166 of 173 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Better than 9, but .........try the "Christ Clone" Trilogy, July 5, 2002
If you read my review on book 9, it will pretty much cover also this book in the series. It is sad to see such a wonderful series slipping downhill as it is. However, I feel the authors are at a point that they really can't go much further. After all, we re speaking of THE end and the characters of this book are no different than we too shall be. Over and done. At this point, it is death as we know it here on earth, and it is time for these characters to admit they have no where else to go. As much as this had been great series (up to a point) it is now over and should be put to rest before it is ruined by being strung out to totally loss of all enjoyment. Instead of everyone saying, "I can't wait for the next book" or "Oh, great, the new one is out" we will be hearing, "What! Another one!" or "Oh no, not another one!". Chalk up your credits and kudos to the writers for the work they did, but say bye bye now. And, again, in the future, please do not insult he readers and make them feel as if you are attempting to pass off a 'book' to them by making 3 inch margins and type large enough to read from across the room, as you have done in the past few books of the series...... I highly recommend anyone who did enjoy these to turn now to the "Christ Clone" Trilogy. Although it is in a bit of a different league than the "Left Behind" series, it is very interesting, stimulating and again leaving the reader with desire to know more, learn more and study the Word of our Lord more. Having done this, and having anyone turn to the Word, is a blessing and I admire the authors for having done something as wonderful as that. Christians always need to learn more, and non-Christians will now be exposed to the most wonderful knowledge of all.
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189 of 198 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Christ will come again before this series ends..., August 22, 2002
This series began as a unique, fast paced story, and the characters became people you cared about. However, things have gone awry. In earlier books, the reader allowed unbelievable story lines for the sake of the story (every inch of the Anti-Christ's world is listened in on by a teen-age hack), but the author is now taxing these liberties. (An American with a thick country accent passes for a Greek highway repairman?) The first half of the book is slow, although the action picks up towards the end. If you have read books 1-9, The Remnant covers the same ground again (and again). The same character profile and story line are recycled - unlikely heroes hop on a plane to squeak out of trouble. (Apparently, there are lots of pilots left after the rapture.) The authors have just introduced too many characters (they do provide a small bio for major characters), not allowing the reader to develop any feeling towards these thin personalities. Also, Carpathia, is a complete idiot and more of a jerk boss than frightful and evil. (Why does a lower demon know all details of some believers who have slipped into an evil trap set for others, but the anti-Christ cannot find a 19-year-old working in his office?) This series could have been handled in four books, but the merchandise has to keep coming. (How long until we see a "Tribulation Force Praise Album" or Tsion Ben-Judah Study Bible?) I found myself skimming pages in search of action, but I was left reading about too many insignificant details. If you want a quicker paced series, look at the Christ Clone Trilogy.
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93 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Remnant -- some great material yet remains!, July 3, 2002
For those who think I'm one of the millions of die-hard Left Behind freakazoids who believe that Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins simply can do no wrong, I beg to differ. I was sorely disappointed with book 9's abandonment of everything I had liked about the series' preceding volumes. All of a sudden, every single character sounded the same; they made the same kind of wisecracks even in the most stressful apocalyptic situations -- archangel appearances, oceans turned to blood. Everything went too fast. Nothing was described -- just dialogue, action narrative in a somewhat-stilted style. What the heck did Petra look like anyway? Most readers have never actually been there, after all. ...
(In retrospect, I think what threw me most about book 9 was its sudden expansion from four to five principle viewpoint characters -- Rayford, Buck, David, Leah, Tsion -- to well over a dozen. But that may be just because I'm a picky reader and I want everything to be perfectly consistent. ...)
But I have to give a full five stars to The Remnant. Somebody, perhaps the archangel Michael, must have gotten to the author(s) and voiced all of my same concerns about the series' declining literary quality. ...
In The Remnant, the cast of viewpoint characters grows even more, and half of the thing is devoted to the (attempted) rescue of one believer hostage. But still, everything is much better.
Of course, the book does begin somewhat predictably. After all, if all these millions of people are trapped in the canyon-walled ancient city with no hope at all, no way out except by a miracle, what do you think is going to happen? Probably a miracle. Noteworthy, though, to "secular" readers: don't think the authors "cheat" with miracles. This book has more of the miraculous than any of the previous -- and yet it seems to stay plausible!
But my major beefs about the series' preceding novel are all but eradicated. The characters act differently, and seem to speak in different ways. They don't all sound like the author this time -- and now they aren't as handy with awesome comebacks during stressful apocalyptic situations, such as being at gunpoint.
The Global Community forces, especially Leon Fortunato, are not buffoons -- now they've received intelligence injections, they're big and scary, formidable foes.
When things happen, they're described! Finally, we "see" the oceans/blood from the air. When freshwater rivers turn to blood, we see them ... we know what people are wearing, what their hair and skin looks like ... we "feel" the heat from the scorching Fourth Vial Judgment. The author(s) actually use italics, capital letters -- the narrative gets excited about things. When people die, you feel the hurt this time.
So way to go, authors. And readers, get this book -- if you put down Desecration halfway through, don't continue to be disillusioned: just retrieve it and finish it quickly, then pick up The Remnant and prepare to be pleasantly amazed. As far as I'm concerned, the series has now redeemed itself -- and it deserves its popularity.
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