Left Behind (Left Behind #1)

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Summary: Isn't reading supposed to be fun?
Review: I was horribly disapointed with 'Left Behind #1'. A great premise quickly bogs down into a dull tedious slog. I didn't enjoy the experience one bit ( It reads like the authors didn't enjoy the write much either). Not only was the characterization weak, there was no memorable action and the prose was lifeless and uninspired, some bits were just downright unbelievably corny. The only sense of wonder I was left with was where Mr. Jerry B. Jenkins and Mr. Tim F. Lahaye got the idea they would need so many different books to get their story across. Eleven installments of this! come off it guys!

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Summary: Good start to an exciting on the edge-of-your-seat adventure
Review: This is an realistic and scary portrayal of what COULD happen after the return of Christ. Its not only entertaining and exciting its also a wake up call to people everywhere. This was the slowest moving book of the series but is a front row ticket to something I never want to experience first hand.

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Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book was awesome! It had a great plot! I could never guess what would happen next. Anyone who has any questions email me at [e-mail]. I would strongly encourage the reading of this book! It helped me understand better of what is going to happen after Christ comes back! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

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Summary: The Latest Trend
Review: This series has to be the most popular beside of Harry Potter and no wonder. The plot is magnificentley put together, it's a non-stop thriller in many ways. And when you stop to think this will actually happen, it SCARES you to death! It will absolutely change your life and strengthen your fatih. It gives all these gigantic events and then backs them up with reverence to the Bible. Those who hate the book are really only in denail of the truth they are faced with. If you don't believe me, look at all the other books LaHeye has written on the subject. It may even assure you won't be "Left Behind"!

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Summary: Very entertaining
Review: A very dear friend of mine recommnended the series to me, and since I have always been a fond reader of "end of the world" literature, I was eager. I found the book, and the second one, very entertaining, but I must agree with other customers as to the wordiness of the text. I feel the story and all essential items could be kept, while still trimming a bit of the, shall we say "teachings." I'm not sure what the authors are trying to do with the series...merely entertain, or inform and convert all their readers. It seems they waiver between the two. It might be bit a bit more helpful if their intention was clear either way. However, as to their writing ability, I have no complaints. The action keeps moving, the characters are extremely well defined, and the suspense factor was definitely present. I look forward to the rest of the series.

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Summary: You Don't Have to Be Christian to Enjoy This
Review: I was very reluctant to read this book because I thought it would be very preachy and would be much more negative toward "non-believers." I found the book to be the opposite, however. It is a little preachy, but not so much that it offends those who are reading it as a science fiction/fiction book instead of a religious one. Also, I found the attitude toward "non-believers" in the book to be more positive than negative. The only problem that I have with this book is that the characters could be developed a bit more...for example, they seem to convert very easily after the Rapture...if they were such strict non-Christians, I think it would be harder for them to come to the conclusion that the disappearances were, in fact, the Rapture. It was just a little too easy. Overall, they are highly enjoyable!

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Summary: Okay story, but writing needs major work!
Review: I read this book all the way through in the course of an evening, but I do have some major problems with it. But they have nothing to do with the theology of it, since I don't know enough about these topics to be able to correct it.

My problem is with the writing. It's awful. It's worse than awful... it's the book equivalent of 'Manos: the Hands of Fate'.

First of all, the characters are made out of cardboard. From the major characters to the background players. Especially those 'left behind'. The most major 'sin' evidenced by one of the 'left behind' is Rayford's lust towards another woman, which is incredibly vague; sometimes they treat it as if he only desired her, and then they have Hattie thinking they're supposed to be in a relationship? Uh-huh.

And the names are really just... silly, for the most part. Rayford, Dirk, Buck/Cameron, Hattie... if they were supposed to be somewhat representative of real people, they would have done better to choose more common names. Tons of 'strange' names are a frequent problem with beginner specfic writers; apparently, these guys are no exception.

And on top of all that, there's the single largest tenant of fiction writing: Show, Don't Tell. Buck isn't supposed to toe the line, but yet he's always shown trying to conform. Chloe is rebellious, yet it hardly takes her any time at all to convert. And worst of all, they make little use of dialogue when it's most needed--Nicolae's eloquent, powerful speech is usually condensed into description instead, and the rest of what he says seems bland, voiceless.

The plot lacked the movement it needed at some points, lapsing far too many times into evangelizing without any real emotion to keep the reader reading. And most of the conflict is, well, laughable. The miracles, which should be some of the main points in the book, are practically ho-hum to the characters, and therefore to readers as well.

I was looking at this like a novel; I have my own beliefs, and I don't generally take them from fiction. But while I've heard from other reviews that it was either fantastic or terrible as theology, the writers of this book need a number of refresher courses in their craft.

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Summary: The Left Behind series changed my life!
Review: I was totally drawn into the series from page one, book one! At times it seems the books are ripped from today's headlines with a little SciFi and Horror added. Then you realize it's all in the Bible prophesied thousands of years ago! This series will scare the Devil out of you!

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Summary: Even if I were a believer, this book would be crummy.
Review: Don't read this book expecting too much. In spots it is mildly entertaining, which is why I gave it two stars rather than one. Frankly, it is barely a novel. Rather, it is fundamentalist Christian dogma wrapped up in a bare shell of a story.

I am not going to dwell on the plot too much in this review; others have done that better than I can. In a nutshell: the Rapture occurs, drawing the "true" Christians up to heaven and everyone else is left behind to suffer the Tribulations the authors believe is foretold in the Bible.

Frankly, what I found most interesting about this book is not the text, but the sub-text. There is a lot of UN-bashing, and railing against the New World Order. A unified currency (think Euro) is proposed by the Antichrist, as is a single world religion.

Additionally, the authors seem to have a clear view of the place women and men should hold. The two main characters are Rayford Steele and Buck Willaims. (Apparently all the butch names for men were taken.) The two supporting characters -- both female and essentially the only women in the book -- break into tears and get all weepy at the drop of a hat. The two men see the truth of what is going on around them quickly, but the women require the men to convince them.

This isn't the only case of what seems to be prejucide on the case of the authors. Remember that this is a book about the beginning of the end of the world, but no mention of religions other than Christianity and Orthodox Judaism are ever mentioned. The other books in this series may show what is going to happen to the two-billion-and-some-odd Hindus and Buddists in the world, but this book does not even acknowledge they exist. The character that first introduces the Antichrist to the reader is named Chiam Rosenzweig. I don't recall if the book specificially mentions whether he is Jewish or not, but with a name like that, it's probably a safe conclusion to draw.

At one point in the book, the characters watch a video explaining how they have been Left Behind and that the only hope for their eventual salvation is to Come to Christ (tm). The video is also mentioned several times later in the book. I just noticed that the authors are peddling a similar video on their website.

What puzzles me the most is that I can not figure out the reason for this book. It does not seem plausable that an unbeliever (like myself) would be convinced. There is no attempt at convincing the reader of anything, just a bunch of "This is the way it will be, and if you don't accept it as fact, you're going to Hell."

Rather, I think this book is written for those who already agree with the authors' point of view, and just want something to make them feel good about themselves. "Look how terrible things are going to be and aren't we smart that we're going to be Raptured," that sort of thing. The self-righteousness that comes through the text is just overwhelming at times.

To make a long story short (too late), if you are looking for a good end-of-the-world novel, pass this one by. Similarly, if you're looking for Christian theology, it has been done better elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Puts Left Behind to shame
Review: MUCH better than the Left Behind series, should have gotten more attention because it is more believable, better written and more creative. Burn your Left Behind books and read Christ Clone. Jesus will approve.