The Reckoning

The previous Pope died in his arms, blessing him with his last breath. He can perform miracles. His mother was a virgin. His DNA came from the Shroud of Turin. Peter Carenza is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy and a secret, Vatican-sponsored experiment. But is he the Second Coming, or something far, far worse? Believers the world over hail Carenza as the new Pope and rejoice as he creates a new church for the new millennium. A few people know the truth-that mixing science with the works of God has created not a Saviour but the Anti-Christ.Now the latest--and last--Pope scours the world for the human guardians of the Biblical seven seals, which must be destroyed before the final cataclysm can begin. Opposing him are a lone Archbishop, the female American journalist who chronicled Carenza's rise to power, and Peter's mother, a nun who truly hears the Word of the Lord.

Thomas F. Monteleone is the author of the Bram Stoker Award winning novel, The Blood of the Lamb, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His other novels include Night of Broken Souls and Eyes of the Virgin. Monteleone's column from Cemetery Dance magazine has been collected in The Mother and Fathers Italian Association. Several of Monteleone's stories have been adapted for television.

Monteleone and his wife, Elizabeth, have edited the acclaimed Borderlands series of anthologies and run Borderlands Press, a high-quality small press. Thomas F. Monteleone and his family live in New Hampshire.

"Monteleone's an expert storyteller."--F. Paul Wilson