Rating: 
Summary: Worst of the Series, but still enjoyable!
Review: I found this book to be the worst of the series. There was virtually no action, and sterotyped the characters (the men went and fought the antichrist, while the women stayed home and cooked, etc.) Don't get me wrong. This book will continue to be on the bestseller lists because people want to know what happens to each of the characters, and this has been a project in the making for so long. These books are written so that a person who has never read any of the other books can read this book, read it, and immediately know what has gone on in the other books. But this went too far in this book. Even in the middle of the book, I was still reading reminders of previous action, and many took several paragraphs to do it. One or 2 sentences would have been sufficient, because if you tell the person who has never read any of the other books in the series EVERYTHING that has happened before, that person will not read the other books. The book does keep the reader in suspense, and that's the mark of a good book. This is easy reading that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. It will leave you with hunger for the next book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Continuation
Review: My review of Left Behind stated that I found worth in the purpose of the book but that I wished it would've been written at a more adult level. My main complaint was that in reading the series I felt patronized by Jerry Jenkins and his constant reminders (in the middle of the text) of the previous plot elements. Give the readers some credit and write with the assumption that we can follow the story on our own. Thankfully, it appears that someone was listening, because as the series has progressed my reasons for complaining have decreased (though not disappeared). The Mark continues that positive trend. Here we have a good story focusing on one of the more interesting elements of end-times events: the mark of the beast. It's a pivatol moment in the struggle that most of us have been waiting for, and Lahaye/Jenkins do a good job unfolding the process. No matter what anyone says here, The Mark is going to continue its assault on the best-seller lists. In this case even more so, do to the actual storyline of "the mark." Luckily, in the end it's a good read and scores a lot better than The Indwelling (a story that could've taken place in a few chapters, rather than an entire book) did. A solid, if hardly earth-shattering, read that should continue to cause its readers to salivate for the rest of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE LEFT BEHIND SERIES
Review: Incredible is how I would describe "The Mark" as well as the entire "Left Behind" series. Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins are brilliant writers and have an incredible gift of bringing the prophecies of the Bible to life. I would hope and pray that everyone would read this entire series because it is life changing. "The Mark" is my current favorite of the series because it answered some very important questions I had and also actually moved me to tears which has never happened to me while reading a book. The definition of a great book for me is one that I cannot put down until I finish, one that stirs my emotions, and also allows me to feel I really know the characters and can relate to them. "The Mark" satisfies and goes well beyond all of these criteria. Read this series of phenomenal books. You will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Better than people give it credit for
Review: A lot of the reviews I have read of these books tend to put it down by comparing it to other end of the world books. And while I will admit that these are not as smart or engaging as some of the the better books that cover the same topic like Fire of Heaven or We All Fall Down, I still really enjoyed them. A friend introduced me to the first book and I cut through all 12 books over the past two months. In a way, it's not really fair to compare them to some of the other books because they are trying to do different things. Left Behind seems to me to try to simply tell a great story about the end of the world. It's light, but what's wrong with that? I really felt like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next when I finished a book and the very next day would order the next one. I call that a success. A book like We All Fall Down is obviously much more intense and thoughtful, the characters seem much more like real people, and it gives you more to think about, but why does that make Left Behind bad? Can't The Ten Commandments and The Passion both be good movies?
Rating: 
Summary: A failure
Review: I am an ardent believer in Christ, but that does not mean that anything written about Christianity should be endorsed and embraced regardless of its quality. I have read all 12 of these novels and they simply aren't very good. The writing is poor, the plot unimaginative, and there certainly isn't anything in these books that will cause a Christian to re-examine and thus more fully embrace our beliefs. Look, I don't doubt that the authors had the best intentions with these books, but quality has to count for something. There are better alternatives out there. Try We All Fall Down by Caldwell. It's well-written and extreimly intelligent. If you're going to read about Christianity, read something that is worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Sermon on the Mount
Review: This book is straight out of the Old Testament. Those who follow these books should sit down and carefully read the New Testament. That contains a message of love and acceptance. The place in the New Testament where Jesus gets angry is in the temple where the money changers are attempting to steal from others. He accepted Mary Magdalen. Did he cast her out and call her a sinner and turn his back on her? No! His is a message of love and acceptance. Those who darken it with fear and judgment should be ashamed of themselves. They call themselves "Christians" and then spit on what he taught us.
Pride goes before the fall!
Rating:
Summary: A LOOK AT THE NOVELS OF REVELATION
Review: I am a very big fan of novels that deal with the Biblical Apocalypse and, with so many different types, thought it would be worthwhile to give an overview of the ones I have read.
Left Behind, by Tim Lehay- The series that started it all. These novels are, in truth, somewhat boring, but it covers the bases with a depth that none of the others do, probably owing to the fact that there are so many of them. They lack character development and deep theology, but are a fun, if shallow read
The Christ clone Trilogy by James Beauseigneur- Well written novels that focus on the scientific and political. Tom Clancy meets Left behind is not too far off the mark. I greatly enjoyed these books although I felt a little let down by the ending. Overall, a good political take on the End.
We All Fall Down by Brian Caldwell- Certainly the most controversial of these novels. The focus here is the individual and why someone would ever in their right mind reject salvation. Very brutal, although probably more realistic, in its depiction of the End. This is certainly not a book for the timid, but for the rest, I found it the most intelligent, well written, and, oddly enough, spiritual of the bunch. It's hard to walk away from this book with feeling to need to take a fresh look at one's own relationship to Christ.
Blood of Heaven, by Bill Myers- These are intelligent, character focused novels. I found the theology again to be a little weak, but really enjoyed following the distictive characters.
The Last Gentile Trilogy by Cary Bybee- Better written than Left Behind, but lacking the scope of that work. Like conquest of Paradise or Christ clone, it it based in science, but perhaps too much. Not enough religion for my taste.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Propaganda
Review: This series of novels is inspired by "The Revelation to John", the last book in the New Testament, the third section of the Bible, the Christian holy book. "The Revelation to John" (which is often misnamed "The Book of Revelations") tells the Christian myth of what will happen at the end of the world. Basically, the authors took this story, which is barely 20 pages long, and turned it into a series of 12 novels plus a spin-off series that deals with kids. The Christian view is that only the people that believe that Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and died for their sins will be saved and receive an eternal reward in Heaven. What makes this worse is that individual merit based on good or evil deeds is not taken into consideration, because Christians believe that human beings cannot be put right with God except through Jesus. Christians believe that they are saved through faith alone; no amount of good works can win God's approval. So, all of the people that don't believe in Jesus will receive an eternal punishment in Hell, regardless of how many good deeds they do and how caring they are to other people. Meanwhile, the Christians will be saved no matter how evil they behave, because they've got Jesus on their side. "The Revelation to John" tells of an event known as the Rapture: all of the Christians are taken up to Heaven, and everyone else is left behind on Earth. After an event known as the Tribulation and world rule by someone known as the Anti-Christ, Jesus finally returns to Earth and defeats his enemies. Then the old Heaven and the old Earth go away, and a new Heaven and a new Earth are established - with God as King, of course. This took 20 pages in the Bible. Imagine reading the same story stretched over thousands of pages. As a non-Christian, I'm alarmed at what I consider to be an evil religion perpetuated by zealous idiots. Christians base their beliefs on documents that are close to 2,000 years old but don't quite date back to the time period that the events within allegedly occured. There is no physical evidence of the existence of Jesus. There are no non-Christian records of Jesus (not even in Roman execution records). There are no records by astrologists of the time period that describe such an event as that which supposedly occured during Jesus' crucifixion. I belief that the reason that Christianity has endured and grown as much as it has is because it's the only religion in the world that threatens the non-believer with an eternal punishment. Christianity is, at its core, a religion that rewards the "yes" people and punishes the nonconformists. The Bible itself orders Christians to spread the religion throughout the world. Christians feels that it's their duty to convert all non-Christians to Christianity. They pity non-Christians and "pray for their souls". They place themselves into a group of the elite - the saved. They start missions to convert the "heathen" non-Christians and "bring them over to Jesus". The Roman Catholic Church even has a division, called Propaganda, that specifically tries to establish churches in non-Christian nations. An example of a Christian mission is this book series. The authors are trying to bring readers to Jesus through these novels, which have, sadly, become best-sellers. I think that Christians should abort their missions and just leave people of other religions in peace. I'm so glad that there are billions of non-Christians in the world. It would be horrible if the Christians converted everyone. The world needs a balance of beliefs. Otherwise, it would lose its diversity. If you want to read a good book of a battle between good and evil, then read "The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition" by Stephen King. It tells a similar story, only better and in only 1,000 pages. The premise is that a superflu kills millions of people (we don't see what's going on in the whole world, just the United States), and those that are left band into two opposing camps of good and evil. The thing that makes King's book a lot better than this series is that no explanation is ever given for why these people are immune to the superflu. All types of people are left behind, both Christians and non-Christians. The authors of the "Left Behind" series make it seem like the world would fall into chaos if all of the Christians disappear, which is ludicrous. King wisely avoids this in his book. Buy it and enjoy it. Skip the "Left Behind" series. If you want to know what happens, take an hour to read "The Revelation to John".
Rating: 
Summary: BOOK EIGHT: THE MARK
Review: In THE MARK, the resurrected Nicolae Carpathia finally forces everyone in the world to make a choice: worship him, or die. The choice is irrevocable: if you take the mark of loyalty you are spared the guillotine, but unbeknownst to millions worldwide that same mark sentences any who take it to an eternity in hell. The familiar characters of the Tribulation Force are determined to do all they can to save as many as possible, but how many will choose their own damnation? Meanwhile the Antichrist's false miracles strike down many, and the "new" Carpathia proves far more evil than he ever dared to be before. As with all the other books in the series to this point, the prose style is easily digestible and the message inspiring despite all the dire happenings. Much has been made of a seemingly incredible plot twist involving young Chang, but the eventual explanation is at least somewhat plausible. Overall THE MARK is certainly enjoyable, and a scene near the end where believers resolutely refuse Carpathia's mark despite the grim consequences is exceptionally poignant, especially considering the day will inevitably come when some will find themselves in that very situation. The only real negative is that the authors' continue to rely on some of the same literary devices that were starting to get old a few books back, but since the context is always changing the plot usually keeps on chugging. Definitely a quality entry in a spellbinding series.
Rating:
Summary: ...Excellent Character and Plot Growth Continues Yet Again
Review: Again, Book 8 builds on the extremely successful writing changes in Book 6 and 7. Book 8 continues to make the point for good plot growth and some new characters are added to the mix to provide an excellent change of pace.
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