THORN: 'Left Behind' co-author goes it alone

By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 17, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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In his new venture, Jerry B. Jenkins has left behind his former co-author - and is unmistakably pleased with the result.

"This is the novel I have always wanted to write and is unlike anything I've ever written," he says in press material. "If a novelist has a life's work, this is mine."

Jenkins, of Colorado Springs, is the author, with Tim LaHaye, of the phenomenally popular Left Behind series, novels revolving around the Christian notion of the Rapture. The series of 16 books sold more than 65 million copies, with eight of the titles hitting No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.

Jenkins' new story - penned solo and out next week - also features a Christian bent.

Titled Riven, the novel revolves around a low-life career criminal in prison awaiting execution. When his path crosses with a weary prison chaplain, "an entire state - indeed a nation - is affected."

If that sounds like a rather bold theme, not to worry. In the man's Left Behind books, an entire globe was in play.

Jenkins' publicity material likens the book to East of Eden, Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile, for its "similar spirit of the miraculous within a most desolate place." No wonder it has earned an endorsement from a man who knows the territory well: Charles Colson, President Nixon's former aide, who served time for obstruction of justice during the Watergate era. (Well, we were talking about redemption. Er, weren't we?)

Anyway, if you don't want to be left behind when Jenkins makes his local appearances, here are the dates:

* Tuesday, 11 a.m., Focus on the Family Bookstore, 8685 Explorer Dr., Colorado Springs. 719-531-3464

* Thursday, 6 p.m., Mardel, 4887 S. Wadsworth Way, Littleton. 303-904-6015

* Saturday, 1 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 1565 Briargate Blvd., Colorado Springs. 719-266-9960

And now, from the religious to the raunchy . . .

Apologies to Jenkins for the sorry segue, but I couldn't resist mentioning an e-mail that recently caught my eye. You can't get much more attention-grabbing than the opening line on this press release:

"Would you be interested in a review copy of Big Black Penis: Misadventures in Race and Masculinity (Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press), by Shawn Taylor, a humorous and intimate portrait of one man's journey to define his virility as an African-American?"

Uh. Well. Gee.

At least we know Hunter S. Thompson wouldn't have objected . . .

The no-holds-barred journalist probably would have dreamed up the Penis title himself. And in case you need proof, just check out any of the books on Thompson's often-outrageous life that are piling up like so many roaches in an ashtray.

Since Thompson's suicide three years ago, offerings have included: The Gonzo Way, by his wife Anita Thompson; The Kitchen Readings, by Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis and Thompson friend Michael Cleverly, and Gonzo, by Rolling Stone founder Jann S. Wenner and Corey Seymour.

Now, two other titles join the mix:

Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson, by William McKeen, who claims to have written the first "comprehensive and comprehensible" account of the author.

And Conversations With Hunter S. Thompson, edited by Beef Torrey and Kevin Simonson. The book contains interviews with Thompson, including a stellar piece by the Rocky's own Jeff Kass.

Despite attempts by those closest to Thompson, it seems safe to say that no one will ever unravel the madness that was the man - although if anyone is still bold enough to try, I'm guessing it's the Penis author.

You gotta admit, that's one daring dude.

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