[close] In Tim F LaHaye's The Mark, it's the dawn of the Great Tribulation, "the bloodiest season in the history of the world". After lying in state for three days, Nicolae Carpathia has risen from the dead. As the world responds in awe, statues of the potentate and "god" are erected in every major city, and a new religion, "Carpathianism", is in full swing. Followers of the Antichrist are branded with a loyalty mark on their right hands or their foreheads, and "vaccinated" with a biochip embedded with personal information. Those who refuse the mark take a one-way trip to the guillotine. The second coming of Christ is only three and one-half years away. But can the Tribulation Force hang on?

"The God who calls you to the ultimate sacrifice will also give you the power to endure it. No one can receive the mark of the beast by accident. It is a once-for-all decision that will forever condemn you to eternity without God," writes Tsion Ben-Judah in his daily newsletter with its cyber-audience of more than a billion. Heavenly power may be the only hope for the Tribulation Force, as it struggles to survive amid new terrors, the death of more loved ones, and some unexpected twists in their plans.

The Mark: The Beast Rules the World is the eighth instalment in the blockbuster Left Behind series. Rich in dialogue, this action-packed thriller delivers the same consistent mix of apocalyptic mayhem and quirky humour readers have come to expect from the pen of Jerry Jenkins and the prophetic interpretations of Tim Lahaye. --Cindy Crosby [close]