The Jihad’s Messiah by Nick Daniels

By Don Helin

In his latest novel, The Jihad’s Messiah, author Nick Daniels unleashes a plot so fiendish that New York Times Bestselling Author Joel Richardson says, “The Jihad’s Messiah is a thrilling ride into a very probable future. No other apocalyptic novel brings the current events in the Middle East so close to the biblical prophecies about the last days. This book will both entertain and enlighten you, leaving you hungry for more. Nick Daniels is simply a fantastic author.  I am already eagerly awaiting his next book.”

The Jihad’s Messiah takes the reader to a future where world power has shifted to the Middle East, and the Arab nations have signed a seven-year peace treaty with Israel.

A radical Iraqi leader—known as Al-Mahdi, “the Awaited One”—rises to power promising to convert the world to Islam.

Major General Farid Zadeh is Al-Mahdi’s most loyal follower and the next in line to become the Full Army General of Iraq—until he is falsely accused of being an Israeli spy.

Determined to vindicate himself, Farid flies to Jerusalem to spy on the Israeli military. But before he can return home with the intelligence, the peace treaty is broken and war breaks out between the Arabs and Israel.

Now he must run for his life, as both armies consider him their enemy and want him dead.  Help—and perhaps redemption—come from unlikely sources: a stunning Jewish woman and a Christian prisoner. When his faith and his loyalties are tested, Farid must decide which side to take….

His decision could alter the course of Man’s final war.

Nick Daniels is a former science journalist turned novelist. He grew up in South America and now lives on an island in the Pacific with his family. He is the author of The Gentlemen’s Conspiracy (Risen Books, 2009).

I caught up with Nick a few days ago and had the chance to ask him a few questions.

Is there anything special you’d like to tell us about The Jihad’s Messiah?

The Jihad’s Messiah is my second novel and the first in a trilogy (see www.jihadseries.com). The premise of the novel can be quite controversial, but so are most thrillers that deal with religion (The Da Vinci Code, for example). What I can promise you is that it’s a lot of fun, with plenty of action and excitement. I would say that the main character, Farid, is like an Arab version of Jason Bourne.

One of the most challenging aspects of the research process was to learn how to think like an Arab. I read many books, watched movies and interviewed people. At the end of the day, we are all humans with the same feelings and issues, but culture shapes us in ways that a foreigner can’t even imagine. I have a lot of respect for the Middle Eastern cultures and the complexities of their political and social environments.

Did any particular event inspire the plot idea?

A few years ago I heard a speaker give a talk about the parallels between the Islamic traditions about the end times and the prophecies in the Christian New Testament, and how the descriptions of the Islamic messiah fit the description of the Antichrist in the Bible, while the Islamic antichrist fit the description of the Christian messiah. I’ve never heard such a thing before and thought it was a fascinating fact. So I asked myself what every writer does, “What if?”

Then I began doing more research on the topic and came up with the plot for The Jihad’s Messiah. But you’ll have to read the novel to find out more about the plot!

What are you doing to promote the novel?

I am very active on Facebook and different blogs. I also have contacts with non-fiction authors who write about this topic and are willing to promote it.

What’s next?

The two sequels are next, and I’ve taken some ideas from some recent trips.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing (hobbies, family, etc)?

Not writing? What do you mean by that?  Really, if I’m not writing a book or reading one, I’m probably watching a movie or making a video. These are my passions.  My wife and I love to kayak, so we do that when the weather permits.

What didn’t I ask you that I should have?

I am donating all my royalties for The Jihad’s Messiah to charity. My publisher, Risen Books, has a partnership with Holt International, a Christian organization that cares for orphans, and I want to join them by donating the income from the book sales to help these orphans. You can learn more about this, here.

To learn more about Nick, please visit his website and www.breakingunbelief.org