Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (1996)

This is an unusual and powerful book. It’s subtitled ‘An Apocalypse’, and Michael O'Brien is not kidding. The events recounted here are indeed a looking-forward to the Last Days, and I’ve not encountered a more moving and plausible vision (excepting the Revelation of John, of course!).

O'Brien’s eponymous protagonist is a fascinating character. He’s a Holocaust survivor and Christian convert called out of monastic peace in the desert to undertake a harrowing mission: to speak the Word to the man who may be the Antichrist.

Although there is plenty of globetrotting action in this story, O'Brien does a tremendous job of illustrating how this ‘surface’ activity is just a proxy for the spiritual battle than is taking place all around. It’s fair to say, in fact, that the main character here is not really Father Elijah, but rather the Holy Spirit Himself. Not meaning to be flip, a spirit of holiness pervades this book.

End-times fiction has a bad name that’s unfortunately been warranted by some second-rate books over the years. This stellar novel helps turn the tide.

Highly recommended. ( )

Interesting book about the apocalypse, from the perspective of a Catholic priest. The theology & spirituality is good, as is the plot....but a bit dry and slow. ( )

Holy. O'Brien's writing bleeds holiness.

I took a chance with this book. I was browsing the religion section at "So Many Books..." in Huntsville when I saw the tell-tale band across a plain spine that marks Ignatius Press books. That along with the promise of an Apocalyptic novel that wasn't rooted in American Dispensationalism made my decision.

I've never before read a novel before that depended so heavily on dialogue. Indeed, there were times when I had to skim back to see which character was saying what line! While there are elements of a good suspense thriller here, the story is firmly rooted in theological dialogue. This was a bonus for me—it may be a frustration to others.

Since I'm reading this Roman Catholic novel from a Protestant perspective, there were (of course) elements of the theology that frustrated me. I'll never understand the importance of relics, for example. Even so, O'Brian's ingrained belief in the holiness of God and his discernment of the upside-down qualities of the Kingdom won me over. When I put this book down every evening, I went to sleep praying.

This is a good antidote for Left Behind mania. ( )

The best of Michael O'Brien's apocalyptic novels, this book reads a bit like The Da Vinci Code but is about 5 times better! A great read for Catholics who love mystery and mysticism. ( )