Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) [Paperback]

Tim LaHaye (Author), Jerry B. Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Series: Left Behind | Publication Date: January 1, 1996

When the trumpet sounds, where will you be? Passengers in an airborne Boeing 747 find out in this riveting novel by renowned Christian speaker Tim LaHaye and master storyteller Jerry Jenkins. Without any warning, passengers mysteriously disappear from their seats. Terror and chaos slowly spread not only through the plane but also worldwide as unusual events continue to unfold. For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun. This fictional account of life after the Rapture delivers an urgent call to today's readers to prepare their own hearts and minister to others.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Piloting his 747, Rayford Steele is musing about his wife Irene's irritating religiosity and contemplating the charms of his "drop-dead gorgeous" flight attendant, Hattie. First Irene was into Amway, then Tupperware, and now it's the Rapture of the Saints--the scary last story in the Bible in which Christians are swept to heaven and unbelievers are left behind to endure the Antichrist's Tribulation. Steele believes he'll put the plane on autopilot and go visit Hattie. But Hattie's in a panic: some of the passengers have disappeared! The Rapture has happened, abruptly driverless cars are crashing all over, and the slick, sinister Romanian Nicolae Carpathia plans to use the UN to establish one world government and religion. Resembling "a young Robert Redford" and silver-tongued in nine languages, Carpathia is named People's "Sexiest Man Alive." (This reviewer, a former People writer, finds this plot twist plausible.) Meanwhile, Steele teams up with Buck Williams, a buck-the-system newshound, to form the Tribulation Force, an underground of left-behind penitents battling the Antichrist.

Ex-presidential candidate Pat Robertson briefly outsold Michael Crichton with his apocalypse novel The End of the Age (now available on audiocassette), and the similar The Third Millennium sells well, but the Left Behind series is the absolute champion in the race to make the Book of Revelation into racy thriller reading. --Tim Appelo

From Library Journal

On a flight from Chicago to London, several passengers aboard Capt. Rayford Steele's plane suddenly and mysteriously disappear. When Steele radios to London to report the situation, he discovers that the incident on his plane is not an isolated phenomenon but a worldwide occurrence. As Steele begins his search for answers, he learns that the Christ has come to take the faithful with Him in preparation for the coming apocalyptic battle between good and evil and that those who have been left behind must face seven dark and chaotic years in which they must decide to join the forces of Christ or the forces of Anti-Christ. Jenkins, writer-in-residence at Moody Press, and LaHaye (A Nation Without a Conscience, Tyndale, 1994) have written a gripping thriller that captures the anxiety and fear that interpretations of Revelation often inspire. For most libraries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tynndale Publishing House; 1 edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842329129
• ISBN-13: 978-0842329125
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,274 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

169 of 184 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Made-for-Television Apocalypse, December 5, 2000

By 

J. Creamer (Perpignan France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) (Paperback)

I tend to side with those reviewers who found the book rather light. With the exception of Rayford Steele, most of the characterizations lack depth and consistency. The authors occasionally drop off into mini-sermons that clash otherwise with the flow of the story. And as the events of Revelation unfold, the good and bad become too transparent, too black and white, and too obvious. As suggested by another reader, I read the first of the Christ Clone Trilogy and was much more impressed. In the end, Left Behind comes across as the basis for a television miniseries than a fully fleshed novel. I'm not as harsh as some critics, so I give it three stars for being readable, not too preachy, and interesting in its way.

319 of 358 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good "End-Times" Book for Christians, February 5, 2001

By 

"zakvta" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) (Paperback)

The idea of the book is great, though done before. The way this book is written though, basically, chronicals the events that take place in the "end-times" as described in the Bible.

The book revolves around some central characters. They all are involved with the church in one way or another. Eventually you see most of them "converted" into Christians. As they are they feel that their "mission" is to convert others. There also is some romantic "tension" thrown into the mix. The characters aren't all developed too well but I still felt a connection with them.

I enjoyed this book and think that many others will too. Although this book, I feel, was written mainly for Christians. There is no subtlety in the message. Everything is taken almost verbatim from the Bible. It doesn't give you a lot of "food for thought". For that I recommend James BeauSeigneur's "The Christ Clone Trilogy". "Left Behind" is pretty straight forward and a great beginning to the series. Highly recommended for Christians.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So so, January 3, 2002

By 

Verna (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) (Paperback)

I've read all but two of the books in this series but I'm not sure why I keep reading. They are so so at best. If you have a lot of time on your hands or you drive a lot and can get the tapes at the library, great. They are no where near as good as the Christ Clone Trilogy by James BeauSeigneur.