Customer Reviews

Apocalypse Dawn (The Left Behind Apocalypse Series #1)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!

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

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.

It was a little hard to get into in the beginning. I expected the book to read like the left behind books, and I was mistaken. It took the first two chapters to really get into the book, then it was just so hard to put down. Those who are in the military or a veteran will not be thrown by the military lingo, it was kind of a welcome surprise. It will make you really evaluate your claim of Christianity, like the characters in the book. There were just too many who prayed, referenced God in their daily conversations, but really had no relationship, therefore they were left behind. Great entertainment! Relevant bible quotes! Excellent Read!

This book is written with a whole new set of circumstances and characters with some of the old ones from the Left Behind Series. The research is well done and the set of circumstances are up to date for the world today. It is hard to put down and makes you eager for the next one. I look forward to reading the next work to follow this one. Being in the military myself and reading this book while in Iraq, it was very real to me. I strongly recommend this book to any Left Behind fans out there!

I was expecting the same fast paced action as is in the original Lef Behind series...wrong.

This book really takes you inside the military as the rapture happens.

If you are expecting the book to be at the same place as Left Behind was at the end of that first book don't.

This book is really detailed.

Some of the reactions by the military people makes you just shake your head, but the confirntation on the USS Wasp near the end between the chaplin and a marine is priceless and is worth getting the book for.

I have enjoyed the Left Behind series to a large degree, and I learned that there are some variations in that series that focus on end times in a different situational context. In Apocalypse Dawn by Mel Odom, you follow the end time tribulation events through the experiences of a military family...

First Sergeant "Goose" Gander is a Ranger on the front lines of Turkey when a Syrian invasion is launched. At the same time, the Rapture occurs and a significant number of soldiers suddenly disappear from the conflict. While he's trying to struggle with this unknown situation that's happened on a worldwide scale, he's also worried about his family back in the States. His wife, a youth counselor, is being charged with kidnapping. She was trying to rescue an abused child from a rooftop when he fell. The Rapture occurred in mid-fall, and the only thing that hit the ground were a set of clothes. The family of the child is convinced that she's hiding him somewhere, regardless of similar happenings. Goose's younger child is also missing as part of the Rapture, and the family is struggling to make sense of it all. The Gander family isn't ignorant of God, but they just never really made the commitment as Christians...

This is the first of three (that I know of) books in the series, so don't expect any resolutions at the end. In fact, if you aren't planning on reading the other two right away, don't bother with this one. If you stop here, the feeling would be very unsatisfactory as there's no "ending". I'm hoping as I continue with the other two, that the story doesn't drag out unnecessarily. I enjoyed the battle scenes and the struggle of faith in the midst of war, but the story could have been a bit tighter. Regardless, it's an enjoyable read if you liked Left Behind...

This is one of the first audio books I have listened to. I simply read most things. I picked these up for a long drive I took for a week-long TDY. After reading the whole Left Behind series, I looked forward to this military series.

The plot, characters and realism were well above par. I enjoyed this writing, and look forward to the 2nd and 3rd volumes of this series. Some is unrealistic, but this is only to work in characters from the Left Behind Series, namely the working in a discussions between the main character "Goose" and Nicolae Carpathia in the field.

For audio-specific issues, the reader is not familiar with military jargon and abbreviations. Odom reads some military terms such as AAA, as 'A.A.A. 'rather than Triple-A. Other common military terms are awkwardly bobbled while he reads, as well. All the voices are done by him, including the female voices, which seemed very strange and distracting. He also uses an unconvincing southern accent for many of the troops from Georgia, as the southern accent has strong diction, rather than a rounding of words.

Other than these minor critiques of the reading, this is an entertaining and edifying book for enjoyment. The critiques are only minor annoyances for the audio version. The plot and character development are superb. The book bounces back and forth between settings, but this is not done to the point where one gets lost while listening (or reading, as they did this in the Left Behind Series.)

I thought that is was a great story. I have been an avid reader of the original "Left Behind" series since it's birth. I have been in the military for 20 years and I like the twists that Mr. Odom put in his book. I know that I have had the same conflicts in combat that Sgt Gander encountered, and I know that my faith has been tested more than once. I know that some people don't like a story if there is the slightest bit of in-accuracy, but no one is perfect (even an author). Mr. Odom if you need some clarification about military structure, I am at your disposal. Thank you for a good story and I look forward to the rest of the series.

Apocalypse Dawn makes a great edition to the Left Behind series. There are a lot of similarities in the struggle to grasp what has happened. Left Behind covers a vast period of time and briefly goes over the major events whereas Apocalypse Dawn covers roughly 48 hours and only a few events. The shorter time period and less events creates a deeper and darker focus on the rapture. Also with the short time period, there is less turning to God. You do get a better feel of the questions those left behind are asking themselves and how they are dealing with the shock.