Rating:  Summary: the best Review: if you're lost, you'll get found and saved. if you're already saved, you'll rejoice. an excellent way to follow the book of revelation!!! this series makes it all so real. read them all. ...
Rating:  Summary: Thought Provoking Novel Review: A possible extramarital affair, an unexplained event where Russian aircraft seem to self-destruct before they can defeat their enemy, a secret formula that will change the worlds food production, the disappearance of thousands of people throughout the world, murder, and a good-looking, humble President Nicolae Carpathia of Romania, who seems too good to be true, but is possibly the Antichristeach of these has the makings of a great book. Left Behind incorporates all of these plots.The story begins with two men. Rayford Steele, a 747 pilot on his way to London, is contemplating having an affair with his flight attendant Hattie Durham because of his wifes irritating religious beliefs. Steele is blaming his wifes belief that God will rapture his church for pushing him towards infidelity. Cameron Williams, also known as Buck, a reporter for the Global Weekly, is a passenger on Steeles flight. Buck is going to London to meet a friend from Princeton, Dirk, who has been feeding Buck information about his belief in an international money conspiracy. The reader learns of another character, Chaim Rosenzweig who has created a synthetic fertilizer that could change the worlds food supply. As Steele decides to leave the cockpit to visit Hattie, he discovers her in a state of panic. Numerous passengers have disappearedvanished into thin airwith clothes, shoes, and jewelry left behind. This phenomenon has occurred throughout the world, and chaos reigns since people have disappeared from every conceivable place. Distraught over his missing wife and son, Rayford turns to the church and finally understands and believes in Christs rapture of his church. A humble Romanian Nicolae Carpathia enters the picture. He appears to want nothing but worldwide disarmament and peace. However, he is the epitome of evil and appears to be the Antichrist. With continuous twists and turns, suspense, and good versus evil, it is difficult to put this book down. I will definitely be continuing the series to see what happens next.
Rating:  Summary: It was OK Review: I am a christen, however let me just say that the characters are wooden and dialogue and plot are almost nonexistent. Now from a strictly theological standpoint it does have merit but that is not enough to save it. It does not help spread the message of Jesus in any way, it only helps spread the Fire and Brimstone approach that is so prevalent in some areas of this country. No one is going to read this book and be converted or filled with holy zeal. Christians like myself will pat themselves on the back because they are going to heaven and the unchurched will laugh and call us "ignorant fudentalists".
Rating:  Summary: Interesting, easy read Review: Reading some of the other reviews, I felt I had to make my voice heard. Left Behind is as many have put it very simply written, but I imagine that was done on purpose to make the book accessible to everyone. I do not claim to go to church regularly or believe that the end of the world would actually happen like this but the story does have a nice science-fiction read to it. The characters could use a little more definition, especially those that are to become the main focus over the course of the series, and the dialogue at times is too simple for the way that most people talk. However, this book did manage to entertain me enough that I bought the next two the day I finished the first. The only really annoying part of the book was when a Bible verse was mentioned without actually including it; this may have led to better understanding of some of the character's thoughts. I would recommend the story to people, but with the caveat that they might be put off by the "preachy" nature of the book. 3 Stars for cleverness, losing the two for the simple dialogue and characters.
Rating:  Summary: Good Try, Really Bad Execution.- Review: I admire the authors for their attempt, it was bravely done, and they avoided adding too many unChristian Political Overtones to a book of such possible importance. While they stuck to the views of a small Christian Sect about what it took to be saved, this was the premiss of the story and thus was vital to the story working. They also showed both intellectual and Christian understanding and compassion to those groups that had wrong beliefs. They may be damned for their mistakes, but it wasn't because the people were evil or stupid. The above are rare accomplishments indeed in Christian Fiction, but unfortantely their basic writing skills failed them badly. They failed to develop characters well, and their knowledge of politics and foreign affairs is laughable indeed. Their action descriptions of action are somewhat gripping, but poorly thought out. Their descriptions of Religious Conversions and faith are more than a little trite, and somehow I doubt that reading the Bible everyday is going to be so vital in the End Days, or even now. However, the overwhelming emphasis on Bible Study is prehaps a believe of the Christian Sect they based the story line on, so not emphasizing would have been a mistake.
Rating:  Summary: Reading for fun with the Bible as a guideline. Is that bad?! Review: Reading some of these reviews inspired me to write one of my own. I won't divulge into the story plot and other details; there are plenty of reviews that have done that. I will say that this is a solid, somewhat well-written novel that has to be seen for what it is. It is a fictional story that was written with Biblical text and principles in mind. It is nowhere near a "prediction" of future events. It is merely an interpretation of Scriptural prophecies and a detailed fictional "path" of what could happen according to these prophecies. Only the Lord knows exactly what is going to happen, who is involved, and the time and place! Skeptical at first, I found this book entertaining to read. I first borrowed this book from one of my co-workers in the Air Force and was impressed with the intimate detail and layout that the authors produced. Granted, it is not as intellectually stimulating as maybe a Tom Clancy novel, but I did enjoy my time reading this book. With many detailed Scriptural references noted throughout the novel, it also inspired me to do more important reading: absorbing and meditating on the Word of God!! THAT, I think, is actually the pinnacle intention of these novels...to make people get back to reading the Word. There is definitely a lack of flow within the novel, making it seem jumbled, incoherent, and amateur. The authors are not Atlantic Journal or New York Times writers. However, their tenacity and passion shine brightly throughout the book, which attracts many readers to intently read this novel and want more. More importantly, their passion is Jesus Christ, reaching out to Christian and non-Christian readers alike.
Rating:  Summary: TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH Review: I thought this was a nice, simple start of a long tedious story about the end of the world. I agree it is not the best written novel out there, but it will do. Granted, I thought it was a little too far fetched, what with the moving of the U.N. to Babylon, and the one currency being pondered over, for as much as it was. But is it fiction, and that means you should try to suspend disbelief. I am actually very eager to see how this will turn out, I won't flock to the stores for the next installments. But if I'm shopping and I should come across the next volume, I'll give it look see.
Rating:  Summary: Great topic, great ideas, but poorly written Review: I love the premise of these books. I love the idea of getting a glimpse of one possible end of the world. But who came up with these characters? No one in these books behaves like a real person at all. Do the authors really think that if millions of people disappeared into thin air that the rest of the world would go on business as usual; continuing to work, travel, and maintain order? I beg to differ. There would be looting, suicides, chaos, distruction and pandemonium everywhere. For me, the books are just too unrealistic.
Rating:  Summary: Get caught up on being "LEFT BEHIND"! Review: Curiosity led me to this novel and has got me hooked on the future installments! Based on the Book of Revelations, this fiction novel takes us into the lives of Captain Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, writer Cameron "Buck" Williams, and Pastor Bruce Barnes, starting with the day that The Rapture occurs. People start dissapearing all over the world, leaving behind others with no explanation as to why they were left behind. To all others, the blame lies with aliens and science technology, but to Pastor Barnes and others, the answer lies within the Bible, where those who truly believed in Christ and His power were taken to heaven, leaving behind those who will have a second chance to prove themselves within the next seven years. Add to the the mix the mysterious Nicolae, who, within a span of year, rises from the lower ranks of his native government to one of the highest positions of power in the United States government. His presence is very reassuring to the people of this country, but his methods are automatically suspect to those that are learning the word of Christ. Throw in a couple of murders that link back to Buck's investigation of Nicolae and the money men backing him, and you have the beginning of a series that is thought-provoking and entertaining at the same time.
Rating:  Summary: Am I the only person that has not jumped on the bandwagon? Review: I am not a Left Behind junkie like so many others have become. In fact, I have only recently read the first book. What are there like 9 or 10 more of these to go? I am not sure I want to invest my time reading all those books when there are so many better written novels out there to be read. I gave this book 3 stars because I do have to commend the authors for the clever way they used the Book of Revelations to make a sort of entertaining novel, kind of a combination sci-fi and suspense novel. I hope no one is reading these books to get a religious lesson because these books are pure fabrication, a kind of what if this were to happen. Again, I do not think the language of the book was particularly good, but the idea itself is interesting. Maybe they should consider getting a ghost writer for the new books. I am not sure what the author's intentions are here. Perhaps it is to get the message out to the masses of people that have not read the Bible but to me this is a fictional novel and a mediocre one at best.
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