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Readers around the globe have become familiar with Jenkins’ writing though the best-selling Left Behind series he coauthored with Tim LaHaye. In Soon, Jenkins begins a new tale of a time before the rapture, a time in many ways just as frightening for believers everywhere. In this world, following a Third World War, the consolidated government reacts to extreme destruction around the earth by outlawing religion–the cause, in their eyes, of all the trouble. We’re brought into the story over thirty years after the fact, when "subversive" sects of Christianity are once again beginning to sprout up and "cause trouble." This trouble usually manifests itself in literature and peaceful, secretive gatherings that manage to get the upper levels of the government tied in knots. Our main character, Paul Stepola, is one of the most avid Christian-haters. He was raised by a mother who taught him all the evils religion brought into the world, so he gets his doctorate on the subject in the hope of being able to ferret out these deluded people. Married to the daughter of one of the government’s highest officials in the campaign to root out this new breed of terrorist, Paul ends up with more information on them then he really wanted from his father-in-law; namely, that his former Delta Force commander, a man he had loved as a father, was one of them. He was, in fact, killed because of his affiliation. Paul can’t figure out why such a strong man would succumb to a such a weak crutch, and his hatred intensifies when he discovers in his late mother’s basement a letter his own father–whom he had never known–had written to him on the day he was born. What he learns is that the hero he had been taught to idolize had also been a Christian, something Paul cannot fathom. He sets out on a personal crusade to convince himself that it’s all a lie and ends up on a task force set on rooting out and obliterating the Christian underground. Through a series of events that believers call miracles and everyone else maintains to be acts of terrorism pulled off by those believers, Paul comes face to face with a Godly power that infuriates him. His knowledge of religion gives him answers as to how to draw these people out, but it doesn’t answer any questions about why they would put their lives at risk to begin with. And the miracles he sees do little to convince him–though one literally blinds him, a sudden burst of flame damaging his eyes beyond most hope of repair. This is where the imagery became undeniable. I actually put down the book and went, "Is this supposed to be a Paul story?" Then I slapped myself on the head when I realized it was even the character’s name. So if you read Acts, you can get a hint of what’s to come with our character here. I certainly appreciate that huge chunks of the book are actually retellings of Biblical stories, updated and pieced together in a new tale, but all credible because they refer us back to our core beliefs. The unexplainable happenings are intriguing and compelling, and the very-human failings seen in the people prove convincing to the reader. My biggest problem with it, which isn’t with the story itself at all, is that the style and type of story has become so familiar after the Left Behind books that sometimes I felt as though I should have already read it–and found myself hoping this didn’t turn into another nearly-ten-year, twelve-book project that would keep me tapping my foot in impatience and wondering how many more there could possibly be. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been an avid Left Behind reader since the get-to. Which has begun to seem like a long, long time ago. Soon is indeed open for a sequel which is just out, Silenced, the review of which will follow in the next issue. Here’s hoping this new and so-far-so-good series doesn’t stretch out longer than the Tribulation itself, like its predecessor. I’m all for a good, thick, juicy book, but when it achieves the "thick" part with huge margins and a gigantic font, I begin to question whether I’m getting my money’s worth. So here’s also hoping this series doesn’t succumb to the make-it-last-so-we-can-charge-more syndrome. If I’m being cynical, forgive me. I liked this book, as I’ve liked the others I’ve read with Jerry Jenkins’ name on the cover. I just don’t want to be roped into spending another three hundred dollars on its sequels because of it. So for Soon, I give my stamp of approval. If I find myself writing a review for Book Twelve in the series, I may have another opinion.
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