Travis Thrasher brings us a fast-paced, heart-thumping novelization of the upcoming film “The Remaining,” which opens on Sept. 5.
“The Remaining” tells the story of six college friends — Lauren, Skylar, Allie, Tommy, Dan and Jack. The book opens with the six buddies meeting at a beach house in Wilmington, N.C., with secret plans — Dan is going to propose to Skylar. During this time, Lauren has also been suffering horrific nightmares, seeing visions of her friends bloodied and injured with all sorts of mayhem and destruction happening.
One year later the friends are back together for the wedding, and Lauren’s visions have come again with vengeance.
What follows is about two days of “exquisite terror” — to use a phrase from the end of the book. The friends must face the results of the Rapture — when God takes His believers to Heaven leaving the unbelievers behind — and the resulting horrors and judgements that follow.
Thrasher’s book is extremely fast-paced, with intense action and quick scenes — much like a movie. Each chapter and scene is often told from the perspective of a different character, so the reader can have a constant knowledge of what’s happening to each person.
Even though much of the book is very much like the action-packed “horror” style of the film on which it’s based, Thrasher takes the time to offer beautiful imagery — like “The world is being wiped away slowly but surely, like the notes on a dry-erase board being rubbed off bit by bit” — as well as lovely salvation messages.
This book was scary, horrifying, beautiful and amazing. It is the epitome of the Good versus Evil story. It reminds us that we all have a choice to make — whom will we choose, and therefore what fate will we choose. And if you have already made that choice, as Lauren ponders in the prologue, “If you knew the world was about to end, what would you say? Or maybe the question should really be, if this world was going to end, whom would you tell?”
I can’t wait to see the film, but am so glad I have read the book!
Five stars out of five.
Tyndale House Publishers provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“The Remaining,” a novelization by Travis Thrasher