One afternoon in October, I was hanging out on Twitter and I saw a brief mention of a film called “The Remaining.” I don’t know what caused me to look into this film further, it isn’t like Twitter isn’t full of interesting little teases, but this one had me. I wanted to learn more. I followed the link and found that it was kind of a supernatural thriller based on the rapture. There is something about a rapture film that pulls me in. I think it is because I was scared by the movie “Thief in the Night” as a small child. Either way, scared or not, I have always been fond of post apocalyptic works and supernatural thrillers, I didn’t see the film playing anywhere near me, but what I did find was that there was a novelization by Travis Thrasher. For me that cinched it. I didn’t worry about seeing the movie, I HAD to read the book. This also is nothing incredibly new for me. I did the same thing with “Return of the Jedi” and “Goonies.” Books never ruin a movie for me but movies can ruin books…BUT I digress.
A little bit about the book:
Novelization by Travis Thrasher (based on the Affirm Films Thriller)
About the Book (from Goodreads): “The Remaining” is a novelization of the apocalyptic movie from Sony Affirm. Just after a young couple says their vows, the earth shakes, and some people die suddenly and are taken away. The rest of their wedding party and friends are left to wrestle with what happened and with their faith. Characters struggle with secret love, dreams, hopes, and beliefs as they continue to evaluate their faith. This book and movie are both action-packed thrillers that will encourage audiences to think about their beliefs.
My Review:
First of all, though I stretched it out into a few weeks because of busyness, I actually read “The Remaining” in two sittings. It is engaging from the beginning with characters who are what you would expect from a film: great looking, fun loving, and seemingly having everything in the world to look forward to. They may be a little over-the-top perfect, but hey, it is a movie novelization, and EVERYONE is over the top in movies.
The story focuses on the viewpoints of several characters. Through these characters we get a different perspective on faith, the event itself, and their own relationships. A few times I caught myself jumping back a paragraph or a page to figure out whose eyes I was currently looking through. Even when I backtracked, I still was lost in the book itself. Nothing pulled me away from the story.
This is not your typical end-times story. “The Remaining” covers the rapture and all things related into a day’s time. It is spooky, gory and the stuff of your worst nightmare. A dream wedding dissolves into utter pandemonium. There is very little down time in the story. It is almost all high pressure and intensity.
All in all, I enjoyed “The Remaining” and if there was a sequel, I would read it. It was entertaining, fast paced and full of surprises.
If you are interested in film, check it out.
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