Apocalypse Crucible: The Earth's Last Days: The Battle Continues

I am not sure what Mel Odem's background is but he has managed to tell a story that is multi-dimensional. He writes an interesting story that is relevant to today's headlines in regards to the struggle between Muslim extremists and the rest of the world--- prophecies that are clearly described in the Bible in terms of modern day events--- and the complexities of relationships between people. He describes the confusion and dysfunctions that occur when a young mother divorces, remarries and has a second child with her new husband. He describes the complexities brought about by an alcoholic father whose son becomes a minister, who has a son that becomes a chaplain, and has a son that joins the military and is killed in action. He describes the fear that overcomes teenagers and adults when the rapture occurs and only non-Christians are left behind. He tells of the human tendency to bully others and to force others to submit to their will. And he tells of the struggle for good people who were too confused by the complexities of life to have given themselves completely to God who are caught up in a post-raptured world struggling to make sense of the situation that they now find themselves in. I left Mel Odem's first book on my dresser for nearly a year because I thought it was a shallow fiction book based on the military aspects of end time events. I was wrong. I have read the first two books in this series and ordered the third which I am looking forward to receiving and reading.

Odom picked up the pace a bit in this second book of the series, incorporating a little more action and toggling between different storylines a little more often, which helps those of us with shorter attention spans to continue turning the pages well after we should be asleep. I think this second book in the series is a marked improvement over the first book. I really enjoyed the first book, but it's obvious that Odom has hit his stride and better knows where this story is going with the second one. I admire Odom's understanding of people. I'm now chewing through the third book in the series and have come to appreciate that Odom has obviously spent his life observing and getting to know people. There's a depth to his characters - or maybe it's in the subtle thoughts he voices through his characters...I can't quite put my finger on it - that suggests the author has long been a student of people. Whatever it is, to me it's this strength that makes his characters so believable. They're not superheroes. They're just people in extraordinary times and circumstances. I can imagine any one of of his characters living next door to me. Odom's first in the series was good. I thought this one showed marked improvement. Even the editing was tighter and cleaner than the first book. Still no major shortage of signs that the editor tackled this one in a rush, but there was obvious greater attention to detail in the editing of this one. It's a well-written book and was a page turner for me. It was more than worth my time to read. If you've enjoyed the books from the Left Behind series and its spin-off series, I suspect you'll find this one to be another worthwhile read.

Apocalypse Crucible gave us more of Apocalypse Dawn. I like Odom's characters, action sequences, and the solid level of tension in the storyline. Goose is a true man's man, and his wife cares deeply, thinks well, but allows her heart to get the best of her at times. Jenny's complicated character has moved from the background to the frontline. Amongst this cast, there is someone for every type of reader to identify with.Perhaps most interesting is how the author is able to slip back and forth between male-think and female think. The Goose storyline is all action, clear-cut decision making, with only short bursts of angst, while the female side is full of inner thoughts and emotional turmoil. We move back and forth between the two in seemless fashion.The one potential danger in facing Odom's work is that the story is on the verge of either meandering (much as Left Behind began to do towards the middle of the series), or of really taking off. With all the warnings readers have issued concerning plotline drift, Book Three will either make or break this series. My Four star rating is a vote of confidence that the author will deliver!

I was quite pleased with the second installment of the Left Behind military series. While this volume does not cover a large amount of time, it gives us a chance to become connected with, and thereby care for, the characters introduced in volume one. You can feel the evil beginning to develop - almost like having the hairs on your neck standing up. I would suggest that readers begin with the Left Behind series before beginning the military set, because it helps to have the entire scenario in your head as you begin the Apocalypse novels - it makes everything that much more suspenseful because you already KNOW what the characters have yet to discover! I read this book in one day. I recommend it,highly!

Millions of people across the globe have disappeared and few know why. In Sanlifina, Turkey, First Sergeant Samuel Adams "Goose" Gandiers knows that his five year old son Chris has disappeared out of the Fort Benning nursery. Though concerned, he tries not to think about it as the Syrians are about to attack the American lines and he doesn't have enough military support to stop them. A rogue CIA agent Icarus tries to find Goose to tell him something about the disappearances while his immediate superior Captain Remington wonders what to do with the sergeant who has chosen a different road then him.In Fort Benning, Georgia, Goose's wife Megan is ordered to keep a low profile until her trial when she has to defend herself in regards to a teenager she was counseling who vanished while falling off a building; his body was never found, just the clothes he wore. Megan counsels another suicidal teenage when the MPs shoot him.Alone and separated by more than an ocean, Megan and Goose struggle with their faith as demons from hell prey upon mankind.APOCALYPSE CRUCIBLE, the sequel to APOCALYPSE DAWN, is an exciting military thriller that takes place over a twenty -four hour period. There is plenty of action as a military skirmish is vividly described that readers feel they are at the battlefield. The protagonist's wife questions what is happening in her world but at her lowest point, she finds the courage to learn the truth that everyone left behind wants to deny. Mel Odom has written a powerful tour de force and readers will want to read the next book in this series as soon as it is published.Harriet Klausner