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The Reckoning: A Thriller | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeff Long
Publisher: Pocket Star
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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You Save: $7.98 (100%)
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Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 192825
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0743463013
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743463010
ASIN: 0743463013
Publication Date: April 26, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
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Product Description
Bestselling author Jeff Long's apocalyptic thriller Year Zero was hailed as "superbly original...terrifying and exquisite."-- Dan Brown, ş bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code Now Long enters new territory with an intricate,suspense-charged journey into the Vietnam War'shaunting legacy. The killing fields of Cambodia hold nightmarish secrets of the past -- and the present -- for Molly Drake, an intrepid photojournalist covering the U.S. military's search for the remains of an American pilot shot down during the Vietnam War. A flight helmet buried among the Khmer Rouge victims is her first discovery -- and far from the most explosive. Led by a mysterious expatriate to the ruins of an ancient city, Molly embarks on a harrowing search for evidence of an entire GI patrol, lost thirty years ago. Now, as a typhoon descends on the remote jungle fortress, Molly discovers that a war she never knew never ended -- and it's up to her to solve a forgotten murder among the warriors left behind....Jeff Long's unnerving novel of predation, betrayal, and resurrection is a masterwork of "excellent storytelling" (Rocky Mountain News).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 A dark and surreal trip into the timeless heart of Cambodia February 4, 2005
Schtinky (California)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
Jeff Long has a talent for not just painting a location with his words, but painting the actual feeling of the surroundings, drawing out in literary fashion the overwhelming mysticism and dread that permeate the very fabric of his physical realms.
Free lance journalist Molly Drake, on assignment for her big break with the Times, travels to modern day Cambodia to photograph and report on the U.S. Military's efforts to excavate the site of a plane crash back in the 1970's, hoping to find the remains of the pilot.
She joins the team, along with two other civilians, an archeologist named Duncan O'Brian who specializes in temple restorations, and John Kleat, a development contractor who makes annual pilgrimages to Cambodia in hopes of finding the remains of his long lost brother. She also meets an old, one-legged Khmer named Samnang who is the work boss on the excavation site.
She spends a month with the RE-1 unit, enchanted by the strange morning people who wander through the early mists, and by an odd gypsy boy who skirts the site like a feral dog. But when she finds American remains in a deep well, she and the other civilians are evicted from the site and sent home. While having dinner at a local restaurant with Duncan and Kleat, the gypsy boy shows up with American dog tags and says he can lead them to the burial site. Taking Samnang and three local brothers, the three set off to find out if what the gypsy boy promised was true.
A long drive through the night, past a strange rain of tiny frogs, they discover ancient ruins buried deep inside the Cambodian forest, primitive and eerie, dating far before any of the ruins Duncan has studied. Conflict begins immediately, with Kleat insisting their focus be on uncovering the missing men, Duncan wanting to explore the strange city, and the locals hired by Samnang wanting to plunder the relics.
It doesn't take long to discover that there is something strangely alive about this ancient place, and Molly is determined to find out what it is, in spite of the rising tensions and the threat from both a typhoon and the upcoming monsoons. She will uncover more than her story here, finding answers to her quest for her real parents and to the strange behaviors of her companions.
Just as Long did with his previous work, `The Descent', he is able to paint a mystical atmosphere that literally comes alive with its creeping mists, sultry humidity, aggressive growth, and mystical ruins that crouch under the canopy of the lush jungles. I could feel the atmosphere, the sense of urgency, the dread, and the excitement that pulls Molly deep into mysterious puzzle of the missing soldiers and the city itself.
Jeff Long is proving himself to be one of my favorite authors, someone I can compare to Michael Crichton with his ability to make me grab up a hardcopy the minute it is released. Enjoy!
 Not as good as I see the other reviews would have you believ September 17, 2004
H. J. Spivack (North Woodmere, NY USA)
14 out of 22 found this review helpful
I liked Long's other books (I've read 2 The Descent and Year Zero)enough that I've been anticipating The Reckoning for a while.
The only faults in the other books that I found was in the characterizations. This time, it is almost all characterization and the storyline is almost secondary.
Mr. Long is a talented writer and I will continue to buy and read what he writes. However, this was not one of my favorites of his work.
thrilling chiller June 30, 2004
Harriet Klausner
13 out of 17 found this review helpful
The New York Times assigns Photojournalist Molly Drake to accompany the U.S. Army as they retrieve the bones of a pilot who went missing in Cambodia. However, they find no sign of bones or dog tags until Molly sees through the lens of her $10,000 camera the remains of a mass grave. With the monsoon about to begin, depart, their mission failed.Once again, Molly uses her camera lens to find a cache of bones in a well. The Cambodian government allows them one week to find what they seek but Molly, archeologist Duncan and Kleat, who is looking for the thirty-year-old bones of his brothers are ordered off the project. One of the people who watched the dig shows her a dog tag and tells the group there are nine others; he will lead them to it. Unable to contain their excitement, Molly, Duncan, Kleat and their guides follow Lukas to a deserted ancient city thought to be two thousand year old. Molly sees and experiences things that can only be attributed to the supernatural as she discovers the truth about her path. THE RECKONING starts as a thriller and metamorphosis into a supernatural tale. Cambodia, a place where legends and myths are closer than most people ever experience, works its magic on the visiting Americans, especially Molly, who sees and hears things the other's don't. There are very few people, who could cope with what Molly experiences and stay sane, but she is a strong woman and it will take a lot to break her. Jeff Long has written a thrilling chiller in which the natural and the paranormal world collide with fantastic results. Harriet Klausner
These Bones Are Made For The Reckoning August 20, 2004
Richard King (Star, Idaho United States)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
After reading Jeff Long's last book, "Year Zero", I ordered this book right away. Jeff Long has the ability to fuse the natural and supernatural without going over the top, but still capture the reader's imagination. Once again he has successfully pulled off another exciting book in "The Reckoning"!
At first, I was a little leery about this book. The subject matter of recovering soldier remains in Cambodia, didn't seem all that interesting to me, until I started reading futher in the book. I was so engaged in the book during my night time reading, I wouldn't get to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning.
This was an excellent book to read. The last few chapters of the book kind of reminded me of the movie, "Sixth Sense", if you enjoyed that movie, you will enjoy this book.
Thanks Again Mr. Long!
 4 1/2 stars October 4, 2004
Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
If you like tales of lost cities in the jungle as well as stories that involve the supernatural, I think you will enjoy this latest effort by Jeff Long. Stylishly written with some good visuals (...a hailstorm of frogs) and a brisk pace.
It was a quick and satisfying novel.
Recommended.
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