Wrath of God

Wrath of God is one of those books where heroes out of history are brought together through science fiction to fight an encroaching evil. It is an end of the world novel set in the west of a future United States. In a twist of fate, a Mongol Khan has returned with his army to seize control of the land. Through the use of a time travel contrivance, Amelia Earhart, Stonewall Jackson, George S. Patton, and others are assembled to fight the horde. The land itself is important. A girl hikes into the mountains in one case to detonate a bomb in some caverns causing a cataclysm to help the resistance effort. Gleason's book does have an old woman similar to the lady in Stephen King's The Stand. But where the Stand builds suspense over a long time, Wrath of God is written to move fast. That, I believe, is its biggest failing. Post-apocalyptic novels usually steamroll the reader, building tension behind heavy-handed prose. It's a technique that works well, which Gleason seems not to have noticed. Still, I read this four hundred pager, didn't get tired, and didn't feel that badly cheated. It's written at the surface level without much underlying psychology to govern the characters, relying instead on the awesome group Gleason has assembled. It's like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen done better than the movie, the Alamo, or the Marvel Secret Wars comics. I'll recommend this if you like the premise, and accept the idea of the tale moving faster than usual fare.

This novel is fantastic. It starts to drag in the middle, but the fast-paced action and in-depth characterizations are marvelous. Also wonderful is his putting forth of philosophical ideas and the power of God. A father risks his life for a daughter. What could be more heart-warming. Read it, please!