Of all the end-of-the-world novels I’ve read recently, this one is clearly the best. The author’s not trying to convince me of any particular scriptural interpretation. He’s not trying to convert me and change my life. And he’s not just jumping on a popular bandwagon either. Instead he offers a well-plotted, intriguingly different tale, with a fascinating teen protagonist, left behind in a desperate world.

If timing is everything, this author has more than everything, setting up the present and revealing the past with nicely intersecting storylines. Yes, the Rapture has happened. But this is no tale of everyone vanishing and clothes left in heaps, nor yet of those who thought they had it made rallying to a new cause. This novel creates a mythology all its own, with a demon child born to fight on the side on mankind while denied the chance of heaven. In one beautifully memorable scene, set on the forbidden and agonizing ground of a church, young demon Sam learns he is loved. And that, despite all condemnation heaped on him by others and himself, is enough to bring him through.

Guarded and guided by a wise warrior as he grew, cared for and loved by the girl the world calls his sister, Sam grows up into a scary destiny, told through intriguing details that weave into the tale. Moving seamlessly between past and present, with clear dates and directions, the story takes readers from Utah to Vegas, from cathedral to hell, and from fear and loss to hope. It’s a beautifully complete story in itself, one that’s truly hard to put down, filled with great detail and powerful imagination. And it’s a great start to a longer story told in the next two books. I’m eager to read them!

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy by the author and I offer my honest review. ( )

This is a fascinating tale between heaven and hell, good and evil. Phillip takes us on a journey through an apocalyptic landscape of a shuddered earth after the Rapture.

Sam, who is the main character, has been given the task of taking on the Antichrist. He has spent his whole life training for this event. His adoptive father Hikari was well aware of his purpose and trained him both in his fighting skills and his Biblical knowledge so that he may be prepared for the day of the rapture.

Unfortunately for Sam his half human, half demon heritage will prevent him from going in the rapture with Hikari and his daughter Aimi, which Sam has grown to love dearly over the years. Very Early in the story Sam finds himself left behind and must travel across America to fulfill his destiny. Along the way he meets and protects several others who are left behind and must fight to protect the innocents. I soon found myself routing for Sam and wishing that I could be there to both help and comfort him. The battle scenes are intense and his loneliness is heartbreaking.

There is much to love about this book, I found myself engrossed in the pages and could visualize the locations and scenes as though it were in pictures. Sure it is a Christian based fiction book, but it goes well beyond the genre. I think most readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic, thrillers, action adventure and fantasy will feel right at home here.

Claretta Maynard, The Kindle Book Review
“The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.” ( )

I've always been fascinated by retellings of Biblical stories and I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic fiction so I jumped at the chance to read Rapture. Sam is a half-demon who is left behind when the faithful are all called to heaven during the Rapture. Left with him on earth are the unbelievers and the wicked who now have to endure seven years of Tribulation before Jesus comes back to reign on earth.

This Tribulation involves demons. Lots and lots of really creepy, scary and evil demons. Sam and the rest of those left behind must fight for their lives each night against hordes of demons who want to drag them off to hell. This makes for some really great action sequences. Sam uses a Katana and a Wakizashi to fight which is an interesting change from the usual guns and bullets we see in most modern fight sequences. I enjoyed learning a little bit about them and the bits of Japanese culture woven in through Sam's training.

My biggest problem with this book is the style of writing. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and the writing was somewhat stilted so I didn't really connect with the story or any of the characters. Sam should be a sympathetic character. We know of his history through flashbacks that should make us feel for Sam - how he is always in-between humans and demons. How is is forever lonely. How he has to shoulder this immense responsibility even though he can never reap the rewards from it. I understand Sam but I didn't really empathize with him. The other characters in the book were never really developed enough that I cared what happened to them, either.

As for the plot, it was generally exciting and moved along well but I found that it was a little bit predictable. Nothing really surprising happened and even the "twist" was predicted. Despite that, I enjoyed Sam's journey for the most part.

One of my favorite things about this book is the world-building. Post-rapture Earth is a very different place from the one we know today. There is no sun, everything is covered in ash, plants and animals are dying. It's a very bleak and very hot place. I really felt like I could see and feel everything in the environment.

While this may sound like Christian fiction, it's really not. Granted, the premise is taken from Christian dogma, but it's used more as the setting of the story than a lesson in Christianity. Non-Christian readers should not be scared to give this one a try. There is no Bible thumping and nothing will be shoved down your throat.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will probably check out the other two books in the trilogy, Tribulation and Apocalypse. I would recommend this book to all fans of post-apocalyptic fiction and the action sequences and male POV make this a good choice for boys who may be reluctant to read.

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There is one simple fact about this cover: it is eye-candy. The second thing I wanted to say was this: I am happy that I got the opportunity to read it.

Rapture by Phillip W. Simpson is the story of Sam, a boy he always knew he was different and was aware that he would never be accepted because of it. Choices made long before he was born led to the terrible truth about his existence: he was not simply a human boy but rather a half-demon, conceived to bring about the apocalypse. What Satan had not considered was that the humanity in him would be stronger than any demonic urges that would be thrown at him. It was not planned for him to be raised up as a sort of savior to the people left behind after the Rapture. Yet here he was, doing exactly that. Now, a new Antichrist has risen up in the midst of all this horror and Sam's destiny seemed to be entwined with this unknown figure. His charge from heaven is to save the innocent and to finish off the Antichrist. Even I can say that it is a lot of pressure to be putting on some teenage kid. But he is no ordinary teenager and by the time the book is over, it's pretty clear.


The plot is actually very beautiful. Is that weird? I found the subject intriguing because the way it entangled both religion and a dystopian world was something that I had not considered. I've found that it is easier to separate the two completely from each other than to combine them. It's hard to make an appealing story when the book is basically saying, 'Those who are left behind are screwed because they sinned in life,' but there is a certain amount of humanity to the story. Of course, if Sam hadn't been there to act as some sort of savior to those left behind and protect them from going to Hell, I would've had a hard time with the story. It showed that even in the darkest of hours there is hope. No one is perfect so why condemn them straight away?


Sam, the main character, showed from the beginning that he was a strong character both physically, mentally, and emotionally. I suppose you would have to be in order to survive the things that he had to endure as the protector for this fallen world. In a matter of moments, he lost everyone that he had ever held dear to him and was left behind in a world that was ruled by demons. He could have easily lost hope in his destiny and lost touch with who he truly was but he held true to himself. It would have been hard to suddenly find himself surrounded by the people who once judged him -- who once hated him because he was so different. Why should he play savior for people who had always hated him or were most likely going to by the time everything was over? He knew that they would never be grateful for his efforts, because who would ever admit to feeling gratitude toward some half-demon creature? Even if he looked human, he knew he wasn't and so did they. I have a lot of respect for him in the sense that he protects everyone, even his enemies. I doubt I would have been willing to do what he must to fulfill his destiny. He earned a lot of props for giving away food to people who would never care for him.

Even if he was half-demon, I think he is more human, more caring, more sacrificing than anyone else in this world. He is prepared to give up it all for the sake of a cause that made him an outcast.


I was curious about Hikari when he was first introduced to the story. I'll admit that I'm not used to having the term 'master' be used in the oriental context, which threw me off for a bit. I am taking history as one of my courses this semester so that's probably why. But for someone who I could've easily hated, there was something that just begged to be loved about him. He saw Sam as his son despite the fact that he was not and he accepted Sam for who he was because he knew that somewhere instead this boy, there was a strong will growing. It was hard to see how much certain things that happened to Sam affected him. I could literally feel the strong bond between the two of them and I crave to have that with my own father. It's funny how that works out. There is almost an undeniable ache left behind once he is gone, which is hard to read. Aimi is the daughter of Hikari and a couple years younger than Sam. She is mature for her age, something I can understand since she probably had to grow up faster than anyone else ever has. For knowing Sam's true nature, she never seemed to doubt that he was a good person and she rushed to his aid when he needed someone to be on his side. I liked that. She is Sam's best friend, she has seen him at his worst, and knows that he will do his best to fulfill his destiny.


Overall, I really liked the way the story flowed and how the characters developed over the course of the book. I liked the way that it shifted from present to past, giving me insight into the characters who were no longer around since the Rapture. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyed this story! Very different kind of tribulation story. This is definitely not one from the "left behind" series! I liked the idea of a half-demon fighting Satan and the Antichrist. Very intriguing way to play with Christian themes from a YA fantasy perspective. I would recommend this story for anyone wanting a fun, action-driven story using Christian elements. ( )