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Summary: 400 pages of dribble then 3 major events in 1 chapter.
Review: I have read the authors' first 3 books of the "Left Behind Series" and had been looking forward to the release of Soul Harvest. I must say that I was very disappointed with the story of Soul Harvest. 400 pages were spent with no major events. (except the sign on the foreheads, that was cool). The search for Chloe and Amanda way to long. What I could not understand is how could the book end the way it did. The authors dribble about not much for 400 pages and then conclude 3 major events in the last chapter (2 major events in just 2 pages). I would rather have been hanging with the book ending just before the first meteor hit. So much was tied in the last few pages that it was completely unbelievable. Then it ends with Rayford and Nichloae talking as though its business as usual. (Come on guys I know you can do better then this. ) I will continue to follow the story but I can not recommend "Soul Harvest" Roger Saurage
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Summary: I have loved the first three books.....
Review: But, I decided not to buy the next one because someone disclosed so much info in their review that I don't need to read it anymore. I can guess what is going to happen! Perhaps Amazon should review the reviews so others don't tell us the ending and therefore eliminate the need to purchase the book!!!
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Summary: SPECTACULAR!!! The Story Keeps Getter Better and Better!
Review: I borrowed a copy of Left Behind and read it in one night. I took my next paycheck (don't worry, I could afford it) and decided to head to the store and pick up my own copy of Left Behind, Tribulation Force and Nicolae. TO MY WONDERFUL SURPRISE, Soul Harvest was released a month early. I 'left behind' Left Behind, picked up Trib Force, Nicolae and Soul Harvest. The story keeps getting better and better...and building in its intensity!! I loved the humor of Chloe around the middle of the book, the vivid portrayals of the judgements brought upon the earth and the realism of the charachters. Some of the charachters in the book who reject the gospel message remind me of some the low ranking responses on here. Jerry, Tim--if you're reading this, get through the rest of the series quickly!!! I need to know what happens :) The authors were really blessed and took great time in studying Biblical Prophecy as well as weaving it into the storyline. You almost tempt me to go pick up the kids series :)
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Summary: Earthquake survivors seek to destroy the Antichrist.
Review: Having written the stunning article "The Wrath of the Lamb" in the previous book, Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia suspects that Buck Williams is a Christian. Buck searches for Chloe while Rayford Steel tries to locate his new bride Amanda. Lahaye and Jenkins show the emotional chaos and worldwide destruction through excellent descriptions. This book begins during the 21st month (halfway through) Nicolae Carpathia's reign. We see the fulfillment of more prophecies as we travel to Iraq, Israel, America, and other world communities. Life is now comprised of living in underground shelters, evangelism through direct contact and web sites, finding enough to eat, clean water to drink, and other Christians with whom to work. As prophesized, Nicolae knows that his time to rule the world is half-over. His hunger to devour the souls of those still on earth is his driving force. The general populace still sees him as a benevolent ruler, but we see behind the scenes where murder and anger rule the man-the Antichrist. Lahaye and Jenkins show more character development than in previous books and the action is fast paced and demanding. Some familiar characters are dead, but new ones take prominence in The Tribulation Force. By this point in the series, I was completely hooked. I had a hard time putting the book down, especially since I knew I had seven more on the bookshelf. As soon as I finished this book, I grabbed the next one. Victoria Tarrani
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Summary: A failure
Review: I am an ardent believer in Christ, but that does not mean that anything written about Christianity should be endorsed and embraced regardless of its quality. I have read all 12 of these novels and they simply aren't very good. The writing is poor, the plot unimaginative, and there certainly isn't anything in these books that will cause a Christian to re-examine and thus more fully embrace our beliefs. Look, I don't doubt that the authors had the best intentions with these books, but quality has to count for something. There are better alternatives out there. Try We All Fall Down by Caldwell. It's well-written and extreimly intelligent. If you're going to read about Christianity, read something that is worth your time.
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Summary: 2nd best book
Review: this is a fablous book and it teaches what might happen some day. so read it . it is a grat book and the way it is writen is by 2 authors and each writes a part for each caharactor and it is really neat, even to the detail and the dialog of the story is great.
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Summary: A LOOK AT THE NOVELS OF REVELATION
Review: I am a very big fan of novels that deal with the Biblical Apocalypse and, with so many different types, thought it would be worthwhile to give an overview of the ones I have read.
Left Behind, by Tim Lehay- The series that started it all. These novels are, in truth, somewhat boring, but it covers the bases with a depth that none of the others do, probably owing to the fact that there are so many of them. They lack character development and deep theology, but are a fun, if shallow read
The Christ clone Trilogy by James Beauseigneur- Well written novels that focus on the scientific and political. Tom Clancy meets Left behind is not too far off the mark. I greatly enjoyed these books although I felt a little let down by the ending. Overall, a good political take on the End.
We All Fall Down by Brian Caldwell- Certainly the most controversial of these novels. The focus here is the individual and why someone would ever in their right mind reject salvation. Very brutal, although probably more realistic, in its depiction of the End. This is certainly not a book for the timid, but for the rest, I found it the most intelligent, well written, and, oddly enough, spiritual of the bunch. It's hard to walk away from this book with feeling to need to take a fresh look at one's own relationship to Christ.
Blood of Heaven, by Bill Myers- These are intelligent, character focused novels. I found the theology again to be a little weak, but really enjoyed following the distictive characters.
The Last Gentile Trilogy by Cary Bybee- Better written than Left Behind, but lacking the scope of that work. Like conquest of Paradise or Christ clone, it it based in science, but perhaps too much. Not enough religion for my taste.
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Summary: Christian Propaganda
Review: This series of novels is inspired by "The Revelation to John", the last book in the New Testament, the third section of the Bible, the Christian holy book. "The Revelation to John" (which is often misnamed "The Book of Revelations") tells the Christian myth of what will happen at the end of the world. Basically, the authors took this story, which is barely 20 pages long, and turned it into a series of 12 novels plus a spin-off series that deals with kids. The Christian view is that only the people that believe that Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and died for their sins will be saved and receive an eternal reward in Heaven. What makes this worse is that individual merit based on good or evil deeds is not taken into consideration, because Christians believe that human beings cannot be put right with God except through Jesus. Christians believe that they are saved through faith alone; no amount of good works can win God's approval. So, all of the people that don't believe in Jesus will receive an eternal punishment in Hell, regardless of how many good deeds they do and how caring they are to other people. Meanwhile, the Christians will be saved no matter how evil they behave, because they've got Jesus on their side. "The Revelation to John" tells of an event known as the Rapture: all of the Christians are taken up to Heaven, and everyone else is left behind on Earth. After an event known as the Tribulation and world rule by someone known as the Anti-Christ, Jesus finally returns to Earth and defeats his enemies. Then the old Heaven and the old Earth go away, and a new Heaven and a new Earth are established - with God as King, of course. This took 20 pages in the Bible. Imagine reading the same story stretched over thousands of pages. As a non-Christian, I'm alarmed at what I consider to be an evil religion perpetuated by zealous idiots. Christians base their beliefs on documents that are close to 2,000 years old but don't quite date back to the time period that the events within allegedly occured. There is no physical evidence of the existence of Jesus. There are no non-Christian records of Jesus (not even in Roman execution records). There are no records by astrologists of the time period that describe such an event as that which supposedly occured during Jesus' crucifixion. I belief that the reason that Christianity has endured and grown as much as it has is because it's the only religion in the world that threatens the non-believer with an eternal punishment. Christianity is, at its core, a religion that rewards the "yes" people and punishes the nonconformists. The Bible itself orders Christians to spread the religion throughout the world. Christians feels that it's their duty to convert all non-Christians to Christianity. They pity non-Christians and "pray for their souls". They place themselves into a group of the elite - the saved. They start missions to convert the "heathen" non-Christians and "bring them over to Jesus". The Roman Catholic Church even has a division, called Propaganda, that specifically tries to establish churches in non-Christian nations. An example of a Christian mission is this book series. The authors are trying to bring readers to Jesus through these novels, which have, sadly, become best-sellers. I think that Christians should abort their missions and just leave people of other religions in peace. I'm so glad that there are billions of non-Christians in the world. It would be horrible if the Christians converted everyone. The world needs a balance of beliefs. Otherwise, it would lose its diversity. If you want to read a good book of a battle between good and evil, then read "The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition" by Stephen King. It tells a similar story, only better and in only 1,000 pages. The premise is that a superflu kills millions of people (we don't see what's going on in the whole world, just the United States), and those that are left band into two opposing camps of good and evil. The thing that makes King's book a lot better than this series is that no explanation is ever given for why these people are immune to the superflu. All types of people are left behind, both Christians and non-Christians. The authors of the "Left Behind" series make it seem like the world would fall into chaos if all of the Christians disappear, which is ludicrous. King wisely avoids this in his book. Buy it and enjoy it. Skip the "Left Behind" series. If you want to know what happens, take an hour to read "The Revelation to John".
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Summary: Series Begins to Fall Flat
Review: The first three books move at a fairly good clip - with things really being handled well. Book Four kills that momentum halfway through its pages. Leaving a successful formula that is similar to a bad B-Rated Mystery-Thriller - the series takes a very preachy turn. Even after one removes the heavy-handed bully pulpit from the story - there's not much to be praise-worthy with what's left. The first three books focused on excellent character and plot development, and the preachy aspects took a deep backseat to those methodologies. Sorry Mr. Lahaye and Mr. Jenkins...your novel doesn't live up to the expectations of the first three in this series.
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Summary: KEEPS YOU CRAVING MORE
Review: The horror of those left behind continues to grow and part 4 of the Left Behind series. Picking up with the aftermath of the great, worldwide earthquake, Buck desperately searches for his wife, Chloe, and the rabbi, Ben-Judah. Rayford is at odds with Carpathia over his missing wife, Amanda. While making a convert in his copilot, Rayford learns Amanda may have been working for Carpathia.
Though the world has lost about 25% of its population, the economy seems to chug along, unaffected. People expect and get all kinds of services, as the Global Community begins rebuilding immediately.
Rayford actually says he would like to kill Carpathia himself. So why doesn't he just crash the plan at his first opportunity? I guess he's not willing to give his life for his beliefs.
The interpersonal relationships are the most interesting in this volume. Peter the 2nd is a hoot as the Pope Plus with his never-ending pomposity. Left Behind is a great big Christian soap opera with some truly original developments, in the form of crosses appearing on the foreheads of the believers, but only visible to other believers. Combined, it keeps you craving more.
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