Great Story but Horrible Narration

I read through this series book right after book when it first came out. I gave a friend a copy of the first book and he got hooked. I wanted to listen through the series to get that nostalgic feel but the narrator is awful. Everyone sounds pretty much the same. He took an exciting book and made it as dull as a professor’s speech from Paint Drying 101.

22 people found this helpful

Interesting and thought provoking, but slow

The premise is excellent and the subject matter is interesting but it was just too long and drawn out. The story alternates between two protagonists, Ray and Buck. They are both great. There are also other interesting characters - some good and some truly evil. When millions of people disappeared all over the world, Ray and Buck are among the ones that were left behind. They want to get to the bottom of why this happened. It was God's act. The people who disappeared were taken to heaven in the Rapture. The anti Christ is arising. It is a perilous time. Ray and Buck are saved by the grace of God and shepherded by Bruce, who was also left behind because he had not been a true Christian. Now Bruce is dedicated to helping the others left behind to find God and fight through the times of trials and tribulations that follow the Rapture. Bruce wants others to be saved so that they may join their loved ones in heaven when they die, or when the Lord returns again in seven years. I hope they live long enough to see the Lord. The book really made me think about my life as a Christian and made me want to be a better person.. That is a good thing.

11 people found this helpful

Just outstanding...

Loved it I couldn't put it down! My only problem was understanding some of what certain characters said because of thick accents. But it was done well and made me feel like I was there!

11 people found this helpful

How Did This Get Published?

I don't know how I came across this book, it must have been a daily deal and I love apocalyptic stories, but it was written so amateurishly that at times I laughed out loud and struggled mightily to continue listening.
Need I quote some of the brilliant writing like forgiveness that was not forthcoming, or I can't believe we're joking on a day like this (A day like this?? You mean where millions of people disappear?) or milk and cookies reminds him of his wife? Or the use of words like sepulcher?
One of my favorites, however, was that some of the people who disappeared were either innocent or a very nice person. I guess being a very nice person qualifies.
It's not about being religious, it's about good writing and definitely being a better narrator.

8 people found this helpful

Had me from start to finish

Where does Left Behind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Around the top. It is a topic close to my heart.

What did you like best about this story?

The performance was excellent! Thestory was complete.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to say. I guess when Rayford accepted Christ.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. And I did.....

Any additional comments?

Went right away to the next book.

14 people found this helpful

Great series!

OK - I normally read / listen to fantasy and science fiction. In fact, when I started listening to this series I was listening to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series and waiting for the Song of Susannah.

What an excellent surprise this was. I was pointed to this series by a friend and was at first skeptical, but gave it a try anyway just to see what it was like. The more I listened, the more excited I was to hear more. I am now five books into it and can't wait to get to the next one.

Even if you are not religious, you will enjoy this book and this series. It is well written, the characters are well developed, and the plot is great.

Pluses for the Christian reader - learn more about the prophecies of the end-times, jewish beliefs, and portions of scripture. Explore your relationship with Christ while hearing about what the characters are going through.

All around, a very very satisfying listen / read for me and I highly recommend it. Don't be scared off by the religious content if you are hesitant about that. And if you are attracted to the series because of the religious ties, you won't be disappointed, either.

73 people found this helpful

Awesome

I had read this entire series, but enjoyed the audio version even more. Excellent narration. This series is knowledgeble and backed by the scriptures. A must read by christians and an encouraged read to all!

24 people found this helpful

Love/Hate this series

This series drove me nuts!! There are so many things that were simply aweful, yet I downloaded the entire series in less than three months. Let me be fair and first say what I liked about the books.

I found many inspirational moments that made me contemplate and deepen my faith. That's the biggest draw. I don't fully agree with the author's interpretations, but the entire journey of the books made me examine where my heart was, and I found many moments of deepening closeness with God. Also, in the early books, they were good at hooking you and making you want to know what happened next.

Now ... why they drove me crazy. They are terribly written. There are logical gaps throughout the series. There are too many to mention, but suffice it to say the factual or physical circumstances laid out in the first books are caste aside as people and things that could not happen according to the first books continue to appear in the latter. And it isn't because God made it happen. They just do.

The authors are misogynistic. Particularly in the early books, there is not an intelligent, well-rounded female character to be found. The women are shallow and flighty, and respond to all circumstances in a stereotypic fashion only very young men would think realistic. This improves over the series, but I never see myself in any of the female characters.

The narrator drives me nuts. He needs to listen to his earlier narrations and make up his mind. Throughout the books, his accents for different characters is all over the place. One day, a character sounds like an American midwesterner, the next day, Dracula in a bad Ed Woods movie. The pronunciation of names and cities also changes from book to book.

Like all successful authors, the editor must have lost heart. If these were written books, you'd skip whole chapters, but you can't glance at an audio book, so your stuck listening to it all.

They were worthwhile, but could have been so much better.

32 people found this helpful

Great Book, poor recording

Read this book multiple times so wanted to try the audible version. The narrator was ok but there were long pauses throughout the book mostly between chapters but also within them as well. A few times I thought it switched off for some reason. Most of it was scratchy like an old record as well.

3 people found this helpful

So moving!

My boyfriend and I hung on every word. That's all I will say about it.

11 people found this helpful