The Bridles of Armageddon

Dystopian books can be maddening to read, entertaining or something in between. This book is scary in its portrayal of Christian conservatism taken to the extreme through the leadership of EJ Conrad and his followers, the Armageddon Brigade. It could easily be ripped from the headlines today. Is this what people have in mind when they cry out ‘there’s going to be a civil war’? Is this a portrayal of what our future could hold because of extremism? All in the name of God?

I found the book well written, thought provoking, and well worth reading for the themes and questions it poses: when people lose hope they turn to extremism. Extremism is a national way of suicide. Redemption is a healable force of good. Along the way, don’t miss Reverend Amos with his impromptu sermon from a jail cell. That was beautiful and worth the price of admission alone. It was also the perfect counterpoint to EJ Conrad’s wrath of God bible lectures.

Ultimately this is an optimistic book and for me that optimism is why I liked it; give me a tragedy with a happy ending.

"Faith, hope and love abide these three, and the greatest is love."