Left Behind

Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

Left Behind #1

Summary:

In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear.

Vehicles, suddenly unmanned, careen out of control. People are terror stricken as loved ones vanish before their eyes.

In the midst of global chaos, airline captain Rayford Steele must search for his family, for answers, for truth. As devastating as the disappearances have been, the darkest days may lie ahead.

Plot:

This is definitely an interesting novel. Referencing the Bible-book Revelations, it tells the story of the end of the world. The setting of this novel makes it very believable, it’s set in the future, obviously, although it doesn’t give a specific date, and the world is much like we know it to be right now, except for some political differences. Some of the political parts were a bit hard for me to understand, but the basic story is very easy to follow and read. It’s not the best-written book in the world and I would’ve liked some more twists and turns instead of just the straight-forward story, but it kept me interested enough.

Characters:

The characters are all extremely believable and relatable. The main characters are pretty likable (the ones that are supposed to be) and the villain is extremely scary in a non-threatening, peace-loving kind of way (it makes sense if you’ve read the book). Except for the villain the characters are mostly just normal people in extreme circumstances, and I definitely liked them. The story is more important, I think, in this case, than the characters, and so I like that they’re not too complicated.

Who should read this:

10+, the violence is not overly graphic and there’s almost no sexual content and zero language. I don’t think this would interest very young people, as the story might get a little complicated for them, and also because it might be scary, since it is set in a world similar to ours, and is written as a sort of retelling of a book that I personally don’t consider fiction. If you like Christian fiction, and are interested in the end-times this is a quick and easy read that makes it a little more real and easy to imagine.

My rating:

I enjoyed reading this book. I won’t add it to my favourites because I wasn’t blown away by it. But it kept me interested. 4/5

Quote:

“I’m not crazy! See for yourself! All over the plane people have disappeared.