Dejados Atras
by Tim LaHaye,
Jerry B. Jenkins
Dejados Atras
by
Tim LaHaye
|
|
| published
|
2003
by Recorded Books
|
| first published
| 1995 |
| binding
| Audio Cassette |
| isbn
|
1402562101
|
| ebook |
|
| date added
|
03-27-07
|
|
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bookshelves:
fiction---inspirational
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Nola by:
Mom and Danielle
Rayford Steele is piloting an international flight when his stewardess alerts him that 25% of the people on his plane have vanished, leaving behind clothes, jewelry, and all other physical evidence. Steele, inattentive husband to a devout Christian woman, knows immediately that his passengers, like true Christians around the world, have been caught up into Heaven. So begins Jerry Jenkins/Tim LaHaye novel (and the series) Left Behind.
The novel follows several folks through the beginning of ...more
Rayford Steele is piloting an international flight when his stewardess alerts him that 25% of the people on his plane have vanished, leaving behind clothes, jewelry, and all other physical evidence. Steele, inattentive husband to a devout Christian woman, knows immediately that his passengers, like true Christians around the world, have been caught up into Heaven. So begins Jerry Jenkins/Tim LaHaye novel (and the series) Left Behind.
The novel follows several folks through the beginning of the Last Days on Earth. Steele converts fairly quickly after the disappearance of his wife and son, but his daughter Chloe is more pragmatic and analytical. Also central stage is the young and proud journalist Cameron “Buck” Williams and the assistant pastor who missed the boat Bruce Barnes. And in the wings, we have the disbelieving flight attendant Hattie Durham and the fast-rising politician Nicolae Carpathia.
Jenkins does an excellent job of weaving the perspectives of Buck, Ray, and Chloe, walking them through their conversion. These are not the simple and uneducated, but the intelligent and practical who are slowly led to Christ. Under Barnes’ leadership, he teaches them about what will happen in the final days of Earth.
Although I am a Christian, I am not one who believes in the Rapture, all though I do believe in Christ’s return. I found the interpretations of scriptures I know well (and, in the case of Revelations, have a passing familiarity with) interesting and thought-provoking. I tend to be wary of Christian fiction after reading some over-zealous authors, but Jenkins does a wonderful job of blending the missionary work into the story and avoids being too heavy-handed. And lest you think I am biased, several less-devout members of my family have also enjoyed this series.
I’ve seen a few other reviews of this novel that made good points, and I wanted to address a few concerns I saw with this novel. The first is, if God Raptured all of the devout Christians, wouldn’t everyone immediately convert? My answer to that is, no, because a miracle does not convert a people (look at the post-Egyptian Israelites, who witnessed not only miracles but the presence of God yet murmured for forty years). If you are not receptive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, a miracle will not convert you. The same is true of literal and obvious fulfillment of scripture: look at how Jesus was received by those who best knew scripture.
Another reviewer questioned how a loving God would Rapture folks and allow the subsequent actions (such as a car or train wreck) to occur. Why would he leave the bad, law-breaking thieves and murders to run rampant over His newly converted followers. What they are really asking is, why does God let bad things happen to good people? Without launching into a religious debate, I wish to point out that if God made only good things happen, we wouldn’t have much room to grow in this life. Look at the forty year old living with Mom and see what he missed. What if God let only good things happen to His followers? How many would convert not because they love God but because they don’t want anything bad to happen? He wants our love, not our statistics.
Spoiler alert: to the person who asked why Nicolae did what he did to his two financial backers - an answer is clearly given in Book 3 (Nicolae), but in short it is financial. But, I think, it is also somewhat political. How many of today’s politicians make promises to get that initial push, and then find themselves in a tough spot when they have to deliver? Nicolae not only revealed the totality of his evil, he also rid himself of a political (and, given that Buck is a reporter, PR) problem.
I enjoyed this book, and am again working my way through the series. And, in case you are wondering why I refer to Jenkins so frequently, instead of the more prominent co-author LaHaye, it is because I have read other books ostentatiously written by both, and I firmly believe that Jenkins is the talented and active writer of the pair.
...less
bookshelves:
2007,
novels
I felt left out of the Bad Books Club because I completely failed to get past the first chapter of The DaVinci Code, so I read this to keep up. And boy, is this one horrible book! And there's at least 11 more of them! (N.B. - I will not be reading the rest of the series)
The writing is beyond terrible. In a story that presents so many interesting narrative possibilities - the grief of those "left behind" after The Rapture, the breakdown of society after a massive tragedy, the...more
I felt left out of the Bad Books Club because I completely failed to get past the first chapter of The DaVinci Code, so I read this to keep up. And boy, is this one horrible book! And there's at least 11 more of them! (N.B. - I will not be reading the rest of the series)
The writing is beyond terrible. In a story that presents so many interesting narrative possibilities - the grief of those "left behind" after The Rapture, the breakdown of society after a massive tragedy, the personal pain and soul-searching of those who believed they had faith but who were found wanting - and ignores them all in favor of people sitting on beds and talking on phones. The authors say that there is violence and mayhem, but don't show any of it. The main characters' conversions to Christianity happen as almost an afterthought - there is little description of the feeling of God's love, of how they will change their lives and live by the teachings of Jesus. The book could have been about 300 pages shorter for all it has of any substance, or it could have remained the same length and added some actual plot or character development.
Oh my, the characters. Our Two Heroes are named Rayford Steele and Buck Williams. The current president is named Gerald Fitzhugh (totally not supposed to evoke John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I'm sure!). Williams's editor is named Steve Plank, and I presume that if this naming scheme keeps up, later volumes will include media mogul Robert Mudrock and sassy reporter June Heat-Register. There are two women in the book, and both of them are boy-crazy and even find the time to get makeovers in the middle of the horrors of the post-rapture world. They are also wholly without personality, but so are all the male characters. The Antichrist shoots his two closest business partners in order to command respect, and then uses his evil hypnosis skills to make everyone in the room forget about it. So what was the point? There's also a great throwaway line about how much Planned Parenthood loves its filthy abortion money, and how they're so sad they no longer have any babies to abort (no mention is made of reproductive health, etc.)
Theologically, this book is on shaky ground as well. There is the aforementioned avoidance of actually describing the process of converstion, and there is little Biblical evidence given for the Rapture itself (an event which many Christian sects do not believe in and see no textual evidence for). Questions are brought up (in the book!) about God's seemingly abusive role in forcing people to accept Jesus's sacrifice and love for humanity by secondhandedly killing scores of people in the aftermath of an event where drivers of cars disappeared suddenly. If the seven years of tribulation are supposed to give the unbelievers a second chance, how about all of those poor souls who died in accidents, or who were stricken with heart attacks? These questions are not answered in the slightest, and I was slightly thrown off by the book's refusal to capitalize "Him" when speaking of the divine. It's an ostensibly religious book without any real faith.
This could have been such an interesting story, but the writing is so utterly awful that the series stands as dangerously bad. It does nothing to address the mystery of faith and the horrors of the Apocalpse - it could be any third-rate spy thriller gathering dust on an airport bookshelf. And it's so damnedly popular! ...less
bookshelves:
finished
Read in June, 2004
Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind (Tyndale, 1995)
So I figured after nine years, it was time for me to get around to reading the first book in the bestselling Christian fiction series in history, Left Behind. I had always avoided it, not because of the subject matter, but by and large books that break records tend to be writ large by those with the wit, talent, and grammatical skill of overly enthusiastic six-year-olds. Dame Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steel, Tom Clancy, John Grisham,...more
Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind (Tyndale, 1995)
So I figured after nine years, it was time for me to get around to reading the first book in the bestselling Christian fiction series in history, Left Behind. I had always avoided it, not because of the subject matter, but by and large books that break records tend to be writ large by those with the wit, talent, and grammatical skill of overly enthusiastic six-year-olds. Dame Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steel, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Sandra Brown, you get the idea. Why should Christian fiction be any different?, I wondered. But despite all that, I dove into it.
Expecting the worst may not have been enough. To call the book naïve would be, perhaps, too kind. It uses the conventions of satire without being in any way satiric, treats its readership like total idiots, has all the spelling and grammar mistakes one could possibly want from a mass-produced piece of claptrap, and various other things, all of which I will attempt to make sound as tactful as possible below. But the bottom line, for those who would rather stop reading now, is this: plot's not bad, but execution is some of the worst I have seen outside self-publishing. Ever.
Without getting into the theological aspects of the book, it is impossible to write a comprehensive review of Left Behind without at least glossing over some of the more interesting (and less Biblical) assertions made by the authors, the most notable being the Rapturing (for lack of a better term) of everyone under the age of puberty. Hmmmmm. Including the ones in juvenile detention for murder? Okay, we'll drop the point. After all, our society is based (wrongly) on the idea that people can't make up their minds until they reach the magic age of eighteen. At least LaHaye and Jenkins dropped the magic age to twelve, for which they must get grudging respect.
But little niggling theological concerns are perhaps less galling than LaHaye and Jenkins' complete and utter inability to ascribe a mote of intelligence to any of their characters, and by inference any of their audience. Not being a Christian and a regular attendee at church, I can't say for certain what the average joe learns about the end times. But even without regular church attendance for the last number of years, I remember enough of the Revelation of St. John from Bible study back in the day to have seen all the major twists coming at least a hundred pages before they actually do. And yet his characters, including the wife and daughter of a fundamentalist, are completely oblivious. Writing a book like this as a mystery/thriller, it seems, was not the way to go. Or if it were, perhaps adding a couple of extras who might have looked like they, too, could be the Antichrist might have helped with the suspense angle. (They do attempt a move exactly like this, but way too late and way too ineffectively.)
(review too long; read it in full at Amazon, review date June 7, 2004)...less
bookshelves:
christian-fiction-project
It would be unfortunate enough were the prose this book's lone problem. But as knuckle-headedly indelicate (Jenkins describing Carpathia as "not unlike a young Robert Redford" on 114 and later Jenkins's character describing Carpathia as "a young Robert Redford" on 232) and heavy-handed ("you might be asking Carpathia to turn against his own angels" on 231) and weirdly unfunny when attempting to be funny (the entire flirtatious cookie exchange between Buck and Chloe:...more
It would be unfortunate enough were the prose this book's lone problem. But as knuckle-headedly indelicate (Jenkins describing Carpathia as "not unlike a young Robert Redford" on 114 and later Jenkins's character describing Carpathia as "a young Robert Redford" on 232) and heavy-handed ("you might be asking Carpathia to turn against his own angels" on 231) and weirdly unfunny when attempting to be funny (the entire flirtatious cookie exchange between Buck and Chloe: 365-367 and 372-375) and cringingly pedestrian ("He knew Hattie was not a bad person. In fact, she was nice and friendly" on 89) as the prose is, the book suffers most, perhaps, from its shameless pushing of agendas amidst token attempts to convince the reader that pushing agendas couldn't be further from its intent. At one point in the novel, we learn that Buck had always thought "born-again" to be synonymic with "ultraright-winger" - Jenkins seems to be telling us, in this instance, that such isn't the case, that the two are distinct ideological phenomena or positions. And yet, earlier in the novel, Jenkins forces a disgusting critique of the pro-choice perspective into the narrative, suggesting that doctors and counselors who work in abortion clinics cannot but long for women to decide to abort their babies. The novel is explicit that we needn't subscribe to ultra-conservative ideology in order to be Christians even as it implies that ultra-conservative ideology and Christianity are inextricable bedfellows. (Another example of the novel containing this contradiction can be seen in its sympathy with "stand[ing] up [...] to bigotry" on 429 alongside its subtle bigoted dig at homosexuals on 103: "[Rayford Jr] wasn't effeminate, but Rayford had worried that he might be a mama's boy...")
It's just a thudding collapse devoid of imagination, this novel. The characters are cardboard cut-outs. There are flashes of bizarre homoerotic subtext, from the naming of characters (Buck, Rayford Steele, Dirk, Steve Plank) to double entendric prose (e.g. "to stoop to something as tawdry as paying for sex. Had Irene known how hard he was..." on 144, "and the milk making him long for his boy. This was going to be hard, so hard" on 101, "Dirk and Buck had become closer than ever, and it wasn't unusual for Buck to visit London on short notice. If Dirk had a serious lead, Buck packed and went. His trips had often turned into excursions into countries and climates that surprised him, thus he had packed the emergency gear" on 86-87). In the end, the story is little more than a stencil clumsily cut to fit a rigid (and therefore uninspired) reading of Revelation.
I'll be taking breaks between books for the duration of the series, lest I develop a need for antidepressants, or a vomit bag (thanks to gooeyness of the burgeoning relationship between Buck and Chloe). (I'm reading them in research.) There must be better fiction than this coming out of the Christian publishing houses?
*page numbers in this review are from the hardcover edition... ...less
bookshelves:
audiobooks
Read in April, 2008
I read this book as an experiment. This is a Christian novel about the end of the world. By Christian I mean the "Born Again" type of Christian.
Overall, the plot was very interesting. There is a love interest that kept my attention pretty well as well as some intracompany as well as international politics.
I had also remembered seeing a Simpson's episode where they spoofed this book with a movie called "Left below".
The story begins with the "Rapture&q...more
I read this book as an experiment. This is a Christian novel about the end of the world. By Christian I mean the "Born Again" type of Christian.
Overall, the plot was very interesting. There is a love interest that kept my attention pretty well as well as some intracompany as well as international politics.
I had also remembered seeing a Simpson's episode where they spoofed this book with a movie called "Left below".
The story begins with the "Rapture" which involves people accross the world simultaneously vanishing, leaving only their clothes behind. It soon becomes clear that all children and mostly active christians have disappeared. Many theories abound but the protagonist (an airline pilot who had some passengers disappear while in the air) discovers that his wife and son left because they were active in his church and he wasn't active and wasn't righteous. He had wanted to have an affair with his flight attendant, but never did. He soon becomes "converted to Christ" and becomes a religious zealot. His wife's church was almost completely vanished except for a few people, one of whom repents and becomes a zealous follower of Christ. There is a very interesting relationship between the flight attendant, the pilot, a prominent news reporter and several political characters who end up fulfilling biblical prophecy.
The parts I had trouble with were mostly the religiously slanted items for example:
- The conversion process (when the characters find God, and when they try to decide how to convert their friends) dragged on a bit too long. I tried to compare it to my own experience, but it was clearly slanted from the "born again" type of experience which is slightly different from my perspective.
- Some of the Biblical interpretations seemed believable, but many of them seemed so strange or even unrealistic that I had trouble with them. Admittedly this comes from my different perspectives on interpreting the book of Revealation. I do not claim to be an expert on the book of Revelation, but the following interpretations didn't seem right to me:
-it seemed odd that all the righteous should leave the earth 7 years before Christ's 2nd coming.
-It seemed ridiculous that within a couple of weeks the United Nations would become top power and all nations would agree to destroy 90% of their weapons and give the rest to the UN.
-Only one type of "Christian" was taken to heaven. Most catholics, for example were left behind, except the Pope, who was radical, and a few radical catholics. Many good people who didn't believe were left behind. This whole interpretation of the rapture seemed strange (so does the word rapture, I guess)
-The establishment of a One world religion is as far fetched as anything. Still I think this is a literal reading of the book of Revealation
Overall I was able to deal with these personal concerns enough to read the next book in the series....less
bookshelves:
2007winter
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Katie by:
Reading Interests of Young Adults required
My major problem with this novel has nothing to do with the preachiness of it. It actually was somewhat convincing in that way. I find that stories involving the Book of Revelations or the Apocalypse are very interesting (for example, "The Omen" movies, The Stand by Stephen King). I like the idea of a clear cut battle between good and evil.
No, my major problem with this book is that it begins with exactly the same scenario as Stephen King's novella turned TV miniseries, &...more
My major problem with this novel has nothing to do with the preachiness of it. It actually was somewhat convincing in that way. I find that stories involving the Book of Revelations or the Apocalypse are very interesting (for example, "The Omen" movies, The Stand by Stephen King). I like the idea of a clear cut battle between good and evil.
No, my major problem with this book is that it begins with exactly the same scenario as Stephen King's novella turned TV miniseries, "The Langoliers." You're on a plane, you wake up to realize that people all around you have disappeared, leaving behind their clothes and jewelery and even things that were inside of them such as pacemakers. What happened to them? In King's story, the plane had traveled through some kind of time warp and the surviving passengers, who had all been asleep, were transported back a few minutes in time. Considering that this novella was published years before Left Behind, and the miniseries aired around the same time this book was published, it really makes me wonder if the authors of this book heard this idea, then said, "But what if it was the Rapture?"
I had to read this book for a class in Young Adult Literature. The timing was somewhat poor, because recently I've been dealing with some full-blown religious people who didn't understand my idea for an anti-Valentine's Day teen program at the library called "Voodoo Valentines." I hadn't been planning on teaching the kids anything about voodoo, it was just a way to say that we were going to decorate goth-looking dolls, and calling them "voodoo" would make them appeal a bit more to boys. Yes, people actually thought I was going to teach kids how to make voodoo dolls so they could get revenge on ex-boyfriends or something. Anyway, I thought the book was okay despite a kind of preachy subject. It almost made me want to read the Bible. Almost. I've read parts of it before, especially the Book of Revelations (after watching "The Omen"). But this book really wasn't for me. The writing was just okay, it was more the plot that kept me going. The characters were pretty flat. ...less
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
those who'd rather snark at this brand of weakness rather than read a genre they don't care for.
In a fit of desperation at my father and notstepmother's house, having finished Susan Sontag's Volcano Lover (see? desperate) and having to ration The World to Come for the flight home in case I didn't have time for a bookstore (should there be one at the Tampa airport), I didn't reread any of the books I've sent the two of them over the years or try any of my father's westerns or spy thrillers (I hate pulp paperbacks as a format) but opened this (part of a complete set, in hardcov...more
In a fit of desperation at my father and notstepmother's house, having finished Susan Sontag's Volcano Lover (see? desperate) and having to ration The World to Come for the flight home in case I didn't have time for a bookstore (should there be one at the Tampa airport), I didn't reread any of the books I've sent the two of them over the years or try any of my father's westerns or spy thrillers (I hate pulp paperbacks as a format) but opened this (part of a complete set, in hardcover).
There is the so-far genius, nearly-page-by-page analysis at slacktivist.typepad.com, which spends a lot more time on it than I am willing to. This post, e.g., highlights one form of the book's rampant immoral stupidity (without any spoilers): <A HREF="http://slacktivist.typepad.com.... I needed to pass five hours and I did; now I'm passing more time with the much better written and more diverting criticism.
My one comment is that -- don't be shocked -- the basic premise of this book (not "novel") is ludicrous. The premise: Howevermany people disappear, in what is an undeniable proof of one version of the Christian god. If that happened, everyone would believe, because, hey, proof. There'd be no danger of the Antichrist coming to power because everyone would have seen the evidence (the Rapture) to enable a change of their belief, would read and believe the one text that, against all previous logic and evidence, did turn out to be true, and would not fall under the Antichrist's spell. Easy. ...less
bookshelves:
good,
mystery,
spiritual
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Christian fans/anyone interested in biblical prophecy
I read this book in college but never got around to reading the rest of the series past book three. Re-visiting it, I found that I looked at certain things alot different than I had previously. More of it actually made sense this time around.
After the strange disappearance of thousands of people across the world, those left behind try to make sense of the phenomena through theories of religion, aliens, and government conspiracies. After remembering his wife talking about the Rapture, a pilo...more
I read this book in college but never got around to reading the rest of the series past book three. Re-visiting it, I found that I looked at certain things alot different than I had previously. More of it actually made sense this time around.
After the strange disappearance of thousands of people across the world, those left behind try to make sense of the phenomena through theories of religion, aliens, and government conspiracies. After remembering his wife talking about the Rapture, a pilot finds his way to God, only to find that others, including his daughter, are highly reluctant to embrace the idea that the disappearance was indeed the Rapture prophesied in the bible.
This first book sets the stage for the rest of the series, giving us some background into the main players and setting up the story surrounding the Antichrist. It ends with the reader needing to move on to the next book to find out what happens next. I've known of many non-Christians who've enjoyed this book series immensely, but it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: a Christian novel that takes the book of Revelations as fact.
While I enjoyed this book, there is alot of political talk that tended to lose me because I found it boring. Even though I knew it pertained to the story, I found I wanted to speed through it and get to the "good" parts. Overall though, it was a good read and makes me definitely want to finish the series. ...less
bookshelves:
novels,
series
The concept is great: what would the Biblical end times prophecies really look like if they happened today? How could the ancient words of Isaiah and Revelation actually play out in today's world? What if the rapture occurred right now?!!
While some elements are admittedly intriguing (the anti-Christ's rise to power, the underground believers' economy, the covert operations) one frustration for me is the characters' glaring lack of depth. With maybe a few exceptions, these are flat, unreal...more
The concept is great: what would the Biblical end times prophecies really look like if they happened today? How could the ancient words of Isaiah and Revelation actually play out in today's world? What if the rapture occurred right now?!!
While some elements are admittedly intriguing (the anti-Christ's rise to power, the underground believers' economy, the covert operations) one frustration for me is the characters' glaring lack of depth. With maybe a few exceptions, these are flat, unrealistic stereotypes out of the mind of a modern day evangelical Christian. In my experience, real people and real relationships aren't much like those portrayed.
Of course, not all literature has to have great character development... and that leads to my second frustration with the series. Like the equally exciting thriller "The Da Vinci Code", these books are mass marketing with a light and easy religious agenda.
Lightweight is perfect for spy thrillers or romantic comedies, but when something claims to enhance or debunk Scripture I have much higher expectations. Sadly, many of today's Christians will read these novels and probably never read or study the actual texts they are based on.
Perhaps if they were marketed instead as the brain candy they really are I could enjoy them a bit more....less
I ran across a Snopes item the other day that I thought was extremely appropriate for this book review. The claim: Airlines will not pair Christian pilots and co-pilots out of fear that the Rapture will snatch away both crewmembers capable of landing the flight.
The claim is, of course, false. But if you think that is something that airlines might want to think about, then this book is for you. Otherwise, you'll probably w...more
I ran across a Snopes item the other day that I thought was extremely appropriate for this book review. The claim: Airlines will not pair Christian pilots and co-pilots out of fear that the Rapture will snatch away both crewmembers capable of landing the flight.
The claim is, of course, false. But if you think that is something that airlines might want to think about, then this book is for you. Otherwise, you'll probably want to skip it. The word that kept coming to my mind while reading this was "awful." The plot itself isn't all that bad (although it's fairly easy to pull Bible passages, plug in a fictional modern-day analogue, and drive a story). The writing was just really grating to me. The characters had the worst inner monologues I've read in a long time, and the authors seemed intent on making sure every tiny detail was spelled out. The poor writing was not helped by the fact that the series goes 12 books long (plus 3 prequels, and the Left Behind Kids Series), and the ending is not an ending at all. Really, just skip this one. I've heard good things about The Christ Clone Trilogy, so I may try that at some point in the future....less
Read in November, 2007
One of my managers at work actually reccomended this book to me after I told I had read 'The Road'. I have to admit that I was skeptical going into this book only because I knew some of the background due to publicity surrounding the movies. I didn't feel much like reading a bunch of quoted Bible scripture - but I was happy to discover that there wasn't much of that in the book.
The story focuses primarily around a core group of characters all tied together following a mysterious worldwide di...more
One of my managers at work actually reccomended this book to me after I told I had read 'The Road'. I have to admit that I was skeptical going into this book only because I knew some of the background due to publicity surrounding the movies. I didn't feel much like reading a bunch of quoted Bible scripture - but I was happy to discover that there wasn't much of that in the book.
The story focuses primarily around a core group of characters all tied together following a mysterious worldwide disappearance of people. Each goes down there own path - and some find God while other are put under the spell of the anti-Christ.
The beginning of the story was really riveting and had me hooked. SO many questions presented right away - and even though I knew the eventual answer the authors did a great job of present opposing and varied theories regarding the dissapearances. I wish I had more time to just sit down and read this book all at once but it got spaced out over about 2 weeks. The middle of the story had a bit of filler but the end of the book sucked me back in and left me wanting more. I have the second book on loan from my manager and I am going to try and squeeze it all in before I start my list of 100 Must Read Books. First book up - 'Slaughterhouse 5'....less
Read in October, 2007
I thought at first that I wouldn't be who this book was aimed at, but instead, I found the opposite. Since all the devout Christians have been taken by the Rapture, the protagonists are a mix of atheists, agnostics, Christmas Christians, even seemingly devout Christians who could have been truer. This means that no matter where you fall on the devout scale you have someone to follow through the tribulations fo teh Rapture. There's fun semi apocalyptic planes falling from sky disaster movie after...more
I thought at first that I wouldn't be who this book was aimed at, but instead, I found the opposite. Since all the devout Christians have been taken by the Rapture, the protagonists are a mix of atheists, agnostics, Christmas Christians, even seemingly devout Christians who could have been truer. This means that no matter where you fall on the devout scale you have someone to follow through the tribulations fo teh Rapture. There's fun semi apocalyptic planes falling from sky disaster movie aftermath. There's also the requisite semi-preachy "I'm discovering Jesus" passages, though they aren't as bad as I was expecting (though they are very prevalent, taking up 80% of the last parts of the book). Lastly, there is actually an interesting murder mystery/thriller slant running throughout the whole book, which makes for very good "keep you interested" hooks. And the last 20 pages pretty much guarantee you'll be reading the next book. I'd actually compare the writing somewhat to a bad Stephen King novel. It isn't fine literature, but it's decent enough to get the inventive fantasy ideas across (though don't go expecting King's trademarks or anything, it's a loose comparison). The next book involves more prophesy and more anti-Christ so i know I'll be back....less
Read in May, 2008
I started reading this book a few years ago and just couldn't get through it...this time I couldn't put it down. In this novel, the authors offer an account of what life might be like for those left behind when millions vanish. It follows several main characters through their search to find the answers to the mysterious disappearances. Capt. Rayford Steele, a pilot in the air at the time of the disappearances, who fears that he ignored his wife's pleas to come back to the church for too long...more
I started reading this book a few years ago and just couldn't get through it...this time I couldn't put it down. In this novel, the authors offer an account of what life might be like for those left behind when millions vanish. It follows several main characters through their search to find the answers to the mysterious disappearances. Capt. Rayford Steele, a pilot in the air at the time of the disappearances, who fears that he ignored his wife's pleas to come back to the church for too long (she and his 12-year old son have disappeared); Rayford's daughter Chloe, a college student, who struggles with the loss of her family and her father's new-found attitude regarding the disappearances; Cameron 'Buck' Williams, a news journalist on Capt. Steele's flight, who is assigned to cover the views of those "left behind" which include everything from aliens to nuclear warfare to Christ returning for his church; and Hattie Durham, Capt. Steele's senior flight attendant. Through all the turmoil a new world leader rises to power, promising peace and unification. Many hope this new leader is the answer to their prayers...will he be the great leader he has promised himself to be or will he be their worst nightmare?
Read it and see!!! Stayed tuned for Tribulation Force, the second novel in the Left Behind series!!
...less
bookshelves:
christianfiction,
lost-lit
i read this entire series.....almost non stop...
they came out with a prequel series, but i figured how many times can you beat a dead horse....
This series was really really good.
I didnt know how i was going to like it, not being a practicing catholic and all, but even if it doesnt keep to scripture 100%, it gives you enough of an eye-opener....
I remember thinking, wow. If this really happened, i would be one of the ones suffering through all this. And what would it take for me turn...more
i read this entire series.....almost non stop...
they came out with a prequel series, but i figured how many times can you beat a dead horse....
This series was really really good.
I didnt know how i was going to like it, not being a practicing catholic and all, but even if it doesnt keep to scripture 100%, it gives you enough of an eye-opener....
I remember thinking, wow. If this really happened, i would be one of the ones suffering through all this. And what would it take for me turn and accept god....how many plauges and tribuations would i suffer through....
You get to see how the whole world gets affected by this transition period, where the antichrist fights for his throne and god is ever angry.... a war between good and bad....
Its long, theres so many books to this series, but if you are the least bit interested in what life would be like once god takes his chosen ones, and the rest of the world is left to fight off the devil/ antichrist.... give it a whirl.
I am glad i did!!!...less
bookshelves:
christian-fiction
I'll use this one review for all the books of this series I've read (just to save time)and that's inclusive of 1-10. I truly enjoyed them, some a little more than others, but that's probably more of a reaction to my over indulgence than anything on the authors part (I was averaging three or four a week around school, yeah too much, kind of like a kid having too much candy and getting ill) These books are creative, action packed, display the gospel credibly and made me care about the characters. ...more
I'll use this one review for all the books of this series I've read (just to save time)and that's inclusive of 1-10. I truly enjoyed them, some a little more than others, but that's probably more of a reaction to my over indulgence than anything on the authors part (I was averaging three or four a week around school, yeah too much, kind of like a kid having too much candy and getting ill) These books are creative, action packed, display the gospel credibly and made me care about the characters. The plot is based on a specific end times view (I forget which one, to be honest when I was reading them I wasn't to interested I just wanted to keep up with what was going on in the story) It has a lot of characters and as the books progress it can get a bit confusing for some people to keep tabs on who, where, what and all that jazz. If you like ridiculously long series, Biblical perspectives and a fun cast of characters these are definitely for you! (just pace yourself, and don't repeat my mistake. Just because they are all in print doesn't mean they need to be read in the same month!)...less
I read the whole series but I can't remember which book was which at this point. So I'm rating the series overall as a 4.
The story begins the day after the rapture. Everyone who was "left behind" has to figure out what happened. Was it aliens or a terrorist attack? The story unfolds over the books and you get to watch people come to terms with the reality of the situation. You get to see the rise of the antichrist and how so may people don't understnad what's really going on.
T...more
I read the whole series but I can't remember which book was which at this point. So I'm rating the series overall as a 4.
The story begins the day after the rapture. Everyone who was "left behind" has to figure out what happened. Was it aliens or a terrorist attack? The story unfolds over the books and you get to watch people come to terms with the reality of the situation. You get to see the rise of the antichrist and how so may people don't understnad what's really going on.
The series as a whole was compelling, but I think it is broken up into too many books. Some of them were very boring and did not move the story along quickly enough. But, I did read them all, so I guess they intrigued me to keep going. Actually, I think I kept going b/c I knew how the story was going to end. I really believe that the facts behind this fiction are a true picture of what the Bible says will happen. Praise God I know how the real story will end!...less
Oooooh, these books are terrible.
The Left Behind books are plot-driven, poorly written, and serve as eerily popular vehicles for LaHaye's very personal, very specific interpretations of Revelations/politics/contemporary society.
And I've read them all. Read both the adult series and the incredibly manipulative so-called "children's" series. I studied the Left Behind books for almost three years in college (wrote my thesis on the stuff) and they can be as fascinating as they are ...more
Oooooh, these books are terrible.
The Left Behind books are plot-driven, poorly written, and serve as eerily popular vehicles for LaHaye's very personal, very specific interpretations of Revelations/politics/contemporary society.
And I've read them all. Read both the adult series and the incredibly manipulative so-called "children's" series. I studied the Left Behind books for almost three years in college (wrote my thesis on the stuff) and they can be as fascinating as they are infuriating.
Also, if you read enough of these in a row, you might have as many startling and bizarre nightmares as I did. ...less
bookshelves:
religion
Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
nobody with a functioning neuron
I usually have students fill out a card at the start of the semester with information like their major, where they went to high school, etc. One thing I always ask is what book they read most recently. The Left Behind series started showing up on those cards a lot a few years ago, so I decided to read the first one to see what they were like.
This is absolutely the worst-written book that I've ever picked up. The dialogue is painful, the characters are wooden, the descriptions are hackney...more
I usually have students fill out a card at the start of the semester with information like their major, where they went to high school, etc. One thing I always ask is what book they read most recently. The Left Behind series started showing up on those cards a lot a few years ago, so I decided to read the first one to see what they were like.
This is absolutely the worst-written book that I've ever picked up. The dialogue is painful, the characters are wooden, the descriptions are hackneyed. In every way this book is just too dreadful to wade through. I skimmed it, right through to the unintentionally laughable end where the main characters are striding side by side down the street to go take on the evil-doers as the "Tribulation Force".
I now have a benchmark for the scale of books -- this is the bottom. Apparently you can't give a book a rating below one star. ...less
Read in August, 2008
recommended to Jodi by:
Kristen Clabaugh
recommends it for:
everyone
A friend gave this book to me and told me I had to read it. The topic interested me - the end of the world and how people deal with it. I do not know much about the Book of Revolations in the Bible, but this is a fictional book based on the prophesies in the Bible. Basically, millions of people just disappear off the earth instantaneously and those left behind need to figure out what has happened. This event foretold in the Bible is called the Rapture and God does this to prevent true believ...more
A friend gave this book to me and told me I had to read it. The topic interested me - the end of the world and how people deal with it. I do not know much about the Book of Revolations in the Bible, but this is a fictional book based on the prophesies in the Bible. Basically, millions of people just disappear off the earth instantaneously and those left behind need to figure out what has happened. This event foretold in the Bible is called the Rapture and God does this to prevent true believers from suffering seven horrible years on earth with the coming of the antichrist. Those left behind need to make sense of their uncertain lives and to deal with untrustworthy world leaders. Interesting topic and makes me wonder what would happen to me if this were to happen today.
The writing could have been a little better though. The words just seemed a little too "stiff" and the characterization forced....less
I read this book (and the rest of the series) back before it hit any best-seller lists. I've always been a fan of apocalyptic literature (Salem Kirban anyone?), so this interested me right away.
The series is decent. It's easy reading, with a good mixture of adventure and drama. I give the authors extra points for some of the extra-scriptural additions (the cross markings on the foreheads of the believers--nice touch). But I have to ded...more
I read this book (and the rest of the series) back before it hit any best-seller lists. I've always been a fan of apocalyptic literature (Salem Kirban anyone?), so this interested me right away.
The series is decent. It's easy reading, with a good mixture of adventure and drama. I give the authors extra points for some of the extra-scriptural additions (the cross markings on the foreheads of the believers--nice touch). But I have to deduct a few dozen points for their portrayal of the Anti-Christ. Look, in the words of Confucius, "Satan is NOT a pussy!" (Or maybe it was Socrates, but you get the idea.) Portraying the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet, and their minions as Keystone Kops just doesn't cut it. If you want an idea of what the Anti-Christ's government would be like, read 1984.
Now pardon me while I go watch Howie Mandel fight the Anti-Christ. ...less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
3.64 (2913 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 0.00
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number of reviews: 411
