Customer Reviews

The Left Behind Collection I boxed set: Vol. 1-4 (Vols 1-4)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Another reviewer wrote that these books were written for a 4th grade reading level, and I would have to agree with that. Then again most local newspapers are written for the same reading level. I've found left behind series enjoyable, but I don't think I would re-read any of these books again.The character development is weak and LaHaye seems to pad each book with lengthy retellings of what's gone before. LaHaye also seems to think that it is necessary to repeatedly re-establish character's personalities and motivations, like 30 times per character per book. Like if Dickens were to preface every appearance of Scrooge with, "Mr. Scrooge is an unpleasant curmudgeon."

Hi,here's my review!

Ok,First of all,I'm NOT one of those people who give this book good reviews because I'm hooked on the series,I actually have something to say!

I will admit that I agree that these books may be easy to read,but that does not make the story less exiting!

This 4 book package contains these books:
1. Left behind- The Tale of the Earths Last Days.
2. Tribulation Force- The Continuing Drama of those Left Behind.
3. Nicolae- The Rise of the Anti-Christ...
4.Soul Harvest- The World takes sides...

In the first book,Left Behind,you start out with Captain Rayford Steele,And He had it pretty good,A wife, 2 kids, Nice House in the Chicago Suburbs... Then his wife started going to church and dragging him with her!Now She and their 12 year-old boy are totally into this Church thing,and Ray ford doesn't like it.He uses his job as an excuse and starts trying to date Flight Attendant Hattie Durham.That's when his life falls apart... In one instant Millions around the world Disapear,Leaving only their Clothes behind... Rayford has to get back home, he has know if his Family is safe, or not...

Another Character is 30 year-old Journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams, Who is one of the best reporters for the "Global Weekly." Buck is on his way to London, England when IT happens, Now He's stranded back in Chicago, With Nowhere to go,and no Answers.....

There are a bunch more key Characters, but I will only Mention One more, Nicolae Carpathia... Nicolae Is a young politician from Romainia,who's suddenly been getting a lot of attenion,By the end of book one he's litterlally got the entire UN at his feet... Oh, and there's one other thing, some people believe that he's the Anti-Christ...

Ok, That should kinda give you an idea what's going on in Book one,But I can't tell you what happen's in the next 3 books,or who's alive...

Well, I hope you liked my review, oh and by the way, I was 9 when I read the first book.

Hoped this helped you!

I recently purchased two sets(the first eight books-soft cover)of the Left Behind series. It was the first time in years that I didn't feel bored somewhere along the course of reading a book. I was so enthralled with the series that I couldn't and wouldn't stop reading until I'd read every book. At the end of 5 and 1/2 weeks, I was left wanting more.
Combining fiction with a modern interpretation of Revelations(a book in the Holy Bible), the reader is taken on a journey with the Tribulation Force(a core group of new believers)
in the time of the seven-year tribulation. A time of many challenges, suffering, devastation, false hopes, death and light at the end of the tunnel for some of the human race, in the time preceding the Second Coming of Christ.
Those who already believed are gone. Those Left Behind face the choice of giving themselves to Christ and being saved while suffering the consequences served by man through Satan, or following Satan and suffering the consequences served by God. The final battle between good and evil is taking shape. The time to choose is NOW.
This series offers story-telling at its finest. I felt a wide range of emotions through the well developed characters and story line. I felt sympathy and empathy with the characters as if they were real.
A great story of how things could be that can be appreciated by believers and non-believers alike. Well worth its weight in gold.

Fortunately, for me I didn't have to wait for all of them to come out. When I began the first one, I couln't put it down. I was encapsulated instantly, looking and practically begging for the next one in line. I have read all of the series in Left Behind, and they are brilliantly written. The kind of book that stops you in your tracks and makes you think, mainy about your life and the quality one lives. I began to ask myself about my integrity and how I treat others. How much do I love God and believe in Him. I continue to read any book related to the Left Behind series. They are not only inspirational, they have meaning and purpose in my life. Thank You Tim LeHaye and amazon.com

Folks, do you understand what it's like to be a Christian of reasonable intellect in America? Not only am I latently asked to dismiss any intelligent belief I might have about culture, economic theory, science, and global diplomacy, I'm expected to fill the void with the painfully banal brand of Pop Armageddonism pervasive in the "Left Behind" series. How absurd is this? The puppet regime that is the U.N. one day decides to take over the world and set up shop in(ahem)Iraq?? Don't get me wrong, I believe the Bible's warnings about the end times. I believe Christ will indeed arrive like a "thief in the night"; i.e. when the low-brow middle class theorists who buy into this garbage least expect it. Buyer beware.

This book is poorly written, with hollow characters and little imagination. I stopped reading half way through because I was so offended by the level of writing. And because of the general fear tactic used by the authors to convince the population that they should convert to Christianity immediately or be "Left Behind" to face Armageddon.

As a theologian I was indeed curious about this popular series. What I see is warped interpretation of the book of Revelation, and a sad attempt to capitalize on the public's fear of the unknown. While one camp may argue that the authors are trying to reach the masses with the Word, they are in fact only offering a fear inspired fast food interpretation and making a great deal of money in doing so. That anyone would buy into this kind of capitalistic theology or say that it is inspired is really sad.

There are many books that do a wonderful job of spreading the loving word of God. This is not one of them.

Someone I work with recommened this book, praising the fight of good v. evil and the incredible depth of the characters. I disagree.

The premise: The Rapture. Our heroes, both white, both male, are among those left on earth when an unnumbered percentage of the population suddenly vanishes. Hattie and Chloe, the women we are permitted to get to know, are both young and beautiful. Hattie looks to be the series Eva Braun and the epitome of shallowness. Chloe, like Eve, questions authority and thinks for herself, to the consternation of her loving father. The inevitable conclusion is they were taken to Heaven. There isn't a child left on the planet. LaHaye and Jenkins take a moment to push their belief of life beginning at conception by having fetuses vanish from their expectant mother's wombs. The innocent and the Saved are the only ones who have gone, we learn.

If the book were written on a reading level higher than junior high school, it might encourage me to read more of the series. The simplistic language seems to necessitate keeping the story and the characters shallow. Both main characters, Rayford Steele, commerical airline pilot, and Cameron "Buck" Williams ave a lot of potential, but it isn't seriously explored. The story teases of a journey of self-discovery, but instead lets the characters cop out and be forgiven by Jesus because they are Saved. While they could take this new love and beauty and make their lives around them richer by deeds, that isn't what happens. Ray spends his time proseletizing. Buck gets involved in a transparent plot of the new AntiChrist (though he isn't named such in the first book) as he rises to the top of the political arena. Their lives continue along the same selfish paths that denied them heaven in the first place.

Ray's conversion is almost instant, as his wife--who goes from annoying nag to sainted martyr quickly enough to give one whiplash--had been Prepared. In fact, she'd been driving him nuts with her enthusiasm about her new church. Buck's takes a bit longer, as the poorly veiled foreshadowing unfolds. A budding romance with Chloe, Ray's collegiate intellectual daughter, seems like either an afterthought or a last-minute addition to keep the younger reader interested.

Several valid points are made about those who call themselves Christians, but do not act on the tenets of their faith (Roman Catholics will appreciate a nod to their pope). Ray's history with the church has been that of using it as a social outlet to glorify his own ego. Buck had turned away because he didn't see the principles he'd been taught in church in practice within his family. Just going to church on Sundays doens't make you a Christian.

In this ficton, Israel has become a paradise, thanks to a fertilizer compound that has made lush of the barren desert. In an Old Testament nod to the Jewish belief in being God's chosen, when attacked by the Russians (how typical, evil Russians)they do not defend themselves, but fire blows their attackers out of the sky. The story of that country's new peace and prosperity has much potential and it's wasted as the background of Buck's turn towards belief in God.

The use of Revelations as backup is not overdone, though the overall tone of the book is one of preaching to the choir. If I were to recommend a book for those who enjoy a good fight of good
v. evil, this wouldn't be it.

So far, I've read all eleven Left Behind novels, and while they are not perfect, I think that some people don't give it enough credit because of unfair comparisons. People often point to We All Fall Down and The Christ Clone trilogy as better novels, and in a way, they are, but they are also very different. Left Behind seems to be more of an introduction to the subject of the End Times, a series that is reaching out to all people of different ages. It's not particularly well written, but it is clear and straightforward. The characters are not particularly realistic or interesting, but these are not character studies, these are novels that are trying to give people an overview of this concept, and they do that quite well.

To compare these to other novels with similar themes is a little bit unfair. We All Fall Down is much better written and more intelligent, but the focus of that novel is much more intensley spiritual and more of a character study that uses the End Times as a backdrop to explore complex issues of evil and salvation. It is for more mature, serious readers and it's aim is very different from Left Behind. Likewise, The Christ Clone is more of a techno-thriller, interested in exploring how, realistically the End Times could arive. I will admit that I enjoyed these other books more than Left Behind, but that does not take away from the fact that Left Behind still does a decent job with the subject. They are not great novels, but they are nowhere near as bad as some people are saying.

No offense meant to the devotees of this series, but if those who love the kind of (in my opinion as a reviewer) narrow-minded, egotistical, twisted version of Christianity and eternity that LaHaye pushes are those with whom I'd be spending eternity, the thought of being left behind doesn't seem quite so bad...
I checked the series out after one of my students claimed that it was a revolutionary book that was claiming the world for Christ. I respect her opinion, but if that's the case, I'm rather concerned. I'm a Christian, by the way. I've studied religions of the world for years, from many perspectives. This book series worries me on several levels.
First, readers should understand (and I think many don't know - it's not widely promoted) who the author is and what his agenda entails. Tim LaHaye was one of the founders of the Moral Majority. His wife heads the ultra-conservative group Concerned Women for America. LaHaye is one of the earliest and strongest leaders in the radical, right-wing conservative movement. An article by Tom Sine in Sojourner states: "He (LaHaye) wrote the blueprint for how conservative Christians could "take back America" around a conservative political agenda in his most important work, The Battle for the Mind. This book was a huge bestseller, but interestingly is not listed in any of the Left Behind books."
If you share LaHaye's philosophy, fine, but I think a lot of people read this series without knowing this. In my opinion, LaHaye is using the extreme scare tactics and easy answers in Left Behind to further promote and further his political agenda. Fear and easy answers make for great and frighteningly effective propaganda - especially in troubled times.
Second, many scholars believe Left Behind is less than accurate in biblical terms, yet many readers are seeing it as the Bible itself. This really concerns me. It concerns me that many of the people who write glowing reviews of this series start out by saying things like "I usually don't read books," "Reading usually is boring," "I don't study religion except for these books," etc. This scares me. This book was written at a simple level for a reason. Don't let this be the only series you read. Don't let this purposely simplistic (in my opinion) fiction be your version of the Bible. It's not as easy or "fun," but try studying the Bible itself - in proper context (i.e., read the entire book or at least the New Testament, not just the apocalyptical text alone out of context). I read several reviews in which people said they became Christians after reading Left Behind. I would say, don't embrace Christianity just based on these works of simple fiction. Study the real faith. Go to the church of your choice. Read the actual Bible. Christianity is much richer, more beautiful, complex, accepting and harder to practice than these books may have you believe. (Note: a fan of this series questioned what right I had to say what brings someone to Christianity. My response is that I'm just giving my opinion as a reviewer and have as much right as any reviewer on this site to give my opinion about the books and their impact. I have no problem with this series creating an interest in Christianity. My thought is that if you don't go much beyond reading these books in shaping your practice of Christianity, you are shortchanging yourself in the study of this beautiful, rich religion. You're practicing LaHaye's political dogma, not Biblically-based spirituality, in my opinion. Study further - that's all I'm suggesting.)
If you agree with LaHaye's political philosophy, fine. No problem. But readers should understand what it is, that many people question its biblical accuracy, and that this series may be LaHaye's tool for furthering his ultra right-wing agenda. By the way, it also concerns me that some people have chastised the Christians that don't wholeheartedly support this series. I can be Christian without being a devotee of this fiction.

Although this book was very entertaining, it cannot be proved factual. The rapture is a highly debated topic among Christians. The truth is,until Christ has returned, we cannot tell what is going to happen. It is my belief that people won't come to Christ and stay in Him if their only motivation is not wanting to be "left behind". What kind of love is that? That is not what the Bible describes as a personal relationship with Christ. If you want to try to save someone, don't scare them, inspire them.