The book Left Behind. Has anyone read this?

[palmtreegirl]

My mom recommended it to me so I picked it up at the library. Did you like it?

 

[RickinNYC]

I read the first several in the series but gave up. I thought they were incredibly poorly written. The story is interesting but the text, grammar, etc... is horrible.

 

[Crankyshank]

Well let's just say my MIL sent us a few and I was rooting for Satan because he was the only interesting character.
Seriously horrible writing. Like I would expect it was generated by computer sw by only typing in a dozen words and the computer churned out the book for you.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I have the whole series. While it really isn't that well-written and the characters are kind of flat, I got sucked in. I just kept wanting to know what happens next. I was able to read each book in a day or two.

 

[Shel]

I read the entire series, and became involved in the characters. When one of the main characters died I cried. I mean, how silly is that? To cry at a book? I'm guessing it's a horomone/female thing. Anyway, I enjoyed the entire series. Granted some of them got a bit long, and repetitive, but I think it might've been for readers who didn't start with the first book.

Keep in mind that it is fictional, though loosely based on the authors' interpretation of Revelation.

I was a Christian when I read it, so it was just incentive for me to keep on keeping on.

 

[babytrees]

Poorly written, repetitive, but I still got sucked in until the last 2. They were just plain horrible!!

I read to try and figure out their take on Revelation. My oldest read the first book in the kids series....good discussion came from it.

Kirk Cameron is doing independent films of the series. Wanted to watch just for him...

 

[helenabear]

I read the whole series. I didn't care for the writing all that much and I could tell the authors are very biased against any Christian beliefs that are not their own. As a Catholic I didn't care for their anti-Catholic digs they slipped in.

That said, I did get sucked in. The first half of the series was much better than the 2nd half. I totally could not stand the last book. Their portrayal of Jesus just drove me up the wall. While I realize that they were taking scripture to make Jesus speak, I thought He was just not right in how I always imagined He would be. He came across as pompus and not one Who should be loving and compassionate for His people.

I also felt like the series was very rushed at the end. The characters just seemed to have no direction and they could expend lives w/o much reaction from loved ones.

Really didn't win me over. I did enjoy the 1st half a lot more than the 2nd half and I just had to see how it would end. I was totally disappointed in the weak ending. I mean we all have a clue how it should end, but the characters reactions to everything was not good IMO.

I think the last book could have been about 1/4 of the text and been better for me. They just drove me crazy.

JMO of the series

 

[becka]

The writing is not that great but I still read all 12 books. I liked most of the story but the first half of the story is far better than the last half. I thought I remember reading that this was originally intended to be a 6 book series but when they became such a huge hit they stretched it to 12 books. It really seems like that is the case and the later books suffered because of it. I felt like I really just skimmed the last 2 books because I just wanted to find out what happened but I didn’t want to actually read it….does that make sense?

I did get involved with a few characters and I also found myself crying once when a major character died but so many of the characters were never really developed.

I say read the first book and keep reading as long as you stay interested in the story. They are at least easy and quick reads.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Can I just ask, for those who read the last book - did one of the main "bad" characters seem to disappear? She'd been in the entire series, but I don't recall anything about her or what happened to her in the final book.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I picked it up and took it with me to Myrtle Beach last summer. I liked it!

I have to tell you a very strange thing...DS and I were on our way home from Myrtle Beach. We were driving through SC and I passed a road. For some reason I noticed the name of the road: New Hope Church Road!!! After having just read Left Behind, that gave me goosebumps!

TC

 

[minkydog]

The writing is not that great but I still read all 12 books. I liked most of the story but the first half of the story is far better than the last half. I thought I remember reading that this was originally intended to be a 6 book series but when they became such a huge hit they stretched it to 12 books. It really seems like that is the case and the later books suffered because of it. I felt like I really just skimmed the last 2 books because I just wanted to find out what happened but I didn’t want to actually read it….does that make sense?

I totally get you. I felt the same way. I've been a Christian for many years and read Revelations many times and I finally just said, "this is stupid." I could have hung in there if the writing had been good, but it's not. The characters speak in dull, weird ways that no human being would ever use and in spite of the fact that they are Left Behind they have all these cool toys and tricks for eluding the bad guys. As if...any of you happen to have those things lying around your house, just in case the Rapture happens in, say, 30 minutes

 

[Disney Ella]

Well let's just say my MIL sent us a few and I was rooting for Satan because he was the only interesting character.

Maybe I'll have to read these just for Satan's part!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I gave up after the 3rd book, just got bored

 

[DawnCt1]

I read the first several in the series but gave up. I thought they were incredibly poorly written. The story is interesting but the text, grammar, etc... is horrible.

Hi Rick, I think that this is one of the first things that we have agreed on! They were terribly written loaded with too much dialog and minutia. Having said that however, I was fascinated by the modern day interpretation of Biblical prophecy so I have read them all. The enter series of a zillion books (it seems) could have been consolidated into no more than six....and it would have still b e wordy.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

DD and I read them all. I enjoyed about the first 8 then they got slow but I finished anyway.

Try the first one, you may like it.

 

[rabx5]

I liked them. I have the whole series and now my daughter started to read them.

 

[amy4bruce]

I have not read the books, for many reasons. However, I have read some mysteries by Jerry B. Jenkins. I wasn't bothered by the fact that the lead characters are born-again Christians. I wasn't bothered by the right-wing politics. What bothered me was the abysmal writing and the cavailier disregard for facts and investigatory procedure. It was an omnibus edition of 5 novels. In the third novel, when a detective gets a search warrant, he not only invites a uniformed friend of his along for the search, he invites the uniform's girlfriend - a reporter! I threw the book down in disgust.

Edited because spellcheck has ruined my spelling.

 

[jimmiej]

DW & I both read the entire series. As we are Christians, we found the fictionalized story of the Book of The Revelation quite interesting. However, I agree with Dawn. They stretched it out over too many books.

 

[TENIA66]

i loved the series, love the consideration of the scripture in each book......it helped me move closer to Christ.........

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

I haven't read them, they are in the house though (yeah, lightening should be striking at any moment) DH decided to read them, why I don't know. He breaks out in random fits of laughter while reading them, I don't take that as a good sign. He said the writing is horrible and the story is weak, and yet he keeps buying them.