The Left Behind Complete Set, Series 1-12

by Tim LaHaye

“Don’t you see I don’t want to be free? I only want to stay alive long enough to kill Nicolae, and I will. Then I don’t care what happens to me.”

the prayer of her life now was that Buck would somehow make it home before the baby was born.

We skipped ahead FIVE MONTHS and Buck still isn’t in the US??? After the lengths that guy went to in the first four books to get around the globe as fast as possible?

“I beg of you not to look upon God as mean or capricious when we see the intense suffering of the bite victims. This is all part of his master design to turn people to him so he can demonstrate his love. The Scriptures tell us God is ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness. How it must pain him to have to resort to such measures to reach those he loves!

“This hurts me more than it hurts you”

Much as the world system tries to downplay it, our society has seen catastrophic rises in drug abuse, sexual immorality, murder, theft, demon worship, and idolatry.

Unable to find a commercial flight that had a full crew, Buck desperately searched among the saints to find someone who might charter him back to the States for the birth of his child.

Try Abdullah Smith in Jordan. The name looks weird, but he has his reasons.

Wow, Mac, a bit racist, but okay

A few of us believers have been able to pretend we are simply recuperating more quickly, so we don’t lie around the infirmary twenty-four hours a day listening to the agony.

How has society not collapsed if all the non-Christians in the world are inflicted with incapacitating pain for five whole months? Who’s restocking shelves and driving delivery trucks? Are the Christians doing all that work themselves?

We love the late Ken Ritz’s idea for the believers’ commodity co-op, for lack of a better handle, and we think your wife will make an absolutely smashing CEO.

Mathews and Saint Nick and the ever-present Leon-my-whole-Fortunato-is-tied-to-you-Excellency

Mac’s mocking nickname game is weak

Still grieving the loss of Ken Ritz, missing his interaction with Mac McCullum, and reeling from the attempted infiltration of the bumbling Ernie, Rayford took his time getting to know T. M. Delanty.

“I’ve got a crummy first name, what can I tell you? My mother was African-American and my father Scotch-Irish. Heavy on the Scotch, sad to say. She named me after an old schoolteacher of hers. Tyrola made a good last name, but if you were hung with that moniker, what would you go by?” “I’d go buy a ticket out of town, T. Sorry I asked.

Tyrola isn’t so bad compared to the other names in this series

Tyrola Mark Delanty was the only member of his small church to be left behind at the Rapture. “I was suicidal,” he said. “And I can’t say I’ve had much fun, even since I finally got right with God. Lost a wife of fourteen years and six kids, my whole extended family, friends, church people, everybody.”

He heard that thousands in Jerusalem had slit their wrists, tried to hang themselves, drunk poison, stuck their heads in gas ovens, put plastic bags over their heads, sat in garages with cars running, even jumped in front of trains and leaped off buildings. They were severely injured, of course, and some were left looking like slabs of butchered meat. But no one died. They just lived in torment.

So, if someone got sucked into a jet turbine, it sounds like they’d continue to live for five more months as ground human slop

“Never. I love you, Chaim. We all do. God most of all.”

I feel like the inclusion of God here is in a very no-homo kind of way, to soften the use of “I love you” from one man to another

Rayford loved his daughter with all that was in him. He always had. It wasn’t just because she was the only family he had left. He had loved Raymie too and still missed him terribly. Losing two wives in fewer than three years was a blow he knew would be with him until Jesus came again.

Raymie is the Peggie of Left Behind. Also, why are we re-establishing this now? And the tone this strikes is so obnoxious. It’s self-congratulatory, but still asks for your pity.

He was thrilled when she and Buck married, despite the ten-year age difference.

Lol, even in Rayford’s rose-tinted clip-show, there’s a part of him that knows this is weird

seeing Chloe in the full bloom of her pregnancy,

Thanks, I hate it

Rayford took the occasion to sit with Chloe. “Sweetheart,” he said, “indulge me. It may be politically incorrect to say that you are doing what you were meant to do. I know you’re more than a baby-making machine and that you have incredible things to offer this world. You made an impact even before the Rapture, but since, you’ve been a soldier. You’re going to make the world commodity co-op a lifesaver for millions of saints. But you need to do me a favor and stop bemoaning what this pregnancy is doing to your body.” “I know, Daddy,” she said. “But it’s just that I’m so—” “Beautiful,” he said. “Absolutely beautiful.” He said it with such feeling that it seemed to shut her up.

“I value you in a non-sexist way, but SHUT UP, CHLOE.”

You’re not the first mom-to-be who equates pregnancy with being overweight. Husbands don’t think that way. He’ll see you the way I saw your mother when she was carrying you. He’ll be overcome with the knowledge that you’re carrying his and your child.”

I’m going to be flying almost as much as when I was with Pan-Con.” “For the co-op?” He nodded.

Oh god, the next leg of this series is going to be about the travel logistics of blackmarket goods. Just when I thought these clowns were getting serious about killing the Antichrist.

He spread lubricating jelly on her protruding belly and used a battery-powered monitor to amplify the liquid sounds of the fetal heartbeat. Rayford fought tears, and Chloe beamed. “Sounds like a big boy to me,” Doc Charles said.

“I’m not pregnant women, Doc. I’m Chloe, and you know me, and you know I’m going to bug you to death until you tell me the worst case.”

Chloe fell silent and looked at Rayford. He said, “You don’t like to induce, right?” “Of course not. I used to say nature knows best. That baby comes when he is ready. Now I know that God knows best. But he has also given us brains and miracle medicines and technologies that allow us to do what we need to do when things don’t go the way we wish.”

I guess we’re taking this moment to get on a soapbox about medically-induced births. You know what, fine. It’s better than another abortion monologue.

“This is your plane?” Buck said. “Please to board,” Abdullah said. “Fuel tank enlarged. Small cargo hold added. Stop in Greece, stop in London, stop in Greenland, stop in Wheeling.” Buck was impressed that he knew where he was going.

That is the ONE THING you have no right being surprised by, both because this is your pilot and because everyone in this universe is obsessed with travel logistics.

There was no warming up and little building speed. Abdullah drove the fighter to the end of the runway, lined her up, and punched it. Buck’s head was driven back, and his stomach flattened. He could not have leaned forward if he’d wanted to. Clearly breaking every rule of international aviation, Abdullah reached takeoff speed in a few hundred yards and was airborne. He rocketed above and beyond the jet in front of him, and Buck felt as if they were flying straight up.

I knew this locust plague was coming, but I never thought through the ramifications. In many ways I wish we had been more prepared. Our enemy has been incapacitated for months. Yet while we count on them for so many things, like transportation, communications, and the like, this has crippled us too.

“This fresh, young innocent will not know why Hattie is crying. Won’t know of our losses. Won’t understand that we live in terror, enemies of the state. And there will be no need to teach the little one of all the despair of the past, as we would if we were raising it to adulthood. By the time this baby is five years old, it will already be living in the millennial kingdom with Jesus Christ in control. Imagine.”

Buck had told Rayford he looked forward to some modicum of normalcy and permanence, so he could make his Internet magazine what it needed to be to compete with Carpathia’s Global Community rags.

Ah yes, a newborn provides exactly the kind of normalcy and regularity that lets you setup a healthy writing and editing schedule

“I hear Ernie’s getting better. Bo probably would be too, but he tried to kill himself three ways. He’s a mess.” “Buy him out.”

Yes, take advantage of the demonstrably suicidal man’s mental state so you can scalp him of his share in your business

“First, Mr. Williams, call me Laslos. It comes from my first name, Lukas, and my last name, Miklos. OK?”

Can’t tell if this is standard Jenkins bad character naming or an attempt gone wrong at a Casablanca reference

“My father-in-law wanted me to discuss with you your role in the international commodity co-op.”

If anyone ever said those exact words to me, I’d excuse myself and sneak out a bathroom window

Rayford ran into Floyd Charles angrily slamming stuff around.

“You want me to talk to her? Maybe I can shame her into doing what you say, after all we’ve done for her.”

Oh my god, Rayford said the quiet part loud

When his phone chirped in his pocket, Buck went through all sorts of vain gyrations to get in a position where he could reach it.

“The truth is, Buck, I’ve been misleading Chloe and Rayford today.

Always great to hear from your primary physician

“If you had seen how they reacted when I just hinted at the problem, you’d know I was right. I need Chloe to stay upbeat, and if she knew how serious this is, she would not be in a position to do her part.”

“And tell Rayford the truth, Doc! I think Chloe can take it too, but if you think it would put her into a tailspin, use your own judgment. She’s pretty tough, you know.” “She’s also very pregnant, Buck. That floods the body with a hormone wash and turns a woman into a mother hen.”

What’s he driving, and what does he look like?” “The Rover and you.” “Come back?” “He’s driving Buck’s Rover, and he looks a lot like you.”

Rayford just described a Black man to another Black by only by saying they look like each other. What’s with the sudden uptick in racism at the end of this book??? I can’t even be happy at the return of Rovie under these circumstances.

She looked awful, like a ghost or worse, a zombie.

“So Trumpet Judgment six is next. What do you expect there?” Tsion sighed. “The bottom line, Cameron, is an army of two hundred million horsemen who will slay a third of the world’s population.”

From where? Essos?

“Only one-fourth of the people left behind at the Rapture will survive until the Glorious Appearing, Cameron.

Does that go for main characters, too?

“Doc’s in love with me, Rayford. He wants to keep me here, incapacitated if necessary.” Rayford pretended to study the horizon. “What gives you that idea?” “He didn’t tell me in so many words,” she said. “But a woman knows.

“Deny what? That I had a wholly inappropriate attraction to a younger woman? We both know nothing ever came of it and—” “Only because a bunch of people disappeared and you started feeling guilty.” Rayford turned to go back into the house. “I still make you nervous, don’t I?”

Hattie appeared to be hiding a smile, which infuriated Rayford. “You knew about that too?” he demanded. “When I told him I wasn’t really part of the Tribulation Force, he told me his plan. It’s what I kinda like about him.” “That he would endanger our lives? That he’s an opportunist? A gold digger?”

He reached forward and gripped Abdullah’s shoulders. “Thanks for the ride, friend!” “Thanks for the job, sir! Tell Mr. McCullum what a nice ride you had.” Buck laughed but didn’t let Abdullah hear him.

“Am I having this baby tonight?” Chloe said desperately. “Before Buck gets here?” “Not if I can help it,” Doc said. “But your job is to be quiet. Don’t talk unless you have to.”

That’s always Chloe’s job

Once the room was set up and lit as brightly as possible, it took all three men to carefully lift Chloe into position on the makeshift delivery table. “So much for dignity,” she said from behind the mask. “Shut up,” Floyd said, but he playfully pinched her toe.

It’s like Jenkins and LaHaye looked forward in time, saw my drinking game from book three, and decided to give me exactly what was in the rules as many times as possible

“All right, but all this stuff is just precautionary. I’d like to not have to induce. We may not have that luxury, but I’ll hold off as long as I can, hoping the baby will stabilize.” “Just try to wait for Buck,” Chloe said. “Not another word,” Doc said.

Rayford’s head jerked up with a start at the sound of an engine coming to life in the yard. He scanned the room, looked at T, and said, “Hattie.” Buck shouted, “Catch her! She can’t expose us like this!”

#FreeHattie

Rayford dashed past T and skipped down the steps and out the door. He heard a motorcycle engine, and the Rover was missing.

Hattie and Rovie hitting the road — the only two characters worth reading about