Rating: 
Summary: The next to last battle!
Review: Wow....... I have never seen so many bad reviews for any of the "Left Behind" books. But a good many people have taken the authors to task for this book.And I almost understand why they have. Unlike all 10 of the previous books, "Armageddon" did not capture me from the very beginning. There were many times during the course of reading the first half of the book that I wanted nothing more than for it to end. However, about halfway through the book my attention was finally captured and I was hooked for the remainder of the book. "Armageddon" begins where "The Remnant" left off, with New Babylon in total darkness. As Nicolae Carpathia prepares to move the upper levels of his one-world government out of New Babylon, the main Tribulation Force safe house in San Diego is in danger of being discovered, forcing the occupants to quickly flee to Petra and the safety the Lord provides there. Unfortunately, the relocation comes at the cost of Tribulation Force lives. As the battle of the ages begins, more Tribulation Force members will lose their lives, and another will be hanging to his life, literally. The final couple of days before Christ's Glorious Appearing will be radically altered for those who are left behind. And for those of you who are ready for the next (12th) book to be the last one in the series, I've got bad news for you. Several Christian news sources are reporting that the authors have decided to add a 13th book to the series, supposedly covering the final war between good and evil that will take place at the end of Christ's 1000-year reign on earth. I'll be looking forward to it.
Rating: 
Summary: It's NOT the original manuscript but....
Review: "I didn't see the movie"... but I did read the original manuscript and the Left Behind series is much the same as watching an old movie "re-make" of the scriptural account of the Rapture, Tribulation, and the Second Coming as foretold in the book of Revelation, and other books of the Bible. It necessarily calls for interpretative license with both characters and plot. Prophets of old looked across a mountain range of time trying to explain what they saw. The authors' interpretation of these accounts into present day images and word pictures has been a pleasant respite. I consider it "light" reading. However, as an avid reader (5-10 books per month for entertainment purposes plus professional journals and studies) I would have to concede that this series has dragged a bit in spots, and this book in particular...but since I know how it all ends I don't find myself too impatient with it.(tend to read quickly thru or past it) The characters seem a little less developed in sections but, considering the circumstances they're in, projecting "how" they should respond and what part of their personalities could be deemed "artificial" is not something that would deter me from buying the next book in the series when it comes out. For me, these characters are the "remnants" struggling with a new faith....and REALLY weird circumstances in unchartered territory...talk about a learning curve! It did not surprise me that they migrated back to previous or weak coping patterns and personality traits. I just imagine what I would cling to in the same circumstances. Guess I have to take a hard look at why I'm reading it...I like the story line, the characters, and the way my mind engages and visualizes what is, in my estimation, a well delivered "story" derived from what I consider factual research.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Armageddon
Review: A Review of "Armageddon" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
As a fan of the entire Left Behind series of books, I thought that "Armageddon," the eleventh book of the series was well written. The authors maintained the suspense level found in the other books of the series, which made it easy for the reader to stay interested. On the other hand, I must confess to a small degree of disappointment in the book. The authors seem to be a little uncertain where to take some of the characters as they prepare for the twelfth and final book of the series. It almost seems as if they have run out of ideas for individual characters, so they found that the easiest thing to do would be to kill them off.
For the characters, emotions are running very high as they anticipate the Battle of Armageddon, which will be the final event of human history before the return of Jesus to begin His reign on Earth. Many of the characters allow their emotions to get the best of them, which leads to quite a few intense situations during the course of the book. Chloe wanders away from the Tribulation Force's bunker, which becomes a cause for great concern, not only for her, but for the entire Tribulation Force. Albie finds himself dealing with an old acquaintance, hoping that his loyalties have not changed.
There was a very light moment towards the beginning of the book in which Rayford, taking advantage of the darkness, goes to New Babylon to retrieve Chang and, during a briefing being held by Potentate Nicolae Carpathia, is able to have a little bit of fun at the Potentate's expense. Nicolae did not enjoy it a bit, and it was fun to see the character portrayed as the Antichrist taken down a notch or two.
My favorite character is Rabbi Tsion Ben-Judah, who is the writers' tool to share the Biblical prophecies with their readers. Even though I have read these Scriptures many times myself, I find myself more excited as I picture the words being preached by Tsion. Not only have the writers made him an inspiration on a spiritual level. He is a man to be looked up to because he is not content to merely preach, but also wants to join in on the work, including taking up a weapon and participating in the final battle.
As the days for the battle draw near, the writers are able to hold the reader on the edge of his seat. There is very little imagery in this book. The writers instead choose to keep the action nonstop, using the descriptions of the action in the story to place the pictures in the reader's mind. They do this very well.
The writers inject humor at the right moments to help break some of the tension that is taking place in the action. At one point, with bullets flying all around, Tsion, passing the healing pool of Bethesda, says to Buck, "I was not hit, Cameron! No need for healing!" The only thing Buck can think at this point is "Millimeters from death and the rabbi jokes."
The book does a good job of clarifying the Biblical prophecies of the last days. Even if you think the language of the book of Revelation is figurative rather than literal, you will enjoy seeing these events unfold.
Rating:
Summary: Better than people give it credit for
Review: A lot of the reviews I have read of these books tend to put it down by comparing it to other end of the world books. And while I will admit that these are not as smart or engaging as some of the the better books that cover the same topic like Fire of Heaven or We All Fall Down, I still really enjoyed them. A friend introduced me to the first book and I cut through all 12 books over the past two months. In a way, it's not really fair to compare them to some of the other books because they are trying to do different things. Left Behind seems to me to try to simply tell a great story about the end of the world. It's light, but what's wrong with that? I really felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next when I finished a book and the very next day would order the next one. I call that a success. A book like We All Fall Down is obviously much more intense and thoughtful, the characters seem much more like real people, and it gives you more to think about, but why does that make Left Behind bad? Can't The Ten Commandments and The Passion both be good movies?
Rating: 
Summary: A very easy read, but potentially hazardous as doctrine
Review: As an example of uneven writing, this is one that would fit well on any creative writing course. The character development can best be described as shallow, and the action highly unrealistic given the premise. The Antichrist and False Prophet come across as buffoons, whilst many of their minions are far more nasty. And I find it hard to believe that the devil incarnate would be unable to prevent Christians from piloting aircraft all over the world undetected (just try taking a nail clipper through any airport nowadays). For all that, you do want to know what happens, if only to have the satisfaction of one particularly annoying character getting the chop.
Jenkins seems to take great pleasure in creating uneccessary secondary characters, whose task is merely to get in the way and make the main characters roll their eyes and press on with what they were doing anyway. Well, that's how the reader feels too! However, when something truly significant happens, Jenkins resorts to description in note form. The destruction of Babylon (literalised as the real Babylon in this series) covers all of an unconvincing half page.
More concerning about this Christian pulp series, are the dual facts of its staggering misinterpretation of Bibilical prophecy, and creation of a self-perpetuating book and church resources franchise. I greeted the Left Behind series with curiosity, only to find the latest addition to this money spinner is yet another book series detailing the Antichrist's early life! I guess that means twelve more volumes about Old Nick in Junior High?
This book series is potentially dangerous, since it encourages blithe belief in the doctrine of a rapture, and reorders prophecy to fit. A secret rapture was not preached by the early church, and only came into being as a doctrine in the late Nineteenth Century, through one prophecy given in a Brethren church. It then made its way into mainstream consciousness through the annotated Schofield Bible. Buttressed by this series of popular books, there could be many Christians who fail to recognise the Antichrist when he comes, simply because no rapture has yet taken place.
Best just to treat these books as pulp fiction, and then go and get some proper teaching.
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
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".
Rating:
Summary: I don't know.
Review: At first, I thought this book was a little bit like blasphemy. For a while I thought that it was God's job to explain how armageddon will happen, and not LaHaye and Jenkin's job. But then I found out from Jenkin's School of Prophecy that it isn't false prophecy if your novels are based on the word of God and if you use Jesus' name a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Book of the Series Thus Far...Only One More To Go
Review: The absolute worst of the series. The book starts with some good action and some slight character development - a big change from the disappointment that Book Ten was. However, halfway through the book, it changes from a decent book into nothing more than an extremely preachy bible tract. The character development goes right out the window, the plot development resembles something closer to a ride at Disneyland than a rolling, churning adventure at the End Times. Absolutely disappointing work from these two authors.
Rating:
Summary: BOOK ELEVEN: ARMAGEDDON
Review: The end of the world draws nigh, and believers and non-believers alike are making their ultimate preparations. Nicolae Carpathia rallies his armies for what will be the final battle, and the Tribulation Force mobilizes for one last mission as Petra and Jerusalem brace for impact. The eleventh entry in the Left Behind saga based on Revelation, ARMAGEDDON takes more than a few unexpected turns, ratcheting the excitement to new highs. Many readers may be shocked by some of the plot twists in this novel, but the underlying postitive message of the Gospel itself trumps even the grimmest disaster. The authors rely somewhat less in ARMAGEDDON on a number of devices that have been overdone in previous entries, and the result is a more fresh, lively, and believable narrative than some of what has gone before. Fans of the series who have made it this far shouldn't be disappointed in this entry (though they may be in for a surprise or two), but critics will probably not find anything to change their minds, either. Why the latter insists on reading something they so clearly despise I cannot fathom, but the rest of us are happy to have them along for the ride! Despite the action-laden script, the story remains largely character-driven. We've seen Rayford Steele, Buck Williams, Tsion Ben-Judah, Chloe, George, Chang, Albie and all the rest go through a lot to reach this point, but the biggest thrills are yet to come and it's hard not to cheer for each of them to make it through to the end. ARMAGEDDON is yet another fast, easy read in this amazing end-times saga, and this time all eyes are on the heavens and the promised return of Jesus Christ. The Glorious Appearing is at hand...
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