Left Behind Series

[Tamera]

No matter what your theology you'll have to admit, The Left Behind Series was a phenomena in Christian fiction that in some ways saved CBA and allowed for novels other than romance to be published. So what are your opinions of the novels (the writing and the story, not the theology). We can discuss the theology on 4Believers. What I want to know is, what did you think of Jerry Jenkins handling of this huge project.

[jacks girl]

I personally loved them, I liked most of the characters really well, I thought he did a great amount of research. I even liked the movies too. Hubby complained now and then that the characters could live through all the trials
but I understand he did this so he didn't have to keep introducing us to new
people.

I happen to agree with most of what was said in these books, but had I not
agreed I still would be willing to read then because they're a good work. I'm sure that a lot of people was woke up by these books. No matter what we
all agree or disagree on as far as the end times goes I think we should be open to other's opinions. At least I try to be, I'm not perfect and I sure don't know it all and i might learn something from another persons opinion.

I know that even though i'm a Christian and do my best to stay ready to leave this world, these stories make you think, they make you want to be
ready and they made me realize what an impact we can have on people if we are find the right publisher and are good at telling our story.

Jacks
I did my best Tamera to not say anything that would get your thread closed. LOL

[ProfessorAlan]

It was stretched out to many more books that I originally planned, but I don't blame that on the authors per se -- they were selling, the publishers wanted more, so he wrote more. If I was hitting the unexpected jackpot like that, I'm sure I would do the same.

I have read all the books, including the prequels -- is it 16 books in total? My teenage daughter liked them more than I did, for what that's worth. For what they were, I thought the books were fine, typical CBA fare, but nothing of earth-shattering quality or originality. I liked a few of the supporting characters well enough, but thought many of the non-Christians were portrayed as predictable and cardboard.

The movies were ... well, at least they were not as bad as the Omega Code movies ...

[jacks girl]

I'm a big Kirk Kamaron fan that may be why i liked the movies so well.

[M. Lawrence]

Honestly, I made it to about the second book and couldn't stand much more than that. The characters, dialog, descriptions, plot--all were predictable, boring and didactic. I know that they were popular, but so was "The DaVinci Code," which was equally badly written in many of the same ways.

Jerry Jenkins is a decent author, but he was in way over his head.

[Tamera]

I honesty enjoyed the Left Behind Series very much. It had great characters that I could relate to and a lot of spine tingling moments where I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I thought Jerry Jenkins did a wonderful job. Others have tried to cover this subject in fiction. None have done it as well.

[m_d]

I enjoyed the books in the series that I read. I didn't know much about the rapture before that, almost nothing really, and it made me want to study the subject.

I read about 6-7 of the books but after awhile the story seemed to keep dragging out too long and I didn't want to read through the rest of the books. But I have heard really great things from the people who stuck it out (esp. about the book "Glorious Appearing").

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Frank Peretti broke the boundries of CBA way before The Left Behind series.
I didn't enjoy them much. Some parts of the story were good, some of the characters were interesting - particularly Chloe and the Asian young man (can't remember his name).
But it was so badly written, so contrived, badly paced, the theology was off in a lot of places, the flow of the story (in many of the novels) was brought to a halt to allow for massive sermons (that did nothing - this was meant to be fiction!). That was probably my main annoyance with the series - how enormously drawn-out it was and how sermons filled many of the pages.

I read them all. Glorious Appearing was the worst. They were so scared of going wrong theologically (didn't stop them in the previous 11 books) that Jesus came across as incredibly boring and to say he felt 1 dimensional would be too generous. But maybe I've been spoilt by the Jesus-likeness in Aslan (Narnia).

If it was short, sharp and shiny (3 books as originally planned) I may have loved it. At 12 books in length, there just wasn't anywhere near enough story to carry it and it's an abomination of fiction.

[joyful_grace_18]

Let's see...I was about 14 or 15 when the first book came out. I read every one as soon as it was off the press. I just was fascinated by the story, of course I think by the last book I stopped for some reason, because I started reading the kids version...lol...honestly I think I liked those better. (I know I'm strange)...but then I found the audio drama tapes to the kids books, which were fantastic! I don't know why I love these books, I just do...(despite the theology stuff)...it just is good story, with likable characters (despite so many that were killed...ggrrrr) and incredible adventures...lol.

[Tamera]

Frank Peretti broke the boundries of CBA way before The Left Behind series.

True, but he didn't enjoy the sucess and almost cult following that the Left Behind Series did.

But it was so badly written, so contrived, badly paced, the theology was off in a lot of places, the flow of the story (in many of the novels) was brought to a halt to allow for massive sermons (that did nothing - this was meant to be fiction!). That was probably my main annoyance with the series - how enormously drawn-out it was and how sermons filled many of the pages.

I totally disagree here. I loved the writing and the flow of the story. I think drawing the story out to twelve books made it better. One thing that made other apocalyptic novels not as good is that they were shallow because they weren't long enough to cover the material well. The theology was sound - but this isn't about theology but writing. As far as the writing - I hope some day to write that badly and be that sucessful at it. LOL. I thought the writing was great. Of course, it's all a matter of opinion.


I read them all.

Sorry, but this quote made me laugh. If you hated them so much and thought that the writing was so bad, why did you read them all.

Glorious Appearing was the worst.

I do agree here. Glorious Appearing was my least favorite and was dragged out. It could have been condenced to a couple of chapters at the end of the previous book.

[ProfessorAlan]

Don't forget Kingdom Come -- the 13th!

On Tamera's comment to W4J -- I read them all, even though they were becoming progressively less interesting. Not to speak for W4J, but that's just my personality -- once I start a series, or even a book, I don't stop reading until it's over. I can't remember the last book I just flat stopped reading, or the last series I didn't stick with.

[Tamera]

Okay. I guess I didn't understand because when I don't like a book or I find it boring and predictable, I stop reading it and sell it on ebay. I didn't sell my Left Behind books. LOL.

By the time I got to Glorious Appearing, I was done with the books. It had been years and I was ready to move on to something else. So I never read Kingdom Come. I intend to some day.

[ProfessorAlan]

I guess I didn't understand because when I don't like a book or I find it boring and predictable, I stop reading it ...

I wasnt bragging -- I was admitting a deep (and time-consuming) character flaw!

[Tamera]

LOL. Funny. My character flaw is that I don't always finish things I start if I get bored with them.

[50/50 Adventure]

They were great up until about 7 or 8 and then it seemed to me like they milked it for more money. From what I understood it was only supposed to be 7 books. Overall it was fantastic, but I skipped a book or two because it got kinda lame and transparent on what they were doing.

[Tarin]

once I start a series, or even a book, I don't stop reading until it's over. I can't remember the last book I just flat stopped reading, or the last series I didn't stick with.

LOL I'm glad to know I'm not the only strange and obsessive person to do this.;)

[ProfessorAlan]

LOL I'm glad to know I'm not the only strange and obsessive person to do this.;)
LOL

yup, I really have to think hard before picking up a new series .... cuz once I'm in, I'm in.

[jacks girl]

I listened to most of these on audio. I really thought they were well done, slow in places but to get everything in like they did i guess some of it was necessary.

The reader was the same on all the books the best i can remember and that helps a lot.

jacks

[kluchar70]

Left Behind was what renewed my love for reading. I really enjoyed the story and got very attached to the characters. I thought it needed to go that long to really explore all aspects of the end times. I read End of Days by Pat Robertson which was also about the end times, and it was like he spent a lot of time developing the characters in the beginning, got to the antichrist, and then rushed through to the end. If the Left Behind series wasn't so long, I wouldn't have got as much out of it.

[Cymrugirl]

With two exceptions, I've never made it past book 5 in any series. I have a problem.

As for Left Behind. It was better than the Thief in the Night film they showed us at church camp. You know, the one with the guillotine and maggot infested bodies and stuff. I didn't really like that one. Especially at age twelve or whatever it was.

[Tarin]

LOL

yup, I really have to think hard before picking up a new series .... cuz once I'm in, I'm in.

I never thought about it before, but perhaps that's one of the reasons I generally dislike series...:rolleyes:

[psychoceramic]

Back when the books first started to come out, i Like many others heard all the hub bub about how great they were and how they were taking the CBA and Christian-dom by storm and so i knew i needed to avoid them, I dislike like being a lemming.

Finally after the third or fourth book came out and a friend of mine kept telling me about them and how there was one character in there that was just like me, i said "ok i will read the first one."

Well i did and like Tarin and Prof, i had to finish reading them because i started them. ( i do not have to do this all the time but i was drawn in to the story and the characters and the theology and wanted to see where Dr. Lahaye was taking us.)

I can say I enjoyed reading them but it was way to drawn out and to much like "Christian soap opera ish " at times.

I enjoyed the characters for the most part, Chloe and buck (first couple of books buck, after the fourth book buck was boring) were my favorites.

The story was well writing in some points and as some one said Jenkins was over his head with the writing in others.

Should there have been how every many books there were? NO!!!!!!!!!!
(i feel they lost there blessing and power after awhile, i did try to read one of the prequels but there was nothing there spiritually for me to grasp on to in the story.)


So has any one re read the series? Or any of the books?

in Jesus,
psychoceramic

[srussell]

Okay. I guess I didn't understand because when I don't like a book or I find it boring and predictable, I stop reading it and sell it on ebay. I didn't sell my Left Behind books. LOL.

Actually, I'm like that too. If a book seems like it's a waste of my time, why spend hours reading it?

That said, I personally couldn't make it through the first Left Behind book, for some of the reasons that others have already stated.

No disrespect meant to those who like the series-- just personal preference.

I dunno. I picked it up a confirmed premillennial, pretribulationist (a reflection of my my Baptist background in which you weren't a Christian if you believed anything else.) and put it down confused.

Sam.

[m_d]

Back when the books first started to come out, i Like many others heard all the hub bub about how great they were and how they were taking the CBA and Christian-dom by storm and so i knew i needed to avoid them, I dislike like being a lemming.

Finally after the third or fourth book came out and a friend of mine kept telling me about them and how there was one character in there that was just like me, i said "ok i will read the first one."

Well i did and like Tarin and Prof, i had to finish reading them because i started them. ( i do not have to do this all the time but i was drawn in to the story and the characters and the theology and wanted to see where Dr. Lahaye was taking us.)

I can say I enjoyed reading them but it was way to drawn out and to much like "Christian soap opera ish " at times.

I enjoyed the characters for the most part, Chloe and buck (first couple of books buck, after the fourth book buck was boring) were my favorites.

The story was well writing in some points and as some one said Jenkins was over his head with the writing in others.

Should there have been how every many books there were? NO!!!!!!!!!!
(i feel they lost there blessing and power after awhile, i did try to read one of the prequels but there was nothing there spiritually for me to grasp on to in the story.)


So has any one re read the series? Or any of the books?

in Jesus,
psychoceramic

I especially agree with the bolded (and the person who said he was milking the series). After awhile I couldn't believe the story wasn't almost done. And when I found out that he wrote a military series version and a version for kids (although I can kinda understand why he'd do a kids one) that were also just as long, it felt like he was simply milking a cash cow until it ran dry. I agree with the person who said that 3 (or even 7) novels would have been a good cut off for the number of books.

Also, I made a mistake earlier, my friend said she like the last book in the series (which I guess is Kingdom Come) but I thought that it was Glorious Appearing.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I read them all because once I begin something I rarely don't finish it.
Sometimes it's a blessing, this time it was a curse (lol).

Actually m_d, the kid's version of Left Behind aren't even written by them, they're written by someone else (he just wrote the premise). In his writing book Jenkins talks about how he fought the publishers to put the name of the author on the front (who actually wrote them).

[ProfessorAlan]

In his writing book Jenkins talks about how he fought the publishers to put the name of the author on the front (who actually wrote them).

By book 7 or so of the children's series, his name started to appear on the inside cover page.

[tlm]

Actually m_d, the kid's version of Left Behind aren't even written by them, they're written by someone else (he just wrote the premise). In his writing book Jenkins talks about how he fought the publishers to put the name of the author on the front (who actually wrote them).

By book 7 or so of the children's series, his name started to appear on the inside cover page.

Yup, I checked at the church library to see if that was true.

[m_d]

I read them all because once I begin something I rarely don't finish it.
Sometimes it's a blessing, this time it was a curse (lol).

Actually m_d, the kid's version of Left Behind aren't even written by them, they're written by someone else (he just wrote the premise). In his writing book Jenkins talks about how he fought the publishers to put the name of the author on the front (who actually wrote them).

That's sad. How do you explain to an author that you won't let them put their name on their work? Plus it's dishonest to imply that the original author(s) wrote them.

[Timber Wolf]

I read about half way through the series, then Tim LaHaye started having issues w/ how the directors did the movie and I kinda got burned out on the boooks b/c of the arguements going on between author and director. Also, I felt they were too preachy. That's prob why I so easily got away from reading them when the above prblms cropped up. Although, yes, I am certainly glad when somehting other than the praire romances get publlished (hey CBA - it's not Only women reading these days.)

I've never read any of Jenkins - or LaHaye's other stufff. I know JJ has a site, don't have the link handy.

[ProfessorAlan]

I actually thought Jenkins' next series (Soon-Silenced-Shadowed, but maybe not in that order) was better than the LB series. Maybe because it was just 3 books. Wasn't great literature by any means, but more enjoyable (less irritating) than the LBs.

To me, LaHaye's next series, Babylon Rising, is pretty unreadable.

I actually kinda liked (and my 11th grader really liked) their "John's Story" collaboration, a historical about the life of the apostle and his writings.

[psychoceramic]

I actually thought Jenkins' next series (Soon-Silenced-Shadowed, but maybe not in that order) was better than the LB series. Maybe because it was just 3 books. Wasn't great literature by any means, but more enjoyable (less irritating) than the LBs.

To me, LaHaye's next series, Babylon Rising, is pretty unreadable.

I actually kinda liked (and my 11th grader really liked) their "John's Story" collaboration, a historical about the life of the apostle and his writings.

I haven't read the Story of John, but i do agree with the other comments made about the other series they wrote apart.


One of the best book i read in the LB series was the first book by Mel Odom. i haven't had time to read the other books in that spin off series yet, but i enjoyed the first one. ( I was shocked by the authors other books and I wonder why he was picked to do Christian fiction.)

[wgjones3]

I really enjoyed Jenkins's HOMETOWN LEGEND, which has absolutely nothing to do with LB or end times but is a good book in its own right.

[mbeachbum]

I liked the first so many of the LB series. They became a bit tedious after a while. I finished them all, as did my husband. I'm not sure that either of us would re-read them.

I did not like the first LB movie. Therefore, I did not see any others. I like to keep my own interpretations of the characters I meet in books.

I also liked the Peretti books.

[joyful_grace_18]

I really enjoyed Jenkins's HOMETOWN LEGEND, which has absolutely nothing to do with LB or end times but is a good book in its own right.

yeah...the movie to Hometown Legend was good too. :)

[Jonathon89]

Is the Left Behind series considered a novella?

[Tamera]

A novella is a shorter than a novel. I don't think there's any way the Left Behind Series could be called short.