Rating: 
Summary: Not even close!
Review: This was so far below an adult reading level that it killed the book. I agree with the other reviewers. The characters were not very developed or particularly believable. It seemed a little like a far-fetched super-hero movie. The timing was always perfect, they always guessed exactly where to find each item. Like I said to my husband....Tim LaHaye needs to stick to what he's good at....the research. The Left Behind Series is so good.....and this just isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Far superior to the Left Behind Series and Soon
Review: Tim Lahaye chose a winner to co-author Babylon Rising. Greg Dinallo has added adrenalin, subtlety and clarity to Babylon Rising in ways that outshine both Left Behind, and Jerry Jenkins new SOON series.The main hero is Murphy, a loveable, sincere, driven, and action-prone biblical archeologist. His wife, Laura, is bright, supportive, and gifted in her own right. Additionally, Shari is his brightest student--a protege who brings youth, energy and commitment to the plot. Then there are the anti-heroes: A college dean who believes anything religious or biblical cannot be academic; Methuselah, a mystery man who keeps supplying Murphy with important artifacts, but who requires him to face deadly tests before each gifting; The Seven, a mystery cabal, who seek certain artifacts, so they can tap into their dark powers and, yes, rule the world. Finally, there is Talon, a hit man who loves his work, and brings much danger and heartache to Murphy. While the above cast may sound like they will come together in the same chaotic type plot we often found in Left Behind, the authors keep the storyline tight. I easily kept the characters in their places, and had a good grasp on what they were thinking at all times. Another plus, is that there are some wonderful subplots and tensions here. Murphy's relationship with a colleague named Isis is so subtle--I really want to know how they end up. Isis herself seems to change throughout the story--yet we are not completely sure what is happening. Bottom-line: This is the best of the Left-Behind spin-offs, and ranks near the top with other apocalyptic and supernatural thrillers such as the Fire of Heaven trilogy, the Christ Clone trilogy, and even Frank Peretti's novels. BUY, READ, SHARE AND DISCUSS!
Rating: 
Summary: mediocre with horrible dialogue
Review: Tim LaHaye is the creator of the best selling Left Behind series. This is another book (the first in a series) that is based on biblical prophecy. The Left Behind books were based on the prophecies of Revelation. Babylon Rising is based on the prophecies found in the book of Daniel. The other main difference is that Babylon Rising takes place before the Rapture (the starting even of Left Behind). In the introduction to this book, Tim LaHaye writes that he is more excited about this book (and the coming series) than he has been about any other project that he has worked on. He is teaming with Greg Dinallo to write a fast paced, biblical based, adventure/thriller. LaHaye feels that the hero of this story, Michael Murphy is a fantastic protagonist, one who we should be excited to read about. Michael Murphy is a biblical archaeologist. That means that he finds ancient artifacts and uses them to authenticate the Bible. For some time now, he has been given tips by a man who calls himself "Methuselah". Methuselah gives Murphy a tip on how to find an artifact, but at the same time he sets traps around this artifact that could easily kill Murphy. Michael accepts this and goes along with it because every biblical artifact has turned out to be genuine. Michael Murphy seems to be cut out of the Indiana Jones mold, only with a strong Christian morality. When Murphy finds the latest artifact that Methuselah lays before him, it sets him on a path to confront a great Evil (with a capital E). We are also introduced to the other side, an organization known as the Seven, and their murderous henchman named Talon. As Murphy searches for a biblical artifact known as the Brazen Serpent, an endtime prophecy of Daniel begins to unfold. As LaHaye wrote in the introduction, this is a fast paced adventure book. It is based on biblical prophecy, but unlike Left Behind, this one didn't hook me. I was able to read the book quite quickly, but I wasn't too interested in what happened to any of the characters (except for one minor character). Rather than be the great Christian hero that LaHaye had hoped for, Michael Murphy is a caricature. He is so idealized that he isn't believable as a character or as a person. That might be part of the problem with the entire book. While it is written with the best of intentions, the dialogue is horrible, the writing a step below that of Left Behind, and riddled with cliché. There is no sense that the dialogue between characters could possibly be a real conversation. It felt phony and forced. With all that said, if you loved the Left Behind books, you may enjoy Babylon Rising. It is similar to that series, and has the same basis in Biblical Prophecy. I didn't find Babylon Rising to be very engaging at all. It is a fast reading book, so you won't waste too much time reading it, but I feel that your time would be better spent elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Babylon Ain't Rising Here
Review: What a disappointment. Now we know who did the research and who did the writing with Left Behind. Where are you Jerry!? Oh, yeah; writing "Soon". Come on Mr. Lahaye, if you're going to write a book for a Christian audience, you should treat us with the respect we deserve. The plot lines here are fantastic! The writing is atrocious. Example:
A woman with a crushed wind-pipe swallows a pill. Our hero shoots a falcon out of the air with a bow and arrow. A woman stops murderous cult members by screaming a twenty-five hundred year old language at them (what!?), and my favorite, Nebuchadnezzar calls Daniel "Daniel", not Belteshazzar. Helloooo?
Get some help, Tim. This has the potential to be a great series, but you need someone to take off the edge.
Rating: 
Summary: Written in the style of The DaVinci Code
Review: Yes, if you liked the writing style of The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, you'll like this book. This is very much in the same style and pace, though of course completely different plot and viewpoint. I thought it was better and more plausible than Soon by Jerry Jenkins. Let's all hope that this will be a follow up series now that the Left Behind series is ending.
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