Novel Review: Ishmael Covenant (Empires of Armageddon, Book 1) by Terry Brennan

 I reviewed this novel on 03/03/20 in a previous blog, now defunct.

Ishmael Covenant. 

His marriage in tatters and his career ruined by lies, Diplomatic Security Service agent Brian Mullaney is at the end of his rope. Banished to Israel as punishment by his agency, he's assigned to guard a US ambassador and an insignificant box. Little does he know that this new job will propel him straight into a crisis of global proportions.

Inside the box is a messianic prophecy about the fate of the world. And a dark enemy known as The Turk and the forces of evil at his command are determined to destroy the box, the prophecy, and the Middle East as we know it. When Ambassador Cleveland gets in the way, his life and his daughter's life are threatened--and Mullaney must act fast.

Now agents of three ancient empires have launched covert operations to secure nuclear weapons, in direct defiance of the startling peace treaty Israel and its Arab neighbors have signed. And a traitor in the US State Department is leaking critical information to a foreign power. It's up to Mullaney--still struggling with his own broken future--to protect the embassy staff, thwart the clandestine conspiracies, and unmask a traitor--before the desert is turned into a radioactive wasteland.

Fans of Joel C. Rosenberg, Steven James, and Ted Dekker will relish the deadly whirlpool of international intrigue and end-times prophecy in Ishmael Covenant--and will eagerly await the rest of this new trilogy.

Perspective by Peter:

I came across this novel when it was being advertised as a blog tour with Audra Jennings PR Blog Tours. I jumped at this chance as I have read a previous novel of Brennan, The Sacred Cipher, (The Jerusalem Prophecies) many years ago. That was a great novel so I presumed Ishmael Covenant would be too. I have not been disappointed!

Seems like Brennan has come along way from The Jerusalem Prophecies series. My first thought when reading this new novel was that it reads in a similar vein to the various series' by Joel C. Rosenberg. I loved the latter and still have some of his to read.

Brennan knows how to seamlessly integrate action, suspense, and a fast pace into a novel. I became so engrossed in this that it felt as if time stood still and I was not aware of my surroundings. So many times while reading on the train, that I nearly missed my station, and a few times, I was nearly late back from my lunch break!

Brennan also knows how to write well. This adds to the success of the action and suspense and the pace in this novel. His command of the English language is very competent and confident. You are not encumbered by difficult sentence structure or overly-detailed description. Every description is to the point, and succinct. Despite a lot of the history of the three empires (Ottoman, Persian and the Muslim Arab, three ancient empires, claiming dominion over the same slice of land, and racing toward a nuclear collision) that this novel is based on, Brennan does not bog you down with this or lose your interest in it. He has constructed these descriptions in such a way that it is all relevant to the plot and it engages your interest. He has also integrated the political machinations into this as well and also does not weigh you down with the hidden agendas (deceptive and manipulative) of the various politicians in the countries of these empires. Now I don't like politics but Brennan kept my interest in how these political characters operate and it would not surprise me if his representation in this novel reflects pretty much how it is in real life. I have read other novels where this representation is similar. Rosenberg and Oliver North (Peter Newman series) in their novels are examples here.

Brennan has successfully integrated the political, spiritual and end times (eschatology) into a roller coaster ride. All these three themes are interconnected. While Christians will see this immediately and settle into it as it is not unfamiliar to them, those who are not spiritually-minded might not appreciate the demonic side of it. However, this is the reality of life, whether we like it or not or are aware of it or not. The demonic is not a huge part of the novel but its influence is part of the spiritual battle that is the foundation of the political and eschatological events.

I really enjoyed this spiritual warfare and the supernatural side of the plot. This is the foundation upon which the novel is based. God gives a Jewish rabbi 250 years ago a prophecy that affects a certain time in history which is identified as the time of this novel, where a certain event has transpired as part of this prophecy which leads to the second part being decoded. Just when we are about to find out what this is the novel ends with an explosive cliffhanger that leads directly into the next novel, Persian Betrayal, (release date: July 28th). The good thing about this edition, is the publisher (Kregel), provides the Prologue and Chapter 1 of this sequel that more than whets your appetite! Unfortunately, we will have to wait until Summer (in the northern hemisphere) of 2021 to read the final instalment in this series, Ottoman Dominion.

Now I can see those who don't believe in the Demonic would see the inclusion of this as just adding to the entertainment value and may dismiss it as such with no power or significance, but Brennan's depiction shows the bondage, corruption and manipulation of any demonic force as they are from their origin as depicted in the Bible. The power of God as depicted in the protective blessing (The Aaronic Blessing, Numbers 6: 24-26) of those who are guarding the box that contains the encoded prophecy and against those who are not protected by this Blessing who touch the box (and die a horrific death) could also be seen as entertainment value and adding to the suspense of the plot, but this is not so. Brennan's depiction of this is also reflective of similar in the Bible. He uses examples of such from this Book to explain this protection and the destructive judgment (horrific death) of those who violate His instruction. Now, this impresses me as it shows Brennan is wanting to reflect elements of who God is and not deviate from this. To me, it shows that God is Sovereign and all Powerful (Omnipotent) just as He is as defined in the Bible.

And Brennan also touches on the wavering faith that we all experience through the character of Mullaney. Disturbed by the estrangement from his father and the unresolved issues after the latter's death, his relationship with God has faltered but being involved in this clash of empires and the subsequent attacks against those he is to serving and the spiritual battle over the prophecy has forced him to confront those issues and reconcile himself to God. For those of us who experience this crisis of faith, it would be reassuring to see that God has never left nor forsaken us and there is always a second chance (and more) of faith and relationship with Him.

I pray that every reader, Christian or not, would read the Acknowledgements and Author's Notes at the end of the novel. Seeing the events, places, buildings that this novel is based on adds to its credibility and it is based on a sure and solid foundation. The same can be said for those elements I have discussed above that are based on the Bible. I pray also that the demonic elements described in this novel will show the reality of how deceptive and destructive any submission to the demonic forces is to the individual and this is not what God wants for mankind.

In novels like these, it is very tempting to make it more plot-driven than character-driven. If the former was the case, it would have still had the suspense, action and fast-pace but you would not have connected with the characters and they would have come across as two-dimension and robotic, pawns in a chess game. Brennan has avoided this by making the characters relatable and believable and I cannot see how this could be anything other than this for this novel to be realistic and credible. Relating to these characters makes you feel as if you are in the novel with them and you find you can relate and understand all the events that they are dealing with.

Another strong aspect of this novel is the research on world events, bible prophecy, politics and spiritual warfare and the supernatural that Brennan has conducted. He has applied it well and appropriately to this novel to enable not just an entertaining read but one that educates on these issues. It also edifies one's faith in God and provides valuable insights into who He is. It also enabled Brennan to construct a cohesive and integrated themed novel. Nothing seems to be out of place or superfluous or irrelevant.

Highly Recommended.

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