The Last Day

In a set-up not unlike "Jacob's Ladder", the author takes us on a heart-warming walk along the beaches of Greenland, New Hampshire with newly departed Warren Pease and his earthy Jesus escort. Suspend any preconceptions you may have formed and follow along as a soldier tells his story and says his good-byes to dear friends and family. While healing the wounds of childhood loss and the reality of war, Jesus leads his young follower on a journey of love and redemption that will make you laugh with joy and weep with sadness. I'm not quite sure how the author has pulled this one off, but he has. I could not put this book down. And, while I knew the end would be final, the journey between morning and mourning was one that I just had to make a second time. Kudos to James Landis. This is a wonderful read.

First, let me say this is an excellent book and one I couldn't put down! The Last Day by James Landis tells the story of a man who spends a day with a Jesus who likes wearing blue jeans, hamburgers, and being called "Ray." Now, before you stop reading, it's not a book pushing religion or trying to save your soul; in fact, it might tick off some conservative religious readers. Rather, it's the story about a man who's experienced tremendous heartache and loss throughout his life, gone through war, and is now trying to find his way. The Last Day introduces us to Warren Pease, nicknamed "War" because of his training as a sniper in the Iraq war. As a young man, Warren loses his mother by suicide and grows up with an emotionally distant father because of the tragic loss. The story opens with Warren sitting on the beach at night, unable to remember how he got there. Finally a man shows up and introduces himself to Warren - it just so happens to be Jesus. From there on out, Jesus and Warren spend the day together, discussing life, the world, Jesus' (just call me "Ray...") love for hamburgers. There is humor, tears, love and many scriptural references, without being dogmatic, in short, just talking about Warren's life and helping him make sense of it. The Last Day is written so it makes you feel you're actually spending the day with Warren and Jesus, privy to their increasingly enjoyable conversations! When you start reading it, you just can't put it down. It really is a marvelous book and one I enjoyed thoroughly. I highly recommend it.

James Landis' excellent new novel, the Last Day, is very different in modern literature. The Last day is two stories in one: an embedded view of combat through the eyes of a soldier, and a one day redemptive journey with Jesus. Both are excellent narratives with exquisite detail and vivid events. First, this is the tale of a combat soldier, Specialist Warren (nicknamed War) Pease. War, a master sniper, relates, in exacting detail, adventures of his combat missions in Iraq. Through his eyes, we see the battles, his compatriots, the Iraqi culture and people. His descriptions are so clear that I felt I was walking by his side. Second, this is the chronicle of a spiritual journey with Jesus. War spends one complete day with Jesus. Jesus walks with him, eats with him, and visits his family and friends with him. The chronicle is almost mundane in its detail. While Jesus gently quotes His scripture, we discover the importance of turtles, flowers, grass and rocks, This exacting detail greatly enhances the experience. We learn about Jesus and Warren through their relation to the people, creatures and objects of this earth. The Last Day is a very spiritual book, but not a book of theology. Some many be offended that Jesus is presented as an ordinary man, but in this presentation of a twenty-first century human Jesus, we begin to see the devine. This Jesus loves everyone and everything. This Jesus gently and subtly invites each person he encounters to accept Him and themselves. This Jesus cares about all His creation. This Jesus is the healing, reconciling, suffering servant of the book of Isaiah. The Last Day is an outstanding spiritual novel. I highly recommend this book.

I finished this book last week and find that it is still with me. It is extremely effective and beautifully written. The author is relentless in his presentation of the bittersweet personal story of Warren Pease as he revisits the people in his life with the help of a very human Jesus who is still Jesus in spite of seeming so human. All this contrasts artfully with the descriptions of his intense and violent experiences in the Iraq war. Without giving too much away about the book, I can say that it is a masterpiece of juxtaposing contradictions, leaving the reader with a lot to think about. I highly recommend it.

I chose this book because I saw that it was recommended to readers of "The Shack" I loved that book, so I thought I would give this book a try. The main character is a young man named War. He wakes up in a strange place, and has no memory of how he got there. He meets another man named Ray, who is really Jesus. Warren and Ray embark on a series of adventures and come into contact with the people most important to Warren. Through these interactions, Warren comes to question things he previously thought were true. He comes to realize that things are often not what they appear to be. He also gets profound insight into his own life and character. The characters in this novel are believable and real. These are almost like real people. They aren't superhuman. They all have flaws and their own little quirks. This is a book that deals with issues of war, faith, love, hope, and redemption. This book held my interest throughout and kept me turning pages until the very end. This book is an easy read. It is both profound and humorous. It draws the reader in and doesn't let go. I would highly recommend this book to others.