Rating  - Unexpectedly Decent-ish
In reviewing books 1 - 5 of this series, I've done my best to bash them without mercy.
The reason I've done this is that the books have deserved bashing. They're bad. Really, very bad. And, while I could pick apart this entry in the series, I think it's time to step away from heavy criticism for a moment and concentrate on the good. Now is the perfect time to do it because Assassins is far and away the best in the series thus far.
I don't know what happened to make it so, but the fact remains. Assassins approaches decent writing.
By allowing even the slightest bit of "gray" into the character of Rayford, there develops interesting conflict between him and the other members of the Tribulation Force. I loved his confrontation with 'T' (which was also one of the only examples of actual Christian virtue I've seen in the series, another huge plus here) and hope for a hinted-at confrontation with Buck further down the line. I've known many, many Christians in my time, and I wouldn't describe one of them as being "perfect." I'm sure that LaHaye & Jenkins would agree with me on that, and I'm glad to see that start to creep into their heroes.
Also, a great thing about this entry in the series was that it didn't wait until the very ending of the novel to have something exciting happen. The pattern, till now, had been to have one Tribulation per novel, usually in the last few pages. Here, we get a Tribulation early on, and so are actually dealing with exciting events during the majority of the book, not just discussing their possibility. That's a great step forward!
Leah Rose seems like a strong character, and might reverse the seeming trend to render all female characters irrelevant; the character of Chloe has never realized its potential, and Hattie approaches a caricature of a non-believer, but Leah might be the one to present a strong, central woman to the cast. Only time will tell there.
These positives -- a more exciting plot and deeper characterizations -- are only a beginning. And, I fear, they might easily be reversed by the novels to come. But, I will take them for what they're worth. They do not make this book "good," but do pull it close to 2.5 stars in my mind, rounded down to 2 due to all of the issues I still have with this series that remain unresolved.
This book at least gives a glimmer of hope that the books to come may prove more tolerable than those I've already, er, left behind.
Rating  - Too slow
The content was good, but the story lines really dragged. The fourth book was the best so far. I had a hard time getting through this one. I have started number 7 which seems to be faster paced. The authors need to learn how to write better cliff hangars , they have the material they just need to learn how to keep it going.
I do appreciate thier effort at bringing people to Christ and the truth to thoses who wouldn't hear it otherwise. Amen to them!
Rating  - Ummm.... Wow!!!
This was by far the best book in the series. The action, suspense, comedy, and elements of saddness blend so well, that its hard not to love the books for what they are.
Unlike the last installments, "Assassins" takes on a darker premise. The characterization gets much more refined, because of the writers ability of putting the reader more into the minds of the character... whereas in the others there wasnt as much of that.
The sensory imput was amazing. Reading about how many of the people die in this novel is gruesome. I have to admit, i cringed at some of the gory details, and believe me when I say there is an abundance in this one as compared to the priors.
I just want to know who shot Nicolae. This book sucked me in so bad I was screaming with excitment. I will no doubt devour the next one.
Rating - On the edge of my seat
I'm almost done w/this book. It saddens me to read everything that goes on during this period. It is so very well written. I am sprung on these books and look forward to the next one. I recommend it w/all my heart.
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Customer Reviews for Tyndale House Publishers,0842329277,9780842329279,0842329277,813.54 |
