Five Family Generations of American soldiers, at Gettysburg, Meuse-Argonne, Bastogne, Chosin Reservoir, and facing Viet Nam, grapple with age-old fears and questions regarding their enemy, their Duty, and their own mortality. In making the ultimate decision to place themselves squarely "in the breach", they rely on the unifying influence of spiritual strength, intense personal devotion, and the Flag of their Country.
In the aftermath of the cosmic near-miss, fortuitous but not without dire consequences, humanity struggles in adjusting to new extreme, vicious climatic conditions while battling the normal tendencies of the Species to destroy one another. With Nature challenging the drive for survival - growing food, generating power - along with human jealousies, ancient hatreds, and plain old "Bad Luck", the odds continue to stack against the self-proclaimed "Creature Supremo" of the planet. Continuing with the saga begun in "The Distant Flutter of Wings", good and evil again grapple for dominance. In the background, but fully present, is the planet itself, the continued recipient of a recent cosmic body-blow followed by grievous wounds inflicted by its own inhabitants. Like a heavy-weight prize-fighter pummeled by a devastating series of brutal combination blows, Earth staggers. Meanwhile, humanity continues to ignore the simple truth: If Earth goes "down for the count", so do we Wise men continue to scramble for sanity, reason, and survival of the species. Fools continue to do foolish (but typical) acts. And Dame Life continues to laugh, doubled-up, half-choking-out: "Stop it You're killing me "
The dramatic conclusion to a Trilogy by Barry A. Lauer, "The Gate To Armageddon" follows "The Distant Flutter of Wings" and "Woe, Woe, Woe " said the Angel, leading the reader along the tortured path of a desperate struggle for survival in a world ravaged by rampaging Mother Nature and the horrific actions of a few murderous rogues. Mixed into Dame Fate's violent cauldron is the imminent threat of nuclear terrorism and the valiant efforts of those committed to thwarting such actions, including Special Forces. Humanity's future hangs in the balance - the final verdict unsure.
