Silenced: The Wrath of God Descends

I thought this was a terrific book, and I liked the first one equally as much. I loved the development of faith in the main characters... that they are not "preached to" by anyone, but wooed to the truth by the Word Himself. I also appreciated the ambivalence of some of the characters about doing the right thing. Jenkins understands that in real life people of faith aren't always fearless, and he lets us see their weaknesses and how God's power is revealed when they reach the end of their own strength. Even the prayers for/against God's wrath rang true, when they said they just didn't know what to pray for... but still they prayed. The only slightly bothersome thing was that God answered their prayers for judgement... in their timing... in the way they specified... when He could have authored something entirely new to display His sovereignty. God is not on a leash, and his answers to prayer are more often not what we would expect. I enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next one!

I really thought this book was actually BETTER than SOON. Perhaps, it is because the characters are now defined for us...so we can get on with the story. Let me tell you, once the story starts, you are hooked. Jerry Jenkins has a real talent for writing good Christian fiction that does attempt to use every plot twist and turn to preach to you from the Bible. I appreciate his ability to interweave scripture into the text of the story so that you can learn from it, instead of having it shoved down your throat. It is plainly obvious who the writer is in the LEFT BEHIND series....and Mr. Jenkins adeptly pulls it off again in this story. This book is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will get you hooked and then leave you waiting eagerly for the next installment. I think the best character in this story has to be Jae, Paul Stepola's wife. She seems to be the most "human" of all the characters, and I think many can identify with her problem of being caught in the crossroads between atheism and religious belief. She represents many of us today who are struggling with that same problem.... Once again, Jenkins delivers a really great story...and I am so looking forward to the next book in this series! Read it today!

Jerry does more than raise the adrenaline in his fiction; he makes us ask how much we value our faith. That's the critical bottom line.

World War III, fought over religious difference, decimated the population. Religion became banned and led to the National Peace Organization killing traitors who disregard the taboo; none is as fanatical as NPO operative Paul Slepola until he becomes a believer. He also becomes the highest placed male in the party but he does not tell his wife because her father was the father of the party.When Paul brought down what was thought a high placed person in the underground he became a hero to many and his wife, who forgave his many infidelities, began to believe they had a future together. When someone claiming to represent the underground bombs Italy and France, Paul is sent over to bring him to justice. He also makes contact with the underground. Back home they believe he has turned traitor and are going to use his wife to prove it. The party is also implementing measures to have citizens sign papers saying they do not believe in religion; the penalty for lying is loss of freedom or death. Paul must stop this from happening or even worse problems will resonate around the Globe.Jerry Jenkins always tells a great story and SILENCED is no exception. Paul wants to prove to his wife he changed and his wife must choose which side she is on: her father or her husband's beliefs. There is a lot of action in this science fiction thriller but the best part of SILENCED is the scenes where Paul's wife must make up her mind about who she truly believes in and acts upon it. This series is as good as the Left Behind Books but they are very different as the author shows the audience the powers of prayer and how it works in our every day lives within this compelling tale about a repressive regime that punishes those who do not obey their edicts.Harriet Klausner