The Last Apostle: A Novel (John the Immortal Series)

By Dennis Brooke

Description:

What if John, the last living apostle of Jesus Christ, was still alive and well… and living in Seattle? In A.D. 100, John is restored to the body of his youth and sent on a mission with a warning: to never reveal his true identity. He winds up on a small Greek isle where he faces an attempted assassination, a run-in with the Roman authorities, and develops a relationship with the daughter of the village leader. Fast-forward to modern day Seattle, where John leads a foundation dedicated to bringing clean water to third world nations. A new television series brings attention to ancient legends about the true fate of John the apostle and threatens to reveal the truth of his identity. John struggles to keep his secret as he grows close to Nicole, a young women he recruits to lead his organization. For two thousand years, John has wandered the earth while hiding his true identity. But now, both friends and foes are on the verge of discovering who he truly is―an event that will trigger the end times. Can John divert those who would discover his secret, or will curious friends and suspicious enemies spark the apocalypse? The Last Apostle is the first in the series of novels on the life of John over the last two millennia.

Book Takeaway:

We may not live for 2000 years, but there are things we can do to change the world.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

Good stories often begin with a “what if.” For example, what if an English orphan found out that he was from a family of wizards and was being sent off to wizarding school? That "what if" spawned the Harry Potter series.
Or, what if in the future children were forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of the state on a cruel, orchestrated reality TV show--until a young woman sparked a rebellion. From that came the Hunger Games.
My what if story is based on a scene in the last part of the Gospel of John. The risen Jesus is walking on the shore with Peter and he’s telling Peter what a terrible death he’s going to die. Peter looks behind at John who’s following them and asks, “What about him?"
Jesus replies, “What’s it matter to you if he stays alive until I return, we’re talking about you."
The gospel goes on to explain that rumors started that John would remain alive until Jesus returned. It also explains that’s not what he really meant.
But when I heard that passage in the gospel I always wondered, what if that’s exactly what he meant—that John would remain alive until Jesus returned. I wondered what would he have been doing over the last two thousand years? How could he have influenced history? What interesting skills would a two thousand year old man have picked up. And why would he have kept his identity a secret?
And when I started researching the life of John I learned about interesting legends and facts that fit right into a story like this.
My name is Dennis Brooke and my book is called The Last Apostle. It’s based on the idea that the apostle John is still alive, and lives in Seattle. I hope you’ll enjoy it.