The Mark: The Beast Rules the World (Left Behind No. 8) Reviews

• The Final Comparison

  
  By A1E8YIJ76ZSDN on 2001-01-11
  Okay--I had to give it two stars..because although it's written on a 5th grade level (and thats being generous), with 2 dimensional characters, unbelievably naiive plot line, totally ludicrous scenarios and 375 average pages of "filler"--guess what? we're still reading it...so I figure the marketing alone ought to be worth at least a star-- even if we read it for no other reason that to reassure ourselves that if they can do it...maybe we CAN give up our day jobs :-)

  I've read all three, The Left Behind series, The Christ Clone Trilogy, and We All Fall Down. The winner: The Christ Clone triology. We All Fall Down (Cauldwell) I actually found offensive. Can the guy write a page without using four letter words?? He does EXACTLY what Left Behind does---only on the other end of the scale. Very disappointing, and started with such a very promising premise. The Christ Clone Trilogy however, is really quite an enjoyable read. An Antichrist that you can see folks following--one that you even LIKE at points--scary thought right? :-)

  As for Tim and Jerry---you HAVE to know gentlemen...you can't tell me that you're proud of this work---you ARE capable of putting together nouns and verbs coherently--you should at least address your readers --you know the ones--the ones who are making you more wealthy by the minute--at least respect them enough to put out what you obviously went to college to learn..
  
  

• In the meantime . . .

  
  By ACXPYMSRGGJOY on 2001-01-17
  Now that you've read THE MARK and you're waiting for book 9, allow me to suggest another great series on the endtimes, THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY by James BeauSeigneur.

  BeauSeigneur's take on the Rapture, the Ezekiel 38-39 war (both in book 1), the Trumpet Judgments (book 2), and on soooo much else is not only the most original (while staying within the bounds of scripture), it's also the most believable depiction I've ever seen. The 6th Trumpet Judgment (in book 2) and the 5th Bowl Judgment (in book 3) will scare you like you've never been scared before!

  And the evidence BeauSeigneur gives for the Gospel (in book 3) is undeniable proof to anyone willing to listen that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be. Get these books for your unsaved friends!
  
  

• Should Christian fiction be held to a higher standard?

  
  By AV9HLDWR0HSNH on 2001-03-12
  I've enjoyed these books and yet I have one REAL BIG problem with them so far. Everyone knows that when you read fiction you have to be prepared to suspend disbelief and tell yourself: "Okay, it's just a book. Everything doesn't have to make sense."

  That's fine to a point.

  But the LEFT BEHIND series is about events described in the Bible, and it seems to me should be held to a little bit higher standard. I don't expect perfection: the Bible is perfect, everything else is just a book. But I do expect a Christian novel to be thought out well enough by the author(s) that it's not shot full of holes by anyone with a high school education.

  I have struggled with this since I read the first book in the series, but have not wanted to criticize the books when there was nothing better on the subject out there to recommend. Well, now I've found something, THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY by James BeauSeigneur. BeauSeigneur has done so much to insure credibility and accuracy in all the broad range of areas he covers in his series, that you'll find yourself believing it could all be true. And the way the story depicts the fulfillment of end-times prophecy will have you convinced that the author's got that nailed too.

  I suppose I should say that some Christians get upset because the characters sometimes use a four letter word here and there. But, guess what, folks, non-Christians do that from time to time! (Confidentially, I've heard that even Christians have been know to utter a four-letter word.) Still the profanity is very limited. If you get disgusted with a PG-rated movie, you may not want to read these books. But even this is all just part of the accuracy. Does anyone who's read LEFT BEHIND really believe that Leon Fortunado NEVER cusses???

  I could go on, but suffice it to say that if you want to read an end-times series that doesn't strain your ability to believe what you're reading, THE CHRIST CLONE is for you.
  
  

• Setting the record straight about end-times books

  
  By AZXFZ1NZMGMA6 on 2001-08-31
  The comparisons between end-times novels which have been made by other reviewers is probably useful, so here's my take on the matter.

  Last Day makes no attempt at all to adhere to scriptural prophecy. It is, in fact, less accurate scripturally than The Omen movies or End of Days. If you want a fun read and don't care whether the story has any connection to scripture, it's okay.

  Left Behind is an action adventure written primarily for Christians with a huge cross-over into the secular market. It sticks very closely to scripture and to prophecy of the time during the Tribulation. There is never any doubt of the authors' position and which characters are good and which are bad. Beyond that, there's been so much said about Left Behind by other readers that probably every possible opinion has been expressed. Some love it. Some hate it. Personally, I like the Left Behind series a lot.

  The Christ Clone Trilogy, my definite favorite among the list, is written for a secular audience with a big cross-over into the Christian market. Through most of the 3 books you don't know what the author's position is or which (if any) of the characters speak for him. Only in the last book do you find out he is a Christian and that he is using his story telling ability to reach the lost with the Gospel and the danger that faces them if they do not accept it.

  We All Fall Down is a story of a man forced to make decisions about himself and God when faced by undeniable evidence that the Bible is true. It's an interesting exploration in character but the author's development of the events of the Tribulation is muddled and very thin. The thing most Christians object to about We All Fall Down is the non-stop use of extreme profanity by the main character. It was hard for me to get past all the f-words, and I certainly would not say I enjoyed it, still it made me think.
  
  

• Christ Clone is a lot better!

  
  By A1UZZIHMT0TPZ2 on 2001-10-10
  I kept reading Left Behind hoping it would get better. It didn't. I also read (actually started reading) We All Fall Down, but there the foul language was SO EXCESSIVE I couldn't keep going. Finally I read the books of The Christ Clone Trilogy (why do I feel like Goldilocks here?) and it was "just right!" Actually it was GREAT! So if you're tired of Buck and Rayford playing James Bond, and all the females in the LB world cooing, have a look at The Christ Clone Trilogy.
  
  
• Not bad, but why bother when there's better?
  By A295XT7PLUWR1V on 2001-01-13
  Left Behind certainly isn't a bad book. In its own way, the series is kind of exciting and it's pretty fun reading an interpretation of the Endtime. The writing isn't really good, but it's bassically unobtrusive. You never stop and get shocked at how badly it's written, although you also don't stop and marvel at how beautiful a particular sentence is constructed. Nothing in it to offend, although nothing in it to really provoke thought or reflection.

  All in all, it's pretty much an interesting light snack. My feeling though, is, why bother with that when there's so much more out there. Christ Clone Trilogy by Beausinger is a fresh take on the idea that's every bit as well written as Dune or any other science fiction series. Caldwell's We All Fall Down is another great novel, the best of the three in my opinion. It's certainly not a middle of the road novel. The language can be harsh, although it seemed entierly appropriate to the characters situation- when being strapped down and tortured, I would guess harsh language would escape the tongue-, the plot is sometimes brutal, although it should be considering that it's hell on earth, and the characters don't always make the right decisions, even when they're Christians. But I found all of that to be to its credit. Even when I disagreed with what was happening or being said, I was always engaged in the novel. I was never just watching the words pass as in Left Behind, but was always fully engaged with the characters and the plot. These are characters who are faced with horrible circumstances and have to make decisions. Sometimes they are wrong, sometimes not, and often it's hard to judge. But in reading that, you're forced to think, to reflect. No one really seemed to make any inner choices in Left Behind, so there wasn't much engagement. Certainly it didn't spur me into thinking or questioning my own relationship with God the way Caldwell's novel did.

  Left Behind isn't bad. But Christ Clone Trilogy and We All Fall Down are brilliant. Why settle for not bad when brilliant is out there?
  
  

• Stop the Left Behind train - I want to get off!
  By A4K0YJSWXGWFL on 2001-01-05
  My disappointment with "The Mark" began as I was standing in the checkout line to buy this much awaited, much anticipated book. Leafing through it I noticed that while it was the same size and PRICE, the print was bigger and the lines were almost double spaced. Hmmmmm. Kinda stretching this one, eh boys? Then there was the actual story line. I'd previously described these books to a friend as "the worst written books I've ever loved." No one has ever debated whether or not they're great literature, because they aren't. But they've been engrossing and exciting, and they give you lots to think about. And, up until book 8, I felt they were right-on regarding scripture. Unfortunately, for the purpose of being able to keep up their covert operations within the palace of the beast, they've created a character that has both the mark of Christ AND the mark of the beast. That is a very dangerous and utterly anti-scriptural idea to plant in people's heads. I can't by into it even for the sake of fiction, and I don't like it. Add that to the fact that instead of writing a thoughtful and engaging book about taking "The Mark," what that will be like and what it will mean, they've obviously just thrown together a "filler" in the hopes of continuing the money train to book 9. Personally, I feel the anointing is gone and they've lost me as a reader. Besides, I've become bored with the characters. They're all beginning to annoy me. Oh well. I did enjoy books 1-7, flaws and all.
  
  
• An AMAZING SERIES OF BOOKS
  By A2YPRV9BTELHZ9 on 2001-10-15
  Anyone who has enjoyed the Left Behind series owes it to themselves to read The Christ Clone Trilogy by James BeauSeigneur. The entire CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY is very well written. I simply couldn't put them down. I suggest you read this series with a highlighter nearby so you can mark things and research them for yourself. This is made easier by BeauSeigneur's use of footnotes.

  The Christ Clone Trilogy will surprise you with nearly every page. I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who wants to understand biblical prophecy and the book of Revelation. BUY THESE BOOKS, READ THEM, GIVE THEM TO YOUR PASTOR TO READ, AND BUY COPIES FOR YOUR FAMILY!
  
  

• This is for CHRIS , the pastor
  By A1E8YIJ76ZSDN on 2000-12-07
  THANK YOU..THANK YOU...just for agreeing that these books, while I have no doubt are well intentioned, are blatently poorly written, lack depth..black and white, Saturday cartoonish in their problem solving---I have read "Christ Clone Trilogy"..they were good...enjoyed very much....I've read all the Left Behind..I"m a Christian..and I wish the writers would step up to the plate and write....I cannot recommend these...and I'll try "We all fall Down"...
  
  
• Worst of the Series, but still enjoyable!
  By A95UZ6DE3RK8P on 2000-11-15
  I found this book to be the worst of the series. There was virtually no action, and sterotyped the characters (the men went and fought the antichrist, while the women stayed home and cooked, etc.) Don't get me wrong. This book will continue to be on the bestseller lists because people want to know what happens to each of the characters, and this has been a project in the making for so long.

  These books are written so that a person who has never read any of the other books can read this book, read it, and immediately know what has gone on in the other books. But this went too far in this book. Even in the middle of the book, I was still reading reminders of previous action, and many took several paragraphs to do it. One or 2 sentences would have been sufficient, because if you tell the person who has never read any of the other books in the series EVERYTHING that has happened before, that person will not read the other books.

  The book does keep the reader in suspense, and that's the mark of a good book. This is easy reading that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. It will leave you with hunger for the next book in the series!
  
  

• A Good Continuation
  By A1TTKJIKU5WS on 2000-11-12
  My review of Left Behind stated that I found worth in the purpose of the book but that I wished it would've been written at a more adult level. My main complaint was that in reading the series I felt patronized by Jerry Jenkins and his constant reminders (in the middle of the text) of the previous plot elements. Give the readers some credit and write with the assumption that we can follow the story on our own.

  Thankfully, it appears that someone was listening, because as the series has progressed my reasons for complaining have decreased (though not disappeared). The Mark continues that positive trend. Here we have a good story focusing on one of the more interesting elements of end-times events: the mark of the beast. It's a pivatol moment in the struggle that most of us have been waiting for, and Lahaye/Jenkins do a good job unfolding the process.

  No matter what anyone says here, The Mark is going to continue its assault on the best-seller lists. In this case even more so, do to the actual storyline of "the mark." Luckily, in the end it's a good read and scores a lot better than The Indwelling (a story that could've taken place in a few chapters, rather than an entire book) did. A solid, if hardly earth-shattering, read that should continue to cause its readers to salivate for the rest of the series.
  
  

• fillers, all of 'em
  By A3VMB06PF0R4W0 on 2001-08-19
  Seriously, since book 3, all of them have been an 80% retelling of the previous installments and 20% new stuff.

  If i wanted to read the previous book, why bother buying this one? I've had it, I'm throwing the towel.

  The Christ Clone Trilogy managed to pack all its content into 3 small books. And seems like left behind isn't offering anything that christ clone trilogy did not. At this rate, it wouldn't surprise me if the series was 'left behind' by more readers before it reached its conclusion.
  
  

• A Believer Takes the Mark of the Beast
  By A20VP97V8QI31T on 2001-01-03
  They went too far in this one. That a believer would willingly take the mark of the beast is not believable and definitely unbiblical. Oh yes they have him fighting in pretense that he is fearful of needles and therefore held down while the mark was forced on him (and they think that will fly). All the character had to do was say a word and he would not have received the Mark therefore by not saying that word he willingly received the Mark of the beast and can not possibly be a true believer but LaHaye wants him in the GC so he ignores the Bible and makes him a believer and a marked man. I will read no more.
  
  
• The best yet
  By A2QT7N9RAVVK8V on 2000-11-18
  This book was better, by far, than any of the others...well, maybe not as good as the first. I was so excited by the story and the characters that I found it hard to put the book down. I have read other reviewers say that there was less action. I disagree. I think the action and the stories blended well together. Indwelling was rather dull and slow moving. This book was fast paced. The new characters introduced here were exciting to hear about. They gave me new prospective on Christianity in other cultures. The form of the mark was facinating and the guilotines brought me to tears. The strength of the true believers made me proud.

  The first book in the series is still my favorite and I think it will always be my favorite. But this book was absolutely spectacular and I can hardly stand waiting to hear how God will impact Chaim...or how Chang will help the cause. What is in store for Hattie...Leah...Ming...Abdullah...etc...

  If you are a new reader to the series...start at the beginning and read them all. I recommend this series to everyone. Yes, the writing of the book is simplistic...but the spiritualness is breathtaking. The first book brought me to Christ and the following books get more exciting due to my love for Christ and the growing love of the believers that were...left behind.
  
  

• Eight books and running -- and it STILL stinks!
  By A2GSVGL9J1PETE on 2000-11-17
  I was barely able to read the first book in this cynically-machined series of novels about the End Of The World As Christians Know It. Its few good ideas were buried in description and dialog so porcine and characters so flat and dull that I lost interest immediately. (People who are interested in a far better take on this sort of thing should read James Blish's "Day After Judgment" books, by the way.)

  Now we get to #8 in the series, and not a darn thing has changed. The writing is still awful; the plotting turgid; the characterizations straight off the back of the cereal box; the philosophies, both spoken and unspoken, cement-headed in the extreme. A sexist mess, too -- but the sexism is sort of like the splitting headache accompanying the fact that you have a terminal illness. Pass the ipecac.
  
  

• This series is losing its' steam
  By A2Q370840SGFR9 on 2001-07-05
  I loved Left Behind and the next few books, but the last few have really started to stretch credulity. I can't see how these people have so many jets, helicopters, high-tech gadgets (so high tech that they have them, but the ruler of the world doesn't?)readily available to them. I have read all eight books in less than two months. I'm sure I will finish the series (12 books, I believe) as they come out, just to see how LaHaye and Jenkins interpret end-time prophecies.

  I do recommend that anyone who reads these practice discernment. While this may very well be how things play out, there are many valid opinions/interpretations within Christianity. These books may be fun (at least the first few were) and they may be interesting escapism, and HOPEFULLY they will give readers pause to examine their own relationships with Christ. However, they are NOT theology, and they are NOT the Bible. There is a real danger in reading these sort of books INSTEAD of the Bible. Read the Bible, learn to interpret scripture for yourself. Do not allow works of popular fiction to take the place of Bible study. These books are easy reads -enjoy them, but take the real challenge first.
  
  

• Time to Give it a Rest
  By A1T25Q3CV1256C on 2001-07-16
  I did rather enjoy the first 4 books in the series, but it is really starting to drag. 8 books and only 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation? When you consider the 40 million+ in book sales then it is easy to get the impression that they want to "milk this cash cow" for all it's worth. I don't plan to buy any more books, because I only have to read Revelation to know what will happen in the end (if they ever get around to it!)
  
  
• dragging on and on...
  By A3T8WIEYJ2C2GT on 2001-01-20
  i was so excited about reading this book but after about 150 pages, realized that once again, its more about quanity than quality. i will admit that when i first started reading this series, i could have cared less about continuing but then the most amazing thing happened. i became hooked. after the last 2 books, im completely disappointed and doubt i will continue.

  in the mark, we once again follow our friends thur their last years on earth...discovering new friendships and realizing that old ones are still intact. we catch that old sense of "evil" and still cant believe there are those that buy into its hype, but i fear that im the one "buying into the hype" at this point. there was no reason, in my humble opinion, for a 381 page book offering the information needed to move on into the next step. it couldve and shouldve been done in conjuction with either the last or the next book. this series (more of a project it seems now-a-days) started out as something completely different than it is today and it saddens me.
  
  

• What a wonderful time to be a Christian lover of literature!
  By AOYKZHA8QR31R on 2001-11-08
  For so many years, a Christian's only real option to read quality Christian literature was to read the marevelous C.S. Lewis. I feel blessed in the the last couple of years with the outpouring of quality literature now available. What's more, the different books are all very different. Left Behind is a wonderful introduction to the theology behind the End Times and a great series for all ages. We All fall down is a great book for more mature, intellegent Christians who wsnt to explore the individual ramifications of the End Times and the one on one relationship of a man who has fallen away from God. The Christ Clone Trilogy is a thrilling, Tom Clancey like look at these events, full of unexpected twists and turns. I know some people like to argue the various merits of these books as compared to each other, but I think they are all worth reading and feel lucky to finally have such a wide variety of GREAT Christian literature available.
  
  
• A Great Book
  By A2S9E80H1YJVNQ on 2000-11-16
  This book gave the perfect amount of detail. Some of the other recent books in the series gave too much detail and insight into the character's thought. This book gave a great medium between thought and action. I only hope the remaining books will keep the pace of this book. I disagree with some of the other comments. The book was full of action and involved more of the characters than usual. This book is a must read.
  
  
• Oppurtunity Lost...
  By A3KUBQQAIFXS7E on 2000-12-22
  I have been an avid reader of this series since its inception and I feel that each book in the series is getting progressivly worse. There were so many character and plot developments that were ignored or missed in this story that I feel like I colud have completely missed it and yet be up to date with the series. I feel as if the authors are milking this series for all its worth, and to continue producing a text every six months they are sacrificing all of the elements of the story.

  So many characters and story lines were just ignored by the authors. Let's get into the head of the new Carpathia - heck you are dealing with the Antichrist here!! What about Fortunato, Carpathia's loyal aide? And what is this new "Co-operative" all about? How about christian organizations in other regions of the world?

  I am a christian so i don't want to sound cold or heartless, but i felt that the book spent too much time trying to evangelize and not enough time on the good stuff involved in the story. If I wanted a text on evangelization or apoligetics I would have spent my time with different texts. I know that there are many non-believers that are purchasing the book, but i felt that there were too many altar calls in the book.

  All in all I would prefer that the authors worked on putting out one excelent book every year than trying to meet the production schedule they presently have. It's embarassing to see a book with 3 inch margins and 14 pt text placed on the market just to make a buck. I look forward to a better effort in the future.
  
  

• I AM FINISHED; AUTHORS BLEW GREAT OPPORTUNITY!
  By A25HYPL2XKQPZB on 2001-03-07
  I am not reading another book in this series. I hope I can convince many of you to quit reading as well. You should stop reading this series because the writing is terrible and the religion is blasphemy (or at least, insulting).

  The authors were blessed with a great idea and concept and they began it beautifully with the first Left Behind book. But they have squandered God's gift by turning the series into a money-making merchandizing bonanza that takes away the focus from God and turns it on themselves. They should be ashamed from squandering God's gift.

  First, this book is called the Mark, but it's not really about that. Maybe 10% of the book concerns people being forced to take the Mark of the Beast. And then there is the blasphemous twist at the ending that proves to me that the Jenkins enjoys rewriting the Bible.

  In Stephen King's recent book "On Writing," he says that in order for writing to be believable, the characters have to do believable things. They can do stupid and dumb things that a normal human would never do, but they have to be believable. The characters in the Mark do stupid and dumb things that a stupid and dumb person wouldn't even do.

  The premise that Ben-Judah is the only person who can interpret prophesy because he is a scholar and is studying the original biblical texts is insane. There are millions of books on the market that explain what might happen after the rapture. Those books will be available and the millions of those left behind will be able to use their own brain and will not rely only on a Hebrew scholar.

  Rayford and Albie go under cover with Albie acting as Rayford's superior officer. Jenkins spends pages commenting on how this is a conflict because Rayford is really Albie's superior in the Trib. Force. Jenkins comments that Rayford will see that Hassid gives him a fake id that puts him at a higher rank than Albie as soon as possible. This isn't a believable scenario. Why would Rayford care if he is under Albie. They are under cover!

  Also, Buck seems to cry whenever possible. And he says he needs to go where the action is so he can cover it for his cyber magazine which is just a lame plot excuse to get him on a plane to provide filler for a plotless meandering series.

  Other complaints: 95,000 word length. Readers taken advantage of by books coming out every six months. Not even Grisham writes that fast.

  All of the above are mostly complains I have had for awhile, yet I continued to read. But the blasphemy and arrogance in this book is the reason why I will quit reading the series. I realize, and the authors don't, that there are many different views on what takes place during the rapture. Jenkins has decided to focus on every event in the 7-years, and then describes each event in from his narrow point of view. Instead of covering each event, they should have focused on character development within a few events and a realistic plot.

  Now, I'm only a layman, but my dad studied prophesy extensively while I was growing up, so I have some idea of what may happen. Anyway, I don't know if Christians after the rapture will have their own mark that only they can see. But I'll give them that. I've also heard that people who have heard about and rejected Christ before the rapture won't have a second chance after the rapture. I do agree with Lehaye and Jenkins that all people get a second chance.

  The two blasphemous sections of the Mark have to do with free will and the Mark of the Beast. First, Ben Judah discusses free will in his commentaries. He says that if you accept Christ after rapture, you will not have the ability to forsake Christ and take the mark of the beast. Jenkins makes it quite apparent that this is Judah's opinion, and not biblical. I believe that just as it is up to us to choose Christ, he doesn't force himself upon us, we also can choose to deny him. I can forsee many people choosing to take the mark of the beast because of peer pressure and the fear of dying.

  Ben-Judah also says that if your name is in the Book of Life of the Lamb, it can never be removed. Some Christians may believe this, but I don't, and neither do millions of others. There are circumstances that cause people to turn from Christ. Just because you profess your belief, it doesn't give you free reign to sin at will. Killing and having sex with tons of people will get your name out of the book of life, I guarantee it.

  But those two points are debatable, thisone is not. In The Mark, a character takes the Mark of the Beast. This is Revalations 101. If you take the Mark, you are doomed to an eternity in hell. But not in the world of Lehaye and Jenkins. In their version of events, if you take the Mark of the Beast, you can still be a Christian, and therefore remain working with Carpathia so the Trib Force will have an inside member. Yes folks, that's right. Jenkins and Lehaye have betrayed Christ and millions of readers around the world by altering prophecy just to advance a worthless and unbelievable plot point.

  Maybe someday after this terrible series has concluded, a real author will come along and do it right. Until then, you would be better off reading the bible and imagining your own story in your head, because you will do a much better job and you probably won't blaspheme the Bible.

  PLEASE DON'T READ ANY MORE OF THESE BOOKS! I BEG YOU.
  
  

• Oh, Come On... How Much More Nonsense Can We Take?
  By on 2001-07-14
  If another one of these books invades the market, we all might as well go into our closets and pray! I'm surprised that the authors haven't yet come up with a legitimate Bible verse that defends their personal influence they are now employing on our would be "end-times" society... But, then again, how gullible of a society are we? It's really sad to think that the Christian community regards this... as "truth" disguised as fiction. I seriously would start praying for our Christian authors and our Christian publishing houses. The authors and publishers, who are probably millionaires by now, are certainly laughing all the way to the bank! Amen Brother!!!
  
  
• MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE LEFT BEHIND SERIES
  By A23UHAIPUI219K on 2000-11-19
  Incredible is how I would describe "The Mark" as well as the entire "Left Behind" series. Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins are brilliant writers and have an incredible gift of bringing the prophecies of the Bible to life. I would hope and pray that everyone would read this entire series because it is life changing. "The Mark" is my current favorite of the series because it answered some very important questions I had and also actually moved me to tears which has never happened to me while reading a book. The definition of a great book for me is one that I cannot put down until I finish, one that stirs my emotions, and also allows me to feel I really know the characters and can relate to them. "The Mark" satisfies and goes well beyond all of these criteria. Read this series of phenomenal books. You will not regret it.
  
  
• No apolagies- we deserve something better
  By A24D10GDN1M50H on 2001-03-16
  My mother gave me all eight of the Left Behind books for Christmas. Out of sheer politness, I read them all. I won't mince words here- they were horrible. I read the bad reviews here for these books and all too often have found the reviewers falling over themselves apologizing for the fact that they didn't like the books, as though it made them a bad Christian. Nonsense. Just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean that I'm supposed to accept everything that's written about my religion as if it's the word of God or somehow holy in itself.

  These books are very very badly written. The characters speak with laughable dialouge, the plot has obviously been strung out so that the authors can make money off 12 books instead of seven, and worst of all, there is no real exploration of Christianity in these novels. Oh sure, they take place durring the Biblical Apocalypse, but beyond that, the authors keep the eploration of religious ideas to the level of a fifth grade sunday school class. If you say you believe in Christ,you are automatically a good, moral person who does not swear, smoke, have sex, get angry, get jealous, or have any other faults. If you do not believe in Jesus, you are evil and should die and burn in Hell for all eternity. Reducing the Christian religion down to such a simplistic, almost idiodic level is a shame. It doesn't help Christians to become better Christians and it certainly is not going to help welcome non-Christians into the fold. It will however, allow Christians to feel smugly superior because of what they believe and drive others away from Jesus if they think this trite is reprasentative of what we believe.

  It's a real shame that these books have become as popular as they have because aside from being useless as far as the writing goes, they might be doing some real damage to people who are looking for the truth and give these books a shot for helping to provide it. There are some quality books out there about the subject that are well written and have something important to say and I'd suggest anyone looking to read Christian fiction should check those out instead. We All Fall Down by Brian Caldwell is the best that I've read. It's thoughtful, insightful, and a very powerful read. I've heard good things about the Christ Clone Trilogy also, although I haven't read it myself. Either way, avoid these books as they're not doing the Christian faith any favors.
  
  

• Read Christ Clone Trilogy
  By on 2002-04-19
  I finished the series in a matter of two months. I just couldn't stop reading this incredible series. But I have got to say that if I hadn't read the Christ Clone Trilogy by James BeauSeigneur I would have missed out on the best end of times books I have ever read. This series seriously had me thinking the bad guys were good and the good guys bad until the third book in this series "Acts of God". I suddenly figured out how the antichrist's deception could really happen. So much more realistic then the left behind series. I sure hope book 10 picks up the pace!
  
  
• Stop Stalling Already
  By A1GF1NBHB551D0 on 2000-12-27
  Now I have been an avid fan of these books. I am one of the fans that would wait at the bookstore the day it came out and read the whole book before the sun went down. OVer the past 2 books, however, the stalling has become utterly ridiculous. I used to defend the authors when people would down the books because they believed that the authors main motivation was money. Now I believe them! The series was supposed to be 7 books long and that was apparent in the intial 4 books, but as popularity grows they get slower and slower. No one cares about these no name characters. It's like you wait 6 months for the book to come out because he waits till page 400 (out of 450) to get a plot and a climax going and then he leaves you hanging. Mr. LaHaye you have an obligation to you fans (the ones who keep you on the best sellers list) to write quality novels, not books with a start, garbage in the middle, and a cliff hanger in the end.
  
  
• There's nothing here.
  By A24F8VAW7XRBZB on 2001-04-10
  What's amazing about this book is that you don't have to buy it. Just hang out at a Barnes & Noble or a Borders for about half an hour, and you can breeze through the whole thing. There's nothing here, just a few events tied together with pages and pages of filler. So save yourself the money, and don't support them in their marketing enterprise.

  By the way, did you notice that even their scary death punishment threat is unoriginal? These techno-cool end-of-the-world types can't even come up with a new way of killing people off; they resort to the guillotine from three centuries ago. And LaHaye and Jenkins even borrowed this idea from the Thief in the Night video series that was produced in the 70s. Come on, guys! Get some imagination! What do these millions of book buyers pay you for?

  (Rumor has it that the authors have negotiated a staggering 33% royalty rate for these books. The usual rate is about 10%. How's that for greedy? And LaHaye just sued the Left Behind movie production company for not making it a nationwide blockbuster. Sheesh. Maybe the problem was the weakness of the source material.)
  
  

• Avid Fans of the Left Behind SeriesWill Be Disappointed!
  By A2EW186N3HZ3FP on 2000-11-19
  I read the first Left Behind book day after it was released many years ago. I couldn't put it down until I finished it! When I discovered the book would be a series, I leaped for joy and couldn't wait for the next one to be released. Since then, I have read all the books in the series as soon as I could and have not been disappointed ... until now.

  There was way too much detail of what had gone on in the past series. You do need some reminders every now and then, for both the new reader and veteran reader of the book, but when, even in the middle of the book, 3 pages are devoted to information from the other books, it becomes tedious, repetitious, and downright boring.

  In one chapter, every few paragraphs are simply reminders. However, if the veteran reader simply skips those paragraphs, he or she will not only finish the book sooner, but the person will enjoy the book much, much more.

  After 4 chapters of reading every word, I started skipping those reminders, and found the book to be a very good read. It will delight you, scare you, and most of all, make you hungry for the next book.

  I know this book will be at the top of all bestseller lists, mainly because of the previous success. Either borrow this book from a friend or the library, or wait until it comes out in paperback.

  The main thing I did like about this book is that it becomes more believable, and I didn't think that would be possible. Most of all, it goes right along with the Bible! Can't wait until next year for the next one.
  
  

• The realism has been lost
  By A368L4XURC3WJC on 2001-01-03
  Allow me to clarify: I know that Lahaye's work is fiction. I wonder, however, whether Jenkins's overt sensationalism--increasingly evident as the series progresses--is indeed essential to his portrayal of the Apocalypse. The groundbreaking step in the original Left Behind book, in my opinion, was its careful realism. The authors cleverly concocted a debatably realistic scene. Public response to the Lord's Rapture was believable, and the time was ripe, as Jenkins contends, for the emergence of a new public leader.

  In the second, third and fourth installments, however, things quickly went south. That so many people would espouse a "religion" adherent to the doctrine "We are God" is patently absurd, and the narrator's depiction of a top public official recounting on national television his "resurrection" at the hands of Carpathia is simply "out of this world." Jenkins, it seemed, had succumbed to the sensationalism--his overly evil portrayals of Carpathia, his black-and-white characters, his "dramatic" religious conversion accounts--the overbearing religious doctrine plaguing so many similar books.

  Pat Robertson's "End of an Age" is a case in point. The world suddenly comes down to devil worship vs. Christianity, huh? I don't think so.

  As far as "The Mark" is concerned, this overriding trend has only worsened. "The Indwelling" was bad enough; this book has now completely left the realm of reality. Page after page of Carpathia praying to Lucifer, tribulation saints bravely converting the lost, Global Community troops becoming ever more resolute in their opposition to Christianity has simply grown tiring. No thinking person would even follow a leader so overtly inhumane. Evil antichrists are easy; I want a devious one--a tricky man so cleverly political I wonder whether I wouldn't follow him myself. And that, Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Lahaye, you have not provided.
  
  

• The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession (Left Behind #7)
• Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne
• The Remnant: On the brink of Armageddon (Left Behind)
• Assassins: Assignment: Jerusalem, Target: Antichrist (Left Behind #6)
• Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle of the Ages (Left Behind, 11)