Rapture

by Phillip W Simpson

[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.