Rapture

by Phillip W Simpson

• ISBN10: 148394963X
• ISBN13: 9781483949635
• Publish Date: 8 August 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: CreateSpace
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 300
• Language: English

Reviews

[violetpeanut]

I've always been fascinated by retellings of Biblical stories and I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic fiction so I jumped at the chance to read Rapture. Sam is a half-demon who is left behind when the faithful are all called to heaven during the Rapture. Left with him on earth are the unbelievers and the wicked who now have to endure seven years of Tribulation before Jesus comes back to reign on earth.

This Tribulation involves demons. Lots and lots of really creepy, scary and evil demons. Sam and the rest of those left behind must fight for their lives each night against hordes of demons who want to drag them off to hell. This makes for some really great action sequences. Sam uses a Katana and a Wakizashi to fight which is an interesting change from the usual guns and bullets we see in most modern fight sequences. I enjoyed learning a little bit about them and the bits of Japanese culture woven in through Sam's training.

My biggest problem with this book is the style of writing. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and the writing was somewhat stilted so I didn't really connect with the story or any of the characters. Sam should be a sympathetic character. We know of his history through flashbacks that should make us feel for Sam - how he is always in-between humans and demons. How is is forever lonely. How he has to shoulder this immense responsibility even though he can never reap the rewards from it. I understand Sam but I didn't really empathize with him. The other characters in the book were never really developed enough that I cared what happened to them, either.

As for the plot, it was generally exciting and moved along well but I found that it was a little bit predictable. Nothing really surprising happened and even the "twist" was predicted. Despite that, I enjoyed Sam's journey for the most part.

One of my favorite things about this book is the world-building. Post-rapture Earth is a very different place from the one we know today. There is no sun, everything is covered in ash, plants and animals are dying. It's a very bleak and very hot place. I really felt like I could see and feel everything in the environment.

While this may sound like Christian fiction, it's really not. Granted, the premise is taken from Christian dogma, but it's used more as the setting of the story than a lesson in Christianity. Non-Christian readers should not be scared to give this one a try. There is no Bible thumping and nothing will be shoved down your throat.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will probably check out the other two books in the trilogy, Tribulation and Apocalypse. I would recommend this book to all fans of post-apocalyptic fiction and the action sequences and male POV make this a good choice for boys who may be reluctant to read.

[lizarodz]

Find the review and more here:Reading with ABC

I’ve seen reviews of Rapture in other blogs and I was intrigued by the cover and the synopsis, thus I jumped at the opportunity to review it for this tour. It wasn’t quite what I expected, that is to say, that I was pleasantly surprised.

Rapture is a post-apocalyptic tale with heavy religious undertones. The story begins when Sam is ready to start his quest, a few weeks after the rapture. From there, the story is comprised of mostly alternating chapters from the present to Sam’s past. The flashbacks give the reader an insight on Sam’s life, training, family and his responsibility. I rather like Sam’s voice; he is not perfect and doesn’t pretend to be. He had a sheltered life, but full of truths and a burden that’s not easy to carry. It’s refreshing that the main character knows exactly what he is and what his purpose is. I felt sorry for him at times; all in all he fought really hard to do the right thing.

Sam is a half demon, therefore he cannot rise to heaven regardless of how good he is. He’s not a normal teenager, he is socially awkward , distrusted and feared by most and really hard on himself. Other than Sam, we learn a lot about Hikari, his foster father and master, and Aimi, Hikari’s daughter and Sam’s only other companion. During his quest, Sam meets a few people, some better than others, the most memorable Joshua, Grace and Gabriel. I hope that at the end Sam gets a happy ending since he really deserves it.

The characterization is really good, even small characters are well developed and contribute to the story. The writing is articulate and eloquent; there is a lot of narrative to explain to the reader the background of the rapture and tribulation. The plot is original; the concept of the rapture is very interesting, as well as all the different nasty demons that invade Earth. I didn’t have an inkling about the twist towards the end, didn’t see it coming at all!

Overall, Rapture is a post-apocalyptic tale with paranormal and religious undertones that is fascinating to read. I will definitely pic up Tribulation, book two of the series very soon.