As the Iron Age dawns in Palestine, darkness threatens to consume the nation of Israel. The visionaries who had once guided the people are gone. High Priest Eli allows corruption to infect even the Tabernacle, the holiest place in the land, home of the Eternal Flame and the sacred Ark of the Covenant. Hordes of Philistines ravage the countryside, led by a merciless warlord and bolstered by the might of a race of giants. As the legendary warriors of the children of Abraham challenge their enemies in sprawling battlefields, fortified cities, and dark forests, the key to their survival waits, ignorant of his destiny, in the Tabernacle. A child. A Seer. A Prophet of Israel.
"Prophet of Israel is a must read!" This book presents biblical history in a completely new way! It reads like a fantasy-adventure novel, but is packed with details about the Bronze Age and what life was like for people living then. Huge battles, larger-than-life heroes, near-mythic creatures, a race of giants, and the dark reality of Canaanite magic all come to life in a dramatic way. (You will love the battle against the aurochs!) It starts a little bit slow, but fairly quickly draws you into the worlds of the 12-year old boy Samuel and the warrior-prince Manoah of the tribe of Dan. Vivid descriptions of ancient Isrealite worship and of the people living during this time will have you turning to your Bible again and again saying "I never knew that..." The story has a great human element as well, portraying the anguish of a barren woman and her husband during a time when having children was the most important thing for every couple. It also helped me realize how... More > Samuel must have been affected by being given up by his mother when he was only 3 years old, and growing up in a place ruled over by corrupt priests. The appendices are great reading in and of themselves, giving explanations for some of the more controversial decisions the author has made and showing the incredible amount of research he has done to make this story realistic and historically accurate. Probably the most interesting is the essay that shows that King David and his life are the real basis for the stories of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. I highly recommend this book, and I eagerly await the sequel.< Less
"A new take on Biblical fiction" Different than anything I've read in this genre before. More action-packed (and violent), although it has plenty of human moments, too. By about page 100, I couldn't put it down. I anxiously await the next book in the series.
"I loved this book!" I am a big fan of medieval adventure stories and, even though this takes place at the end of the Bronze Age, it has the style and a lot of elements that I normally asssociate with the medieval period: castles, huge battles, swordfights, heroic warriors, beautiful maidens, etc. The male and female characters are well written, and the locations are depicted in a way that I could really imagine. This is not today's Israel of dry hills and deserts. This is a land with snow-capped mountains, lush river valleys, tangled forests, somber cave networks, and majestic fortresses. The premise is very interesting--the idea that this is an early transitional story between the account in the Bible and the later legends of King Arthur that it spawned. I highly recommend this book for people of all ages.
"Excellent!!" Prophet is an exciting read!I often forgot the fact that it is based on the Hebrew Scriptures as I read it. As an avid fantasy fan, I can't help but draw parallels between Mr. Wilkinson and some of my other favorite authors, Terry Brooks, Stephen Lawhead and Orson Scott Card. His character development is supremely believable, and the action rivals any fantasy novel I can think of! And how is it that I've never heard anyone else point out the almost shocking number of similarities between the Aurthurian legends and the Biblical account of King David? Can't wait for book two!
"Read This Book!" A great read! This reads like a fantasy novel, but it is really thoroughly researched and historically accurate. The beginning is a little bit slow, but the reasons for that become apparent by the end. It makes ancient Israel seem like Narnia or Middle Earth--I never really thought about what it must have been like to live in a land with such extremes in geography, a race of giants, oversized wild bulls, and the prevasive presence of magic. Plus the writing style is very vivid and the characters are great. If you are interested at all in biblical history or any kind of ancient history, you will love Prophet of Israel. I've never learned so much from a fiction novel before. I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait for the sequel.
