Carl E. Olson (1)

Extraordinary presentation of the Catholic view of the prophecy of the End Times. Olson carefully refutes the various millennialist contentions after pointing out that there is no history of the concept prior to the nineteenth century. It's a new idea, plain and simple. The Catholic vision of the end time is much more hopeful than the millennialists', and presents God as a loving parent who does not look forward to annihilating his children. If the reader is troubled by the modern, desperate interpretation of the End by the TV preachers (and their non-televised cousins), this carefully researched and documented book will provide the rational alternative.… (meer)

Readable and convincing, but marred by juvenile sneers.

In a long time, this is the first non-fiction book I have read all the way through in just two sittings. Its sole purpose, of course, is to refute the absurd claims of the highly overrated phenomenon known as the Da Vinci Code.

This book tackles most of the controversial "truths" presented by Dan Brown, and it does so with an impressive representation of scholarly sources. However, it is such a shame that the authors could not keep a more scholarly tone throughout their presentation. It is heavily interjected with sneering remarks about Dan Brown, his sources and his fans, and it is coated with an off-putting "see, I-told-you-so" attitude. These unprofessional interjections very much degrade an otherwise excellent attempt to present thoughtful and critical analysis of not just Brown's work, but also of the more general contemporary hunger for Catholic-bashing. I am not Catholic (or a subscriber to any particular religion); however, the reason I picked up this book was my fatigue of modern PC claims of the Evil Church.

I recommend this book mostly too those who want an in-depth historical analysis of the specific religious claims made by Dan Brown; however, be aware that if you come to this book with an open mind, you will most likely have to filter out the acidic editorial comments to fully appreciate its thorough research.… (meer)