The Assignment

by Mark Andrew Olsen

Book Overview

With the action and suspense of a Ted Dekker novel and the spiritual warfare of This Present Darkness, Olsen’s first solo novel poses an intriguing question. What if the Restrainer of II... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076422817X
• ISBN13: 9780764228179
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Length: 462 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A great, new voice in thrillers

Mark Andrew Olsen is a terrific writer, and The Assignment is a terrific book. Yes, it does have a strong plot, but I wouldn't call it plot driven, simply because the other aspects of the story are also executed so well--the characters are deep and three-dimensional, the locales are vividly described, the history is obviously meticulously researched and convincingly threaded through the storyline. Olsen deserves high praise for his imagination and skill.

Couldn't put down!

The first couple of chapters were a little slow, and I thought that I may have bought a dud. It certainly took off after that! It reminded me a lot of Piercing the Darkness with its use of demons and angelic protectors. Very enjoyable.

A moving story of good vs evil

THE DA VINCI CODE has spawned a mini-industry of exegesis and echoes --- even tours for beguiled readers. I've read Brown's book and even written a tongue-in-cheek research piece about some of the history involved in his mystery, and I'm here to tell you my honest opinion: THE ASSIGNMENT was more interesting, more honest and more fun to read. Like Brown, Mark Andrew Olsen bases his book on a small, secretive Roman Catholic group: the Order of St. Lazare, comprised of just seven priests. Like Brown, Olsen's protagonist is faced with a seemingly insurmountable task that involves convincing others of an impossible premise. Like Brown, Olsen's book is fast-paced and has characters careening from the States to all corners of Europe --- and, in some cases, even further. And that points to one of the things that is different about Olsen's approach. First of all, he unabashedly includes the spiritual --- he even includes the mystical, and a lot of it! But hang on for the ride, because even though his use of several different perspectives and forms of narration (including the protagonist's diaries) can get a little confusing, Olsen uses the chaos to allow readers' suspension of their disbelief. By the novel's end, you may not consciously subscribe to the idea of angels and demons (pace Dan Brown), but you'll be cheering the former on. In fact, one of the most interesting things about Olsen's novel, for a CBA author, is that he has structured it more as a battle of good versus evil than a battle of Christian versus nonbeliever. Conversions happen, but they aren't necessarily the "born again" kind. While not all readers will agree with Olsen's scenarios or his theology, this non-preachy yet grounded style is both refreshing and thought-provoking. What does it mean to be both a Jew and a Christian believer? What does it mean to be an academic and a believer? What does it mean to be a Catholic as opposed to a Protestant? Through a cast of characters that includes a young American graduate student, a pair of CIA officers, a post-John Paul II Pope, Mossad agents and shadowy terrorists, Olsen raises these and more questions. Thankfully, he doesn't attempt to answer them all nor does he leave the door open (funny, since the symbol of an open door is important to the Order involved) for what could have been endless sequels (spoiler alert: if you want to know what I'm getting at, take a look at the name of the Order again). While I could go on and on about plot twists and turns, let me end by saying something else about this book that differentiates it from THE DA VINCI CODE: at the end of THE ASSIGNMENT, for its attendant flaws, I found myself moved --- both by the outcome and by the sense of this author's living faith in God. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

4 1/2 Stars...A Real Accomplishment

The idea has intrigued mankind since the dawn of time: What would it be like to be immortal? What if you could not be killed? What if death had no hold on you?Mark Andrew Olsen approaches this idea in a fresh way, and, in the process, gives us a suspenseful story with theological implications. The book opens with a group of old priests, a secretive Catholic order, who have been digging ceaselessly in their search for their immortal ward. The man they seek is one who has walked the earth for two millenia, living countless lives, and working as the one of who will restrain the spirit of the anti-Christ in godless times.The story breaks open when this man is found, at last--buried alive in a Nazi tomb near Auchwitz. The havoc that ensues could've turned Hollywood-ish. At times, it does rely on gunfights and nick-of-time escapes. But the real accomplishment here, the beating heart of the story, is Olsen's ability to take us into the mind of his immortal character. We care about this man. We believe in his struggle. We feel at times that his struggle is the same one we face, daily trying to follow God despite our sense of hopelessness and uselessness in this fallen world.Publishers Weekly accused the book of tiresome and confusing viewpoints, but I found the plot easy to follow. Even more importantly, I thought the characters were easy to sympathize with. Although the ingredients of the story seemed to promise more suspense in the finale, "The Assignment" is worth the effort. Without being preachy, Olsen reminds us that life is worth living--and that dying is nothing to fear when we are part of God's family.

Don't miss this one!

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. The multiple points of view and the flashbacks in this book didn't confuse me at all. I was so engrossed in the story that everything flowed together brilliantly. This book has it all- beautiful prose,an intriguing premise, great suspense, history, and well-balanced supernatural/spiritual scenes. If you are looking for an alternative to the Da Vinci Code, this is THE book to read. Mark Andrew Olsen is a very talented author and I look forward to reading his future books.