The Rising

Richard Ferrone's gravelly voice and professional delivery skillfully portray the main characters of the Left Behind series in this new series, Countdown to the Rapture. Ferrone's depiction of Rayford as a child is typical of a youngster with the dream of becoming a pilot. His recreation of Nicolae Carpathia portrays an icy-cold persona from birth. His portrayal of Carpathia's haughtiness strikes a chord of fear. Ferrone's narrative and characterizations capture the essence of each character, but, as good as he is, he can't overcome the plot. Since the listener knows the ending from the beginning, the characters' back story fails to engage. This title would work well as a sequel, but not a prequel. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine