Rating: 
Summary: Christians one-up Scientologists
Review: Have seen all the books at Costco (which says thay they are popular), and hey ... I hate to be "left behind" as much as the next guy. After all, the only other time I have fell into reading a truely lousy popular book was the L. Ron Hubbard's book "Battlefield Earth". I was not blindsided by the religious storyline, I knew what I was getting into, but pride myself on being a fan of good writing. Well, this is *not* good writing! You know how sometimes it takes a while to "get into" a book. Eventually the characters get interesting and you fall into the writers style. It never happens here, it was drugery from beginning to end. If you must read this do yourself a favor and purchase it as cheaply as possible (have seen on used book sites for a buck and a half), but the book is better "left behind" all together. There seem to be some zealots doing reviews so i'll just stay anonymous.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: The characters are plastic and unbelievable; the writing style is tedious and painful. It's not good fiction; it's not factual; it's not good writing ... it's not worth reading. Just because someone comes up with a unique idea, doesn't make a book worthwhile. Reading should serve some purpose ... entertainment, information or SOMETHING. This offered nothing. I had to push myself to finish, and I only did that because a friend had recommended it. I will not waste my my time on any other books in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Left Behind
Review: Captain Rayford Steele is the captain of a 747 on a routine flight from Chicago to London. Buck Williams is a star writer for the Global Weekly, a national magazine, who is flying to London to meet his college friend. In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear. Planes crash after being left with no pilot, cars crash for the same reason, and the world is thrust into utter chaos. People are terror stricken when their family and friends disappear before their very eyes. Rayford Steele and Buck Williams are two of the millions of people who are left behind. Left Behind is the first book in an amazing seven book series about the end of the world, based on the Christian church, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This series follows the lives of Buck Williams and Rayford Steele as they search for their family, for answers, and for the truth. You share Rayford's and Buck's excitement and fear, as you learn about what's yet to come. This amazing story about the prophesied end of the world is wonderfully written to the point where you can't put the book down. You relate with everything the characters are going through, and feel as if you are right next to them, going through all of the same things. I feel this is a must read for everyone, because it ties in family, love, action, religion, and adventure all into one beautifully done story.
Rating: 
Summary: Understanding it's purpose
Review: As a graduate from a major university, even I know that this series is not even close to being a literary giant in the terms of how it is written. When one learns that one of the authors has done some sports writing, it is perfectly understood as to why. This is not to undermine sports writers, in fact I am a sports fanatic, and read the sports page every other day. But lets be frank, sports writing is a bit different. HOWEVER the purpose for these books was and is to reach many in the hopes that it should inspire those to search out a belief in something higher. (Whether you are Christian or not-they are Christian writers and this is ultimately their goal.) When 18-20 percent of American adults 18 yrs. and older have a literacy (problem reading/understanding) problem, it is to no wonder that they have tried to convey these beliefs in Lehyman's terms. (easier terms) As a graduate of higher learning, it saddens me to think of the quantity of people that do not pick up a book everyday. So yes, you can criticise this series for having large margins, and large print. But when it's goal is to reach a broader group of society I applaude it's simpleton manner.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved The Books So Far
Review: You might want to start with the first book to understand what is going on but the more you read the books more you know about what thay are doing.I've only read two of the books and I now know somewhat what they are doing,why they are doing it,what is happening to them,and what is going on around them.Sometimes I would have no idea what was going on.That was the only thing I didn't like about the book.It is so interesting that once I start I don't want to put the book down until I finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced but writing leaves something to be desired
Review: I read the first three books in this series. In my opinion, this one is by far the best. Normally, I can't get into reading fiction at all. This book kept me awake until 3 in the morning!One annoying tendancy, which gets worse as the series progresses, is that they make claims about technology that are simply not believable. In one of the books, Rayford has a wire under his seat that he can use to listen to Nicolae that is "untraceable". There is an "untraceable" Internet connection. These disrupted my "suspense of belief". Worse, the writing style gets what seems to me to be more self-consciously arty as the series goes on. You get cutting back and forth from one set of people to another set of people every paragraph. I don't know if this is considered good style, but it sure makes it tough to follow. As for comments in other reviews, the charge that this book is anti-Semitic is ridiculous. This is a typical baseless and meaningless ad hominem charge (right up there with "homophobic"). I know a bit about the authors and they don't have an anti-Semitic bone in their bodies. As for the eschatologic comments, well, if you are pretribulational this is basically what you believe. If you are a strict Calvinist (or otherwise amillenial, or post-trib) you don't. Many people believe one way, and many people believe the other. It's as simple as that. I wouldn't say one view is "waning" making way for another.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth is, no matter what your religion
Review: I am a firm Christian, so I have no problem with the message in this series. I do have a big problem with the quality. The first book isn't too bad, but it quickly goes downhill from there. The authors' dwindling effort and obvious absence of fresh ideas becomes insulting by the fourth book. For religous people like myself, this is an insult, and for non-religous people who are perhaps looking for God, this strikes me as the quickest way to kill that thirst for God. all these books are going to do is remind them of why they don't like religion. these books are NOT representative of my faith. A book like We All Fall Down tackles the same subject with intellegence, wit, and true drama. It puts Left Behind to shame. it's a real shame that these books are so popular, because the Christian faith is so much more intellegent and spiritual than these books even TRY to be.
Rating:
Summary: Left Behind is awesome!
Review: I really honestly don't know how people can not like this book and say that it says we're all going to hell. I believe it says the very opposite. It encouraged me to look at my faith and love God even more than I already do. It has a very well-written plot that kept me reading all night! What everyone goes through and thinks about the Rapture makes the book all the more interesting to read.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Premise, Mediocre Writing
Review: Left Behind will hook the reader within 50 pages and refuse to let go. The writing is not brilliant, but the premise of the book and the suspense leading to the climax delivers a knock-out punch. Christians will find the story interesting as a reflection of their faith. They will probably sympathize with the characters as they struggle through the post-Rapture chaos while rooting for salvation. Secular audiences with an interest in the end-times will also find this book engaging. They will probably be able to relate to the indecision and turmoil the lead characters suffer. People with differring religious opinions and apathy will probably not be interested(or perhaps angered) because outside of the prophecy, the book is not written in a manner that offers much more. Also, the novel is somewhat unfriendly to opposing views. In summary, Left Behind is a superb intro to a series that otherwise fails to keep up. None of the other books(up Assassins) succeeds in creating suspense and interest like this pilot.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not Christian, but I'm hooked on the series!
Review: This is such a good series! i can't wait to find out what happens! i'm almost done with the second one, and its as good as ever. To everyone who wrote it ... because of its religious theme: ... Be open to other religions, and duh, the authors didn't say one religion was good, The Anti-christ was the one doing that! Not the good guys! the tie-ins to the bible makes it more interesting, it could have tied into the Qu'ran for all i care! It is incredibly well written and i wish to commend the authors for a book well written! Good Job! :-)
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