Rating: 
Summary: I am sensing a pattern here.
Review: I read "Hunter" and loved it. The plot concerning an armored monster that threatenes the world was great. I read "Cain" and enjoyed it too! The plot concerning an armored monster the threatenes the world was cool. I now have read "Leviathan". Hmmmm.....a armored monster that threatens the world? Huggins' action sequences and suspense are first rate. The skipping record of plots is getting a little old. I can favor a guess at his upcoming novel's next plot. I'm thinking an armored monster that threatens the world.......bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: THIS ONE WILL KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT!!!
Review: I was surprised to read the other reviews about this book. I thought it was scary, thought provoking, and mind boggling. James Byron Huggins does it again with his scary story of a monster on the loose. I found it to be a very intense book! I also could picture myself running from this creature, it gave me the creeps! If you like a good monster book, this will not let you down, but keep you on the edge of your seat!! Watch out!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good, but predictable
Review: I'll be reading more of Huggins, but this book was predictable in my opinion. Not much of a plot. Leviathan is loose! Kill Leviathan! And on the other hand, Leviathan kills everything in it's path until it is stopped. But on the other hand, I really liked who Jackson Conner was. This is a man who cares for his family and is willing to fight for them, even if to the death! Then you come to Thor! Oh, you've gotta love Thor! When Huggins describes his size, you figure he should naturally be with one of those wrestling places! Huge man with a mammoth battle axe, but a heart for the Lord. I find it interesting that Thor is the scholar in this book, but that's what makes it interesting. The one thing I did not know was that Leviathan is in The Bible in the book of Job. That was one thing that kept me reading, and although like I said it was predictable, it was a quick read. Keeps the pages turning, but was easy enough to figure out. But in closing, I'll say that I can't wait to read more of Mr. Huggins. Good work!
Rating:
Summary: A Suspenseful Thriller to the End!
Review: I'm always one who finds it very difficult to find the time to read. However, the book's premise was so intriguing, I had to give it a try. It was absolutely amazing! I couldn't put it down! In fact, I'm still thinking about it and I'm looking forward to trying another one of Huggin's books.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible novel of scientific suspense
Review: If you liked Jurassic Park, you'll love Leviathan. The book opens with the creation of a genetically engineered Komodo dragon capable of defeating a modern-day army. Of course, the monster can't be contained and escapes with the goal of annihilating the human race. Only two people can stop it - a Viking warrior and an electrician who only wants to protect his family. The suspense is incredible and the action scenes provide enough description to imagine what's going on, but not enough description to slow down the scenes. I highly recommend Leviathan and Huggins' other book, The Reckoning
Rating: 
Summary: One of the more poorly written action novels I've read.
Review: In short, this book sucks. First of all, it's written in an extremely strange way. The writing style is often very overdramatic, and uses bizzare words like "bone-burned" and "herculean" in just about every other paragraph, which even a total novice writer like myself knows is a big mistake. The people in it are unbelievably stupid. If they know that machine guns OBVIOUSLY dont hurt leviathan at all, why do they insist on wasting valuable time and effort to shoot at it with their guns every time they see it? And worst of all, the plot was just done horribly. Sure, nice premise, but it's the most anti-climactic book I've ever read. Thor, the guy who was born to defeat Leviathan, legendary, noble warrior, finally kills the beast after an epic battle, and then...Oh gee, it's not dead. Lets go another few stupid chapters to see Connor (the main character is reffered to by his last name through the whole book. Go figure.) finally kill the thing by...Oh bo! y. Zapping it with electric wires. How wonderful. How grand and noble. How utterly moronic. He should have ended it with Thor's battle, but it still would have been a crappy book. Stay away, unless you're just desparate for some slipshod christian thriller. I suppose christian thrillers of this type of rare, but still....only if you've got alot of spare time.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Put it Down!!
Review: Incredibly action packed. I could not put it down! The action is first-rate, as are the characters. I loved Thor!! Get this one, but make sure you have time to read it all today or tonight and tomorrow.
Rating:
Summary: A Christian Jurassic Park?
Review: Leviathan is one of Huggins' earliest novels, and precedes "Cain", a book which established him in mainstream fiction and was also developed into a movie. "Leviathan" is the name of a powerful beast that is the product of a secret science project in an underground facility deep in the Arctic Circle. But Leviathan proves to be stronger and smarter than its creators, and when it escapes its containment chamber, it threatens to kill everyone in reach. But that isn't the only problem - Leviathan's escape sets off a fail-safe sequence that will detonate a nuclear device within 24 hours. There is only one way to escape the nuclear holocaust: by killing Leviathan within 24 hours. This book features heart-stopping suspense as the only ones who can stop Leviathan are the giant Norwegian Thor, and the unassuming electrical wizard Connor. Can they stop Leviathan? Can they do it within 24 hours? Two words sum up the plot that unravels:1. Action thriller. The novel starts with a bang, and rarely slows down. Huggins has a style that will leave your heart pounding, and you'll find yourself racing over the words and through the pages. The action never lets up, so prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride of action. Only one problem: expect to see the same scenery. The "terrible roar" of Leviathan and the "hate-filled rage" of its hunters rapidly wears thin after the umpteenth time. Certainly the action is fast and furious, but the dragon's repeated roar and the repeated shouts and shooting of his hunters gets tiresome after a while. Also be warned that the extent of blood and gore is not suitable for children. 2. Apocalyptic themes. Unlike most thrillers, Huggins is clearly working with deeper themes. There is a clear and cosmic conflict between good and evil, and Huggins makes several Biblical references to ensure that we understand this is a picture of the conflict between God and Satan. The name "Leviathan" is drawn straight from the Bible (p.44), and is an ancient name for "dragon" (p.68). Although Huggins' exegesis and historical description of Leviathan is questionable (p.73ff), the apocalyptic imagery is unmistakable, as we get glimpses of the beast rising from the sea described in Revelation. Huggins' story does not completely fit with Revelation, which describes both a dragon and several beasts. Revelation's imagery is symbolic - whereas Huggins tries to present this as a real conflict with a real dragon. But probably it would be unfair to criticize him too severely for this: he intends the conflict against Leviathan to be a spiritual picture of the great struggle against evil and its master, Satan. He takes great pains to describe the background of this conflict as the fall into sin, and presents the battle against Leviathan as a microcosm of the great and last battle, the Armageddon (p.63-4). In Huggins' view, all of life is spiritual, and is part of the great struggle of good and evil (p.231). Thor is the Messiah figure who features prominently in the great battle against evil, and like Christ is even pierced in his side (p.326), as he struggles valiantly against the dragon, even willing to give his own life for those he loves. But ultimately the philosophy and deeper religious significance is washed away by a superficial stream of repetitive story-line. Although gripping and suspenseful, the plot is not always completely convincing, its characters not completely credible. Any serious message that this book has to offer is hampered by a plot that seems to have the same fighting, rage and fire over and over again. The great deal of technical jargon about computers and science does lend the novel some authenticity, but also weighs it down unnecessarily. Whatever religious meaning the novel does have to offer is further undermined by the stream of hate and curses unleashed by its hero Thor, and the surprisingly frequent instances of blasphemy (p.137,148,205,313) and unnecessary oaths (p.239,260). In the end, I felt that I was reading a script for a revised movie of Jurassic Park, rather than a Christian thriller novel. If you like reading about men being crunched in the jaws of a giant predator and fighting back with all kinds of weapons, you'll love this novel. It's Jurassic Park all over again, with a Christian slant, but not quite with an equally successful execution. Don't expect a whole lot more than that.
Rating:
Summary: A Christian Jurassic Park?
Review: Leviathan is one of Huggins' earliest novels, and precedes "Cain", a book which established him in mainstream fiction and was also developed into a movie. "Leviathan" is the name of a powerful beast that is the product of a secret science project in an underground facility deep in the Arctic Circle. But Leviathan proves to be stronger and smarter than its creators, and when it escapes its containment chamber, it threatens to kill everyone in reach. But that isn't the only problem - Leviathan's escape sets off a fail-safe sequence that will detonate a nuclear device within 24 hours. There is only one way to escape the nuclear holocaust: by killing Leviathan within 24 hours. This book features heart-stopping suspense as the only ones who can stop Leviathan are the giant Norwegian Thor, and the unassuming electrical wizard Connor. Can they stop Leviathan? Can they do it within 24 hours? Two words sum up the plot that unravels: 1. Action thriller. The novel starts with a bang, and rarely slows down. Huggins has a style that will leave your heart pounding, and you'll find yourself racing over the words and through the pages. The action never lets up, so prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride of action. Only one problem: expect to see the same scenery. The "terrible roar" of Leviathan and the "hate-filled rage" of its hunters rapidly wears thin after the umpteenth time. Certainly the action is fast and furious, but the dragon's repeated roar and the repeated shouts and shooting of his hunters gets tiresome after a while. Also be warned that the extent of blood and gore is not suitable for children. 2. Apocalyptic themes. Unlike most thrillers, Huggins is clearly working with deeper themes. There is a clear and cosmic conflict between good and evil, and Huggins makes several Biblical references to ensure that we understand this is a picture of the conflict between God and Satan. The name "Leviathan" is drawn straight from the Bible (p.44), and is an ancient name for "dragon" (p.68). Although Huggins' exegesis and historical description of Leviathan is questionable (p.73ff), the apocalyptic imagery is unmistakable, as we get glimpses of the beast rising from the sea described in Revelation. Huggins' story does not completely fit with Revelation, which describes both a dragon and several beasts. Revelation's imagery is symbolic - whereas Huggins tries to present this as a real conflict with a real dragon. But probably it would be unfair to criticize him too severely for this: he intends the conflict against Leviathan to be a spiritual picture of the great struggle against evil and its master, Satan. He takes great pains to describe the background of this conflict as the fall into sin, and presents the battle against Leviathan as a microcosm of the great and last battle, the Armageddon (p.63-4). In Huggins' view, all of life is spiritual, and is part of the great struggle of good and evil (p.231). Thor is the Messiah figure who features prominently in the great battle against evil, and like Christ is even pierced in his side (p.326), as he struggles valiantly against the dragon, even willing to give his own life for those he loves. But ultimately the philosophy and deeper religious significance is washed away by a superficial stream of repetitive story-line. Although gripping and suspenseful, the plot is not always completely convincing, its characters not completely credible. Any serious message that this book has to offer is hampered by a plot that seems to have the same fighting, rage and fire over and over again. The great deal of technical jargon about computers and science does lend the novel some authenticity, but also weighs it down unnecessarily. Whatever religious meaning the novel does have to offer is further undermined by the stream of hate and curses unleashed by its hero Thor, and the surprisingly frequent instances of blasphemy (p.137,148,205,313) and unnecessary oaths (p.239,260). In the end, I felt that I was reading a script for a revised movie of Jurassic Park, rather than a Christian thriller novel. If you like reading about men being crunched in the jaws of a giant predator and fighting back with all kinds of weapons, you'll love this novel. It's Jurassic Park all over again, with a Christian slant, but not quite with an equally successful execution. Don't expect a whole lot more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Cool!
Review: Leviathan is SO COOL. The characters are incredibly well developed, the technology is really cool, and the EMC thing is neat! But coolest of all is the monster, a Komodo dragon mutated into a hideous fire-breathing monster. The coolest part of all however, is when Thor goes up against Leviathan with an axe. And wins. There is only one problem, and that is that they don't explain much about the mutant lion created by Yashima. A cool sequel would be Leviathan going up against one or more of the mutant lions.
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