The Remnant: On The Brink Of Armageddon

As with the last few books in the series, The Remnant, falls squarely in the middle of the road when it comes to quality. While it would be foolish to call any of the events that are going to take place during the end of days mundane or boring, the authors have certainly gone out of their way, it seems, to highlight the more utilitarian tasks that post rapture believers are going to deal with until the return of Christ. The first half of the novel seems to want to be some sort of action thriller, following the exploits of a small group of Tribulation Force members while they try to rescue their compatriots from Greece. While the sequence was interesting, if a bit drawn out, it's hard to infuse a story with any sense of tension or worry whenever a reader knows that the characters have God on their side, certainly an Ace in the hole if there ever was one. Other than the drawn out length, the story flows pretty well, transitioning into a broader scope throughout the rest of the book, setting forth more of the judgments from Heaven, and how the remaining believers and the rest of the world deal with them. Some of them initially seem comical, like non believers being stricken with supernatural darkness, though the gritty reality of the situation soon becomes apparent as the authors go into detail about what such a world spanning malady would do to the sanity of people already stretched to the limit by a dying planet. While I wouldn't recommend this series of books as any sort of study aide for the book of Revelation, or the end times, there is a message with these pages that is true, despite the fiction surrounding it. I would say, if anything, these books encourage me to take a look at my own Bible again, to read the passages where they authors draw their inspiration, and reading the Bible more is never a bad thing. The end of the book moves the series along dramatically, stopping with only about a year remaining until Christ returns, so while The Remnant, and the previous few books suffered from rather slow pacing, I can imagine that at the very least, the next one should be a whirlwind page turner, as the battle of Armageddon comes to the forefront. ( )

Anyone who is ten books in to a series should know what to expect and The Remnant holds no surprises. The usual structure is exaggerated in this entry, with the first half following one event, without any tension or enjoyable action, whilst the latter half picks it up a bit. The final quarter is a welcome deviation from the norm, with far less dialogue which frequently feels like filler. If the authors could have used this style across the series, it would have been six books shorter and more enjoyable for it. The Remnant is a vital stepping stone in the series however it offers very little character development and overdoes the sermons somewhat. ( )

I enjoyed the story as fiction. I laughed, cried, fumed, and shouted--all positive things--but I want to temper that strongly by saying that I wouldn't suggest it as theological or eschatological material, as some have. I'm not really concerned with the order and how's of end-time events and believe we waste too much time trying to figure it out. As Jesus said: "No one knows the times or the seasons, but my heavenly Father." Do worry about it. Live and hope. You don't need to have it all marked out on a calendar.If someone were to ask me what fictional literature I would suggest, this series wouldn't occur to me at all, and I wouldn't suggest it if it did. But, seeing as I have read it (except the last one and the prequels), I felt like I ought to review it. For story, I would give it three stars, maybe four. But my reservations pull that rating down to two. ( )

The continuing drama of those left behind, now on the brink of Armageddon.

The Remnant is full of action and will keep you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next. I enjoyed this book for all it's action and suspense, but found it not to be as good as the earlier books in the series. ( )