The Last Day, James Landis
The Last Day, James Landis
1 Rating(s)
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The Last Day

Author: James Landis

Narrator: Bruce Turk

Unabridged: 10 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/01/2009


Synopsis

I meet Jesus on the day I get home from the war. I’m on the beach, but I don’t know how I got here. My mind is as dark as the night. . . . I spend the whole night on the beach. But when the sun’s faint light begins to bend around the Earth, I see him. . . . There, coming toward me, out of the light, is a man. . . . Behind the man a faint curtain of light rises to the sky out of the ocean. He wears the light like a robe, though I see he’s dressed like me. Jeans and a T-shirt, no shoes. And that he’s older than I am, a lot older, maybe mid-thirties. He walks right toward me. He walks right into my eyes.

So begins the spellbinding story of Warren Harlan Pease, a young U.S. Army sniper freshly returned from the Iraq War to his native New Hampshire. What follows is a page-turning adventure that is also a powerful meditation on religion and war, love and loss.

The Last Day answers questions and asks many more. Armed with a sniper’s rifle and his deeply held faith, Specialist Pease travels across ideological borders and earns an appreciation for his enemy’s culture and for what connects us all as human beings. “War doesn’t test your faith in Jesus,” Warren comes to realize. “It tests your faith in yourself.” Upon returning home, he spends an entire day with Jesus visiting and contemplating his own life with fresh eyes, and a willing heart. He examines his relationship to those he loves, and grapples with the pain he has been carrying inside since the death of his mother when he was just a boy.

This extraordinary work of compassion and healing grace combines the themes of religion, war and poetry in a way that is wholly original, and unforgettable. It will resonate with skeptics and believers, be shared and discussed between friends and among families.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jordy on January 14, 2010

My favorite quotes: "Is there anything we want as much as for the dead to be able to see us?" - Pg. 29 "Words are like a shield sometimes to protect what's under them. Maybe that's why I like poetry, where words are weapons and wounds both." - Pg. 55 " 'My father's a vet [veterinarian:],' I say, 'who h......more

Goodreads review by Faith on January 10, 2010

Everyone seems to be comparing The Last Day to The Shack, but I find that to be apples and oranges. The Shack is a story of faith. The Last Day is a love story. It is not a study of the nature of God. Jesus is a character in the story, but the story is not about him. It's about Warren Harlan Pease's......more

Goodreads review by Steve on July 08, 2011

Overall, I found this book to be very unique and interesting, unlike any book I have ever read before. I was fascinated by the author's intent of drawing out the process of 'meeting Jesus in the air' (1 Thess. 4:17). I found my heart echoing many of Warren's thoughts and regrets as well, making note......more

Goodreads review by Sue on July 06, 2014

A young man at war in Iraq, finds himself on the beach in his hometown and can't remember how he got there. He looks up and there is a man walking toward him named Ray. What follows is a beautifully written story of redemption and grace. Highly recommend having a box of kleenex handy.......more

Goodreads review by Dave on July 15, 2020

A different look at what happens right after we die and a chance to resolve conflicts still unsettled. Well written although narrative lagged just a bit from time to time. Well worth the read......more