Rating: 
Summary: WELL WRITTEN, SUSPENSEFUL, EXCITING, RECOMMEND HIGHLY!
Review: IN RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS REVIEW THAT DEPICTED THE WRITING AS INFERIOR, THE CHARACTER'S AS RIGHT WING AND THE MESSAGE AS A BLATANT ATTEMPT AT "JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY" CHRISTIAN BELIEFS. HE IS CORRECT ON ONLY ONE COUNT. CHRISTIANITY DOES PURPORT THAT "JESUS IN THE ONLY WAY" AND THE AUTHORS PRESENT THIS MESSAGE IN A FACT SUPPORTED, BIBLICALLY BASED, WELL WRITTEN WAY. THE WRITING IN THIS SERIES IS TRUE TO THE WORD AND SUPPORTED BY THE WORD. THE CHARACTERS ARE NOT "FLAT" AS THE PREVIOUS REVIEWER NOTES, BUT ARE WRITTEN IN A WAY THAT MAINTAINS SUSPENSE AND REVEALS BITS OF THEIR CHARACTER SLOWLY, THROUGH THE EVER INCSREASING SUSPENSE OF THE NOVELS AND DRAMATIC AUDIO PRESENTATIONS. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW TOUCHING THE DEPICTIONS OF ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD ARE IN THIS SERIES. WHEN THE CHARACTERS INTERACT WITH THE ALMIGHTY, NOT THROUGH SOME COSMIC HOCUS POCUS, BUT IN BIBLICALLY SUPPORTED WAYS- THE READER IS INTROUDUCED TO A GOD WHO LOVES AND CARES ABOUT HIS CHILDREN AND INTERVENES IN HIS OR HER LIFE TO LEAD AND DIRECT. PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO BUY EITHER THE BOOK SERIES OR THE AUDIO SERIES. EACH VERSION WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART AND AS UN-BELIEVERS ARE INTRODUCED TO THE MESSAGE, WHETHER BY SEEING YOU READING, OR HEARING THE AUDIO- THEY WILL BE DRAWN TO ASK QUESTIONS AND INVITATIONS TO EXPOUND ON THE BOOK WILL ABOUND. I CAN PERSONALLY TELL YOU THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY TIMES AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. IT'S ALMOST AS IF THE HOLY SPRIT DIRECTS PEOPLES EYES TO THESE PRESENTATIONS OF THE GOSPEL, JUST TO STIR THEIR INTEREST AND PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OPENING TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORD. PLEASE DON'T HAVE ANY HESITATION IN BUYING THESE PRODUCTS. THE AUTHORS ARE ANNOINTED WRITERS WHO HAVE SOMEHOW, WITH GOD'S HELP, BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO THE BIBLICAL BOOK OF REVELATION.
Rating: 
Summary: Trash
Review: If you wish to solidify your negative religious teachings about a vengeful, punishing god who inflicts cruel and unusual punishment on his children by all means read all of these books. If you have had enough of this, I would recommend the books Conversations With God and An Encounter With A Prophet, books designed to get rid of these primitive concepts of god and introduce you to God's unconditional love for his children.
Rating:
Summary: A truly amazing book!
Review: I am now totally hooked on this series! I can't wait to see what happens next. This is an easy to understand book that relates the Revelations bible text to something that could easily happen in real life. While this is obviously only one author's fictional theory on what will happen in the rapture, it really makes you think. As a reader who tends to skim and skip pages, I didn't skip one single word of this book. I couldn't put it down. As well, it is a good read for people at all spiritual levels, whether you are completely familiar with Revalations or not, and it is an interesting enough read for non Christians as well. Reading this book is sure to generate questions in your mind and will probably make you turn to your bible just to clarify some things. Unlike some Christian books, it is not overly preachy, just an exciting, drama-filled account. In fact, however, this matter-of-fact writing style gets the point across more effectively than anything else I've ever read! I would encourage new believers, old believers, and non-believers to look at this unique presentation of the word of God.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Reading!!
Review: It only took me two days to read the first five books of this series, I read the last two on the day they came out. They were absolutely amazing! Now I am anxiously awaiting the eighth book, The Mark. I normally read Tom Clancy and the like, so this was a bit of a change. What a welcome change! I was stand-offish about the biblical subject matter at first, but I am glad that didn't stop me. They are very easy to read, but they are hard to put down. If you are a Christian, this is a great way to learn more about the sometimes obscure writings in Revelations, and give you pause to address your own faith. Whether or not you agree with this version of the book of Revelations, the story is still compelling! If you are not a Christian and you enjoy action adventure books, this is definitely worth the time!
Rating:
Summary: Shallow, fundamentalist garbage
Review: I realize that in this world, there are those that believe fiction(the rapture etc.) to be true. That, in itself, does not scare me. What does scare me, is their willful intent to literally scare others into believing what they do. You can discount the fact that this book is horribly written--on a sixth-grade level, it is merely mediocre--but do not discount the actual intent of the authors. Unlike Steven King--who writes fiction knowing all too well that it is only that--LaHaye and Jenkins actually believe that this could happen. Need I say more? I should hope that those who are smart enough to see through this scare-tactic will indeed steer clear of this crap, for fundamentalists need no more help distributing their ingorant literature. Those who already own the book might want to note that there are absolutely no credible reviews(On the book itself) for the book, only one-line blurbs from other fundamentalist readers. This alone should prove that it was written by and for fundamentalists ONLY. I suggest that those who want to read a good apocalyptic novel will take to Robert McGammon's Swan Song; for that, unlike this, is well-written, scary, and what I call "Intentional fiction". Misery may love company, but having read this, I would say that so too does ignorance-apathy(Take your pick).
Rating: 
Summary: Crowd Pleaser - Even For Agnostics
Review: Left Behind was first introduced to me, a out-agnostic, by a relatively religious family. But, it proved a quick, enjoyable read. Although based on Revelations, it provided a delicately delightful balance of religion and fiction, which resulted in a fascinating page-turner. There was a steady flowing stream of action and suspense without the dull moments that slow a plot. Highly recommended for the believers of the Rapture and the non-believers.
Rating:
Summary: Don't read it for its intended purpose,...
Review: But rather consider this book as an exposition, albeit unintentional, of the fundamentalist mindset, at least that of Tim La Haye (and radical theocratic organizations such as CWFA, Focus on the Family, the Christian Coalition). This book has embedded within the "apologetic" arguments of the gangster-god: Irene claims that one shouldn't joke about the "rapture" because one just "doesn't know" what will happen. The rapture, by the way, is an invention of the last 150 years- orthodox Christianity has never considered a literal "rapture" since Revelation was included in the sriptural canon. Revelation was included in the canon with the understanding of the ecumenical council that it was metaphorical- and did not presage a "tribulation," or other such hoo-hah. Tim La Haye won't tell you that, because it would hurt him too much in the wallet. I for one think the gangster god who makes us an offer you can't refuse- a.k.a. the Orwellian named so-called "good news" is bunk. So, theology aside - what this book *is* useful for is as an insight into the mind of the followers of this "gangster-god." And you get plenty of fascinating information. You get, for example, religious bigotry: Only the "real" Christians are "good" people. And you get the propagation of the myth related to euphoria inducing substances: Rayford Steele is made to feel guilty over the fact that he drinks "hard" liquor occaisonally, though not to excess, and so he hides the offending demon rum away from his young son. And, you get Evangelical equivocation: for some reason all the kids get raptured. Even the Kip Kinkels, one would imagine. John Calvin would rise out of his grave if he heard of this, and then we'd just have to rebury him. Finally, you get wacky science and geopolitics: the Israelis invent a "miracle fertilizer" (despite the fact that it's been known for a while that Israel's "miracle in the desert" is coming to an end because of over use of the land), and, for no particularly goood reason (since the Russians have part of the famed Black Earth zone)the Russians go to war with Israel to get this "fertilizer." I bet. Finally, I have to comment on the psychology behind this type of offal. Clearly the authors use God, and his "judgement" as a stand-in to execute their own resentments, vicariously, on the "media," nonChristians, and anyone else who doesn't think exactly like them. Some "good news."
Rating: 
Summary: The litery bomb in the clinic of your conscience.
Review: Revelations is a great part of the Bible. It's the deal clincher in the Christian based faith, the "do it or else" part of the entire tome. As such any story that uses it as a plot line is going to be interesting. Just how do these seven seals reveal themselves. Is it really a sea of blood or is that a metaphor for red-tape? The writers do a decent job of making revelations relevant whilst keeping the supernatural twist, and you could almost accept the outcome to the rapture in the way people behave... almost. Personally I believe it would be a much different siutation. My main problem with the book is the two dimensional nature of characters that seem to miss the point that it was the work of God. I'm also incredibly annoyed that only Jesus freaks get the call. I've known Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and more that deserve to get to heaven before many a fanatical right wing Christian that I've met. To me the only things I wanted to take from any religion were the ideals related tolerance. Anyone who relates their religion to me without tolerance for others loses my interest very quickly, as do the writers of this book. It is a great shame as it would be a steallar piece of fiction if the writers examined all of the main characters as much as they examine the born-again Christians. The scene in which the pilot speaks with an attendant regarding abortion is one of the most narrow, politicaly motivated, self serving pieces of rubbish I have ever read in my entire life. That anyone actually takes a pro-abortion stance such as that mentioned is a disgusting abuse of the pain that a lot of people go through making such a decision. It was an incredible low point in what was essentially a novel that was striving to do the right thing given the writers obvious commitments to their beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: Dismayed
Review: I accidently purchased this book. I realized it was a mistake within the first chapter. The book was hard to stomach as soon as the first religious overtones were felt. There are many ways to present a view of the end of the world: This has to be the worst one. For the religious, the book is likely a stunning example of salvation and rescue by God. For the non-religious, or deist, or those not 'born again', this book is impractical, unconvincing, and poor. The plot is offensive and contrived. To prevent this from being a religious soapbox, I present the following comments: a. Rayford, perhaps the most transparent characters of them all, made a complete 180 from being a strong, independent man with little tolerance for his wife and her fanaticisms, to a believer, although no proof had been presented. b. Buck HAD no depth. Pardon my vernacular, but he was just doing "stuff", then suddenly calls upon God to help him. c. Hattie: her conversion to the assistant of Carpathia made no impact on me, as I didn't understand her to begin with. She was just another one of 'those' people. "The Stand" by Stephen King was a much more plausible example of the end of the world. The authors need to provide more reason for people to believe, not just begin a book with "all the saved disappeared."
Rating:
Summary: If this doesn't reach you, nothing will.
Review: Other than the Bible, the "Left Behind" series of books are the best books I have ever read. I am now on my third round of reading the entire series. The most important thing of all is I think that they will help bring people to (or back to) Christ. I know they did me. Even if readers aren't Christians, they will enjoy them for the sheer excitement of reading about Armageddon. They are alternately thrilling and terrifying. Jenkins/LaHaye paint a very vivid picture of what the world will be like after the Rapture: the terror of war, the ultimate invasion of Big Brother, having to watch your every move, believers having to go underground to buy necessary supplies rather than take the mark of the beast. If these books don't make you sit back and take stock of how you're living your life, nothing will. You cannot read them and not be affected by them.
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