stuart Iverson, to be his secretary of the treasury. Stuart Iverson, in turn, had recruited a young Jon Bennett to the Joshua Fund and later Global Strategix' chief investment strategist. After Iverson's ascension to the Secretary of the Treasury, Bennett was slated to the CEO position for Glogal Strategix.

In Rosenberg's time period, Saddam Hussein was still alive and Iraq was a threatening state to the US. At the time of the attack on the president, Bennett was in Israel putting together a deal of singular historic interest. Recently discovered petroleum fields covered the lands occupied by Israel, the Golan Heights, and Gaza. The petroleum reserves in the areas often racked by armed conflict were held by Medexco, headed by an Glashnikov, an Israeli from Russia, and the Palestinian Petroleum Group headed by Ibrahim Sa'id. After a meeting with Glashnikov in Israel, Bennett is suddenly hustled back to the United States because of the attack on the president.

Of course, following the national terror alert, getting back to the United States, as especially into Colorado, the president's home state is virtually impossible, which Bennett seems to handle with dispatch, arriving at the president's side. Considering that he was held by Israeli agents at the Ben Gurion International airport, drugged and then supposedly a lethal injection, only to awake aboard a G-4 loaned to the CIA by the State Department. Bennett was accompanied by CIA agent Black who explained that the incident at the airport was a plan drafted by POTUS called Operation Irish X-Ray to determine what Bennett knew and how loyal to the president he really was.

In the meanwhile, other international leaders were attacked, the British Queen in London, the Canadian Prime Minister in Paris, and the Saudi Royal family was attached by a 747 which crashed into the royal palace in Riyadh. At the meeting in DC chaired by the US Vice President, the word is beginning to get out that the attacks were planned and executed by Iraq. Another trailing feather has four mysterious men meeting in St Stephens Cathedral in Vienna, smiling at the news in the Wall Stree Journal Europe edition that Stuart Iverson was a man to be trusted to lead the global economy to new heights. These same four men separate and each boards the same train bound for Russia. The men are known as an Iraqi cell "The Four Horsemen". They were followed by the CIA aboard the train, but eventually lost their CIA tails.

The events of the last 10 years have certainly changed the impact of Rosenberg's book, but the writing is still interesting and a tale involving international attacks, presumed valuable oil fields to be shared by the Palestinians and Israeli, and the machinations of the good guys and the bad guys is still interesting reading. This volume is followed by two subsequent volumes, The Last Days, and The Ezekiel Option. If you favor novels by Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn, you will like the stories of Rosenberg, even as they are outdated by subsequent real events. (less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Paul rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have a bone to pick with 2,721 Goodreads.com readers, who gave this book an average rating of 4.01. How can that possibly be? The writing was terrible, the plot was the same as hundreds of other hackneyed plots and the characters were so stereotypically flat that it was laughable. It's essentially the story of what would have happened if Saddam Hussein had actually developed and deployed a nuclear weapon. Of course the book was first published in 2002, so I'll forgive the author for being tota...more

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May 19, 2012 Greg Bascom rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this story, it's 2010 and the President of the United States, code-named Gambit, is traveling in an impressive motorcade from Denver international airport to his hotel. A kamikaze plane tries to take him out. Ah, it's those terrorists again, and this time there are definitive links to Saddam Hussein. This political thriller then takes us into the presumed workings of the United States government in the decision as to how to best protect its citizens.

Most of the sparkle in this story is in the...more

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May 01, 2011 Trekscribbler rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'll get this out of the way first: the single greatest distraction to THE LAST JIHAD is the fact that, in large sections of the prose, it is written just a touch too cinematically. You can read whole sections and see passages heavily influenced by the films of the Tom Clancy novels, the James Bond adventures, and even Fox Television's stellar action suspense series '24.' That's not to say that it's a bad thing ... I just found it occasionally distracting.
However, THE LAST JIHAD deals with a rea...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Bev rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery

This is a guy's book. It started out like a pretty good political thriller--and that it definitely is--but so much of the book was taken up with guys and their war toys, as we are poised on the brink of World War III with Iraq and the US having nuclear weapons pointed at each other that I really got bored with it. I did have to laugh that communication seemed to be primarily by AOL -- does anybody use AOL any more? And there was a LOT of description about guns, missiles, bullets, battles, etc. T...more

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Jun 13, 2010 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-worldview, political-thriller

In a Nutshell: Compelling, fast-paced, compulsively readable, and thought provoking.
Characters fairly shallow, dialog less than sparkling. Still, it's a reasonably nuanced take on the Mid East conflicts, and an interesting "what if" scenario. Remarkably prescient given that it was written before the 9/11 attacks.

More Thoughts:
I need more stars to work with! I never rate anything 1 star, because I don't finish (or even pick up, most of the time!) 1 star books. Similarly, I don't like to give 5...more In a Nutshell: Compelling, fast-paced, compulsively readable, and thought provoking.
Characters fairly shallow, dialog less than sparkling. Still, it's a reasonably nuanced take on the Mid East conflicts, and an interesting "what if" scenario. Remarkably prescient given that it was written before the 9/11 attacks.

More Thoughts:
I need more stars to work with! I never rate anything 1 star, because I don't finish (or even pick up, most of the time!) 1 star books. Similarly, I don't like to give 5 stars unless the book is seriously in my top 25 of all time. This means 4 stars is hard to get. But 3 seems low for a book that really is pretty solid all things considered. I mean, Rosenberg is no Tom Clancy, but then again, few people are. I've read (or at least started) political thrillers that are considerably poorer in writing quality than "Jihad." It may be more fair to compare him to James Patterson: "Jihad" is paced much more like one of his books than Clancy's Bible-sized tomes, and Rosenberg's prose and plotting are spectacular compared to Patterson's. (Is this "damming with faint praise" ;) )

Part of my problem, if I'm to be honest, is that Rosenberg is very obviously a conservative Christian, and is published by a Christian label to boot. Given that I Am a Conservative Christian, you'd think this would give him extra points with me, but I haven't been of the opinion that slapping a fish sticker on a book (or movie, song, etc.) covers a multitude of stylistic or artistic sins since, oh, about the age of 15. Quite the reverse, in fact. My assumption is that you need to be probably 2x as good as a Christian author in every regard than your secular counterparts if you want anyone who doesn't go to church every Sunday to read it through to the end. Probably more, honestly. So I am always reading such things with the thought in the back of my head "hmmm... how would someone who does Not hold the author's worldview/faith respond to this? Would he be insulted? Inclined to ridicule? Or maybe even caused to think a little bit?" Yes, there's a time and place for literature specifically targeted to a given audience. There's a time and a place for pure propaganda, a total lack of subtlety, and even explicit apologetics. But I am always sad when I read something that seems to have quite given up on ever having someone who isn't already in their camp read it and come away thinking instead of irritated or - worse yet - laughing.
Not to say that I think "Jihad" has entirely failed in this regard. Honestly, he Tries quite hard not to preach, and mostly succeeds. His main character is strategically not a Christian (although - plot spoiler - I expect he will be before the third book!) and he really makes an effort to insert references to the faith of the Pres. and a small number of other Christian characters in a natural, even compelling, way. But lacking Clancy's gift of character development and dialog (can this actually Be learned past the 80th percentile or so?), he's probably doomed from the start.
So, that's my long winded justification for the mere 3 stars. :-D I'll finish the series, no doubt, but will probably not recommend to non-Christian friends.
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Mar 03, 2011 Cascata Nerina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: see my review

Shelves: alternate-history, male-protagonist, mystery, theology, political-science

Lots of people have called Rosenberg a modern Nostradamus, but I think that he is simply someone who pays attention to events and the ripple effect they have on other events. For instance the first book in his Political Thrillers series (creative series title I know), The Last Jihad begins with a hijacked plane, and while it refers a couple of times in the beginning to 9/11, the majority of the book was written pre-9/11 and those bits were added in later rewrites according the preface in the sec...more Lots of people have called Rosenberg a modern Nostradamus, but I think that he is simply someone who pays attention to events and the ripple effect they have on other events. For instance the first book in his Political Thrillers series (creative series title I know), The Last Jihad begins with a hijacked plane, and while it refers a couple of times in the beginning to 9/11, the majority of the book was written pre-9/11 and those bits were added in later rewrites according the preface in the second book The Last Days.

The characters in the book are well thought out most notably in their background which gives them more rounding than otherwise would. There's a lot of history built into what happens in the book, and a lot of it is explained. Most of it isn't things that would be internationally well known either. One particularly pivotal character to the entire book (though not the main characters), just happened to be curious and bored ten years or more ago and it resulted in the opening scenes of the book.

At the same time anyone who keeps up with politics would find it interesting as an alternative history: What if? The plot is a logical production of what would have happened if, rather than going into Iraq in a post 9/11 world we dealt with them diplomatically, but hunted out and tracked down most of the terrorists. The biggest initial thing that changed was that following bush a Colorado Republican named MacPherson was elected into office to continue the work. Though the date of the opening is never given clues lead to the deduction that the book opens on the lead up to Thanksgiving 2010. The clues include: that it's Thanksgiving week, he's returning home for it; that it's just passed mid-term elections; and that he could get reelected with a landslide if his popularity holds. From there the tangents begin to diverge quickly.

The first two chapters of the book are the hardest to read. The first one because it jumps right into action packed drama, but you're still adjusting to the author's style of writing (which skips around though each scene is a complete scene). The second one is hard because, even without technical terms, a lot of financial thoughts and paragraphs occur and if you don't think in terms of high finance you might have to wade through it twice, or at least slow down (which is what I did).

This is the first book, and if you like nice wrapped up endings to the end of your books be ready with the second book on hand. The plot of the first book is wrapped up to my satisfaction and I will be trying to read a few other things first. However, the plot in general is not wrapped up; and will continue on for another four books (thus far) the second of which also is eerily accurate. According to the reviews.

The settings are well described when they deviate from something that anyone would know. For instance in the airport the biggest description refers to the long lines and is about that long; but when they go off the beaten path the descriptions get much more detailed and take in all the senses. I am thinking of one scene in particular, but because it is in the latter half of the book I won't bother to share it, but let you discover it.

The book does have Christian leanings. It isn't overwhelming, or preachy, but consider the factions involved - Israel and Iraq (which are at each other's throats over religion). Bible verses are quoted a few times, but that's about it. Just thought I should make anyone who was thinking about reading it, but has very set views of religion and politics aware of it.

The second cautionary note is that there are a lot of players. If you have trouble keeping names and jobs and personalities straight ... (Normally I'd say names and faces, but there aren't really faces here) get a pencil and a piece of paper ready; jot down the name and the political position or job association. That will help keep you straight.

Over all it was a great book, but I'm holding off on the next one because it sucks a lot out of you. It's not for children, nor is it for everyone; but those who like political thrillers will enjoy this one.

Now because political thrillers aren't generally my cup of tea, but I wanted to try something new, I don't have a lot of "If you like X try Y" for you.

If you want a little more religious studies with your thriller try Tim LaHaye's and Jerry B. Jenkin's Left Behind series which is based on Revelations (the last book of the Bible).

If you would prefer your thriller with less overt religion I would say try the series 24, which is actually a television series, but I did say that I didn't have a lot of Political Thrillers in my background. (less)

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Mar 27, 2012 Julie L rated it 3 of 5 stars

I ordered this book on Amazon based on a recommendation from another reviewer of a good political thriller. When I opened the box and noticed the Rush Limbaugh blurb on the front cover, my heart sank. Really? I read on anyway.

This was a good book; the action fast paced. The dialogue was funny in parts, and it was evident that the author had either access to high levels in the government or had undertaken some incredible research. The author’s ability to prognosticate the use of airplanes as wea...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Brent Soderstrum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rosenberg spins a tale that appears to have a lot of truth behind it. This book is about the world in which we live where countries with nuclear capabilities are run by mad men. In this case it is Iraq which is run by Sadam Hussian. He wants to destroy Israel, the US and there allies. The book starts off with an assassination attempt made on the President while at the same time attacks are made on world leaders in Canada, England, Saudia Arabia and other nations. We get a glimpse into the inner...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Dan Rowling rated it 5 of 5 stars

WOW! I read some of the reviews for this and his other books and am currently reading "Epicenter". When they talk about "ripped from the headlines" writing they are definitely talking about Joel and his books. When I read books, sometimes, in a good one, I can picture certain people playing certain parts. While I could do that with this one, at times I could certainly picture current and/or past people in these roles,like the president, too(just maybe not our future one,even though he could very...more

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May 16, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

I picked this up at my MIL's. JR begin writing it before 9/11 but paused before updating and published a while after. And yes he got a huge terrorist attack correct but he missed the housing bubble, unemployment problems, corporate greed and other financial issues that have plagued the US since that day. The first chapter reads like Republican propaganda and everything is wonderful since a Rep was elected after Pres Bush, no stimulus needed (which was needed and approved even before Pres Obama w...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Rob Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 04, 2010 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

My parents turned me on to this author and book series, based the apocolyptic prophesies within the books of Daniel and Ezekiel. The Last Jihad is the first of this series, and opens with a kamakaze terrorist crashing into a presidential motorcade on American soil. Prior to Sept 2001, this seemed almost unfathomable by any American, but what makes this book interesting is, it was written prior to Sept 2001, and scheduled to be released around the end of September 2001-- and of course, that date...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Tim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, politics

What's good about The Last Jihad (TLJ)? It is fun to read, for it moves along at a good clip. The characters are interesting and not flat. The action is exciting and even a little gory. It has some overtly Christian stuff in it, but isn't preachy.

What's not so good about TLJ? Rosenberg's method of telling a story is scattered. He likes to have little soundbites (even as small as a page or less) on one part of the story, then skip to another soundbite, then again to another. This style is, to me...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Danae rated it 2 of 5 stars

Whew! This book may actually deserve a better rating, but it was so not my bag. Very Tom Clancy-ish; whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view. In this book's defense, I had The Headache of Death the day I started it, which was undoubtably a mistake. There are a million characters--most of them not important--all described as equally sharp and clever, steely and capable, and usually referred to by their last names, so even keeping track of men vs. women is tricky....more

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Aug 07, 2011 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had an interesting premise noted by character Deek Black on page 279: Referring to Dr. M, an Israeli Deek said, "He [Dr. M]said, and I quote: 'The problem with you Americans is that you don't believe in evil.'"

If you don't believe that the above may be true and the root of many of America's problems, read The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick, a true story about the present CIA.

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Aug 15, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is eerie! Rosenberg said he had to change the plot of this book, because while he was writing it, 9/11 happened and apparently the original plot was too close to that event! Now, despite any secular preconceptions about religious mythology being used to predict the end times you gota admit, this man predicting war with Iraq long before it happened is stunning and scary at the same. These books take you on a political, religious, government and corporate journey of the last days in a wa...more

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Jun 04, 2009 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this one more stars, because I like the premise and thought it would be like a Clancy or Ludlum political espionage thriller.

It tried to be, but the writing was not up to the challenge. The characters were not realistic, the dialogue was painfully bad. There was a lot of unnecessary descriptions and background that did nothing to add to the story. I found myself wishing he would get back to the suspenseful part.

He did pretty good at crafting an idea that had you wondering wha...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Lauren Owen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Last Jihad is a chilling novel. Rosenberg integrates his unique and poignant writing style with eerie prophecy. His New York Times best seller told of an attack on United States soil and its war on Iraq before either occurred.
Jon Bennet and Erin McCoy were shrewd, instinctive, and rich. The coworkers had been strategists on Wall Street until the president, who was also one of their close friends, hired them. Jon was quickly made the president’s senior advisor and advoc...more Joel C. Rosenberg’s The Last Jihad is a chilling novel. Rosenberg integrates his unique and poignant writing style with eerie prophecy. His New York Times best seller told of an attack on United States soil and its war on Iraq before either occurred.
Jon Bennet and Erin McCoy were shrewd, instinctive, and rich. The coworkers had been strategists on Wall Street until the president, who was also one of their close friends, hired them. Jon was quickly made the president’s senior advisor and advocate for peace in the Middle East. Erin became his partner shortly after she had been watching his every move for the president to ensure his trustworthiness. Both started their jobs in a week they did not know would be one of the craziest in American history. Israeli commandos impeded a nuclear attack from Iraq but quickly realized they would not be so easily stopped. The president was juggling the decision to go nuclear and wipe out terrorism once and for all or take a less dramatic approach. The United States were jumping into a war against terrorism and Iraq, changing all of Jon’s plans and aspirations. His desire for his net worth to go from six zeros to nine took a back seat while his concern for the future of the U.S. became most prominent.
One day, Jon and Erin were sitting at their friend’s house, Mordecia, when a terrorist group under the name of the Four Horsemen invades his home. Their every intention was set on the death of Mordecia. They were trapped and Jon received bullets to the arm while Erin tried to hold off the men. Their future did not look hopeful.
John C. Rosenberg did an excellent job in this novel. He was inspiring, honest, and realistic. Everything that happened in The Last Jihad could happen, and ironically, much did following its writing. He has an excellent writing style that draws the reader into his dramatic plot and every event that occurred. Rosenberg lacked the personal, relatable side that many readers enjoy. I found myself more drawn in during the few stories about the individual’s lives regardless of how much suspense there was. Every page was jam packed with action but I found myself wanting to know more about Jon and Erin, not the future of Iraq and Israel.
Altogether, the book was excellent. It is a book that could be enjoyed not only the first time, but also a second and third. One would want to read more of Rosenberg’s works after being immersed in The Last Jihad. One could recommend this work to anyone who enjoyed fiction, but especially those who enjoyed political novels.
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Sep 24, 2011 William rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was worried going into this book that I would not have enough background knowledge on recent developments in terrorism. The overwhelming amount of news on this current topic has caused me to draw away more than be pulled into it. Yet, from the beginning to the end I was riveted by this action packed thriller. I even enjoyed the few bits of politics that remained simple enough for even me to understand. Rosenberg was off on some of his guesses for the future after 9/11, but this doesn't drag do...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Kelley Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I really debated over what to rate this book. If I could give it half stars, it'd probably be 3 1/2 stars. I'll admit that I had extremely high hopes for this book, and it just didn't quite deliver. But maybe my expectations were a bit too high! After reading the back, I was expecting Vince Flynn level writing and action, and this fell short for me.

First off, when reading this book, you have to keep reminding yourself that it's just fiction. It's written as if Sadam Hussein was still alive and...more I really debated over what to rate this book. If I could give it half stars, it'd probably be 3 1/2 stars. I'll admit that I had extremely high hopes for this book, and it just didn't quite deliver. But maybe my expectations were a bit too high! After reading the back, I was expecting Vince Flynn level writing and action, and this fell short for me.

First off, when reading this book, you have to keep reminding yourself that it's just fiction. It's written as if Sadam Hussein was still alive and incharge or Iraq, the US hasn't invaded Iraq yet, and Bin Laden has been killed. But that's a pretty minor issue with the book. I mean, it was written a number of years ago, and I can just understand that it's fiction!

I love a book that grabs my attention from the start and just doesn't let go. Yes, this book grabbed my attention, but it didn't keep it. There were a number of parts where I was enthralled with the action, but it just always seemed afterwards to lose my attention. I also had a really hard time believing that in the midst of a MAJOR act of war, the President wants to focus part of his attention on a business deal. Yes, I understand that supposedly this business deal is supposed to completely change the world, but for the moment maybe we should be more focused on all of the bombs, and attacks and such!

There were also way too many characters, and very few of them developed well enough for me to care about them. The focus kept shifting around, from one person to another, and it was happening a bit too often for my liking. At one point, the US was tracking a group of 4 terrorists, called the 4 horsemen. Even though they mentioned that they were some of the most feared terrorists, no other details were really given. I would have loved to have heard a bit more about their past so that I had a real reason to push for them being caught.

Overall though, it was a pretty good story. There were some great moments of action and suspense. I was debating over if I would continue on to the next book in the series. But when I reached the end of this one, I realized that I don't have much choice! It ends on such a major cliff hanger, that I have to know what's going to happen!

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Feb 24, 2009 Sara ♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge-winter-2008, books-i-own, 2009, multicultural

I'd say like 3.5 stars. It was quite good. It was a bit hard for me to get into. Whether that was because I was reading it in smallish chunks, or because it's really just not my genre, I'm not sure, but there you have it.

It was pretty suspenseful there at the end! I was like, "Ummmmm... Everyone's not going to die are they? This isn't Hamlet, is it??" But not everyone died. The ending was a bit cliffhangery, but not in a way that leaves you going, "...... WHAT????!?!??!???!??!!!", but more in a,...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Karyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Regardless of one's views politically, this book was a nervous read! I'm pretty sure my heart rate went up each time I read the pages. It's action packed and caused me to wonder about all kinds of government related things. (Remember, that I am a pansy when it comes to suspense. I can handle quite a bit less than the normal person.) All in all, it was an entertaining read. And...due to the fact that the last chapter left me completely hanging, I might have to check the sequel out from the librar...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Dipanjan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“The Last Jihad” is the right-kind-of-a-thriller. It’s got high profile characters. The entire drama is played out of the White House and that too the Oval Office. POTUS is a formidable character in the storyline. In fact, the entire story is about the intelligence, courage, compassion and valor of the President Of The United States. However, he is the mentor of the main protagonist Jon Bennett. Though Jon is a Wall Street wizard, he is quickly sucked into the world of spycraft by his mentor. Th...more

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About Joel C. Rosenberg

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Note: This is a different person than the fantasy author, Joel Rosenberg

Joel C. Rosenberg is the founder of The Joshua Fund and the New York Times best-selling author of THE LAST JIHAD (2002), THE LAST DAYS (2003), THE EZEKIEL OPTION (2005), THE COPPER SCROLL (2006), EPICENTER (2006) and DEAD HEAT (2008) with m...more

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The Last Jihad (The Last Jihad #1)

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