The Regime: Evil Advances (Before They Were Left Behind, #2)

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The Regime: Evil Advances (Before They Were Left Behind #2)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 2,026 ratings · 52 reviews

Dynamic Romanian multimillionaire Nicolae Carpathia's sphere of influence steadily grows as he parlays his looks, charm, charisma, and intellectual brilliance into success in business and politics. But is it mere coincidence that those who oppose or offend him suffer to the point of death? Meanwhile, a young Buck Williams begins his journalistic career. Pilot Rayford Steel...more

Paperback, 391 pages

Published March 20th 2006 by Tyndale House Publishers (first published November 15th 2005)

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Mar 05, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, sci-fi, novel, left-behind

I'd have to agree with the customer reviews on Amazon and say that The Regime is slightly better than it's predecessor, The Rising which mainly followed the conspiracy surrounding Nicolae Carpathia's birth (and also the early life of Rayford Steele). The Regime, on the other hand, follows the lives most of the main characters from the Left Behind series, showing what circumstances in life led them to not choose God.

Like all the other books in the the Left Behind series, The Regime was a quick re...more I'd have to agree with the customer reviews on Amazon and say that The Regime is slightly better than it's predecessor, The Rising which mainly followed the conspiracy surrounding Nicolae Carpathia's birth (and also the early life of Rayford Steele). The Regime, on the other hand, follows the lives most of the main characters from the Left Behind series, showing what circumstances in life led them to not choose God.

Like all the other books in the the Left Behind series, The Regime was a quick read for me. They're not short books, but they're easy to read, and the chapters and sections are broken up in such a way that it's really hard to put the book down once you've started it.

While I eagerly read the story, I have to say that it left me feeling anything but happy. Certainly I was overjoyed at the progress Irene Steele was able to make, especially leading little Raymie to be saved, but seeing how all the heroes of the original series turned their backs on God and chose to be left behind was heart breaking. Buck's indifference, Chloe & Rayford's stubborn unwillingness, Smitty's anger & fear - all made me realize that becoming saved is even harder in everyday life than during the tribulation. Like doubting Thomas, those left during the tribulation had the benefit of direct signs from God, they had much more obvious proof than we do in everyday life. There was also so much more of an obvious "them" and "us" mentality during the tribulation, whereas before the tribulation (like in real life) there was a wide spectrum of "Christian" belief, including Rayford's feel-good idea of God that misses the whole point of Christianity.

I guess if I had one complaint (and I know I'm being nitpicky) is that they seem to think that only smaller "Holy Roller" churches, as Rayford calls them, are places where people can easily get saved. This is a conversation Kyle & I have had (even though he hasn't read any of the books) because, while we currently go to a smaller church, both of us went to larger churches (okay, mine was more medium-sized) and neither of us came from particularly energetic congregations and yet we still came away with an unshakable Christian faith. And obviously Irene and Raymie came to God going to an impersonal church, but it seemed like every "bad" church followed a formula, just as every "good" church did. I'm not going to get like the Catholic Church and get all up in arms about it, but having grown up & come to Christ in a church that tended to fit the "bad" model more than the "good", I was a little upset by the over-generalization they seemed to be making.

Really, though, by far the strongest impression I get from all the books in the Left Behind series, is a feeling of spiritual renewal. They're all about coming to faith and seeing those stories play out over and over again (even though many of the attempts at conversion in this book are unsuccessful) reminds me what exactly it is that I believe in and why that's such a great thing. It also reminds me to worry less about sharing my faith with others, as everyone has their own style of sharing, some very subtle, and the important thing is that you try and remember that the best way to share your faith is to live it.

Those of you who read my review of the The Rising in which I mentioned that these books could be enjoyed by non-Christians probably wondered why I spent this whole review being very Christian-focused. Well other than the fact that that's who these books are all about, realize that after 13 books, it's doubtful that anyone not at least empathizing with Christians is still reading. If you refuse to believe, or can't be certain about your faith, that's an awful lot of hearing about how you're going to burn in Hell, but I still think that the series is written in such an action packed way that it can be interesting to anyone, especially because in the beginning God couldn't be farther from the minds of the main characters. (less)

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Jul 11, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-at-your-own-risk, christian, so-boring-it-s-boring, so-bad-it-s-horrible, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue

I credit my mom with getting me interested in this series. I have been hanging on since the beginning and have loved most of it (with the major exception of the terrible Glorious Appearing). So, when the prequels arrived, I plunged in.

Plot:
Nicolae Carpathia rises to power in Romania, Cameron Williams begins his career as a journalist, and Rayford's family is stretched to the breaking point when his wife converts to Christianity. Also, we get to see characters like Abdullah and Leon Fortunato.

Goo...more I credit my mom with getting me interested in this series. I have been hanging on since the beginning and have loved most of it (with the major exception of the terrible Glorious Appearing). So, when the prequels arrived, I plunged in.

Plot:
Nicolae Carpathia rises to power in Romania, Cameron Williams begins his career as a journalist, and Rayford's family is stretched to the breaking point when his wife converts to Christianity. Also, we get to see characters like Abdullah and Leon Fortunato.

Good:
The best parts of the book belong to Nicolae. Watching him manipulate and weasel his way into power is clever, amusing, and revolting all at the same time.
The end was a cliff-hanger that almost brought the book back to the quality of the previous books.

Bad:
I have loved Left Behind. I consider myself a fan of the series. But I cannot, in my right mind, recommend this book. It is too horrible for words. I started this back in January of this year and only now have had the determination to finish it (and just so I can get it out from my nightstand!). The saddest thing is that LaHaye and Jenkins have done so well in the past (especially most recently with The Rising).
I noticed three major problems with this particular installment:
1. There are way too many characters to be covered even minutely well in 390 pages. There are Nicolae, Leon, Viv, Rayford, Irene, Chloe, Raymie, Hattie, Buck, Dirk, Abdullah. And this is just a sampling. How can anybody hope to develop these people to true characters in such a short time? All we, the readers, are left with are cardboard caricatures of the characters we adore from the Left Behind series. Nicolae is the fiendish wannabe dictator; Rayford, the clueless father/husband and rock-on pilot. Chloe gets to play a varied role (ha!) as the typical rebellious teenager (she even gets to go drinking!) while Irene is lumped into the worn-out mother/wife who is unequally yoked with her husband. Buck has no character after the death of his mother. Abdullah is probably the only interesting character as he struggles with his wife over her conversion from Islam to Christianity, but not that much.
2. There is absolutely no plot. What happens in The Regime? I can tell you what is supposed to happen: Nicolae's rise to power. But all of 50 pages are spent on this fascinating tale, and most of that is hidden between senseless anecdotes about cardboard people interacting with cardboard people producing sleep-inducing experiences. Take Buck: he meets a girl he likes in the same section that she breaks up with him! We are given no time to bond with this woman and feel his pain when she breaks up with him. And about Rayford's family: why is it important that Chloe comes home drunk? That Rayford buys stuff on the black market? That we have to find out each time Irene meets Jackie and talks about how Rayford is an arrogant jerk? That Rayford has to drive Hattie home? Well, I guess to show yet another dysfunctional family, though what that proves, I have no clue. And sections are spent on people thinking about what they wanted to do instead of actually doing it! If the book had cut out Rayford's family and Buck's boring life (wow, he gets attached to a senior writer at the Global weekly, where's the popcorn?) and focused only on Nicolae, it might have been a better book.
3. Rayford and Nicolae are inconsistent. Maybe Buck is too, but I fell asleep during his scenes. All I remember is reading endless lines about Rayford contemplating Hattie (if you read Left Behind, the first one, he comments on how he could have an affair with her and later how glad he was he hadn't gone very far--no mention of riding her home so frequently!) and how bad his marriage was. I always got the impression that Rayford had only started to recently think about having an affair, not something that had been in the works for years.
Then there's Nicolae. He's so sweet and charming back in the first Left Behind. Here, we learn that this is a complete act; he actually is a spoiled eight-year-old who throws daily temper-tantrums when he's told that he's not at the center of the universe. The man we see in Left Behind? The charming politician, that unassuming senator of Romania who quickly rose to head of the UN based on his charisma, his empathy, his compassion? That's a consummate act. He's all charm and humility when in front of the populace and his one-night-stands. Why do Leon and Viv work for him? Well, they have nothing better to do and are used to him. Plus, maybe the benefits packet rocked.
There are more things that drive me nuts about this bookb (how juvenile the writing seemed, the uneven pacing), but I don't have the time or the inclination to recall each and every one of them. You get the picture.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Any dialogue is alluded to. Rayford contemplates adultery, and Nicolae has several intimate girlfriends. Several deaths occur, but nothing graphic.

Overall:
This was perfectly terrible! This could be used as an alternative to sleeping drugs! No wonder it took me almost a year to finish. Not only was the book boring, it took one of my favorite characters, Nicolae, and twisted him into this ugly, unrecognizable beast who doesn't seem a thing like he is later in the series. Stay away unless you are an avid Left Behind fan! (less)

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Oct 18, 2011 Tara Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the Left Behind series. So I was excited when I heard about the Before They Were Left Behind series. It's been years since I read the first book in the series, The Rise. No matter where I looked I could not find this book. Anywhere. Let's hear it for my good old library for having a copy.

That being said, there were a LOT of parts of this book that I skimmed over or skipped altogether. It switched between sections detailing Rayford Steele, Cameron "Buck" Williams, Irene Steele, Abdullah...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Shaun rated it 3 of 5 stars

I try to avoid really popular books like the plague until the craze dies down, and the Left Behind/Before They Were Left Behind series is no exception. However I picked up the prequels last week after finding myself stuck in a rut and just not wanting to read anything; no matter how hard I force myself to read.

My brother and sister-in-law have all the books and love them, and they passed the books on to my mother, who loves the books and I'm pretty sure my dad has read at least the first one; an...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Austin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The author, Tim LaHaye, did a great job of setting the series up so that the second book can describe what happened before the first book. I love it when authors do this because it ties a lot of strings together and make you respect the series more and more as a whole. In this book, Nicolae forms his bad side. And it only goes down from here. But not only does he become more evil, but he also cheats. It just happens that everyone who is against his just starts to disappear. And with all of his o...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was worth reading; the prequel should have started here. It gave the background to questions the 'Left Behind' series raised. The reader was exposed to Irene, getting to know her like I had wanted to. You found why Chloe became so much like Rayford and about Buck's rise to fame. In a prior review I mentioned not knowing why Carpathia acted as he did, and this helped to understand his impatience, petulance, and to see how it is his true character. Looking back on the series, it helped t...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading this book much better than its predecessor, "The Rising." The quality of writing was better -- for the most part, anyway. The characters also seemed a bit more realistic.

However, my main issue with this book is its over-the-top religiosity. Yes, I know, this is a Christian series. I too am a Christian, and I can appreciate Christ-centered literature. But there comes a point when even Christians roll their eyes -- and I did quite a bit of eye rolling thro...more I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading this book much better than its predecessor, "The Rising." The quality of writing was better -- for the most part, anyway. The characters also seemed a bit more realistic.

However, my main issue with this book is its over-the-top religiosity. Yes, I know, this is a Christian series. I too am a Christian, and I can appreciate Christ-centered literature. But there comes a point when even Christians roll their eyes -- and I did quite a bit of eye rolling throughout this story.

Most obvious is the character of Irene, who forces her two children to go to church and Sunday School with her, and ceaselessly nags her husband, Rayford. She feels their church is not good enough for her or her children, and begs and pleads with Rayford to let her go to a friend's church called New Hope. Now, I can't for the life of me conceive of why a husband would forbid his wife from going to a different church, especially when he doesn't go with her in the first place, but that's what happens here. It is a frequent point of contention between the two of them, especially where the kids are concerned. She drags her daughter kicking and screaming every Sunday, and I have to ask, WHAT is the point of that? I have no biological kids, but as a teacher, I can say from experience that using your authority to force a kid to do what she doesn't want to do only makes the problem worse. As a parent, shouldn't she know this??? The icing on the cake, for me, was when Irene told her friend Jackie, "I am starving to death, spiritually." Why? Because she can't go to Jackie's church and she can't convince her husband or daughter to go either. God reaches people wherever they are, if that's what they truly want.

The other character that turned my stomach was Yasmine, who is the wife of Abdullah Smith. Neither one of them are serious about Islam to begin with, but of course, Yasmine has to be the middle-eastern version of Irene, who converts to Christianity and has to drag the rest of the family with her. How does she do this? She divorces Abdullah, demands full custody of the children, never lets him see them, and sends him long letters about how she worries for his soul and prays for him. But then the letters stop, too. HOW CAN THIS BE REMOTELY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LOVE AND MERCY OF CHRIST?!?!?!? Jesus never abandoned anyone. Therefore, I refuse to accept that anyone who uses Christianity as an excuse to abandon a loved one is acting out of love.

I've read 14 of the 16 Left Behind books, so I'm going to finish the series just because I'm OCD that way, but I really DO NOT like where the theology of this series has been going. Sigh.(less)

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Nov 20, 2008 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Eric by: sport875@yahoo.com

This is the second official book of this series. This book talks about the events that happened before the first original book one. In this book, Nicolae starts to develop his evil side. The people that oppose him "disappear" and he is cheating his way up to the top and to achieve his goals. Rayford's life is getting worse as well as him and his wife are having an argument about her growing interest in Christianity. He is also trying to develop a new relationship with a flight attendant he works...more

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May 19, 2013 Ms. rated it 4 of 5 stars

The character development in this book is marvelous, but somewhat problematic as this prequel doesn't necessarily develop the characters from the original series. Chloe is a bit more rebellious that, Rayford is much more desperate and his relationship with Hattie much deeper, Buck has an arrogance not present in the originals, and Carpathia is more evil, earlier, than the original series depicts. That leaves this book feeling like a standalone. In fact, this book likely wasn't necessary. I suspe...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Pamela Hubbard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: character-doorway, christian-fiction, plot-doorway, adult-fiction

I think the only reason I keep reading these is because I've already invested too much in the series and have to see it through. In the second book of the prequel trilogy, we continue to follow the lives of the two main characters, Rayford Steele and Nicolae Carpathia. We deal with Rayford's struggle with his wife's faith and Nicolae's quest to world domination. We are also introduced to new characters who will play a larger role in the main series, such as Cameron Williams, Abdullah, Chaim Rose...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Komal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Saturday, June 04, 2011: Haven't started reading it yet, just got it on the Nook to read at work and during the week. I hope it gets good fast!

Sunday, June 12, 2011: Finally got a chance to sit down and read! More than halfway done and already I can't wait for this book to be over. I don't mind references to the bible, but when it happens in almost EVERY chapter, it's a little much and for some reason bothers me.

Monday, June 13, 2011: ALMOST DONE! 13 pages to go! 2:45 can't come sooner when I g...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Damon Gerber rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this book, and it was really interesting. There are three books in this series; The Rising,The Regime,and one other one. This book is about the characters in the Left Behind Series. These books focus on them and their lives before they were left behind. This book specifically talks about the Antichrist rising up through the Romanian government and him developing relationships with other heads of states, paving his path to total rule. I found this series, so far, very inte...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Again, this is a super fast read that has no real weight to it. Teenagers are exasperating, suburban life is mundane, and crazy Antichrists are crazy; it's nothing terribly surprising, but it is surprisingly entertaining. Cameron Williams is introduced, given a sob story...and I didn't really care, as I don't feel attached to any of these characters, really. Not nearly as good as the first prequel, but the middles of trilogies are often a little off.

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Jul 08, 2011 Michele rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's great to get to know the rest of the players in these series..Now I understand why Rayford is the way he is, he's so full of himself,even at a young age...reminds me a lot about the youth of today..Great look into Carmone upbringing and Hattie also...I never thought she was a dumb blone, she just want what she can get and damn the conquestes...It every man for himself in this book...so much like today's society...Would highly recommend.

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Mar 23, 2010 Gayle Gordon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, fiction

Borrowed from the Rockwall County Library. This was also a good read. I finished it in about a day. It was hard to put down. Mostly I like the story, but the way they got Abdullah in the story really seemed phony. The highest levels of American government and intelligence need an American airline pilot to go to Jordan and befriend a Jordanian fighter pilot in the interest of national security? Please.

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Feb 15, 2010 Muphyn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who want (need?) to know what happened before "Left behind"

Shelves: christian, fiction, summer-beach-reading, series

I didn't really have high hopes for this one so at least I wasn't disappointed. :) It's the sequel to a prequel (how stupid, really) and I really only wanted to know what happened to the characters before the "Left behind" series takes off (since I've read the entire series).

It was a quick and very light read, no thinking required, just frequent page turning - something which suits me just fine at the moment. :)

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Jan 06, 2011 Lawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the few series of books both my wife and I have read are the Left Behind series. Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye created characters that I wanted to follow. The story is important to me from a faith standpoint, and the writing makes it accessible to all.

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Feb 17, 2013 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

#2 in the prequel of the Left Behind series;
Nicolae grows in power, Buck Williams star reporter witnesses the war of Gog and Magog where Israel should have been annihilated by the forces surrounding them and were protected by God.

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Oct 18, 2009 Michaelbatte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Liked this better than the first books in the series - this book especially about difference between being saved vs. being a churchgoer - a must read for anyone who has doubts about their relationship with Jesus

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Sep 12, 2010 Paola Mejia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Did not have much of a plot. It is mainly about the development of the characters, that while interesting at times, did not seem to be necessary for the series as a whole

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Sep 01, 2009 ComWa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: skimmed

I like the idea of the book and the characters, but I do not like the style of writing; It felt like watching a movie rather than reading a book.

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Jul 17, 2011 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

I really liked this book. Carpathia is a character that is easy to hate. The authors of these books really understand the concept of characterization. It is really hard to stop reading this series.

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Aug 03, 2011 Fran Santiago added it

This book really inspired me to want to read this series all over again :)I really enjoyed it :)

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Aug 16, 2010 Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one keeps giving you more information to give you a sense of who the main characters are. Very good.

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Mar 08, 2010 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Found the complete series to be very interesting. I anxiously awaited the next book to be published.

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Aug 13, 2011 Sarah Schoesler rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed book number 2 of the "Before They Were Left Behind Series" much better than the first one. I belive it is because the book continously flipped between the lives of Nicholae Carpathia; Rayford and Irene Steel; and Cameron Williams. The first book would spend chapters on one group at a time without mention of anybody else and it tended to feel long and drawn out. I especially enjoy being able to learn more about Irene Steel. In the Left Behind Series she was raptured and you did not get...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Glenda L rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read all of the Left Behind books and had many questions about how the characters got there. I stumbled onto this series and have to say I am loving it. There is one more ... can't wait to read it. This fills in all the blanks.

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Aug 14, 2012 Mary added it

Great book loved the insite on the characters form the Left Behind books.
I still have a few left that I haven't read yet.

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May 14, 2012 Chad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Guess what? Awesome!

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May 10, 2012 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

2nd Prequel to series

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About Tim LaHaye

Timothy F. LaHaye is an American conservative evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best-known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over fifty books, both fiction and non-fiction.

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The Regime: Evil Advances (Before They Were Left Behind #2)

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