Joanne Williamson (1926–2002)

A story from the book of Judges, in the Old Testament, this retelling adds wonderful detail to the original verses. The author has done a fine job of making ancient cultures into humans we can understand. She shows how similar all the tribes were in many ways and how they were intertwined with one another. Often we are taught that the Canaanites, etc. were the evil bad people and they are simply written off as unimportant. That is not so in this book.
As the young Hittite ends up spending time amongst the various peoples of his time, he finds himself liking individuals, even if he doesn't understand their beliefs and practices. We also see the meshing of history and events and how they affected the people who lived in them. Young Uriah has a crisis of faith in the gods, and ends up choosing the God of the Israelites, he is a very likable young man all through the book.… (més)

This is another historical tale tagged onto a Biblical story. This time it's tied into the story of King Hezekiah of Judah. It seems to take a bit more of historical liberty with the biblical account than did "Hittite Warrior", but on the other hand, I liked the characters and story are a bit more. "God King" is the tale of Taharka, a younger son of the pharaoh of Egypt. He wasn't expecting to succeed his father, but then is thrust into the position. Other folks don't like it. So you end up with a story of palace intrigue and a young man coming to terms with his role in life. Good stuff, well worth checking out.
--J.… (més)

My older daughter's probably not going to like this one. It's a guy story, a historical tale set in ancient Israel. It's based on the Biblical tale of Deborah and Barak from the book of Judges. It tells the tale of Uriah, a young Hittite man who journeys to the land of Canaan and gets involved in the events there. It's an interesting and enjoyable tale. Ms. Williamson's plan was to write a story that brought the historical time to life, to show how the various peoples of that era were interrelated. She's done a great job of it. Check it out.
--J.… (més)