Millennium Rising

From Barnes & Noble

The End Is Near

The last two years have seen a veritable explosion in apocalyptic fiction. Although there is much to recommend this subgenre (Douglas E. Winter's Revelations anthology and the bestselling Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, for example), Theodore Sturgeon's Law (to paraphrase, "90% of everything is crap") evidently applies to millennial fiction. This promotes an unfortunate tendency to ignore most of what is published, insuring that the treasure will be lost amongst the dross. This is a shame, because there is still good work being done in this area, Millennium Rising being one recent example.

As the novel begins, the faithful of many religions travel to Santa Pelegia, Mexico, certain that they will receive a message from God. They are not disappointed: During an extraordinary event witnessed by thousands, God speaks to these pilgrims, causing a religious frenzy. Although God speaks to everyone, he apparently touches 24 of their number in a special way. Appearing to them in visions tailored to their individual beliefs (one pilgram has a vision of the Virgin Mary, another is touched by an angel of Islam, yet another sees the Hindu goddess Kali), He tells them the apocalypse prophesied is at hand.

At first dismissing these messages as the ravings of madmen, the world takes notice when the prophecies are fulfilled, first in a plague of boils, then through the destruction of a significant portion of the world's already depleted food supply. Investigating these phenomena for the Vatican is Father Michele Deauchez, a psychologist who believes that the incident at Santa Pelegia and subsequent events can be explained rationally. Teaming with New York Times reporter Simon Hill, Father Deauchez uncovers a massive worldwide conspiracy called the Red Scepter that seems to be the mover behind recent events.

The conspiracy explains some, but not all of the strange goings on: Boils and red tide can be manufactured, but how could anyone cause the earth's tectonic plates to shift, seemingly of their own accord? Deauchez's investigations eventually uncover the shocking answer, proving that faith can literally move mountains.

What sets Millennium Rising apart from other works with millennial themes is its focus on the apocalyptic myths found in many religions, not just those found in Christianity and its vision as detailed in the Book of Revelation. Jensen exploits the seemingly universal presence of apocalyptic prophecy in a number of faiths, using them as the springboard for a story that literally spans the globe; by positing a scientific conspiracy that manipulates these beliefs, Jensen adds credibility to her narrative. Although she briefly flirts with disaster (the book starts turning into a James Bond thriller about two-thirds of the way through), Jensen rights herself by introducing yet another clever theory, which neatly ties up loose ends.

In the end, Jensen's main point is that there are no atheists in foxholes: As the world's anxieties increase, many seek answers in their various faiths, increasing their susceptibility to clever hoaxes. A tale of religion and technology coming together to cause disaster, Millennium Rising is chillingly plausible, perfect reading for the last days of the millennium.

—Hank Wagner

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Exploiting the paranoia surrounding the imminent new millennium, Jensen's first novel paints an apocalyptic vision of 21st-century avarice and affliction. In 2005 the world is facing famine. When numerous people in Santa Pelagia, Mexico, report visions of saints and gods, the Vatican sends Father Michele Deauchez to determine the authenticity of the sightings. Elsewhere, there is a quick succession of disasters: spores destroy human tissue and crops; a red tide slaughters fish worldwide; Pope Innocent XIV is assassinated; an Ebola-type viral plague breaks out. These events set Father Deauchez and his friend Simon Hill, a New York Times reporter, pursuing their predictable hypothesis--that a conspiracy lies behind all the mayhem. The rest of the novel follows the heroes along numerous hair-breadth escapes from their enemies. These are led by a Bill Gates clone named Andrew Cole, head of a telecommunications firm whose global network has been publicizing the prophetic menaces. Dr. Michael Smith, a mild-mannered epidemiologist, is called in to deal with the plague and resolves to find the antidote. He is the only convincing character here, however, and does little to offset the implausible military scenarios, absence of significant female characters and pat ending. Jensen's lively descriptions of disaster offer a harrowing, voyeuristic pleasure, but the novel is unlikely to appeal to a wide range of SF (or thriller) fans. Agent, Shawna McCarthy. Author tour. (Oct.) FYI: Jensen designed the interactive computer mystery game series Gabriel Knight. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In 2005, the world's food supply is threatened by crippling drought, ethnic conflicts abound, and nuclear weapons are held by nationalistic regimes threatening detonation. Meanwhile, 24 pilgrims are led to Santa Pelagia, Mexico, by dreams, and upon arrival all experience visitations from emissaries of the world's religions who prophesy that the world is ending. Father Michael Deauchez, a French priest and investigator of miracle claims for the Vatican, is sent to the village to uncover the truth. Simon Hill, a cynical reporter for the New York Times, meets Deauchez in Santa Pelagia, and the two men form an unlikely alliance when the terrifying prophesies begin to come true. Reader Dick Hill has good pacing and a deep resonant voice well suited to the dramatic nature of this latest in the rash of end-of-the-world tales; he also does a superb job with accents. Jensen, the author of the Gabriel Knight interactive computer mysteries, has written a fast-paced thriller that fans of millennial novels and conspiracy theories will enjoy. Recommended for large audio collections.--Leah J. Sparks, Bowie P.L., MD Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

USA Today

The many twists and tricks of Millennium Rising begin with the title: The action starts in 2005, years after the new millennium's onset by anyone's reckoning, and there's far more falling than rising.  But the most important surprise is that Jane Jensen's debut novel isn't just some apocalyptic schlock meant to cash in on the Y2K panic.  That's not to say Jensen is the next century's F. Scott Fitzgerald, or even Arthur C. Clarke. But she has the imagination to spin technology and religious prophecy into a thrilling read.  Jensen addresses a few big questions, such as the trustworthiness of organized religion, the government, the media and Microsoft-type high-tech conglomerates. But don't think too much: You'll only spoil the fun by confronting the implausibility of all this happening in six years.  It's no shock that the hands behind the horror are human, not holy. But in a book built on prophecy, predictability is no problem. The convoluted path is most of the fun; the Gordian-knot-cutting conclusion provides the rest. 

Kirkus Reviews

Near-future SF thriller from Jensen, designer of the Gabriel Knight computer-game mystery series. In 2005, against a backdrop of worldwide drought and starvation, a group of people, later called seeds or witnesses, is drawn to a small Mexican village. Each experience miracles: a Catholic nun sees the Virgin Mary, a New Ager talks with aliens, a Native American communes with his Spirits, and so forth. Vatican representative Father Michele Deauchez watches in terror as stigmata appear in his palms, and only by a vast effort of will retains his skeptical viewpoint. New York Times reporter Simon Hill thinks that there were probably 24 witnesses, though he finds evidence for only 22, and most of these are convinced that the Apocalypse is coming. Sure enough, mysterious spores rain down on large parts of the world, causing sores in people and killing crops. A deadly new virus appears, nearly a hundred percent lethal and spreading rapidly. The Pope tells Deauchez to continue his investigations into the miracles. But then the Pope is assassinated, and Deauchez ordered back to Rome. By now suspicious of his Vatican superiors, he refuses to go and instead joins forces with Hill. All the witnesses, it emerges, were given inoculations or hospital treatment in the months before their spiritual summons to Mexico. Forced to flee for their lives, Deauchez and Hill learn that the secretary-of-state, high-powered industrialist Anthony Cole, heads a clandestine group, Red Scepter, that apparently is orchestrating the apocalyptic events. Imaginative, snappy and incident-packed, though the plot would work better if Jensen didn't keep giving the game away: an exciting debut.