Rating: 
Summary: Exciting!
Review: I'm a new fan of this series, and though I recently realized that the series has been out for a few years now, and finally got around to checking it out. This is my first time reading Christian fiction and I must say that I am very impressed. It is the kind of book that you can read cover to cover in one sitting because of the exciting events that take place. The characters were well defined and the plots were well developed. Whether you are a religious, spirtual, or skeptical person, I recommend reading this this book. It is very interesting and if it does nothing else to grab at you, it will at least put your mind at work. Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Depiction
Review: For the most part I consider myself an Atheist, but religion and the various definitions of the end of the world always interested me. The Left Behind series is a great application of the events in the Bible placed in a real-life environment. My only problem with this book is the occasional piece of "propaganda" ("Did they not know that Christ/God was the way? The truth? How could they not know" and things like that), but it's still not enough to turn me away from reading this book. Thankfully, the author was wise enough to keep it to a minimum.It's not going to turn me to God anytime soon, but it is still a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: Daniel Day-Lewis made the movie better
Review: The inspiring story of a quadriplegic man from a working-class family who learned to express himself artistically through painting with his left buttock, the only part of his body with appreciable fine motor control. Guaranteed not to leave you dry-eyed. I might have rated it higher if I had not seen the movie first, I suppose. There's something about the visual impact of thisstory that somehow doesn't work in printed form for me but it is definitely inspirational.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting story ruined by liberal theology
Review: When I first heard about the Left Behind books on my local Christian radio station, I thought, "What a great idea! A series of fiction books based on the most exciting, action-packed book in the Bible!" And the book starts out in a promising fashion, with vanishing people, car crashes, plane crashes, suicides, empty wombs, and enough other sorts of mayhem to make any fan of Arnold Schwarzegger movies excited enough to actually read a book. Unfortunately, Jenkins and LaHaye let their wishy-washy, liberal theology get in the way of a great story. Here's my problem: not enough people get "left behind" for any close reader of Revelation to accept as realistic. Have these guys actually read the book? Don't they know that "narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"? If that's the case, then why does everyone who's still around after the rapture know someone who was taken by it? If only a "few" will find the way, then it seems to me that some of these people should be shaking their heads and saying, "I don't know what the big fuss is. All my friends are still here." I wish I could say, as so many of my friends have, that I could put theology aside and read Left Behind as an adventure story, but that's not possible. If this is how Jenkins and LaHaye want to present their beliefs, I plan on skipping the rest of the series in favor of Harry Potter.
Rating:
Summary: A Religious Thriller
Review: I'm not a regular church attendee, nor do I believe in revelation's prophecies. However, I am interested in religion, and I thought this series sounded quite interesting after having been told about it by a friend. I was NOT disappointed. I think the story, and the characters, are wonderful. After reading this first book, I am going to buy every book in the series. The two authors have over 160 published books to their credit, which speaks for itself. Both are eminently qualified to write on religious subjects. La Haye is a minister who has published over 40 non-fiction books, translated into 30 languages. He holds doctorates in both theology and literature, and is a man of many outstanding accomplishments. Jenkins, in addition to working as an editor and publisher, has personally published over 100 books, and in dozens of well-known magazines. After perusing the other reviews, I think I see why some readers have poorly rated this book. Most of the readers who give poor ratings are not really interested in religion. Therefore, they see the books as an effort to "scare, and convert" them to become born-again Christians. Who knows if the authors feel they may "bring some people to God." Personally, I read the story because I enjoy religious thrillers! I didn't feel like they were trying to convert me. My advice is, if religion and religious subjects turn you off, don't buy this book. What I enjoyed most about the book is just seeing how ordinary people might react if the prophecies in the Bible suddenly started being fulfilled! I think it's a great story. Personally, I think the characters are well-developed and interesting. There is another reason that non-religious people might want to consider reading this book-something no one else has mentioned in other reviews. Religious fundamentalism seems to be on the rise worldwide over the past 20 years. It is happening in nearly every country, and nearly every religion-Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc. As with ANY major trend, it makes sense to know and follow what's going on. I'm an American woman living in Morocco. I have become more interested in, and knowledgeable about, religion since living here, especially since some of the Muslims I know make lots of comments about the Christian religion-one recent example being that George Bush may be the "antichrist!" One interesting thing I read in THIS book is that the antichrist is supposed to come from a EUROPEAN country. Anyway, I plan to share this book with some of my Muslim friends who read English, as well as with other friends-but mainly, just because I really enjoyed the book. Additionally, for anyone who already knows that they enjoy the Religious Thriller Genre, I HIGHLY recommend another book called, "A Skeleton in God's Closet," by Paul Maher.
Rating:
Summary: Worse than awful.
Review: A book for only the fanatical, non-thinking, mystic. Sadly, Tim LaHaye's writing is almost as bad as his theology so it isn't even an entertaining read. It's scary that there are people out there who relate this hype to biblical truth. Don't buy it, don't buy it, don't buy it. In fact, don't even check it out of the library.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for a non Christian/Adventure reader
Review: AT 1st I was worried about reading this book. I really don't like being preached to and I'm not "into" the religion. (Not unlike a few characters in the book actually LOL). However - it took 17 pages to know that I was going to finish the book. It's actually a learning/alternate reality adventure book that grabs you and you find yourself not wanting to put it down. Sure there is religion in it but for me it is part of the plot, not something the author is trying to force down your throat. It's a quick read but - be warned - it's only the 1st book and that was another obstacle I had to deal with. Do I really want to partake into a 12-volume undertaking. I decided that if I liked it - I would think about the 2nd book - take one book at a time. Well, trust me, you WILL read the 2nd book! WOW! I've read books where the good guys are against the bad guys that are called the antichrist but never THE Antichrist himself! The real deal. You can read about what the book is about on other posts but if you are interested enough to think about reading it. You WILL like the book.
Rating:
Summary: Leave This One Behind, Not Your Cash
Review: ... I skimmed the back cover, read the brief summery, and figured that it might pass off to be a logical, well-written book about the end times. "Surely, this should be interesting," I thought, as I paid for it at the counter.
After I got on the plane and we were in the air, I opened my new purchase. By page fifty, I was disgusted and insulted. By page seventy-five, I was laughing so hard that the person besides me told me to shut up.
I continued to read this, thinking to myself, "This has to get at least somewhat better..." I'm sad to say that it didn't, and by the time I arrived at my destination, I mourned the loss of the twenty bucks I paid for it.
The concept is one that isn't new; in essence, this book is nothing more than a Christian fundamentalist view on the Book of Revelation. The characters are bland, as they are too easily predictable and illogical in both their reasoning and their actions. They seemed to be so easily trapped by the Christian mindset after such a short period of time, and without thinking for themselves I might add.
Also, most of the logic and reason that would make this book work isn't present. The disappearances that occur are supposedly God claiming his "chosen people" and taking them into heaven. But, they didn't exactly say until around page 40 who those people were. In fact, the book never said anything directly to any denomination of religion about this entire epic saga until chapter three. Which brings me to my next point: According to this book, only true Christians are taken by God; no one else, just Christians. What about the true Jews or Muslims, or any monotheistic religious peoples? Did God suddenly not like them and cast them aside as inferior? That message became quite clear throughout pages of the book, as the "true" religion is proclaimed as Christianity, which made me absolutely disgusted. By the time I finished, I realized that the entire book was nothing more than a heap of religious propaganda, unoriginally written and conceived by two hypocritical "Christian" authors. If a Christian has that little respect to other religious and peoples, they don't deserve to be called a Christian, let alone a decent human being.
But there's more! The events of the post-rapture are illogical and nonrealistic, as well as what had happened beforehand. The world agrees to three world currencies, and plans to go to one? The United Nations has its members to destroy ninety percent of its weapons, and give the remaining ten to the UN? And all nations seem to agree with this by an overwhelming majority? Thinking that all nations will agree to this is completely ludicrous, and isn't good political writing.
So, in conclusion, this book is nothing more than a stockpile of religious propaganda and lies, aimed to scare you for the rest of your life about what will happen to you on this last day of judgment. Unless you liked having this kind of thing shoved down your throat on a daily basis, don't waste your money;
Rating:
Summary: Well written setup for the series
Review: Left Behind is a very well written book that keeps you wanting more. No time is wasted before the action starts. Although it does become somewhat slow throughout, it seems to be setting up for the rest of the series. Certainly recommended for enybody and everybody who has been looking for a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Seeker left still searching ... for a great Christian novel
Review: As a believer and continual seeker for a greater understanding of God, I'd hoped this book would be, as promised by folks I respect, a good, exciting read that would illuminate the role of Christianity in modern society. I wanted to like the book, indeed to love it as they did, but instead I found it a flat read, with two-dimensional characters plodding through fairly unbelieveable circumstances. (It wasn't the Rapture part that was so unbelieveable, it was the flimsy plot undergirding it: gimme a break, a pouty flight attendant successfully whines her way into how many disinterested but well-meaning people's lives only to catapult instantly to the Antichrist's girlfriend? Ick. Too simple.) Yes, sometimes the storytelling did ratchet up almost to the excitement of a spy thriller, but more often unwound itself in its painstakingly dull detail and pale characters a reader must strain to summon affection for. As a believer, I simply refuse to surrender my intelligence to the widespread adulation of this book. I continue to yearn for high-quality fiction that serves both intellectual curiosity and the continual search for deeper religious meaning.
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