The End is Now by Rob Stennett

The End is Now is like a well-oiled invention. One that changes the face of the economy (like the Pregnant Cooler).
The plot (if it can be called one) follows the satire story of the town of Goodland, Kansas. The town lore has always been about false raptures, so what are they supposed to believe when an eleven year old boy starts prophesying about the coming rapture? Apparantly, God is using the town as a test market to see what is in the hearts of men. Some in the town believe it, and as a result, go beserk. The "level-headed" people make fun of them, but they themselves are sucked into the undertow of chaos the ransacks the town as the one of the judgements the boy predicts actually come to pass.
The story focuses on the family of the prophet-boy, and all of their history and entrappings. Despite all of the information the author tells you in the first chapter, the end is still unexpected.
The only book I can think of the compare this to is Tribulation House by Chris Well. But The End is Now is better, mostly because of the author's ingenious comments and the whole premise of the story telling.
Basically, Rob Stennett is the kind of author the Christian market needs and has unexpectedly given James Scott Bell a run for his money.
4.5 stars

The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennett

Rob Stennett is exactly what the Christian market needs these days: fresh originality.
The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher follows the life of Ryan Fisher, a slick real estate agent trying to climb up the corporate ladder. The only problem is there are already many people like him in the office. The solution: pretend to be a Christian and advertise in the Christian Business Directory.
As his business thrives, he starts getting too big for his britches. On a whim, he decides to plant a church. The People's Church. Its own denomination. He and his wife move several states away and plant a church in a restaurant.
The characters are good, better than most. However, the character of Ryan Fisher is a bit inconsistent; sometimes spastic, sometimes commanding; sometimes organized.
This plot does a very good job of presenting an issue in a very entertaining way. The point is, all a "pastor" really has to do to draw a crowd to make people feel good and tell them what they want to hear.
The plot is entertaining because of the unique writing style and how the book ends before the epilogue. Then Rob Stennett makes a rookie mistake and wrote a prologue that patches everything up at the end. But it was a good thing there was no last chapter conversion.
All in all, Rob Stennett is a promising author but has not yet lived up to his full potential.
3.5 stars