Rating: 5+ Stars out of 5 ★★★★★
David ben Jesse of Bethlehem finds himself looking after his father’s farm. Dismissed by his seven elder brothers with the womenfolk, he wishes to prove his worth in the battlefield, he wishes for great adventure.But when Samuel, the priest of all of Israel comes to the house of Jesse to find David, David’s life will be altered forever and he finds himself in combat with the giant Goliath.
As he sets out for the palace in Gibeah he doesn’t know that great love awaits his arrival or that the love he is going to find will become the stuff of legends…
This book is beautiful.
This book was 688 pages long according to my reader (it is 561 pages long according to Amazon) and by the end of it I wished I could read a 100 more.
The story of David and Jonathan is an ancient one and this is just one interpretation of it, but what a wonderful one at that.
I loved the book in its entirety but mostly because of how inexplicably and irreversibly it had me fall in love with David and Jonathan.
As such this story begins and ends with David, we see David grow up from a boy to a King and the author weaves the story so beautifully that even though you expect to find nothing in common with this man who lived ages ago and inspired such greatness you find several points of similarity. David is one of the most distinctly etched out character I have ever had the good fortune of reading. Seeing him as a little boy cribbing for adventure and respect, to the youth who defeated Goliath, to the most distinguished general a battlefield has ever known was a revelation. The author weaves the story around David and his journey, and his words change subtly to show us how slowly but surely David grew into a man.
The love between David and Jonathan was epic. Initially when they came to be I was unsure if these two would live up to expectations but they surpassed them long ago. The thing about their love was its ferociousness and how it had knitted these two souls into one, undeniably and irreversibly.
This story is one filled with great characters because even the characters with the smallest of roles have been handled with great tenderness and love. What I loved the most was how the author was able to manipulate our feelings towards these characters subconsciously and this is especially seen in his treatment of King Saul. Saul is one person who you will greatly admire and love but as he slowly and inexplicably descends in to chaos you will find your feelings unalterably changed.
I feel this story does justice to its origins and stays true to the bones of that story. It is tragic and hopeful and enlightening yet heart-rending. Once you start reading this book you will be swept up by the imagery this book paints and with how gracefully and with what great care it treats its characters who are nothing short of epic.
It was great joy to read this book and the only fault of this book is that it ends.
Cover Art by Paul Richmond. The cover of this book is beautiful. It truly depicts what this book sets out to achieve and what it succeeds in doing.
Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 480 pages
Expected publication: June 7th 2016 by DSP Publications
ISBN139781634768368
Edition LanguageEnglish
Expected publication: June 7th 2016 by DSP Publications
ISBN139781634768368
Edition LanguageEnglish
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 