Rating: 
Summary: Better than "Heart", "Darkness", and "Geisha"!
Review: I have stuck pretty close to #1 bestsellers. "Left Behind (#1)" was better than "Where the Heart Is" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" (sorry). It also was better than Peretti's "This Present Darkness" (sorry again).If this came out before ID4, Left Behind would have taken the box office. If Hollywood needs a new story, this could be it! Will Smith could play Buck! Harrison Ford could play Captain Steele! Alyssa Milano could play Chloe! Nicolae could be played by Malcolm Macdowell (sinister fantasy island guy). Imagine people disappearing off enclosed planes, on live video tape, cars without drivers flying off roads...imagine the fear of being left behind in a world like this. Pages turn fast and you're left with wanting to go on with LaHaye and Jenkins and their Tribulation Force.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written and weak idea
Review: How long are these guys going to milk this dead cow? If we take the bible literally this series should have been over after the first book. So the only motivation for the authors must be making a buck. Very Christian.
Rating: 
Summary: This Pastor Wouldn't Use it for Toilet Paper
Review: Picture a sculpture of stunning complexity and beauty. Then imagine someone taking a picture of it. The first person who sees the picture holds tracing paper over it and traces the outline of the visible side of the sculpture. Realizing that what they have is only a pale imitation of the original, the sketcher throws their work onto the ground, where the image becomes partially obscured by mud. A passerby takes a polaroid of that partially obscured sketch. If the rich tradition of Jewish and Christian prophecy is the sculpture, then LaHaye and Jenkins' book is the polaroid. Speaking as a Christian clergyman, the theology and biblical interpretation in _Left Behind_ is infantile and absurd. Speaking as a lover of books, the characterization is so limp and one-dimensional that it was a chore to keep reading. _Left Behind_ is an excellent propoganda tool for those who wish to turn Christianity into the kind of self-serving, ignorant, spiritually bankrupt institution that it is portrayed to be in the media. It is also an excellent tool for convincing people to read the powerful and mysterious texts of the Bible as if they were a contemporary (bad) novel. If you are a Christian (or interested in Christianity); do not go near this book. Please, Please, PLEASE seek out reliable, scholarly commentaries on Revelation (such as the one in the New Interpreter's Bible series). If you are looking for an engrossing, clever, "what if?" novel; look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Peace of Understanding
Review: The Left Behind series has left me with several emotions that I have not experienced in a long time as a beleiver in Christ. I beleive that even though some people will review these books as nothing more than a series of fiction books, that it reaches those people who have not even thought about there being a God in Heaven. I've read several books from Tim Lahaye and beleive that his interpretations of the Revelations to be inspiring. The two authors together have accomplished putting in perspective the promises of God in a form that most anyone can understand. I know that the Left Behind series is written in fiction form but it has intrigued me to search the scriptures for my own answers. It is my hope that people get their own peace of understanding as they read these books.
Rating:
Summary: Dogmaric to the core...
Review: As the other reader, I am astonished to see that these clumsy dogmatic series became bestsellers! I could understand if they had an engaging plot, compelling characters, etc. These books should be rather filed under "non fiction"... Myself being a Christian, I watch with extreme disappointment at this type of dogmatism marginalizing Christianity further and further out. It is truly ironic how preachers of the first truly supranational religion digress into plain xenophobia... Everything global comes from Antichrist - the Net, Euro, WTO, what else? I suggest you go back and watch Omen all over, it will be more fun. Alternatively, I would suggest C.S. Lewis's Cosmic Trilogy as tolerant Christianity - or Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett - for fun and enjoyement.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: Left Behind is definitely one of the best books I've read. The characters are developed so well, you'll actually feel bad for Captain Steele and the others when they realize that their families were taken and they were left behind. The book raises alot of personal questions about the rapture and if you will be ready for it or not. I recommend this book to everybody.
Rating:
Summary: Will you be left behind?
Review: There has been much speculation about end times, when will the Rapture occur, who is the antichrist and a whole host of other issues. Left Behind is a skillful dramatization of what the end times might be like and what the consequences of the Rapture might be for those that are left behind. One need not be a Christian or even familar with the Book of Revelation to enjoy the book. However, having knowledge of the Bible would help to enhance the reader's experience. I could hardly put the book down and it is very easy to follow. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: BORING
Review: not to be too harsh, but if you read all the "good" reviews below, you've basically read the book. I am always up for a good book that continues on with others. I did not buy it from religous perspective, but as a novel to hopefully lead to buying the second one, third, etc. NOT! The story line repeats itself over and over and over and over and...started out ok but lost interest very quickly...too bad, could have been an excellent story line.
Rating:
Summary: The Best book in the Series!
Review: I was so excited to hear about and then to read a book is so popular and deals with the end-times through the beliefs of Christians. This book does a great job of portraying the confusion that would result if all of the Christians in the world disappeared. The authors probably should have stopped with this book because they obviously don't have the experience or the skill to make this a 12-volume series. (I have read the next four). While the first book is original and covers a lot of ground, the following books are just fluff pieces that move too slowly and don't offer the depth that is required to cover such world changing events. As a Christian, I enjoy these books because they are a confirmation of my beliefs. However, since they are poorly written and overpriced (the paperbacks only), I can't recommend purchasing the following books. Still, I have fond feelings for the first book and it was good enough to get me to read the next three, and I plan on reading more, so overall I have to recommend the series. Just don't expect anything spectacular. One more point. Do not listen to the audio books! I did so for book 3 and 4 and they were terrible. They cut out so much that you can't follow the story. And it is kind of creepy listening to that guy carrying on a romantic conversation with himself using two different voices. Why couldn't he just read the book and let me figure out who is talking? Worth reading if you have the time and money to invest in 12 books.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining - But not much more
Review: While some people are complaining that this book is poorly written, I have to wonder what they were expecting when they started reading it. This book is not great literature. But is it supposed to be? All that it is trying to do is be entertaining. On that level alone, it succeeds. Both the plot and characters are interesting enough to keep you turning the pages and wanting to know what will happen next. So the dialogue is a little silly at times. So what? It's fun and it's entertaining. Just enjoy the diversion the book provides. The only thing that bothered me about the book is that it is based on false doctrine. I know the book is fiction, but it is based on what the authors think might actually happen. Unfortanately, they are way off. The Bible does not describe a 7-year tribulation period or a rapture as it is presented in this book. If you really want to learn about the return of Jesus, open up your Bible. God tells us Jesus is coming back once - to take those who believe to heaven and send the others to hell. are YOU ready? No second chances. As theology and great literature, this book isn't much. As entertaining Science Fiction, it's worth a read.
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