But there remain some formidable obstacles to the reader. From the outset, Heard buries us in a descriptive avalanche that forces our minds to make bizarre leaps. The book is also littered with tortuous metaphors. Religious thinkers have puzzled over that one for centuries. St. Augustine, the great theologian, basically elected to grab the apocalyptic pigskin, drop back deep and punt.
History is riddled with empty promises and failed predictions.
In 1844, William Miller told a large following that Christ would return Oct. 22. He did not return, and the date became known as the Great Disappointment. In comparison, the empty promises of Apocalypse Pretty Soon seem small. Those promises are still unfortunate, because a book like this has so much potential. These are strange, unusual people.