Armageddon and the Fourth Timeline by Don Mardak – Book Review

An exciting journey from the front page …

Armageddon and the fourth timeline Don Mardak’s is an exciting journey from the front page. This science fiction novel combines time travel, spiritual themes, a fascinating mix of characters, and modern intrigue to create an “indestructible” novel.

We meet CIA Director Scott Cunningham, a former Navy SEAL, and his assistant Lori Colbert, heading to a meeting after some horrific terrorist attacks. We also meet husbands Kathy and Eric who are in Lhasa, Tibet, on a spiritual quest. Through Eric’s time travel, the two worlds intersect. Mardak’s premise throughout the novel is that “a spiritual universe exists, and humanity has the ability to rise to a higher level of consciousness where all conflicts can be resolved peacefully without resorting to war or threatening a nuclear holocaust.”

By Mardak Armageddon and the fourth timeline is a science fiction novel, containing elements of time travel. It is set in ‘the present’ with a clear objective of trying to reconcile what is happening. There is a definite sense of right and wrong in the novel. Mardak’s fascinating use of the biblical characters Paul and Silas both to examine Christianity and to change the future is amazing read. The way Mardak structures the novel is particularly well done, so that the ending is satisfying, works in a sci-fi fashion, and runs to the end, all at once.

The novel examines the various tenets of several major religions (Christianity, Tibetan Buddhism, and Judaism) using them as plot assets: for example, Paul’s missionary journey. This exploration of religion is a pretty wild ride, but it’s worth it.

The first third of the novel introduces us to the characters: the CIA, the troubles involving Eric and Kathy, and the Himalayan mystic Shimahn. This first third also introduces broader geopolitical issues, as well as the configuration of the “four-dimensional world of space-time.” In the second section of the novel, the true journey through time begins. We see its effects from Eric’s point of view. You are an interested participant. In this section, Mardak makes good use of structure to make his point, but also to move the plot forward. The last third of the novel brings everything together: time changes and new ideas and perspectives. There is an ending that is somewhat surreal and is beautifully done.

One of the main themes of this book is religion. It’s a fascinating book because I think a lot of people consider religions to have “truths” and this novel certainly plays with some of them. Anyone who believes that the Bible is the written word of God will have a hard time with this novel. That said, it is far from Mr. Mardak’s goal to make anyone upset about this. I feel the opposite.

The novel looks at time travel and how it can save the world. What difference would it make to war? Mardak also asks what kind of world we are creating. How do we cause and prevent the nuclear holocaust? Armageddon and the fourth timeline it is also about helping and working together to create change.

The relationships explored in the novel illustrate personal growth and affection. Kathy and Eric, Colbert and Cunningham, Paul and Silas are studies of how we see, how we relate, and how we can change. Focus on Armageddon and the fourth timeline this is how this happens.

One small objection about the characters is the character of Kathy. I didn’t feel like she had much to say for herself, and she was a little too passive for my liking. Eric, however, is well written and his relationship with Kathy is very well drawn. The CIA group describes itself as a good group. They sounded quite different to Eric and Kathy: they were exciting and crazy. They were well drawn.

The scenes in the desert were particularly evocative and the relationships depicted there, though brief, remind the reader that some of the novel’s central ideas are relationship and consciousness. Different families in the desert remind the reader that families have many different shapes. In terms of diversity and families, there are a variety of families: Lori Colbert is a divorced mother, Kathy and Eric have been married for seven years, and the families are in the Sinai desert. There are also the relationships between Shimahn and Eric and Kathy, and between Paul and Silas. Mardak also emphasizes diversity by representing various religions and mixing those religions in unique ways.

This novel progresses at a rapid and rapid pace. Sometimes it gallops quite a bit. He has great ideas about time and space and makes the reader think.

Armageddon and the fourth timeline It has a thoughtful purpose, but is highly readable and action-packed. Mardak’s plot is well structured and makes good use of the characters. From the first “gloomy Thursday at Langley …” (Ch. 1) I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on, what was going on. The sci-fi genre takes a turn with a spectacularly good ending. I am pleased to rate this novel 4.5 out of five stars.

References
Mardak, Don. Armageddon and the fourth timeline: a spiritual odyssey through time and eternity – New Berlin, WI: Grand Circle Publications, 2013.

http://goo.gl/QnimWA (Armageddon and the fourth timeline Reserved.)
http://goo.gl/iDrGMJ (Armageddon and the fourth timeline Kindle ed.)