Left Behind (Book Review)

"Now you see it, now you don't." How many times have you heard that expression? Probably too many to count. Now retool it a bit so that it reads "Now you see them, now you don't." Then imagine that this expression applies to the people you love the most. One second your husband or wife is sitting next to you on that overseas flight, and the next they've vanished into thin air. Finally, imagine that at that very second the same thing is happening all over the world. Frightening, isn't it? Well, that's exactly what happens at the beginning of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins's apocalyptic novel Left Behind.

Growing out of an idea that had been taking shape in LaHaye's mind for several years, Left Behind takes the Biblical story of the Rapture and places it into a modern context. Guided by LaHaye's Biblical knowledge, Jenkins crafts an engaging tale of the days following Jesus's rapture of his Church and follows the exploits of some of the individuals who were left behind.

Now before my inbox overflows with cries that the Bible and the Rapture are not science fiction, let me acknowledge that they are not. When I first heard of Left Behind, I didn't know what the story was about; I only knew that it was a wildly popular work of fiction with a title that could have easily made it SF. After picking it up, of course, I found something very different. So no, it is not an SF novel as such.

But the aim of this forum is not only to discuss SF, but also to discuss society. If Left Behind doesn't fall into that category then I don't know what does; and still there are elements that can allow it to be read as SF. Religion has been treated in SF in many ways to challenge the beliefs of the reader and to comment on our religious institutions. If you aren't a believer, Left