Rating: 
Summary: It's OK...
Review: This book is well-written, but I agree with another reviewer that the descriptions of the murders are disconcerting. It was somewhat depressing that so many people died. Still, the characters are well-developed. I did find the Biblical allusions a bit much. I have absolutely NOTHING against Biblical allusions, but the continued parallelism between the characters and events of the book and things in the Bible was frankly a little far-fetched.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining start to a new series
Review: America after World War III is a vastly different place. It is divided into 7 large States, technology has significantly advanced, and no one is permitted to practice organized religion. As with any activity that is banned, there is always an underground movement afoot. This is where we find Paul Diapola, the main character in this novel. He finds himself torn between the only way of life he has ever known and the temptations of the New Testament.
This book has the same fast paced page-turning story telling of the books in the Left Behind series, however it was a bit strange getting adjusted to the state of America and the world at first because it is so vastly different from what is described in the early stages of the Left Behind books, especially given that the premise is that this series of events leads up to the End of Times and the Rapture where Left Behind begins. However fans of Jerry Jenkins and his entertaining writing will not be disappointed.
This book is not likely to win any awards for superior literature, but the story telling does not disappoint and this book is overall a very entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Despite flaws, this futuristic thriller is a compelling read
Review: Fans of the Left Behind series (which will conclude with the final book, GLORIOUS APPEARING in March 2004) have wondered what's next for the co-authors. For Jerry Jenkins the road has led to a new trilogy, which begins with SOON.SOON is a futuristic thriller. The prologue, which starts with some hard-edged powerful writing, is more in-your-face chilling than anything in the Left Behind series. It's edgy and graphic. It is the reader's opening clue that Jenkins is pushing the envelope further with this new series. The story is set in 36 P3. What is that, you ask? World War III ended in the Fall of 2009, and with it the world as we know it has changed. The religious war has eliminated entire countries and redefined the world, and a tsunami caused by exploding nuclear warheads has obliterated most of Asia, Hawaii and Southern California. The war's result: the world ends up committed more than ever to peace. How can this be achieved? By banning religion and enforcing a law where anyone caught practicing their faith is punished with death. The United States is now divided into the United Seven States of America, and its National Peace Organization seeks out religious terrorists in the goal of maintaining peace. This story takes place in the 36th year after the war's end, post-Word War III, or P36. By the time readers have gone through the opening chapters, Jenkins has laid out a huge concept. Thinking about the wars over the centuries where man has fought over religious turf and religious beliefs, readers will take pause at the concept of life without religious conflict. Jenkins is at his best when he lays out an idea like this. He plays with it from a number of angles, and by the time he is done, readers have moved into this new world to hear the story. Paul Stepola is a zealous agent in the National Peace Organization. He takes his role as an enforcer seriously, and travels around the country killing believers on sight. Along the way he starts to see some startling new trends as there are some unexplained supernatural events, which defy meaning. The NPO labels them as conspiracies, but Stepola starts to see them as signs of something else --- a force that is greater than man, but illegal. After he has a miraculous healing of his own after a blinding accident, he recognizes that religion is a force that should not be denied. He begins to work with religious zealots to spread the word of God while embracing the concept that the rapture will be coming "soon." Thus there is an urgency to get religious information into the hands of those who are not yet committed, as only believers will be assumed into heaven. While I appreciated the concepts outlined in SOON, there are times where I felt the writing hastened the story along way too quickly. There needed to be more tension between Stepola seeing a concept and embracing it. All too often the reader sees the challenge and the setup, and the resolution within a few paragraphs instead of exploring it with more tension, or questioning. Also, whenever I read Jenkins' writing I harken back to my college English professor who once told me after hearing the dialogue in one of my stories --- "people do not talk like that." He was right. The words I used were herky and jerky, and not as smooth as the natural cadence in people's phrasing. I always think of this reading Jenkins. His dialogue should be punched up, as well as descriptions of body language and personality. It's all black and white, and the characters plod more than glide. The awkwardness of the writing becomes more apparent when so much energy has been put into the set up and the plot. That said, when I read the last page, I was wondering what happens next. The futuristic angle had drawn me into the overarching premise, and after years of listening to the nightly news filled with stories fraught with religious conflict, the concept of life without religious tension definitely gets a reader thinking Those who enjoy wondering what if, those who want to know how others have had their faith tested and emerged stronger, and those who enjoy futuristic theories will be interested in SOON. --- Reviewed by Carol Fitzgerald
Rating:
Summary: a real page turner
Review: I had never heard of Jerry Jenkins until I started reading the Left Behind series. I was skeptical about this book, mostly because the flaws of Left Behind are in that it isn't extremely well written (powerful and compelling, but not exceptionally well written). I wasn't sure I wanted to read another religious End Times type story, especially from the same guy. Parts of the premise started sounding more interesting, and I finally decided to give it a shot. The style is very similar, it is a fast paced novel and rather simplistic at times, but a lot of fun to read. It is 36 years after World War III (which happened in 2009). The war was a religious war and the end result was that there is a worldwide ban on religion. This would ensure that there would be no more conflict as most of the world's conflicts had to do with religion. Now, 36 years later, whatever religion that exists has gone underground. Religion and all aspects of it are illegal, and it is hated, feared and denounced by most of the world's population (think a Big Brother sort of indoctrination against religion). Paul Stepola is an agent for the National Peacekeeping Organization. He is rabidly anti-religious, though he is a religion scholar (know thy enemy). His role is to kill (persecute) believers. There are reports of Christian groups popping up all over the country and it is his job to track them down and shut them down, with force. Paul begins the novel as rabidly anti-religious as you can be, but over the course of the book he softens and his journey mirrors that of Paul the Apostle (in the Bible, see the book Acts of the Apostles). There are some very interesting concepts in this book, specifically the vision of the future where religion is outlawed. We know from the beginning that this book will have a Christian tint to it and will naturally support a Christian worldview, but this is also just an interesting book to read. I mentioned earlier that it was a fast moving book, and it is. This is the kind of book that I just fly through. Like the Left Behind novels, the writing is simplistic (not necessarily a bad thing) and this time there weren't any names that felt amateurish and grating like Buck Williams did. I didn't expect to enjoy this novel, but I did. It is the first book of a proposed trilogy, and considering how fast Jerry Jenkins writes, you won't have to wait long for book 2 to come out. If you like religious fiction, give this one a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, right.
Review: I tried to read this crap, I really did. Unfortunately Jenkins fighteningly simplistic understanding of war, as well as poor writing, just turned me off.
No Religion = No War? Since when? Wars are fought for land or water or gold or oil or cattle. Anything that one person or group has and another person or group wants will spark a war.
Throwing religion in as a motivation is nice icing on the cake, but it's not what the fighting's all about.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Food For Thought!
Review: I'm wondering if this series should have preceeded his contributions in the Left Behind Series....but AWESOME reading. An adventure writer extraordinaire, "Soon" grips from the first word to the last, and left me impatient for the next book to be released. A "Must Read" for those who gain insight from and who enjoy reading Prophetic Fiction. I found this really solid reading.
Rating:
Summary: The launch of a great series.
Review: If you can disengage yourself from the Left Behind series and allow Jenkins to begin a different storyline, you'll probably like the book. I just finished "Silenced" (second of the series) and I'm hooked. It took me a bit to break my mind away from the LB series, but once I did, Jenkins sucked me into the lives of his characters. Jenkins and LaHaye's ability to introduce so many characters without losing the reader impresses me to no end. I think Jenkins (in this series) does a fantastic job of capturing the world thought that is already beginning to take shape. I would buy this book again without a single regret.
Rating:
Summary: Can mankind survive in a world without religion? Sort of...
Review: Open the book and get ready for a shocking, tumultuous, futuristic trip. 2045 is bleak indeed, especially if you happen to be a Christian. Wintermas, previously Christmas, was a time for celebration and gifts. However, it was also a time when those who were Christians, forbidden as all religions were, had a more difficult time masking their identities. In my opinion, the world geopolitical situation was implausible, and there was insufficient background to set the stage that took away the rights of those who chose whether they believed and worshipped or not. Being caught with a Bible meant death. Thus enters the zealot Paul Stepola, an agent in the National Peace Organization. The NPO was created to destroy religion wherever it was found. Paul is very good at his job -- he finds Christians, and they are executed in dramatic and revolting ways. He determines that he will have more ammunition if he studies the Bible, and is provided with both books and CDs for his study. He is changed by the scripture study, and his journey to Christianity parallels the Biblical Apostle Paul's. I'm sure Stepola was named for him, which is only one of the contrivances used in this book. This is, however, a fast paced thriller, but I was aware that it was "just a novel." Taking into account that I purchased this book thinking it was #12 in the Left Behind series, and I was disappointed, I raise the stars from two to three. I'm sure this is book one of a series, and I have no plans to read others. Victoria Tarrani
Rating:
Summary: Can mankind survive in a world without religion? Sort of...
Review: Open the book and get ready for a shocking, tumultuous, futuristic trip. 2045 is bleak indeed, especially if you happen to be a Christian. Wintermas, previously Christmas, was a time for celebration and gifts. However, it was also a time when those who were Christians, forbidden as all religions were, had a more difficult time masking their identities. In my opinion, the world geopolitical situation was implausible, and there was insufficient background to set the stage that took away the rights of those who chose whether they believed and worshipped or not. Being caught with a Bible meant death. Thus enters the zealot Paul Stepola, an agent in the National Peace Organization. The NPO was created to destroy religion wherever it was found. Paul is very good at his job -- he finds Christians, and they are executed in dramatic and revolting ways. He determines that he will have more ammunition if he studies the Bible, and is provided with both books and CDs for his study. He is changed by the scripture study, and his journey to Christianity parallels the Biblical Apostle Paul's. I'm sure Stepola was named for him, which is only one of the contrivances used in this book. This is, however, a fast paced thriller, but I was aware that it was "just a novel." Taking into account that I purchased this book thinking it was #12 in the Left Behind series, and I was disappointed, I raise the stars from two to three. I'm sure this is book one of a series, and I have no plans to read others. Victoria Tarrani
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: Taking the concept of Christian persecution to the modern/near future age, Mr. Jenkins truly indeed has created a great book where you are gripped in the storyline. It is relentless, and when it pauses you know that you are being set up for another shock in the plotline. Yes, there are plenty. =) I truly think that this book is more "real" than the books in the LB series (Which it is always being compared to), and it feels more real. I seriously recommend reading this, check your local public library if you can't buy it now. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!
| 
