Gods and Kings: Young Prince Hezekiah

Lynn Austin’s novel Gods and Kings begins a new series "Chronicles of the Kings," telling the story of the Kings of Old Testament Judah. Drawing on material from 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the author tells a story filled with danger and tragedy in a world of apostates and martyrs. Through excellent story-telling, Gods and Kings portrays a world not all that different from our own.

This first novel in the series covers the reign of King Ahaz, Hezekiah’s wicked father – of whom the Bible authors had nothing good to say. Much of the story focuses on Hezekiah as a young boy, traumatized from experiences of child-sacrifice to Molech, who then learns to call on Yahweh. The story ends at the beginning of Hezekiah’s reign, leaving several plots unresolved and awaiting a sequel.

In this story we see the common theme of a family member’s godly influence on a young child, who then forgets but later recalls the things of God as an adult. Gods and Kings also employs good language and story to relate the central issue – idolatry – to modern times. The gradual falling away of an apostate, and liberal characters who champion "change" to "modern times," are as relevant to our culture as theirs.

As with any Biblical fiction story, the original source material is limited (though much more in abundance here than, say, some of the characters from Genesis), and the author invents full stories about people who are only named in the Bible – Hezekiah’s mother Abijah, his grandfather Zechariah, his wife Hephzibah, and even Hilkiah (father of Eliakim). Unlike some works of Biblical fiction, all of these major and minor characters refer to actual names of people from Hezekiah’s day. Yet in the above cases, all that is known is their relationship to another person. Even Hezekiah’s wife is only named once, as the mother of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and successor. The author’s imagination supplies us, though, with very interesting characters and plots. The last part of the story (Hezekiah as an adult) seems less-developed and disjointed from the larger, earlier section of the story – perhaps largely because of the passage of time, with little reference to the earlier time, reflecting the adult Hezekiah’s spiritual condition.

Overall, though, this is an excellent book with well-researched history and plot relevance to our day, a great story that makes this period of Bible history come alive.

Child of the Mist: 16th Century Scotland

Kathleen Morgan’s novel Child of the Mist, recently republished by Baker Books as the first in a new series "These Highland Hills," tells an enchanting story about characters in 16th century Scotland. It is the classic era of Highlander clans, a time of medieval chivalry and clan feuds, of castles and witch burnings.

In 1564, Eighteen-year-old Anne McGregor, daughter of the McGregor clan leader, finds she must make the peace with the stronger Campbell clan – by her handfasting to the Campbell clan’s future leader, Niall Campbell, for a year. Anne is also a healer, learned in the methods of herbal remedies – a skill which has earned her the title "Witch of Glenstrae." Though spirited and proud of her McGregor clan, Anne reluctantly submits to the betrothal -- but soon faces the Campbell clan’s hostility toward her. Complicating matters further is an unknown traitor who will do all in his power to prevent Niall from taking his rightful place as the next "tanist," clan leader. Throughout the next few months, Niall and Anne discover their love for each other, amidst the many trials from within and without.

Kathleen Morgan does an excellent job of blending romantic storytelling with the rich historical background of Scotland. Through this story we see the day-to-day life of those in the Castle, with characters from the leading family as well as the servants, and even the customs of the day. (Contrary to popular opinion -- due to e-mail "urban legends" – people in the 16th century did bathe regularly.) The author shows also her knowledge of herbal remedies, and through some interesting plots incorporates this aspect of medieval life. On one point, concerning the use of CPR to revive infants, the story perhaps changes the facts – such a technique was apparently considered common practice among midwives in Europe, even long before this story takes place – but maybe the Scottish clansmen were behind the times.

Yet the story is clearly the main focus here, with strong, vibrant characters who grow through their situations. Stubborn, pig-headed Niall Campbell is constantly dogged by suspicion and mistrust, always considering the others’ motives, even twisting around the apparent actions into those of a scheming traitor. He meets his match, though, in Anne, and learns to love again, another love after his now-deceased first wife. Anne, for all her fiery independence, has her good traits as well, including ardent loyalty, the desire to please God by helping others around her – and then giving her loyalty and devotion to Niall.

Child of the Mist has been recently republished by Baker Books, as the first in the new series "These Highland Hills." The author’s comments at the end of this publication (2005) indicate that a follow-up book may soon come. I eagerly await such a sequel, a follow-up with Iain perhaps. Regardless, Child of the Mist is an excellent story, warming to the heart and soul through the wonderful characters and their experiences.

Homeward My Heart: Exciting Conclusion to the "Daughters of Fortune" Series

Judith Pella’s "Daughters of Fortune" series comes to a close with the fourth book, Homeward My Heart. Daughters Cameron, Blair and Jackie have been through many hardships of World War II, scars they still deal with during the war’s aftermath. This part, set in 1946 and 1947, reveals a world now beginning a Cold War – and we get a good look at Stalin’s paranoia and hard-line tactics in the Soviet Union. More than half of the story takes place in Russia, with all three daughters spending a good amount of time there. The Russia plots involve Cameron’s husband, Alex, while also neatly tying up the Semyon half-brother story and introducing new relationships for other Hayes family members.

As always, the story keeps a good pace, with excitement and suspense as we share Alex’s desperation and growing problems with the Soviet government. Though we expect everything to turn out okay, the story’s circumstances certainly show a bleak picture at times, as we wonder how the author can get the character out of a very grave situation. A few other plot lines also seem unrealistic, but bring a nice closure to the "Daughters of Fortune" series.

Our old friends, including the Federcenko family, and Alex’s friend (Anatoly Bogorodsk) are back, and we get a closer look at a previously minor character, Cameron and Alex’s contact Robert Wood.

As with most historical fiction novels, especially a series’ conclusion, this book gives a nice, happy ending for all the characters. After all the tragedies of the previous parts to this series, it is nice to enjoy the lighter, happier parts of Homeward My Heart. Of course, along the way some of the characters still suffer, and work through some serious issues (such as the Japanese American racism).

Homeward My Heart is an excellent addition to the "Daughters of Fortune" series. I only wish it were not the end. Judith Pella has done a great job with character development and plots for these young women, with their relationships to each other and their family, against the backdrop of active World War II involvement.

The Shiloh Legacy: World War I Veterans 10 Years Later

Bodie Thoene’s Shiloh Legacy series includes two more books after the great beginning of In My Father’s House. The next two books, A Thousand Shall Fall and Say to This Mountain, are written as a double-novel, one continuous story that takes place ten years after the first book’s end. Through these two books, we explore the world of America in the last half of 1929 – the Stock Market Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.

A Thousand Shall Fall sets the scene in the last two months before the crash, a snapshot of life during the crazy days of the booming Wall Street right before its collapse. The concluding book picks right up where the previous one left off, at the beginning of the actual stock market crash in late October, through the end of that year. As with the first book in the series, the novels again follow the lives of several World War I veterans in their lives across America – Oklahoma, Ohio, and New York City – to give a broad picture of classic American life in the late 1920s.

Of course, ten years have passed, and so new characters are introduced – especially Birch and Trudy’s young boys Tommy and Bobby, and Max Meyer’s son David. While the Tucker family portrays the idyllic rural family living out in the sticks of Shiloh, Arkansas, David Meyer is a street-wise city kid living in Philadelphia, who seeks out his father living in another big city, New York. A Thousand Shall Fall thus provides plenty of contrasts – life out on the farm, small-town gossip and racial strife, as opposed to the dark life of gangsters and the free-wheeling wealthy consumed with the Stock Market. Though the Tucker story is interesting enough, the New York plot is a much greater page-turner; Davey Meyer is an especially fascinating character, in a story somewhat reminiscent of Charles Dickens novels.

After resolving some of the suspense in A Thousand Shall Fall, the concluding book deals more with characters and their relationships. How will the Tucker family, Jefferson Canfield, and Max and his son survive the Great Depression? After wondering about the Warne family in Ohio (never mentioned in the first half of the 1929 story), we also get their view – and that of Jefferson’s family -- living in the Rubber Capitol of Akron, Ohio. This last book focuses more on personal religious faith, as Max continues to come to terms with his life – beyond just finding out about David. The black characters, mainly the various family members of Hock and Willa Mae Canfield, are also well-developed and strong in their hope in God against all the terrible circumstances they face.

Apparently many of the characters are featured in other Thoene books (Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles), but "The Shiloh Legacy" only has brief references to characters in the "Zion Covenant" series. One line mentions Max’s "rookie reporter" John Murphy, but even more interesting is the revelation of the "D’Fat Lady" singer, as the identity of Hattie Canfield, one of Jefferson’s sisters. But several of the characters, including Ellie Warne (briefly introduced here as a 9-year-old, nicknamed "Boots"), show up in the "Zion Chronicles" series. As I read these books I could not help but consider, too, that the children of 1929 would indeed grow up to be the young adults of the World War II era. The "Shiloh Legacy" is another excellent series from Bodie Thoene, one that could easily go beyond the three books in the set.

Mountain Shadows: Regional Fiction about the Adirondacks

Mountain Shadows, by Patricia Reiss Brooks, is an interesting regional historical fiction novel that highlights a unique period in American history. Through the setting – upper New York State in 1926 – we get a look at both the Prohibition-era "rum runners" and the tuberculosis "cure cottages" of Saranac Lake.

Irish Catholic Joe Devlin struggles to pay for his wife’s ever-increasing medical bills at a cure cottage. Along the way he ends up working with the rum runners, leading a very confused double-life –a mechanic at the Club in Lake Placid during the week, a rum runner going up to Canada on weekends, mixed in with visits to his sick wife.

The regional history research is outstanding, particularly about the troopers’ special unit and their escapades with the "rum runners." The cure cottage scenes also portray the strange world of "lungers" sleeping outside on porches while enjoying the carefree, morally loose "Roaring Twenties." Mountain Shadows doesn’t really elaborate on the history (prior to 1925) of the tuberculosis "cure" in Saranac Lake, or of the detailed care available at the sanatoriums. Rather, the story gives a glimpse at one sample "cure cottage," and what daily life may have been like, complete with the list of "the rules" the patients followed. The overall climate, the special community feeling, of Saranac Lake is also well contrasted with the outside world. Lake Placid in particular was quite clear about keeping the diseases out; the story even hints at the standard prejudice of the time, referencing a sign marked "no jews or lungers."

The author’s website, www.mountainshadowsbook.com, has additional research material as well as background related to this novel.

The story itself is well-written, with a decent, suspenseful page-turning plot. Other than Joe, the characters are not all well-defined and seem rather stereotyped in some cases. The ending seems a bit rushed, as it takes the easiest way out of the many problems to get to a neat conclusion. Still, the story and overall dialog works great, keeping the story moving. Mountain Shadows is an entertaining read and interesting for its look at this unusual period of New York State history.