In this book we begin to meet the memebers of the Tribulation Force (essentially just Rayford Steele in this volume) before they've let Jesus into their hearts, and the hole it leaves in their lives is obvious and heart-breaking. In some ways The Rising, first in a 3 book prequel series, is darker than the original series about the end times. I would love to do this book justice, but it's that time of the semester when I don't have much time for anything, so rather than touching on some points and ignoring others, I'll stick to generalities in this review.īecause of the blatant Christian message of the Left Behind series there's a tendency to stereotype them, but if you've already read the original series, you're already aware that these aren't your typical 'feel good' Christian Fiction.

I'll apologize in advance for the brevity of this review. 3 stars for Marilena, 2 for abysmal writing, 2.5 for everything else. Anyway, while some of his outright cruel actions made me squirm, it definitely sets the stage for his becoming the anti-Christ. No doubt that it, too, is a little far-fetched, but we're talking the end of the world here. I also think they did a pretty good job with Carpathia's back story. I found myself feeling truly sorry for her at some points, and feeling relief when she turned to God. She seems more conflicted, more human, more deep than any other character in the series. I have read the entire series, and hers is the ONLY character I have ever actually cared about. The one thing I appreciate about this book is the character of Marilena. That type of self-centered materialism doesn't seem to fully entrench itself until kids hit 7th grade or so. All of that from a 9-year-old? I have taught all ages from kindergarten on up, and while I have no doubt that 9-year-olds can be sassy, his character just seemed far-reaching. Really? On top of that, he develops shame of his parents because they are not rich and don't drive fancy cars.

He was the smartest, fastest, cutest, and most athletic boy in his school. Secondly, the stories of Rayford's youth drove me berserk. Because, you know, there is only one correct way to worship God. Furthermore, every time God entered the conversation, I felt like I was being preached at. It was as if they had never heard of context before. by peppering in foreign words, and then immediately having the character repeat the word in English in the following sentence. I could not help but be annoyed every time the authors tried to make the characters sound more. To start with, the quality of writing is abysmal. If I could give it 2.5, I would - so let's just say I rounded up. Used Good (1 available) Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.I had a hard time deciding whether or not to give this book 2 stars or 3 stars.

The rising tim lahaye