OK, full disclosure. I read them all and enjoyed them at some level, even though I do NOT share their eschatology (not a pre-trib). But, hey, I love Grisham too. No accounting for taste in literature.
[BTW, there are dispis and there are dispis. Progressive dispensationalists such as Saucy, Bock, and Blaising should not be tarred with the wide brush of Hal Lindsay.]
"Literal" is a shibboleth. The more correct term is historical-grammatical. As to literal, when someone asks R.C. Sproul "You don't take the Bible literally, do you?" he answers: "Why of course. How else could you possibly take it?" Even if you reject premill views of eschatology, don't surrender the good term "literal" or find yourself attacking literal interpretation.
What differentiates dispensationalism in its many forms from non-dispensationalism has to do more with the notions of the covenant, relations between the testaments, and therefore with the understanding of Israel and the Church. It is not as if amill/postmills are "allegorical" and dispensationalists are "literal."
I may have more sympathy for the Left Behind folks than some of you do. As a lifelong evangelical, I still make common cause with all who affirm the fundamentals of the faith, even when their list of essentials is a bit shorter than mine. People like Jerry Jenkins affirm the diety of Christ, virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, second coming, and eternal state. I can handle disagreeing with them on the details of their eschatology and continue to work with folks like that to teach them the doctrines of grace. A couple of my kids graduated from Moody Bible Institute where Jenkins used to work and where the Left Behind view dominates. Frankly, In my humble opinion, it is a lot easier to move people from a position of full commitment to the Word of God into a better theological understanding than it is to undo the corrosive damage of some of our sophisticated Christian liberal arts colleges and their rabid anti-Calvinist positions. All of my kids graduated with a love for the Lord and his Word. Interestingly, my son who went to a Christian liberal arts school known for a more Arminian approach is the most resistant to Calvinism. The Moody kids, full of their dispensationalism, found the transition a pretty easy one.
Currently I am teaching a series of lessons to a group of 30-somethings on TULIP (yes, using powerpoint). They act as if it is an ephiphany. The relentless logic of Owen on the atonement made for some interesting discussions. Some of these folks are on the boards of our church. In time, the seeds planted will bear fruit.
can of worms you'd rather stay away from?
What excellent scholarship 
