General

*Most of the synopsis are from the back cover of the novels or shortened versions of those. There are a few with my own summaries.

Authors Reviewed-Click to jump to books by that author

Austen, Jane
Crighton, Michael
DeMille, Nelson
Douglass, Keith
Jenkins, Jerry B.
LaHaye, Tim
Little, Bentley
Neville, Katherine
Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: 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.

Review: I don't want people who feel they are not religious and don't want to read a book about religion to be turned off by this series. I'm not a religious person and normally avoid reading religious books. However, I found this book to be fascinating and had a hard time putting it down. I would highly suggest everyone to read this book. The entire idea was interesting and I like how the story is about what happens during and after all these catastrophes. It's not like most doomsday books where it ends in turmoil.

Tribulation Force by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: Book 2 of the Left Behind series. On one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear. Those left behind face war, famine, plagues, and natural disasters so devastating that only one in four people will survive. Odds are even worse for enemies of the Antichrist and his new world order. Rayford Steele, Buck Williams, Bruce Barnes, and Chloe Steele band together to form the Tribulation Force. Their task is clear, and their goal is nothing less than to stand and fight the enemies of God during the seven most chaotic years the planet will ever see.

Review: The second book was just as good as the first. I found myself truly becoming to like the characters of the Tribulation Force and feel for what they have faced. I think this series attracted me because it's one of those what if this happened sort of books. It really captures the imagination.

Nicolae by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: Book 3 of the Left Behind series. Now the Tribulation Force must face Nicolae. The seven-year tribulation is nearing the end of its first quarter, when prophecy says that "the wrath of the Lamb" will be poured out upon the earth. Rayford Steele becomes the ears of the tribulation saints at the highest levels of the Carpathia regime. Meanwhile, Buck Williams attempts a dramatic all-night rescue run from Israel through the Sinai that will hold you breathless to the end.

Review: I thought the series began to slow down slightly in this third book. There were some passages where I skimmed over. However, it does keep you wanting to know what's going to happen up to the end.

Soul Harvest by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: Rayford Steele and Buck Williams have survived the wrath of the Lamb, a global earthquake in the twenty-first month of the Tribulation. As the world hurtles toward the Trumpet Judgments and the great soul harvest prophesied in Scripture, Rayford and Buck begin searching for their loved ones from different corners of the world.

Review: Again I thought this fourth book was still not as compelling as the first two books. However, the authors had done such a good job of character development that I kept reading to find out what would happen to each person.

Apollyon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: Book five of the Left Behind series. The world holds its breath as the Tribulation Force ventures to Jerusalem for the great Meeting of the Witnesses, where tens of thousands defy the Antichrist to sit under the ministry of their pastor-teacher, Tsion Ben-Judah. Meanwhile, Rayford Steele finally discovers the shocking truth about his wife, Amanda, but becomes an international fugitive. The fifth Trumpet Judgment-a plague of scorpion-like locusts led by Apollyon, chief demon of the abyss-is so horrifying that men try to kill themselves but are not allowed to die.

Review: I thought the added twist of whether Rayford's wife, Amanda, is a true believer or a spy for the Antichrist was great. I don't like how this question was resolved though.

The Mark by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Synopsis: Book eight of the Left Behind series. Nicolae Carpathia is back, this time as Satan. Ensconced in a new safe house, the Tribulation Force suffers tragic loss at the dawn of the second half of the seven-year Tribulation, the Great Tribulation. Terror comes to the believers in Greece as they are among the first to face a GC loyalty mark application site and its benignly named but hideous death contraption, the loyalty enforcement facilitator. The gloves are off and the battle is launched between the forces of good and evil for the very souls of men and women around the globe.

Review: This book finally really got me back into the series and wanting to read the next installment. The action picks up as the two sides start taking more drastic actions against the other. The idea of the loyalty marks reminded me of how the Jews were tattooed with numbers to identify them.

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Synopsis: New York City, Dec. 1972-Musician, painter, dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. About to head off to her new assignment in the barely 20th century culture of Algeria, Cat meets some friends on New Year's Eve and has her palm read by a mysterious fortune teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then at the same party, someone approaches Cat with an offer. A dealer in antiques, he has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of a very old chess service. Those pieces are purported to be in Algeria.

The South of France, Spring 1790-Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortress-like Montglane Abbey. With France herself aflame with the Revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against the constricted convent life that awaits them. Yet, in a way they never could have imagined their means of escape is at hand. For buried deep within the walls and floor of the abbey are pieces of a treasure: the Montglane Chess Service, once owned by Charlemagne. Whoever assembles the pieces can play the Game-a game of unlimited power. But to keep the dangerous Game a secret from those who would abuse the mystical power, the two young women must scatter the pieces throughout the world.

Review: This was a book I actually had to read for a class in highschool. I enjoyed it so much that I've read it many times since then. I enjoyed how the point of view switched from Cat to Mireille throughout the book and yet tied into the same story. The end wrapped up very nicely. Many of the ideas brought up in this book were interesting and fascinating. It's quite a dense book but definitely worth reading.

The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille

Synopsis: She was an army captain and the daughter of legendary General "Fighting Joe" Campbell when her body was found-naked and bound-on the firing range of Fort Hadley. This political power keg of a case goes directly to elite army investigator Paul Brenner and rape specialist Cynthia Sunhill...and explodes. Behind the military code of honor, Brenner and Sunhill uncover trails of corruption-all leading to the golden girl's shocking secret life.

Review: Some may notice that this book was made into a movie starring John Travolta. I have never watched the movie so I can't compare the book against it. The story was interesting but I found it hard to relate and sympathize with the characters. I didn't dislike this book but it's not one I would read over and over again.

Icefire by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Synopsis: The Place: Antarctica. The Ross Ice Shelf. A floating slab of solid ice the size of France, more than three thousand feet thick. The Event: On Thanksgiving weekend, six precisely placed nuclear warheads buried 2,000 feet beneath the ice detonate in sequence, shearing the Ross shelf from the underwater rises that anchor it. The nuclear shockwave drives the shelf into the Pacific at 500 miles an hour, creating an initial wall of water 1,400 feet high. In 35 hours, it will lay waste to Hawaii. In 38 hours, the southeastern regions of Japan will become little more than swampland. Set against a split-second race against global devastation is Navy SEAL Captain Mitch Webber and oceanographer Cory Rey. Once lovers, now enemies, they're plunged into a maelstrom of international intrigue and betrayal.

Review: This book was interesting because just the idea of it happening seems so unplausable yet it makes you wonder if it could happen. The basic story line was interesting although some areas were somewhat unbelievable. I didn't really care for the romance the author tried to add to the story. This is a one time read book.

The Summoning by Bentley Little

Synopsis: Darkness is descending on the small town of Rio Verde, Arizona. An evil older than time is rising from the desert, waiting for night to fall and a reign of terror to begin. Brad Woods had performed a lot of autopsies, but never one like this. The body was purged of all blood. Fear made Sue Wing run from the darkened school that night, fear she could only name in the Cantonese of her grandmother:Cup-hu-girngsi...corpse-who-drinks-blood. Vampires. The Devil, incarnate, stalking the streets of Rio Verde. Small-town reporters like Rich Carter didn't believe in such things. But he would come to believe with a faith borne of horror after horror.

Review: Most times I judge how good a book is by whether or not I can put it down or if I just have to finish it. This book I have to give a so-so review because while I was reading it, it did keep me interested but it was no big deal to put it down. I liked the mix of vampire vs. devil in this story and thought it was interesting how the author included the Cantonese view on vampires. The ending was a real let down though.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Synopsis: Elizabeth Bennet is young, vivacious, strong-willed, and unmarried. Mr. Darcy is rich, handsome, unbearably arrogant, and...also unmarried. The two are reluctantly attracted to one another. Yet they fight against the love they feel with fierce pride and willful prejudice.

Review: Again this was a book I read in high school and came to love. I have a well worn copy that has traveled with me to college and after graduation. It's a classic love story and I love the characters. I loved Mr. Darcy despite his arrogance and Lizzy was amusing. I would highly recommend this book to everyone although I believe that the first time through may be difficult for some.

Seal Team Seven by Keith Douglass

Synopsis: Operation Sun Hammer-As twin torpedoes from a renegade Iranian sub streak into the hull of their escort ship, the crew of the Yuduki Maru looks on in horror...Their cargo includes two tons of weapons-grade plutonium. And now, with enough nuke fuel to arm a superpower, an alliance of fanatics threatens to poison a continent. In a daring mission of high-seas heroism, Lt. Blake Murdock leads his seven-man unit from Team Seven's Red Squad into bulkhead-to-bulkhead battle-with high-tech buccaneers who've got nothing left to lose.

Review: I love this series. It's fascinating to have a glimpse into the world of these special, elite military groups. How much of it is real-life I do not know but they do make for exciting reading. This book was great as it dealt with Murdock's having to win over his new Seal Team. This may have changed from another book in the series but I believe Team Seven was made up of the Blue and Gold Squads but I could be mistaken since the publisher's summary mentions a red team. Either way I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy military stories.

Nucflash by Keith Douglass

Synopsis: Operation NucFlash-In the New World Order there is only one fear: A renegade state will gain control of a nuclear weapon and incinerate a city of innocent people. Now a team of cold, psychotic renegades is about to pull off the unthinkable...It's up to Lt. Blake Murdock and his SEALs to bring the bad guys down. He knows who they are. He knows where they are. And he faces a deadly double jeopardy. Not only must Murdock and his team go up against fanatics with training and bloodlust equal to their own, somewhere out there is a thermonuclear device. And it's ticking away the seconds to Doomsday.

Review: This book wasn't as good as the first in the series. I thought the author should have refrained from trying to toss in a little romance. But I suppose most books do try that at some point. This book showed the two interesting sides to these elite military teams. He showed them in action getting their jobs done and showed their struggle to maintain funding and support from the more traditional military forces. On the whole I could say pass on this book unless you are a big fan of Team SEAL Seven.

Bloodstorm by Keith Douglass

Synopsis: Six Russian Satan intercontinental ballistic missiles have disappeared from the Ukraine-only to resurface in Libya. Now, Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi has sixty nuclear warheads to help him regain power in the Middle East- and he's just set one off in a small city in Chad where thirty thousand civilians once lived. Now, Lt. Cdr. Blake Murdock and his elite SEAL team must embark on a covert operation to find and dismantle the rest of Libya's arsenal-before all of Africa is engulfed in a nuclear fire.

Review: This book wasn't bad but it seemed to be made up of a series of minor stories. I expected most of the conflict to be between al-Qaddafi and the SEALs but it seems like the SEAL team just jumped from one spot to another without developing much of a story in any one place. Most of the story didn't even take place in Africa like the summary seemed to indicate. One nice aspect of this book was the reappearance of Kat, the nuclear specialist. I like her grit although I thought her pursuing a relationship with Murdock doesn't really work. And probably the part of the book I most disliked is the whole by-play between Jaybird and Dobler's daughter. I don't know if he's going to develop this story in upcoming books but in this book it seemed to be a pointless subplot.

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Synopsis: In an Arizona desert a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but to enter it. And with history opened to the present, the dead awakened to the living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very survival-six hundred years ago.

Review: This book wasn't bad but I wouldn't call it a great book. The idea was intriguing though. I've always enjoyed the ideas of parallel universes and how our world interacts with them. What I did like was that this was one of the few books I read that didn't portray the scientists as evil and uncaring of the people their experiments affect. Yes the man at the head of this research was a bastard but he didn't set out to hurt people.

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