Rating: 
Summary: Glad I waited
Review: Sure am glad I waited this long to read this book. Did Lehaye actually read the New Testament that they early Church fathers were inspired to give us?? These guys seem like the 2000's version of Hubbard...A real shame to see so many Christians fall further away from the Faith.
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately Disappointing
Review: This book has set the stage for one of the more interesting visions of Christian fiction to come along in a long time. The concept, as laid out by LaHaye and Jenkins, is such that it immediately grabs you and entices you along for the adventurous ride. Along the road to Armageddon, as the characters themselves struggle with their new found faith, the series seems to assert that we, too, should constantly struggle with our beliefs.Unfortunately, what could have been such a powerful and grand literary work falls far, far short of its goals, both spiritually and fictionally. Theirs is a poorly written series that, quite frankly, does incredible damage to the genre of Christian literature. The concepts and images of the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies are fairly accurate, if unimaginative. They are LaHaye's interpretation of future events, and I would be too arrogant to dispute his research. However, Jenkins' narrative shows such obvious lack of any attention to detail that it strains the mind to the point of pain. Any good storyteller can keep the reader fascinated and involved in the story itself - however, this book (and the series overall) is so wrought with poorly researched background that the reader has no choice but to read it from a distance, and never connect with the story itself. There are a number of incongruities here (from a 757 airplane that the writers apparently don't realize has existed for more than two decades to the use of security systems that are "unbreakable" to all but our heroes and their teenage offspring to the lack of basic security precautions around a man - Nicolae - who is considered the ruler of the world) that destroy whatever value was in the concept to begin with. There is a bizarre scene where Chicago is being destroyed around the main characters and Rayford Steele is desperate to get home to his family. In the middle of this nightmarish battle and terror that is occurring all around him he stops to negotiate and purchase an SUV from a local dealership. The mere incomprehensible thought of two men bartering for a vehicle while the world around them disintegrates boggles the mind. The writers must have laid out their scenes in little scraps on paper on a desk and where there were holes between them, or where characters needed to magically appear in one scene or another, they merely stretched the bounds of their fiction to fit their needs. The story would have been so much stronger from better control of the plot lines and tighter boundaries on their vision of reality. I do not recommend this book or series to the serious reader. Yes, I am a man of faith and there are a number of better, more inspirational or though-provoking books in the Christian genre that I would recommend instead (read Peretti, for instance). The christian ideology in these books is fair and passable, but the lack of storybook control reduces any lessons or entertainment here to a mere afterthought on the part of the reader. It is, ultimately, highly disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book Recommendation for "Left Behind" Readers
Review: As a minister, I am always enthusiastic when I recommend (from the pulpit or anywhere else) the wonderful series of "Left Behind" books, which of course focus on the last book of the Bible, Revelation as its text. For all of us who appreciate these books, I recommend an excellent book about the first book of the Old Testament.
Dennis Shulman's "Genius of Genesis" is a reverent and beautifully-written description of the glory of the Book of Genesis; and an excellent text for our church's spring book discussion circle.
If you want to truly understand the Bible, from its last words to its first, read the "Left Behind" books and "The Genius of Genesis."
Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: Pretty much describes the whole series. Don't waste your money (or make this twosome more rich and powerful . . . sort of like Jim and Tammy Baker). This is a so-called fictional version of Revelation, and though somewhat imaginative, a real stretch to the imagination. Cynical at best.
Rating:
Summary: so awful it's entertaining
Review: This one got two stars because it was so ludicrous and poorly written that it actually became entertaining. It's a thinly veiled fictional account of a literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation -- and an incorrect literal interpretation at that. Clearly written with an agenda (several pages are out-and-out preaching), it utilizes cardboard characters that don't even behave in Godly manners after their "conversions," denigrates women, displays an astonishing bias against Christian faith traditions that are not fundamentalist and evangelical (not just against Catholics), and in general is poorly written and even more poorly researched. Anyone who's ever actually READ REVELATION FOR THEMSELVES knows that it's not supposed to be taken literally, and the characters are little more than stereotypes -- if that. I find it interesting that some of the characters bear a striking resemblance to those in the sci-fi book Beneath a Sunless Sea (which is also apocalyptic in nature but is decent fiction with a plausible cause and a surprise ending...and only a very minor agenda). Don't pay money to buy this, but if a copy does end up in your hands, go ahead and read it. If you don't end up utterly amazed at its simplistic agenda, it's because you'll be laughing at it and wondering how any sort of reputable publisher would have EVER turned out something like this.
Rating:
Summary: I'm hooked!
Review: I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book. I had never heard of the Left Behind series, but now I can't put them down. I'm not a big follower of "Christian-type" books and that is not what I found this book to be, although it did peak my interest in the Book of Revelation. It takes modern day characters and puts them through the author's vision of the Rapture. The characters are easy to understand although their past is not described in detail. The book is concerned more with the people that each of the characters grows into. Since they are living in a time when the world is going through rapid changes, the characters also rapidly change. During the course of this story, it is clear that everyone in the world must make a choice to either be a believer in Jesus or follow the Antichrist. This book was simple to follow, suspenseful and enjoyable. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Copied storyline, anti-Catholic bias, banal, shallow
Review: To thoes that think, they will see that this is slick marketing of anti-Catholic bias. Right up there with Loraine Boettner Lahaye and Jenkis let thier bias show. Lahaye a graduate of Bob Jones--known for anit-Catholic teaching is pushing an agenda and getting rich doing so--orginally this was a 3 book series, think how much more you can make off of more books, tapes, CDs, tee-shirts, video, etc...... If you want a good read go to Bud Macfarland's books. By the way the story line for Left Behind is not orginal they stole it: Salem Kirbin's 666--Why he did not sue is the big question.
Rating: 
Summary: Rapture ready, though too contrived
Review: The first in a long series that uses the Rapture to compel one to see what's coming down the road. If you want something more thrilling, with the science and mysteries to back it up, I highly recommend Steve Alten's latest thriller, RESURRECTION, part of his DOMAIN series. RESURRECTION delves into the afterlife, God, and evil in a far more thought-provoking way.
Rating:
Summary: Painful, patronizing, and obsolete
Review: wow,
it's amazing that so many people should not only enjoy these contrived, poorly written books, but actually beleive some crackpot prophecies from some paranoid 'shroomin' recluse from the year 1000
Rating:
Summary: Insult to human intelligence!
Review: What a load of bunk. It is even a waste of time to write a review. As mentioned in other reviews, bad writing, ridiculuos plot and insult to all religions and intelligence.
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