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The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession (Left Behind #7)

The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession (Left Behind #7)

List Price: $22.99
Your Price: $16.09
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Always be careful
Review: Always be careful of preachers who are selling something. I have had that philosophy all of my life and it has never steered me wrong. These two are no different. Is the book any good? It is the same as the rest of the series. Probably if you took the first six books of the series and condensed them down to one book - not hard because of the redundancies and the filler material designed to stretch this thin story out to book length each time - you would have a pretty good page turner. My biggest wonder is why, with all the money these guys are raking in, they do not hire a real professional writer to clean up their ragged prose?

I am reminded every time I read these books of Kurt Vonnegut's character Kilgore Trout - reputed to have the best sci-fi ideas in the world but who was also a horrible writer.

One positive is that this series is a good sci-fi introduction for someone who does not think they like sci-fi. My mother in law was stunned when told that, and I hope to get some Heinlein in front of her soon, just so she can see some of the same sort of speculative fiction but which is actually well written.

The religious ideas espoused by these books? A very personal matter indeed. I have an open mind, let's say. I do think that it would be more interesting, however, to have someone who took a more open-minded stance regarding the religious issues writing the series.

Want to see an example of an end time book written with more verve and pinache by someone with such an open mind? Try Job:A Comedy of Justice, by Robert A. Heinlein. True believers will find it scandalous, of course, but it is far more thought provoking than this closed-loop collection.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Really starting to bug me . . .
Review: Talk about dragged out! What should have been one good book has been s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d into a whole slew of mediocre ones. When it comes to end times novels, if you prefer to read just one very good one, read THE LAST DAY (Glen Kleier, Warner books) as it is unquestionably the most impressive in this genre. It WILL make you think and raise the hairs on your neck. I've had it with these LEFT BEHIND books. I stop here.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Interesting story, horrible writing style
Review: The subject matter is interesting, but the writers make it boring and annoying. The pointless dialogue, the repetition, the easy predictability. I skipped many pages of rambling, pointless dialogue and examinations of the characters' moral struggles repeated for the 98th time, and still knew what was going on. Here's some good writing advice: If it doesn't contribute substance to the book, leave it out. If the authors followed that advice, this book would be 30 pages long. For example, they could have easily left out all the verbal one-upsmanship between David and Guy Blod. What was the point of that?

It's hard not to be distracted the "technical" screw-ups. The authors' overuse and misuse the past perfect tense of verbs (as in "he had believed"). It also struck me when the Greek lady who knew so little English knew the English word "fingerprints." Get real. Those are just a few examples.

It gets interesting in the last 20 pages. Skim the rest.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The saga continues...
Review: I continue to enjoy books in this series, and "The Indwelling" was no exception. Although I had already determined who the 'assasin' was, I still was ready to see where the authors would lead the readers next. Using fiction, the authors have made the book of Revelation so much less intimidating for the non-theologian. I'm ready for the next one!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: DISAPPOINTED
Review: AFTER WAITING SO LONG FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THIS BOOK, I WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE AUTHORS WERE TRYING TO TAKE WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN 50 PAGES AND STRETCH IT TO BE ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE REST OF THE NOVELS IN THE SERIES.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Good story, horrible writing
Review: I am not interested in debating LaHaye's and Jenkins' theories on the tribulation, fundementalism, Christianity, etc. Suffice it to say that if you are not a Christian, and/or do not believe in a literal interpretation of Revelations than this series is not for you (although you likely already knew that).

The bigger problem is that, despite having an exciting storyline (and noone can argue that a literal interpretation of Revelations moves pretty quickly), this series is probably the worst-written adult series in history. And I am not given to superlatives.

Two repeating problems throughout the series include: 1) The authors have clearly done no research outside reading the Bible. Despite scenes taking place throughout the world, different countries are completely non-descript and interchangeable. The authors rely on advanced technology that they are clearly clueless about (compare to Tom Clancy for an example of how technology can be written. That amount of detail isn't necessary, but more than "He dialed on his cell phone, which could not be traced and had a long-lasting battery" would be beneficial). 2) The characters have no personalities and, therefore, no ability to relate to each other beyond "He loved her because she was his wife." This is particularly evident in the authors' inability to develop conflict between characters. This problem was most clearly seen in the second book, where a misunderstanding about who sent Chloe flowers led to a 75 page standoff. (For fun, do this exercise: go up to someone and say, "I'm angry about the flowers." That person, unless s/he is a total moron, will say, "What flowers?" You respond, "The flowers you sent me." They will respond, "I didn't send you flowers." End of conflict). People become angry with each other for no reason, don't talk to each other for no reason, etc.

Lastly, dialogue is ridiculous. In this book, David Hassid is supposed to be some intellectual giant, yet he has arguments with Guy that include such witty repartee as: (Guy) "Why aren't you here?" (David) "Let me guess. Because I'm here?" or: (Guy) "Stop calling me that." (David) "What, sir? I'm sorry, I thought you were male." This is amusing banter for elementary school kids, but after that it is stunningly immature and hardly "a battle of wits and sarcasm."

The fact is, the authors have no ability to build characters or have them relate, research their topic, pace a story (this book takes place over only three days), or utilize any simple literary techniques. Writing a story based on prophecies in Revelation is a great idea; too bad some real authors didn't think of it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Action packed!
Review: Dive right in-the tribulation's fine! There are a few more authors in this genre that are must reads; A.T. Nicholas' novel, "Fist of God", Jerry Furland's superb novel, "Transfer-the end of the beginning" and a completely secular work of non-fiction that is quite useful Reg Whitaker's "The End of Privacy". Take heed when you read!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Return to form
Review: The Indwelling stands as one of the best books of the series, and definitely in the same league as the first installment, Left Behind. The characters are more detailed; the dialogue is less stilted. The authors have struggled since book #1 to find a style and pacing that works, and this is it. Although the book covers only one week of the entire seven year tribulation, it is packed with action. The book represents a major turning point in the story and therefore deserves this level of detail. Of course, if you've already gotten this far in the series, there's no backing out now! Read it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I just want to give LaHaye and Jenkins my support. I would like to say that I think these books in the series get better every time, and I can't wait until the next one arrives.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: riveting!
Review: The review from "A Reader" in Dove Creek, who posted 1 star on June 19 has little to do with the book, and is more concerened about his theological differences with so-called "fundies". This is a BOOK REVIEW, not an end-times debate forum.

As far as the novel is concerned, the storyline is riveting, and I regret having to wait so many months between installments of the series. The characters are interesting, although at one point in a previous book there got to be too many and it got a little confusing. I can't wait to see what the authors have in store for the Trib Force!


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