Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
It's the dawn of the Great Tribulation, "the bloodiest season in the history of the world." After lying in state for three days, Nicolae Carpathia has risen from the dead. As the world responds in awe, statues of the potentate and "god" are erected in every major city, and a new religion, "Carpathianism," is in full swing. Followers of the antichrist are branded with a loyalty mark on their right hands or their foreheads, and "vaccinated" with a biochip embedded with personal information. Those who refuse the mark take a one-way trip to the guillotine. The second coming of Christ is only three-and-one-half years away. But can the Tribulation Force hang on?
"The God who calls you to the ultimate sacrifice will also give you the power to endure it. No one can receive the mark of the beast by accident. It is a once-and-for-all decision that will forever condemn you to eternity without God," writes Tsion Ben-Judah in his daily newsletter with its cyberaudience of more than a billion. Heavenly power may be the only hope for the Tribulation Force, as it struggles to survive amidst new terrors, the death of more loved ones, and some unexpected twists in its plans.
The Mark: The Beast Rules the World is the eighth installment in the blockbuster Left Behind series. Rich in dialogue, this action-packed thriller delivers the same consistent mix of apocalyptic mayhem and quirky humor readers have come to expect from the pen of Jerry Jenkins and the prophetic interpretations of Tim LaHaye. --Cindy Crosby
Where do I start? This series has always been addicting, and if you're looking for low quality literature that satiates the political/apocalyptic thriller part of your brain, the Left Behind series is what you need. I will admittedly be reading the rest of the series, no matter what lows the authors sink to.
With that being said, this is some of the worst adult literature I've ever read as far as quality. The characters aren't unique, and you really can't empathize with any of them. Jenkins' way of having an "emotional" moment is to make the character weep uncontrollably, instead of wrestling with complex issues. The women in the book are barely kept up with, and have no depth whatsoever. The dialog is terrible most of the time, with lots of "uh-huh" and "right". The villains, namely Carpathia and Fortunato, are more cartoonish than Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies. Instead of the frightening character that we knew Carpathia to be in the first book, he now just laughs maniacally in his office and enjoys all the ridiculously obsequious, one-dimensional characters that he has working for him.
Aside from that, these books have some of the most internally preposterous scenarios I have ever read. For example, are we to really believe that all the obstinate atheists who were "left behind" are simply kowtowing to Carpathia now? Most of the atheists I know would dismiss Carpathia's rising from the dead as a David Blaine-esque trick. Yet the only two groups in the ENTIRE WORLD that offer any resistance to the GC and Carpathianism are the Judah-ites and the Jews. Are you telling me that Muslims wouldn't wage Jihad on the GC? Please. Lazy, lazy writing. Jenkins tends to dismiss things like this with one line of dialog, which is very unsatisfying. For example, I guess everyone's acceptance of Carpathia's rule with an iron fist (including the inexplicably silly reinstitution of le guillotine) is attributed to his mind control. Apparently everyone in the entire world has a television to watch him when he employs the mind control.
I could honestly go on forever with lists of inconsistencies and bad writing, but all you have to do is open it up and read a few pages. I'm not criticizing it on theological grounds because that's inappropriate for this forum, but I think even Jenkins' biggest fans have to admit that he is a simplistic writer. Don't go in expecting to be moved. These books are entertaining in the same way that Rocky and Bullwinkle is entertaining. Although Boris is a better villain than Carpathia ;)
Used Book "The Mark: The Beast Rules The World
Customer Rating:
Although I haven't read the book yet, I feel sure it will live up to expectations, being the eighth in the series and I have enjoyed them all so far. The book arrived promptly, in good condition and exactly as described.
The Mark
Customer Rating:
This book is part of the Left Behind series and I have absolutely enjoyed reading this. I recommend the book and this series to anyone.
pokey delivery
Customer Rating:
The book arrived by the delivery date stated which took nearly 3 weeks. I ordered other books in this series from other sellers and they all arrived within the first 2 weeks. The book arrived in good condition and the seller met the designated delivery date, but I felt it could have been shipped much quicker.
Thank God it's getting better again
Customer Rating:
Ok, finally another good book in this series, the first one and then a bunch of crap in between and now this one. And I say this because with this book....I didn't have to force myself to read it. It actually picks up and is not a repeat of a lot of stuff that happened in the other books. I just hope the rest of the series is as good, maybe then I will be able to finish before the end of the year.
Select button not working? 
