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66 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Noble Concept that Falls on Its Face, August 3, 2003
This review is from: Apocalypse Dawn (The Left Behind Apocalypse Series #1) (Paperback)
I was really looking forward to this book. Im a big fan of the "Left Behind" series. I have really enjoyed seeing Messrs Lahaye and Jenkins write a story using the End Times as a backdrop. The only problem I had with that series was the authors' technical inaccuracies in the realm of weapons, avionics, logisitcs, etc. I thought this new "military thriller" would right some of those wrongs. That is not the case. Mr. Odom does seem to understand some of the basics of military hardware. He knows B52s are bombers and that M4s are a type of rifle. Beyond that, there are MAJOR flaws. First off, the structure of Army units and their deployment is just wrong. Any general who would put a lightly armed Ranger Battalion on the front line opposing a Syrian mechanized army would be fired. As would a company commander (Cal Remington here) who would send his senior non commissioned officer into harms way to do jobs meant for soldiers with 15-20 years less experience. There is more to a Ranger Headquarters than a Captain and a handful of computer technicians and Im positive they dont go into the field with hyper powerful (and sensitive) Cray computers! And the errors go on. Marine Sergeants do not co-pilot helicopters. First Sergeants dont give orders to officers. Servicemebers dont communicate with each other over radios using Police/CB Radio jargon. Soldiers dont get assigned directly out of basic training to the Ranger Battalions no matter how impressive their computer skills are. You cant take on tanks with sniper rifles and M203 Grenade Launchers and expect to succeed (let alone live). There's an interesting sub-plot with Megan Gander, First Sergeant Gander's wife who is a counselor trying to save an abused child while tending to her family. But even there the errors are rampant. There is no such thing as Ranger Military Police. Army bases are not called bases. They're called posts. And Army commanders deal very harshly with their subordinates who abuse family members. Its likely the father of the abused child in this book would be in jail or drummed out of the service long before the events in this book could happen. The only character I had no fault with was the Navy Chaplain who regains his faith just after the Rapture. Mr. Odom uses him effectively to put the religious matters in context. Also, his confrontation with a demon in the Pentagon is interesting. All in all, I consider this novel a failure......but I have hope for follow on books. The concept has lots of potential. I believe the series could be salvaged in two ways. First, the author could research the basics before writing the next novel. Simple things like knowing the lingo and rank structure would go a long way for folks like me who know better. The other option is to speed things up to the point in the original series where the US Armed forces would cease to exist. Im sure the good guys are going to take to the hills eventually. Why not cut to the chase? Well, thats enough for one night. I think I can sum this up in four wors. Better luck next time!
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32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb addition to the Left Behind series, July 28, 2003
This review is from: Apocalypse Dawn (The Left Behind Apocalypse Series #1) (Paperback)
The latest hot spot in the world is the border between Turkey and Syria and the United Nations has asked United States President Fitzhugh to send troops there to keep hostilities from turning deadly. American soldiers are at the front lines in Turkey hoping their presence is enough to deter Syria from attacking but those hopes ends with a Syrian attack. Sergeant Samuel Adams "Goose" Gander is at the battle's front lines when many of the soldiers in his command vanish. At Fort Benning, Georgia, Goose's wife Megan tries to talk a suicidal teen out of jumping. She grabs hold of him but is not strong enough to stop his fall, but the only thing that is on the sidewalk is his personal effects. Other people disappeared on the base at the same time. While Goose and Megan fight different wars on different fronts, they remain strong for the people who depend on them. People all across the world choose sides in the coming Tribulation. Fans of the Left Behind series will definitely want to read APOCALYPSE DAWN a look at the actions of the military during the Tribulation times. Much of the action centers around Goose as he wrestles with the questions of faith despite what he has seen and others have witnessed on the battlefield. Mel Odom's military thriller is fast paced, full of action yet doesn't shortchange readers on character development. Reader will take Megan and Goose into their hearts and eagerly await the next book in this series to see what happens next to these special characters. Harriet Klausner
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Complicated Followup to a Brilliant Series, December 10, 2003
This review is from: Apocalypse Dawn (The Left Behind Apocalypse Series #1) (Paperback)
It's hard to write in the immense shadow of Jerry Jenkins' Left Behind Series, but author Mel Odom does a decent enough job with his first attempt in this brand-new spin-off. Where Apocalypse Dawn is strong is its portrayal of military life. It echoes much of the style of Dee Hendersen's Uncommon Heroes Series. It is interesting to step into a world so foreign to many people. Mel also knows how to write a fairly believable plot line. And his character development is rich and vibrant. Apocalypse Dawn is like a microscopic close-up of one angle of the end times, unlike Left-Behind, which is a blow-by-blow chronilogical account. Where this book fails considerably are on two fronts. First, it is quite long and protracted and the average reader will quickly tire of the endless military jargon. It's great for war geeks, who love to rap about RPGS and M-7's and a billion other acronyms and abreviations. The cliques and phrases that are a part of military culture come off as preachy to the average person. The biggest beef, however, will be with Mel's strange theology. The way to salvation is mixed and jumbled. Good Christians are left behind because they got mad at God for taking away relatives prematurely. Since when did standard soul-searching become the Unpardonable Sin? By this criteria, Mel would throw Job and David and Paul out of Heaven. And then in another point, it seems as though Baptism is the way to Heaven. I was really troubled by Mel's strange Gospel message. It seems as though he needs to put down the military manuals and brush up on basic Scriptural theology. All in all, Apocalypse Dawn is a thrilling read, full of interesting military information and richly layered characters, but don't base your faith on it. Because it leaves you wondering who what it takes to get left behind.
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