Rating: 
Summary: Good Book. Not Left Behind,
Review: I got this book a few days ago, and frankly, I was expecting more of it. Overall it's great read (I couldn't put it down), but there are a few things I have to point out.
The storyline is very good, and it's fairly close to the original Left Behind series, although I was expecting it to be MUCH closer. The LB chararacters and scenarios are mentioned sparingly, and should have been used much more, seeing that this is claiming to be a parallel book.
Another thing I have a problem with is the unending battle scenes, and hard military lingo. I think the author should have made it easier to understand, taking into consideration that there's a lot of people who know nothing about the military, and can't recognize or describe weapons or aircraft. Also, don't expect this book to be as fast-paced as Left Behind. It is much slower (the rapture occurs about halfway through the book).
And to finish it off, so far it has very little scriptural content.
Overall its a good book, entertaining, and captivating.
However it can't compete with Left Behind at all. I will keep reading this series, and most likely the political series as well, but nothing will ever top Left Behind, at least for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book
Review: I havent read the regular Left Behind books but I read this new book in the hit military series and loved it. I recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Eccellent book!
Review: I just want to say, I am sick of people comparing this to the left behind series.If you want it to be the same then go read the Left Behind books and stop complaining about this one!
Anyway,I must say this is shaping up to be a great series.I loved this book;It has great action that is vividly detailed so you can easily picture it.I know the jargon is hard to understand
but believe it or not it makes the book easier to read.Mel Odom spends just the right amount of time developing characters so you can picture them more clearly.Like one of the other reveiwers said,some of the subplots aren't really that interesting but I realized they are nessesary to develop those characters so in later books the author doesn't have to waste time explaining them.I am about halfway through Apocalypse Crucible and can't wait for the next book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Eccellent book!
Review: I just want to say, I am sick of people comparing this to the left behind series.If you want it to be the same then go read the Left Behind books and stop complaining about this one!
Anyway,I must say this is shaping up to be a great series.I loved this book;It has great action that is vividly detailed so you can easily picture it.I know the jargon is hard to understand
but believe it or not it makes the book easier to read.Mel Odom spends just the right amount of time developing characters so you can picture them more clearly.Like one of the other reveiwers said,some of the subplots aren't really that interesting but I realized they are nessesary to develop those characters so in later books the author doesn't have to waste time explaining them.I am about halfway through Apocalypse Crucible and can't wait for the next book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Read!!!!
Review: I loved the LEFT BEHIND Main Series, but that being said, I did find some detractions. This new series by Mel Odom REALLY kpet me on my toes and kept me wondering about the Theology of this author....however, those questions were answered as I kept reading, much to my enjoyment! That beign said, this book is a good read with a great set of characters, and the story-line couldn't be more intriguing: the brink of a regional war which could possibly expand between Syria and Turkey, with a detatchment United States Army Rangers caught in the middle....all the while, trouble on the home front, especially after the disappearances happen!!!
As with the End Of State Series, this new spin-off by Mel Odom is quite a refreshing look and a good and interesting perspective of the Rapture and its ramifacations on a military level. The Ranger Sergeant caught on the front lines of a war that may turn badly four "our" side; the Sergeant's wife, a counselor accused of kidnapping following the rapture; the Chaplain left behind due to his lack of faith in Jesus Christ yet finding renewed faith and renewed difficulties in an ever-changing world; the teens shocked to their senses with the disappearances, realizing that the world is much larger than what they see as reality.
In all, Mel Odom does a wonderful job of putting all of these into a good, and hard-to-put-down novel that will keep anyone on the edge of their seats! Can't wait to read the following two books!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great from a military stand point
Review: I thought that is was a great story. I have been an avid reader of the original "Left Behind" series since it's birth. I have been in the military for 20 years and I like the twists that Mr. Odom put in his book. I know that I have had the same conflicts in combat that Sgt Gander encountered, and I know that my faith has been tested more than once. I know that some people don't like a story if there is the slightest bit of in-accuracy, but no one is perfect (even an author). Mr. Odom if you need some clarification about military structure, I am at your disposal. Thank you for a good story and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: A fun summer read but...
Review: I thought this was a fun book. One of those books that you take on the beach and read. But I too have issue with the technical faults in the book. The one that stood out to me most was the Migs taking out an Abrhams. I agree that they would cause a lot of trouble but 20mm cannons hitting and fliping over a Abrhams!! Our own A-10 designed to be "tank killers" has a heck of a time destroying the M1 tank. The other aspects of the book are good. I thik Mr. Odom has a good start on his hands. Just brush up a little on curent US aresonals and we may have the Christian version of Tom Clancy
Rating:
Summary: Could this be Tom Clancy?
Review: I was expecting the same fast paced action as is in the original Lef Behind series...wrong.This book really takes you inside the military as the rapture happens. If you are expecting the book to be at the same place as Left Behind was at the end of that first book don't. This book is really detailed. Some of the reactions by the military people makes you just shake your head, but the confirntation on the USS Wasp near the end between the chaplin and a marine is priceless and is worth getting the book for.
Rating: 
Summary: A Noble Concept that Falls on Its Face
Review: I was really looking forward to this book. Im a big fan of the "Left Behind" series. I have really enjoyed seeing Messrs Lahaye and Jenkins write a story using the End Times as a backdrop. The only problem I had with that series was the authors' technical inaccuracies in the realm of weapons, avionics, logisitcs, etc. I thought this new "military thriller" would right some of those wrongs. That is not the case. Mr. Odom does seem to understand some of the basics of military hardware. He knows B52s are bombers and that M4s are a type of rifle. Beyond that, there are MAJOR flaws. First off, the structure of Army units and their deployment is just wrong. Any general who would put a lightly armed Ranger Battalion on the front line opposing a Syrian mechanized army would be fired. As would a company commander (Cal Remington here) who would send his senior non commissioned officer into harms way to do jobs meant for soldiers with 15-20 years less experience. There is more to a Ranger Headquarters than a Captain and a handful of computer technicians and Im positive they dont go into the field with hyper powerful (and sensitive) Cray computers! And the errors go on. Marine Sergeants do not co-pilot helicopters. First Sergeants dont give orders to officers. Servicemebers dont communicate with each other over radios using Police/CB Radio jargon. Soldiers dont get assigned directly out of basic training to the Ranger Battalions no matter how impressive their computer skills are. You cant take on tanks with sniper rifles and M203 Grenade Launchers and expect to succeed (let alone live). There's an interesting sub-plot with Megan Gander, First Sergeant Gander's wife who is a counselor trying to save an abused child while tending to her family. But even there the errors are rampant. There is no such thing as Ranger Military Police. Army bases are not called bases. They're called posts. And Army commanders deal very harshly with their subordinates who abuse family members. Its likely the father of the abused child in this book would be in jail or drummed out of the service long before the events in this book could happen. The only character I had no fault with was the Navy Chaplain who regains his faith just after the Rapture. Mr. Odom uses him effectively to put the religious matters in context. Also, his confrontation with a demon in the Pentagon is interesting. All in all, I consider this novel a failure......but I have hope for follow on books. The concept has lots of potential. I believe the series could be salvaged in two ways. First, the author could research the basics before writing the next novel. Simple things like knowing the lingo and rank structure would go a long way for folks like me who know better. The other option is to speed things up to the point in the original series where the US Armed forces would cease to exist. Im sure the good guys are going to take to the hills eventually. Why not cut to the chase? Well, thats enough for one night. I think I can sum this up in four wors. Better luck next time!
Rating:
Summary: In the Military
Review: I'm in the military and thoght the book was great. I know the lingo is hard to understand, but it help add to the book. If it was just broke down to normal wording it would lose some of its appel. I have read the whole Left Behind series so far, the one thing i see every body doing is comparing. If thats all your going to do you will always be in for a disappointment. This is a different auther with a different style, so of course it will be different. Yes it takes place around the same time as the first book but there is much more that goes on with the military so it will go slower. When i read this book i was stationed in Iraq not even a 100 miles from both borders metioned in this book. So this book hit very close to home for me, and I would recomend it to anybody.
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