Book Review: The Final Summit

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Paperback or Kindle

224 pages

ISBN: 978-0785231202; ASIN: 078523120X

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Retail: $19.99

This is the sequel, or at least the book after Andrews' The Traveler's Gift. I haven't read the first book but if you pick up this one, you will not be in the dark. Andrews right away gets his readers caught up with the main character, David Ponder, going down memory lane. 

In a nutshell, this book is the quest to find the one principle that will save humanity. What makes it interesting is that Ponder comes in contact with, or has previously in The Traveler's Gift, individuals from the past that are fellow Travelers. We read about individuals such as Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Joan the Arc, King David, Eric Erickson, and Joshua Chamberlain. Those individuals play an important part in the Summit to which Ponder is called to lead. The archangel Gabriel is the overseer of the summit. In the end, the group supposedly comes up with the 'correct' answer to save humanity. Oops, sorry if that gave it away. But really, it doesn't because the answer was not what I was expecting and I wonder how many readers would have come to the same conclusion.

Anyway, the book itself: the writing isn't wonderful. There are so many instances where Andrews assumes (as good writers are supposed to, I have heard) that his reader will not understand a simple question and therefore his main character must drag out a simpler rephrase from the angel in order to understand. Ponder is supposed to be a smart man and yet at times he doesn't appear to be. Oh, well, I guess we are all like that.

The entire summit meeting is very well done. I did enjoy the reenactment of historical figures. At the end of the book Andrews has an authors note that says he made up most of what the characters said in the book but there were a few times that he drew from historical writings. It is a bit like historical fiction. Interesting bits of information about Eric Erickson, who I'd never heard about. If you are interested in that sort of thing, you might want to look him up ;) WWII figure.

I enjoyed the book for the most part, other than some of the writing- until the end. I was very disappointed. After a certain point when the summit is going, I knew I was going to be in for a surprise ending but... I did not like this one. Anyway, that is my opinion of course. Perhaps you'd like to read the book for yourself and share your review :)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”