Rating:  Summary: Very entertaining Review: A very dear friend of mine recommnended the series to me, and since I have always been a fond reader of "end of the world" literature, I was eager. I found the book, and the second one, very entertaining, but I must agree with other customers as to the wordiness of the text. I feel the story and all essential items could be kept, while still trimming a bit of the, shall we say "teachings." I'm not sure what the authors are trying to do with the series...merely entertain, or inform and convert all their readers. It seems they waiver between the two. It might be bit a bit more helpful if their intention was clear either way. However, as to their writing ability, I have no complaints. The action keeps moving, the characters are extremely well defined, and the suspense factor was definitely present. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Rating:  Summary: You Don't Have to Be Christian to Enjoy This Review: I was very reluctant to read this book because I thought it would be very preachy and would be much more negative toward "non-believers." I found the book to be the opposite, however. It is a little preachy, but not so much that it offends those who are reading it as a science fiction/fiction book instead of a religious one. Also, I found the attitude toward "non-believers" in the book to be more positive than negative. The only problem that I have with this book is that the characters could be developed a bit more...for example, they seem to convert very easily after the Rapture...if they were such strict non-Christians, I think it would be harder for them to come to the conclusion that the disappearances were, in fact, the Rapture. It was just a little too easy. Overall, they are highly enjoyable!
Rating:  Summary: Okay story, but writing needs major work! Review: I read this book all the way through in the course of an evening, but I do have some major problems with it. But they have nothing to do with the theology of it, since I don't know enough about these topics to be able to correct it.My problem is with the writing. It's awful. It's worse than awful... it's the book equivalent of 'Manos: the Hands of Fate'. First of all, the characters are made out of cardboard. From the major characters to the background players. Especially those 'left behind'. The most major 'sin' evidenced by one of the 'left behind' is Rayford's lust towards another woman, which is incredibly vague; sometimes they treat it as if he only desired her, and then they have Hattie thinking they're supposed to be in a relationship? Uh-huh. And the names are really just... silly, for the most part. Rayford, Dirk, Buck/Cameron, Hattie... if they were supposed to be somewhat representative of real people, they would have done better to choose more common names. Tons of 'strange' names are a frequent problem with beginner specfic writers; apparently, these guys are no exception. And on top of all that, there's the single largest tenant of fiction writing: Show, Don't Tell. Buck isn't supposed to toe the line, but yet he's always shown trying to conform. Chloe is rebellious, yet it hardly takes her any time at all to convert. And worst of all, they make little use of dialogue when it's most needed--Nicolae's eloquent, powerful speech is usually condensed into description instead, and the rest of what he says seems bland, voiceless. The plot lacked the movement it needed at some points, lapsing far too many times into evangelizing without any real emotion to keep the reader reading. And most of the conflict is, well, laughable. The miracles, which should be some of the main points in the book, are practically ho-hum to the characters, and therefore to readers as well. I was looking at this like a novel; I have my own beliefs, and I don't generally take them from fiction. But while I've heard from other reviews that it was either fantastic or terrible as theology, the writers of this book need a number of refresher courses in their craft.
Rating:  Summary: The Left Behind series changed my life! Review: I was totally drawn into the series from page one, book one! At times it seems the books are ripped from today's headlines with a little SciFi and Horror added. Then you realize it's all in the Bible prophesied thousands of years ago! This series will scare the Devil out of you!
Rating:  Summary: Even if I were a believer, this book would be crummy. Review: Don't read this book expecting too much. In spots it is mildly entertaining, which is why I gave it two stars rather than one. Frankly, it is barely a novel. Rather, it is fundamentalist Christian dogma wrapped up in a bare shell of a story. I am not going to dwell on the plot too much in this review; others have done that better than I can. In a nutshell: the Rapture occurs, drawing the "true" Christians up to heaven and everyone else is left behind to suffer the Tribulations the authors believe is foretold in the Bible. Frankly, what I found most interesting about this book is not the text, but the sub-text. There is a lot of UN-bashing, and railing against the New World Order. A unified currency (think Euro) is proposed by the Antichrist, as is a single world religion. Additionally, the authors seem to have a clear view of the place women and men should hold. The two main characters are Rayford Steele and Buck Willaims. (Apparently all the butch names for men were taken.) The two supporting characters -- both female and essentially the only women in the book -- break into tears and get all weepy at the drop of a hat. The two men see the truth of what is going on around them quickly, but the women require the men to convince them. This isn't the only case of what seems to be prejucide on the case of the authors. Remember that this is a book about the beginning of the end of the world, but no mention of religions other than Christianity and Orthodox Judaism are ever mentioned. The other books in this series may show what is going to happen to the two-billion-and-some-odd Hindus and Buddists in the world, but this book does not even acknowledge they exist. The character that first introduces the Antichrist to the reader is named Chiam Rosenzweig. I don't recall if the book specificially mentions whether he is Jewish or not, but with a name like that, it's probably a safe conclusion to draw. At one point in the book, the characters watch a video explaining how they have been Left Behind and that the only hope for their eventual salvation is to Come to Christ (tm). The video is also mentioned several times later in the book. I just noticed that the authors are peddling a similar video on their website. What puzzles me the most is that I can not figure out the reason for this book. It does not seem plausable that an unbeliever (like myself) would be convinced. There is no attempt at convincing the reader of anything, just a bunch of "This is the way it will be, and if you don't accept it as fact, you're going to Hell." Rather, I think this book is written for those who already agree with the authors' point of view, and just want something to make them feel good about themselves. "Look how terrible things are going to be and aren't we smart that we're going to be Raptured," that sort of thing. The self-righteousness that comes through the text is just overwhelming at times. To make a long story short (too late), if you are looking for a good end-of-the-world novel, pass this one by. Similarly, if you're looking for Christian theology, it has been done better elsewhere.
Rating:  Summary: Puts Left Behind to shame Review: MUCH better than the Left Behind series, should have gotten more attention because it is more believable, better written and more creative. Burn your Left Behind books and read Christ Clone. Jesus will approve.
Rating:  Summary: The Time is Now Review: For any non-believers out there this is your wake up call! If you ever wondered what will happen to you if you don't believe in Christ, this book is your key to knowledge. The author's have written an explosive novel (and series) about the Rapture. I love this book. Rayford, Chloe, Buck, Hattie...all seem like friends of mine and love to feel with them as they face their trials and tribulations. Read this book!
Rating:  Summary: Not what I expected Review: Although the story itself is interesting. How could it not be? The Rapture? However, despite that and some very suspect conclusions about how everyone would react to such an event, the one thing that I didnt like was the writing. It was not very good and the characters were totally unsympathetic and unbelievable. I wanted to like this novel, but it was not to be. If you want end of the world stories by those who can write, try Earth Abides, Day of the Triffids or even The Stand. Stephen King's writing towers over these two.
Rating:  Summary: Great Idea/Terrible Execution Review: I am one of those who has started reading these books and can't seem to stop. As thrilled as I was to see someone take on this topic, I am moreso disappointed with the authors' sad execution. This fantastic storyline possibility is being wasted by preachy characters, paper-thin plots, unbelievable situations and insipid dialogue. Every chapter could be cut in half for all the wasted dialogue and description, and the series condensed to 3 books. There is no need to spend 3 pages re-capping how two people met when you are 280 pages in to book number 3. There is no need to insult your audience by investing the scene with every single nuance, breath and hand twitch of every character. GET TO THE POINT! I am completely enraptured, pardon the pun, with these books and intend to read all of them. However, I can't help but feel the authors have severly underestimated the intelligence of their audience. Perhaps if they read and edited their material before publishing it every 6 months, they might have been able to broaden their readership outside of the limited Christian right demographic. It seems they want this message to get out to a global audience, and rightfully so. Or maybe they are simply bad writers. In a nutshell, don't read these books for their literary value. Read them if you are curious about the topic and have patience for hackneyed writing. They are quick reads, thank God!
Rating:  Summary: entertaining and sobering Review: Left Behind is a really entertaining, sobering book. This book really fits the label of a "page-turner." You never know which way the plot will turn. It also dramatically illustrates the need for Christians to share the good news. I liked it.
|