Rating: 
Summary: Left Behind
Review: This was an extremely good book. Very like in following of the true bible writings, but written in an entertaining manner.
Rating: 
Summary: Simplistic, Demeaning, Unbelievable
Review: As a completely nonreligious person, this series is an unlikely choice of reading material for me. However, a good friend who shares many of my ideas picked up the first book thinking it was about something different, and is making his way through the series, and he recommended them. We share Stephen King and Sharyn McCrumb books among others. When he told me a little about what they were about, I made a face and said, no, seriously, tell me what the stories are. He said they were very interesting and explained a lot of things in ways he'd never heard them explained before, and he hadn't expected to like them once he realized what they were, but to give it a try. So, ok. Briefly, the series is about what the world would be like if we were nearing "the end times" according to the bible and the prophecies and stuff in Revelations. The first book starts off with the "rapture" of the church, where millions of people all over the world spontaneously disappear at the same exact instant from whatever they happened to be doing--driving, riding in a plane, sleeping, whatever. All kids and all babies and some teens (that part made sense) disappear. There are lots of theories on what happened, but we know from reading the end flap of the book that it was Christ bringing all true Christians to heaven. All NOT true Christians and non-Christians are Left Behind. I was hoping the series would be something like Stephen King's "The Stand", where a flu wipes out gazillions of people and leaves the world totally and bizarrely changed and the book explores what things might be like after that. Or that as the prophecies of the bible are explained maybe it'd be as interesting as like Nostradamus's prophecies are. Unfortunately, the authors are not that skilled. These are evangelical types behind the book, and I've found the story they have concocted as a thin mask over the preaching to be, frankly, really not that good. I'm disappointed; I think the potential for some really good story-telling around their ideas was there, but was lost. I'll probably continue reading the books, but I have been stopping often to snort and mutter things like "Yeah, THAT'D happen," and "Well, THAT'S a stretch," and "Oh, give me a frigging break." I'm especially finding the portrayal of the female characters disturbing. I find this disturbing in a lot of popular books and in a lot of general religious settings, so I shouldn't be surprised, but it's so BLATANT in these books that it makes me gag and makes it very hard to "get into" the story. The authors start out TELLING you that the females are bright and beautiful, but then they SHOW you through the way they interact with other characters (uh, male characters) that they're really just idiots who must be led and guided and taken care of and have somebody do their thinking for them. There's a little love scenario where the guy plants himself on the woman's porch after she tells him to go away, and instead of calling the cops and getting a restraining order, she eventually comes to her senses and lets him in. When he kisses her much later in the books, even tho she's in love with him she struggles against him because that's evidently what nice girls do, and he doesn't let her go because he knows what's best, and of course she comes to her senses and lets him kiss her after a few minutes. There is much concern about whether the female characters are capable of walking through parking lots alone, and when a friend is in potentially desperate danger, it's not even considered that the females might go to the friend's aid. In fact, one of the male characters has to stay WITH the females, who by this point, near the end of the 2nd book, have been reduced to damn near children or maybe lily pads for all their thinking ability, while another male character rushes to the friend's side. Like I said: Give me a break. I'm hoping this patronizing and ridiculous portrayal of the females in the story will change in the next few books, but I don't think it will as I think it's ingrained in the author's ideals and he probably doesn't even know he's doing it. It's not just the females that bear the brunt of this (although that bothers me the most); there are many other parts of the story that are just as stereotyped and dumb. I supposed if I were reading the books as a celebration of things I already believed in, I'd overlook the obvious superiority and obnoxious condescending tone threaded through the story. But I was hoping for FIRST a good read, and SECOND maybe some insight into what prophecies the author bases his story on. What I'm finding is a thinly-veiled sermon under a thinly-constructed plot with see-through characters. I'll try another book or two because I'm stubborn, but honestly, I'm fighting the urge to just pick up Stephen King's "The Stand" again and read something believable and interesting!
Rating:
Summary: Will YOU be Left Behind?
Review: Perhaps this book really IS for a younger audience. I am a Junior in high school, and began this series when it first came out. I must admit, I devoured the series! I am craving the next one and can hardly wait for Oct 31st! If you are a young adult I would highly reccomend this series to you. Even if you are not a Christian, they are wonderful novels that will intrest and inform you. Granted, if you know NOTHING about Christianity they are not a good place to start (Try the Bible itself or Max Lucado) but they will enhance you knowlage. I am hoping that the next book will be able to hold up to the other ones!
Rating:
Summary: Bad writing, worse theology
Review: Sorry -- I just can't get excited about these books. The writing is poor at best, the characters are flat, the issues are cut-and-dried (ALL good vs ALL evil), and the plot is inane and unbelievable (even for Christians like myself who do believe in the Second Coming of Christ). Even worse than the writing is the theology. LaHaye and Jenkins espouse a particular form of pre-millenial dispensationalism which was absolutely unknown in the Early Church -- and absolutely unknown to the great Reformers as well. They represent a peculiar brand of American fundamentalism (virtually unknown even to Protestants in other parts of the world) which has been prevelant for only the last 175 years or so. Yet LaHaye and Jenkins portray this relatively recent, extreme minority view as THE norm for "correct" biblical interpretation. If a prospective reader finds this genre interesting or entertaining, permit me to recommend CS Lewis's "Space Trilogy" (especially the third book) or Michael O'Brien's "Father Elijah". Don't waste your valuable time or money here.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the Next
Review: I LOVED this book and all the other books in the series. Everyone I have recommended these books to, that have read them, can't wait until the next one comes out. While it is fiction, it is one interpretation of Revelations. I found myself quite a few times cross-referencing it with the Bible. Agree or disagree, with the author's interpretation, it gets people thinking. It is an easy read, can't put down book that I found very suspenseful. I would recommend this series up to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: From a devout Christian's perspective... incredible!
Review: ...As many young Christians are at my age, I love reading about the End Times and the Rapture. This novel was an ingenious idea, taking Biblical truth and making it mold into a realistic storyline. You must understand, however, that for the last 2000 years we have STILL been trying to understand Revelations. You can't take the "7 year Tribulation period" or other details like that (the time frame) to be exact. I would recommend studying and praying to discover what you really believe is the truth. Personally, I believe that this book is very accurate. However, in a fiction standpoint, this book is very entertaining with an excellent ending that makes to want to dive into the rest of the series. I couldn't put this book down, spending hours at a time reading it. If you are ALREADY a Christian, I think this book would suit you more than if you were not. It does explain everything so that you aren't left in the dark, but I think it is more enjoyable when you are already interested in the topic. Of course, I wouldn't know the actual perspectice of a non-Christian because I myself am already one. The only downside I found in the book was the introduction of many minor characters. I felt like maybe I should have written them down to remeber what role they played in the story when they would mention him/her later in the novel, but he/she would usually be moderately obvious with who they were. In other words.... I very much recommend this book. An excellent read fiction-wise, and very informative with it's Christian standpoints. I hope you enjoy this like I have.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Horror Novel
Review: I am an atheist and believe religion is used by mankind as a control device. This series proves my point. I do find the book as a decent horror novel (not Stephen King good). With the seven years of [horror] on earth to come it may prove to be a good series...
Rating:
Summary: Praise His name!
Review: Finally, a book series that highlights God's glorious wrath! This takes off from the Bible's detailed narration on just what creatively cruel and horrific tortures God has in plan for those who refuse to love Him, and develops it into a best selling series that any liberal Christian(sinner) can consume! I seriously hope LaHaye writes a series for younger children, because the sooner you install guilt and fear into them the better the Christian they will turn out to be! Praise Jesus!
Rating:
Summary: So so...
Review: I am not crazy about this series. The writing style is mediocre, and I felt no sense of the Holy in reading it. It gives a limited view of the Last Days, a view which is not shared by all religious scholars. However, with that said, I think this book and the whole series can be useful in understanding many of the symbols used by St. John when he wrote Revelation. It can be useful in getting people interested in reading the Bible. Readers should not think, though, that this series completely explains Revelation. It is, rather, a story of how some of the prophesies may one day come to pass.
Rating:
Summary: left behind
Review: i just finished reading left behind. it was great... i couldnt put it down. i just ordered book number 2. i plan on reading them all. i hope tim lahaye and jerry jenkins continue to write more.
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