Apocalypse Dawn (The Left Behind Apocalypse Series #1)

 (45 customer reviews)

I was really looking forward to this book. Im a big fan of the "Left Behind" series. I have really enjoyed seeing Messrs Lahaye and Jenkins write a story using the End Times as a backdrop. The only problem I had with that series was the authors' technical inaccuracies in the realm of weapons, avionics, logisitcs, etc. I thought this new "military thriller" would right some of those wrongs. That is not the case.Mr. Odom does seem to understand some of the basics of military hardware. He knows B52s are bombers and that M4s are a type of rifle. Beyond that, there are MAJOR flaws. First off, the structure of Army units and their deployment is just wrong. Any general who would put a lightly armed Ranger Battalion on the front line opposing a Syrian mechanized army would be fired. As would a company commander (Cal Remington here) who would send his senior non commissioned officer into harms way to do jobs meant for soldiers with 15-20 years less experience. There is more to a...Read more

The latest hot spot in the world is the border between Turkey and Syria and the United Nations has asked United States President Fitzhugh to send troops there to keep hostilities from turning deadly. American soldiers are at the front lines in Turkey hoping their presence is enough to deter Syria from attacking but those hopes ends with a Syrian attack. Sergeant Samuel Adams "Goose" Gander is at the battle's front lines when many of the soldiers in his command vanish.At Fort Benning, Georgia, Goose's wife Megan tries to talk a suicidal teen out of jumping. She grabs hold of him but is not strong enough to stop his fall, but the only thing that is on the sidewalk is his personal effects. Other people disappeared on the base at the same time.While Goose and Megan fight different wars on different fronts, they remain strong for the people who depend on them. People all across the world choose sides in the coming Tribulation.Fans of the Left Behind series will definitely...Read more

It's hard to write in the immense shadow of Jerry Jenkins' Left Behind Series, but author Mel Odom does a decent enough job with his first attempt in this brand-new spin-off. Where Apocalypse Dawn is strong is its portrayal of military life. It echoes much of the style of Dee Hendersen's Uncommon Heroes Series. It is interesting to step into a world so foreign to many people. Mel also knows how to write a fairly believable plot line. And his character development is rich and vibrant. Apocalypse Dawn is like a microscopic close-up of one angle of the end times, unlike Left-Behind, which is a blow-by-blow chronilogical account. Where this book fails considerably are on two fronts. First, it is quite long and protracted and the average reader will quickly tire of the endless military jargon. It's great for war geeks, who love to rap about RPGS and M-7's and a billion other acronyms and abreviations. The cliques and phrases that are a part of military culture come off as preachy...Read more