Silenced: The Wrath of God Descends (Underground Zealot)

Rating:
Summary: exciting ending, but an overly uneventful first half
Review: "Silenced" continues the story of Paul Stepola and offers a continuing vision of the future after World War III. Religion is outlawed. Christians are persecuted for simply claiming to believe. Paul Stepola was one of the top guys in the National Peace Organization and was very good at his job at finding, and rooting out underground Christian groups. This was until he was blinded during a raid. Stepola had continued to research the New Testament to better understand what he was up against, but with the held of a new friend, he was moved by the Bible and became a believer, and had his sight restored. If this sounds familiar, it mirrors the story of Saul/Paul of Tarsus from the Biblical book "Acts of the Apostles".

"Silenced" begins with Paul continuing to work in the NPO as a double agent, giving intelligence to the underground believers while trying to maintain his cover. He is unable to tell his wife that he is a Christian for fear that she will turn him in or tell her father (an even higher ranking member of the NPO). This would lead to death, for professing faith in Christ is treason to the world government.

Paul's task is to find a "Christian terrorist" named Styr Magnor. Magnor has claimed responsibility for the incident which somehow instantly removed all water from Las Angeles. This is a blessing in disguise for Paul because while Paul knows that the L.A. incident was the result of prayer and the action of God, he does not believe that Magnor is a part of the Christian Underground. Rather, Magnor has been committing murderous acts throughout the world, bombing major landmarks and killing hundreds, and this is the antithesis of what the Christian Underground is about. Stopping Magnor will do two major things. First, the NPO is suspicious about Paul's true loyalty, and stopping Magnor will be a major proof of loyalty. Second, Styr Magnor's actions are making all Christians look bad, and they are already treasonous for believing in God.

Stepola is headed to Europe to discover who Styr Magnor really is, and to stop him. He is also there to make contact with the Christian Underground over there and do what he can to help the European believers.

Jerry Jenkins started this "Underground Zealot" trilogy with a surprisingly good volume in "Soon". With the strong start to the series, and no idea where exactly Jenkins is going with it (except, perhaps, the ultimate end of the story), I was looking forward to "Silenced". It is written in the typical Jenkins way. It is very easy to read, and fast paced, but it is also clunky and simplistic in the presentation of the narrative. Readers of the "Left Behind" books will know exactly what to expect in the style of writing. It is so easy to read, and fast paced, that many readers will not be put off by Jenkin's overly simplistic style. Judging by the sales numbers of "Left Behind", it may be a fair assessment.

My one true complaint is that "Silenced" took a while to get going with the story. Sure, the book was as much about Paul's wife Jae's spiritual journey as it was about Paul, but after reading "Soon", and with the starting premise of this book, I expected more...especially with the subtitle "The Wrath of God Descends". There was a lack of God's wrath in this book, which was disappointing.

Still, Jerry Jenkins knows how to end a book. The last third of "Silenced" was worth the price of admission, at least for someone who enjoys his work. Not to sound cliche, but the ending actually earns the term "explosive". Jenkins builds and builds and just when the reader is tired of the building, he lets it all out and the action truly begins. It's exciting, and it gets the reader interested in the next volume of the series. That's a good thing, but it also feels like Jenkins could have done a better job at making the first half to two thirds of the book more interesting and exciting.

After "Soon", it is a bit of a let down, but what an ending.

-Joe Sherry

Rating:
Summary: More interesting and relevant than the Left Behind series
Review: Full disclosure: I've never read any of the titles in the Left Behind series and I am not a fan of futuristic fiction. That said, I am delighted to share that I really enjoyed SILENCED, the second volume in Jerry Jenkins's "Underground Zealot" series.

To me the premise of this series is more interesting than that of Left Behind, and it's also more relevant. After all, we can't possibly know when Armageddon will happen (hush out there, all you Rapture predictors --- you haven't proven anything yet) --- that's God's decision. But the idea that religion might become regulated by the government, or even outlawed? That's affected by men. We can't predict when that would happen, either, but we certainly can see that it's a danger in today's sociopolitical climate.

That's the situation in which readers find Paul Stepola, who was an agent of the new world order in the first book (SOON). After the catastrophic drought in Los Angeles that affected all unbelievers, Stepola had met a man who changed his life and gave him the New Testament; Stepola also learned that his father had been an underground Christian.

Now catastrophes are affecting some of Europe's most important cities. In order that the new, secular world government defeats a world-class terrorist, Styr Magnor, Stepola is sent in undercover to infiltrate the Christian underground in Europe. Headed by the charismatic and aloof Frenchman, Chappell Raison, these Christians have been living with the kind of fear and danger not seen in the West for centuries. Stepola needs to make them trust him while maintaining the trust of European authorities and his father-in-law --- who, unbeknownst to him, busily is manipulating Jae Stepola to spy on her husband.

While the suspense aspect is interesting in itself, Jenkins ties in not just Paul Stepola's faith journey, but also his wife's, and this adds to the urgency. Will Jae, at first shocked and appalled by the idea of her husband's Christian heritage, care enough to investigate Christianity herself? What actions will Paul take, guided by his Scripture readings? Again, given the historical precedent for religious persecution, the premise of this series seems very real and very immediate, which makes the supernatural elements more plausible.

Jenkins is a seasoned pro at mixing in the mundane (dinner details, children's roughhousing) with the sublime, so that this plausibility is maintained. Some of the dialogue is a little stilted --- but perhaps the author realizes this weakness, since when the talking gets rough, the characters get going; they're off into a new action before the reader has time to be distracted. The end of this novel came up quickly, yet leaves a lot for the next installment. Stay tuned. . .

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick


Rating:
Summary: Won't buy the third in the series
Review: Gave this series a second chance, but the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the story line just doesn't grab me. Read this one and Tim LaHaye's second in his series, one after the other, and this one is truly lacking something. Won't buy the third book.

Rating:
Summary: LOUD story in a book called SILENCED
Review: I bought the first novel in this series last year when it came out and read it in just a week. I knew at that point that I wanted to buy each sequal and read them as they were released.

SILENCED deals with the aftermath of SOON and picks up shortly after the drought in Los Angeles, a plague that believers prayer to God for, in response to the world leaders suppressing Christianity.

The second book deals with the main character, Paul, as an agent for the NPO, seeking out Christians for treason and prosecution. Except that Paul is a believer himself and is a secret mole for the Underground Church.

This story really makes you think about what the world would be like if religion was completely outlawed. It seems far-fetched and almost sci-fi in modern America, but the real truth of religious prejudice was alive in the New Testament and will be again, according to John's Revelation on Patmos. This book puts a fictional twist on a future world where ALL religion is outlawed and believers must worship in Underground Churches.

At the very least, this book makes you thankful for the freedoms we have in America. And it is also a fast-paced thriller, with very dramatic cliff-hangers at the each of each novel.

I am anxiously awaiting the 3rd in series! Great Job, Mr Jenkins!

Rating:
Summary: Easy reading, good action, great characters
Review: I enjoyed Silenced. Having read all of the Left Behind books, and quite a few other Christian apocalyptic novels, Silence struck me as both solid and unique. Like Left Behind, Jenkins sticks to an action-driven plot, with occasional theological dialogue. However, with this novel, he gives us great insights into the characters thoughts and feelings. This stuff could really happen, and probably has in Communist countries of the Cold War era.

Bottom-line: Jenkins picked up the pace with Silenced (vs. Soon), and leaves us hungry for the final installment. Buy, read and discuss!

Rating:
Summary: Great new way to look at the tribulation
Review: I have read all of the left behind series and am very impressed with this new "spin" on how things may actually occur. Jerry Jenkins does an excellent job on a new insight into what life can become in a world of removal of church from state. I can not wait for the next book, this book leaves the reader knowing the things happening to the characters is of God. It is an excellent expression of man's struggle with faith and that God let's us know He is real. It is an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I liked "Soon," but by the time I finished this one, I was hooked. I'm chomping at the bit for the next one. I finished this one in only two sittings. Couldn't put it down. I love how Jenkins can introduce a slew of characters without losing the reader. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Rating:
Summary: Great second installment....
Review: I really thought this book was actually BETTER than SOON. Perhaps, it is because the characters are now defined for us...so we can get on with the story. Let me tell you, once the story starts, you are hooked. Jerry Jenkins has a real talent for writing good Christian fiction that does attempt to use every plot twist and turn to preach to you from the Bible. I appreciate his ability to interweave scripture into the text of the story so that you can learn from it, instead of having it shoved down your throat. It is plainly obvious who the writer is in the LEFT BEHIND series....and Mr. Jenkins adeptly pulls it off again in this story. This book is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will get you hooked and then leave you waiting eagerly for the next installment. I think the best character in this story has to be Jae, Paul Stepola's wife. She seems to be the most "human" of all the characters, and I think many can identify with her problem of being caught in the crossroads between atheism and religious belief. She represents many of us today who are struggling with that same problem....

Once again, Jenkins delivers a really great story...and I am so looking forward to the next book in this series! Read it today!

Rating:
Summary: More than adrenaline
Review: Jerry does more than raise the adrenaline in his fiction; he makes us ask how much we value our faith. That's the critical bottom line.

Rating:
Summary: He's On Track Again!
Review: What an awesome second book for this series. Now I'm REALLY impatient for the next book to be released. This is so relevant to our time, and I'm excited about where this story-line is going. Jenkins is unmatched in this type of writing, as the popularity of the Left Behind Series will attest. At the same time, this is spell-binding reading.....a MUST READ for any who "wonder" about what's really going on in our world.