Novel Review: Ashes Like Bread: A Biblical Novel of Lamech and His Two Wives (Thrones of Genesis Series Book 1) by Jean Hoefling.

 I reviewed this novel on 30/03/19 in another blog, now defunct. 

Ashes Like Bread: A Biblical Novel of Lamech and His Two Wives (Thrones of Genesis Series Book 1)

A scorned prophetess. A deadly omen. Will this kinswoman of Adam and Eve persevere with intuition she can’t deny?

Zyla is used to the elders of the clan rejecting her dark glimpses into the future, and bitter that she doesn’t receive the honor she deserves. When her forecast of a terrible flood gets her exiled, she and her sister flee the mountain of Eden to live among evil descendants of the murderer Cain. There, Zyla is willing to do anything to advance her status, even if it means becoming a second wife to her sister's desirable husband, or aligning with forbidden spiritual powers.

When the flood Zyla prophesied slams into her new home, the outcast must decide whom she really loves and what is worth risking death for. Will she be strong enough to find hope on the other side of the waters, or will the devastation sweep her and her prophecies away forever?

If you like ancient legends and dramatic Old Testament re-imaginings, you'll love this biblical fiction novel based on a story from Genesis 4. Buy Ashes Like Bread today to see the distant past through a prophet’s eyes!

Perspective by Peter: 

I was asked by the author to review this novel. 

This story is based on the account of Lamech and his two wives from Genesis 4: 17-24, Adah and Zillah. Hoefling has spelt Zillah as Zyla and has used the background from The Book of Jasher (2: 12,15-16) that directly shows her as a daughter of Kenan (also known as Cainan in this book and in other records), 

15 And when Cainan was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.

16 And these are the names of the children of Cainan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these are the five children of Cainan that were born to him.

whereas the Bible does not and just says that Kenan had other sons and daughters as stated in Genesis 5:12, 

¹² Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³ Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.

I needed to see this visually. A family tree is always good for this purpose so I discovered this (from Wikipedia) about Kenan and his family. This certainly helps me visualise what the author has included in her novel. 

When I started reading this novel, the first thing that hit me was how well-written this is. Hoefling has an excellent and competent command of the English language and executes it to its full potential. This enhances the novel and progresses the plot smoothly and seamlessly. This is especially evident in the first-person narrative of Zyla. You will definitely get to know her very well from this. I have found that using this first-person narrative is either used well or not by authors and I can see why readers do not like this type of narrative. I used to dislike it immensely but after reading a few novels where it is executed well, I have come to like it and see its specific value in a novel. 

I admire author's like Hoefling who set about to fill in the gaps or re-imagine what life would have been like in the times of the Bible where it does not give enough specifics as to what life was like at that time. It is not supposed to or else the Bible would have many volumes and to get to what God wanted us to know about Himself, our purpose here on earth, and how to live according to His tenets and doctrines would be counterproductive. These re-imagings definitely make it edgy and speculative and definitely draw you in. 

I can see that using poetic license here to re-imagine these gaps would either support the existing biblical accounts or take them on a tangent that would either mock or undermine the latter. I must confess I almost expected this to be the case with this novel. When I read one review that criticised the novel and the author for including a Cain who was delusional and lusting after a female fallen angel, my radar was activated. I approached this novel with a preconceived idea of what I would expect based on this. I do agree with that reviewer but only to a point. The Bible does not specify whether angels are male or female but due to the names of some, Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer, these are referred to in the masculine. Other angels are referred to in the masculine sense even though they are not named. As Matt Slick from CARM states,

One of the possible reasons angels could be referred to only in the masculine is that of the issue of authority and strength. Generally, the male gender is associated with authority and strength more than the female gender.

This reviewer's point is a valid one where she states that if there were female fallen angels then why would male fallen angels need to procreate with human females when they could produce their own offspring and leave human females alone? This would still be an abomination to God just like the Genesis 6:4 account. Maybe this is why God did not create female angels? Hoefling's poetic license here could be interpreted as undermining the biblical account of Genesis 6:4,

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

(Holman Christian Standard Bible, Biblegateway.com)

Now, I have not read the previous novel in this series, Gold in Havilah, where,

Cain spirals into ever-deepening tiers of delusion through his bondage to a beautiful fallen angel 

to quote that novel's description. It seems in this novel that Hoefling may be expanding on the female fallen angel concept. I will have to read and find out. I found it interesting that this same reviewer also mentions the Bible hinting as to the presence of female angels in Zechariah 5:19, but Matt Slick again addresses this,

The context of Zechariah 5 is a series of visions. It is the sixth vision in which verse nine is delivered.

• Verse 1, a flying scroll
• Verse 2, its dimensions are 20 cubits long and its width 10 cubits
• Verses 3-4, the scroll represents a curse upon those who steal and those who swear falsely by God's name
• Verse 5-8, a woman is personified as wickedness
• Verse 9, two women coming out with the wind in their wings
• Verse 10-11, the women are going to build a temple

So, contextually the figures spoken of in verse 9 are not angels. They are representative of wickedness and are not dealing with angels. Therefore, we can see that universally in Scripture angels are referred to in the masculine and not the feminine even though the Bible does not tell us why this is so.

And Slick continues,

We do not know for sure if angels can have sexual relations with women because the Bible doesn't tell us. Nevertheless, some Christians think it is possible, and others do not. Various scriptures are used for both sides of the argument. Let's take a look at some of them.

• Matt. 22:30, "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."
• Luke 20:34-36, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection."
• Gen. 6:1-4, "Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.' ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."

We can see from Matt. 22:30 and Luke 20:34-36 that angels do not marry, but this does not mean they can't take human form and have relations. I am not advocating that they do have sexual relations with people, but I am simply stating that we cannot assert either position from this passage especially when the Bible tells us that people have entertained angels without even knowing it (Heb. 13:2). This means that angels can take on human appearance to such a convincing state that they can't be distinguished from people. If this is the case, then it would seem logical that an angel (a fallen one) could imitate a human physical form including the sexual organs. On the other hand, I see no biblical support for such a manifestation of fallen angels in human form. Therefore, we are still left without an absolute answer.

Gen. 6:1-4 above is a more controversial passage. The question is: Who are the sons of God? Are they angels or people? Some commentators think that the Sons of God were the descendants of Seth:

"By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity."1

Other commentators teach that the Sons of God were angels since the term "Sons of God" is used elsewhere to refer to angels as the following scriptures suggest:

• Job 1:6, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them."
• Job 38:7, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

However, the term "sons of God" also refers to Christians in the New Testament, as Gal. 3:26states, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Since the question at hand deals with an Old Testament scripture, we must examine the context of that particular scripture to see how it is used.

Whichever the case, we do not know the abilities of angels. Given that they are very powerful and intelligent creatures, it is possible that they could manifest themselves as humans. This has been verified in scripture as we see from the following passage: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Heb. 13:2). Since they can appear in human form unbeknownst to people, it seems that a fallen angel manifesting itself in human form would be able to have sexual relations with a person.

• 1.Jamieson, R., A. R. Fauss

So based on this, I can only speculate that if angels could manifest as male and have sexual relations with human females, could they also manifest as female and have sex with human males? Very speculative indeed! I have not conversed with the author of these novels but it would be interesting to find out her thoughts on this and what evidence, if any, she has based Gold in Havilah on this concept with its minor carryover into this sequel, Ashes Like Bread. 

Hoefling only mentions Cain's obsession with Lilith, the aforementioned female fallen angel, in Ashes Like Bread, a few times and it plays no major plot arc other than to be a small part of the history of Cain as it pertains to Zyla learning about Cain's life after he was banished by God from Eden for his sin of committing the first murder, that of his brother Abel. Thus, Hoefling has not deviated on a tangent here.

While speaking of this re-imagining of life in the Cain camp after he was banished from Eden, Hoefling transports you to the life of Cain and his descendants and the life they create for themselves. It is very convincing and one that illustrates what a life, even in the 21st century, is like when it is based not on God, but on any other god or spirit that presents itself in deception over the unsuspecting. Zyla noticed this immediately after she arrived in Cain's city. The people seem dull and followed more of their base natures, which spiritually is regarded as their sinful, fallen nature. They also were very subservient to their gods whether they considered them beneficent or maleficent. Hoefling's account of Zyla's life amongst Cain's descendants successfully shows what life is like when a society has strayed from their higher calling and purpose from God and live not according to His standards, and have abandoned their relationship with Him or just do not know any better. 

I read with interest Zyla's journey from being scorned by her people for being a prophetess. In their culture and belief system, this role was seen and expected to be part of the male line. Ignored and excluded from many relationships with others in this community, and treated as though her visions are demonic in origin, she leaves Adam's city on the mountain and settles in Cain's community. Not only did her father and aunt deny her abilities to function as expected in their community, however, Zyla, never gave up on her abilities and responsibilities and continued to act as a surrogate mother to Adah when their mother, Mual (Mualeleth in the extrabiblical record, Book of Jubilees) died.

At first, I wondered why Zyla would leave this community that still had the covering of God and whose leadership of Adam and male relatives ensured the community lived according to what God had instilled in them. Then I realised that she had very little option as to where to go. Most of the other communities were too far away and the closest was that of Cain. And to stay with the only family that had not rejected her, Adah, she left with her to follow Adah's future life with Lamech and to ensure that this marriage of these two would be according to the tradition of the Sethites and God to be honoured in this as well. I also wondered where was her faith that she would leave based on the way her family and community had treated her? But the author had to follow what the Biblical record stated as history, that she married Lamech of Cain's community. So everything leading up to this was the author filling in the gaps from the Biblical record and from the other extrabiblical texts mentioned. 

Hoefling is a master at creating the environment, the relationships, the culture, and being true to what we know of the Biblical record. In doing so, she creates a novel that is engaging, all-engrossing, and more importantly, honours God and does not show Him to be any less than what the Bible reveals Him to be. This I appreciated. This account of Adah and Zyla in Cain's city and the descriptions of their lives, cultures, and religious practices borders on being dark but is definitely demonic as their worship of the gods is purely of those fallen angels. Only one of these is named, in this novel and is first mentioned in the Book of Enoch. 

I can understand some readers having negative reactions to the depictions of sex and sensuality but despite what a reviewer has stated about the repulsive sex scenes, I wondered what she was talking about. Readers must remember that this author is depicting life in a community that is devoid of God, His precepts and tenets, and the true meaning and purpose of sex that is designed by Him to only be between a married man and woman. In Cain's community, sex and sexuality are used as a means to an end and as an expression of one's base nature. In this community, you could have one wife for reproduction and one for sexual pleasure. In this novel, Adah was for the former and Zyla for the latter. The only thing that I could say was explicit was the frequency that Lamech had relations with his wives, but there were no explicit details or graphic descriptions. Hoefling only depicted this community as it most likely was. 

Hoefling describes well how conflicted both Adah and Zyla are in their adoptive community and what they have to give up, compromise, and even betray each other in order to survive. But it is almost as if a supernatural drawing from God, changes their hearts and attitudes and they both re-embrace their faith in God and leave the city of Cain, one returns to Adam's community while the other seeks a future elsewhere. And the former will be continued in the next installment which is all about Mahalalel, Zyla's brother from the subplot that started in this novel. 

Hoefling has explored this world of early mankind and brought it alive with research, clever use of poetic license, and imagination. This has given it a plausible and believable version of life that effectively fills in the gaps in the Biblical record. For me, I found this has not detracted from this record, undermined it, or lessened its impact or authority. Any Christian author should have this as their aim when writing Christian fiction. It needs to support and promote the Biblical account and the power and authority it contains. 

I look forward to reading Gold in Havilah and the next installment in this series, Watchers that deals with Mahalalel as mentioned above.

Strongly Recommended. 

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Novel Review and Pre-Christian Godliness Fiction Award: Refuge (A Biblical Story of Good and Evil) by Melinda Viergever Inman.

 I reviewed this novel on 08/04/19 in another blog, now defunct. 

Refuge (A Biblical Story of Good and Evil)

Intent on total destruction, Satan notices Cain's obsessive lust for Lilith and the dark roots of jealousy growing deep in his soul toward his do-gooding brother Abel. Satan goads Cain to the point of madness, barraging his mind with thoughts of hatred, lust, and futility. In a blinding rage, Cain wrecks everything. 

Wracked with shame, he flees into the vast wilderness, unable to possess the one thing he truly desires---Lilith. His life is destroyed. Will he ever find his way back? He longs for refuge. Can he ever find God again?

 

Perspective by Peter: 

After reading Inman's other novel, Fallen, I have looked forward to reading this debut novel. I deliberately did it this way as I wanted to read them in order of the Biblical account of events. I absolutely loved Fallen and it had such a profound impact on me. 

Now Refuge is having the same effect. I am so glad to be back reading a novel in this series and also by this author! It is like coming home to a safe place, a secure place, a "Refuge!". Why do I say that? Well, when you read an Inman novel you hear from God. I felt His presence as I was reading. Reading both of Inman's novels induces a feeling of heartfelt peace. It reinforces your relationship with God. I had feelings of joy, appreciation, and thanksgiving towards Him for who He is and what He has done for me while reading this novel. Biblical principles are included and form a solid basis and foundation for this novel. I appreciate Inman's research (documented as a study guide at the end of the novel) and how it is interpreted and applied to the novel. It then forms another of its strong foundations. But more importantly, you know that she would not have applied this or any other element of this novel without having committed it to God and asked for His direction. He delivers! 

This is a very spiritual novel. It is not like another I have read, where it is more concerned about the events from the Biblical account and its poetic license in filling in the gaps of this time in the Bible and less on the spiritual aspects. This is the difference between novels like this. Inman writes from the spiritual aspect of who God is, what He has done for us and His reasons for doing so, why He has established His precepts, boundaries, and what He has as a solution for every action, whether pleasing to Him or not. Everything is based on Who He is and that He loves us with an unfathomable love.

I have often said in reviews that a novel reflects what an author's relationship is like by reading their novel. Both in Fallen and Refuge, Inman shows an obvious love for God. Her talent for writing and creating a story forms the platform for the Spirit to use this to deliver a message of love, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, and mercy. And Refuge and Fallen are novels that are resplendent with this. 

I stated in my review of Fallen that, 

This is a beautiful and tender novel. There are novels where the reader can feel the author pouring herself into it with the utmost passion for writing and the storyline and this novel is one of those. Having read some of Inman's Tweets, posts from Facebook and her website, she is passionate about writing, about the art of story creation, expressing her love for God and all things relating to Him. It definitely shows in this novel's construction and forms one of its foundational pillars.

Well, I can say that this applies to Refuge as well! 

I know that other reviewers have said that this novel and Fallen as well could be viewed as being close to what actually happened and I would agree. Yes, it is fiction, yes, the poetic license fills in the gaps in the Biblical record but in this novel, I have found that this latter not only enhances the Biblical record but is very much aligned to it and makes plausible sense! It does not detract from the Biblical account or undermine it. But why would it, if Inman has allowed the Spirit to have His way with this novel? It becomes His novel and not Inman's! 

To quote again from my review of Fallen, the following is appropriate to mention here 

Inman has definitely allowed the Spirit to use her talent, imagination and creativity to craft a novel that is very much God-honouring and faith strengthening. As one of my author friends states, if you are a Christian author and you believe God has mandated you to write, then write for Him. I can see that Inman definitely does this. 

If there is one thing that stood out in this novel, it is the description of Cain's shame, remorse, regret, and horror over his sin in committing the first murder and having to deal with it. This is not something that is treated cheaply or superficially by Inman. It is beautifully done, despite it being a very graphic and destructive narrative. She has depicted him with raw emotions and I do not consider that anyone reading this would find these emotions foreign. She has depicted them as we have all experienced them to some degree or another and from different circumstances. These emotions are not unique to murder only. Her account pulls at your emotions. They are very much evoked! Even leading up to this event, as I knew it would happen, being familiar with the Biblical account, I became anxious and tense about how this murder would be depicted. Inman has shown a great understanding of how sin has changed our human nature and how Satan and his forces have manipulated this for their agenda of destroying the human race as part of their rebellion against God. This understanding has been interspersed throughout the novel and reinforces how sin and its effects have taken God's creation so far from what He created and would continue to do so.

Having read a previous novel about Cain where his sin drove him mad and consumed him and he was forever separated from God through this madness, Inman shows that even though Cain deserved to be tormented by himself, (through his own emotions and reaction to what he had done), Inman takes a different tack. I was so hoping that she would not fall into the same or similar trap of depicting him like this, once he was marked by God!

The account of how Cain deals with his sin, and its effects on himself, and his family is something that Inman shines in her depiction. It is resplendent with God's love for us, even after all its forms of rebellion against Him (disobedience in Adam and Eve, murder arrogance, and self-reliance from Cain). Again poetic license is applied here in having God minister to him, sustaining him on all levels during his banishment from his family, and how He encouraged Cain to open himself to God so He could be restored to a right relationship with Him again. How my mind and heart soared reading this as it shows what real repentance and forgiveness are! It is a shining example that God's love and forgiveness are not limited to any particular sin (except the sin of blaspheming the Spirit). I pray for any reader who reads this novel, who is not a believer in God, or feels they are totally unworthy will be impacted by this message here, and a seed of salvation be planted.

What is remarkable is the two Cains we deal with in this novel. The arrogant, self-reliant, strong-willed, stubborn, and selfish Cain before his sin of murdering Abel and the transformed Cain who has overcome these flaws in his sinful nature and become a contrite, humbled, obedient, and "born again" person, definitely closer to the way God had intended man to be before sin changed human nature. Prior to his sin, he was self-focused, it is all about him, but post-restoration by God, he became people-focused placing others first and above himself. Even to the point of laying down his life to save his wife and community when some of his brothers came to avenge the death of Abel by attempting to murder him. 

This is contrasted with how Inman depicted Abel. This brother already acted as contrite and knew his flaws, his ability to sin, and not to rely on his own strength or understanding. He was the obedient one, the one who sought God in everything and for everything. I respect this depiction of Abel, but I also respected the transformed Cain.

This entire novel can be read as a study of how sin has changed us for the worst and what God's plan is for our restoration. It flows very well from its successor, Fallen, and shows how the effects of sin became greater in Adam and Eve's offspring. Having Adam and Eve's reaction to this also showed how contrite and humbled they were to this progression and their part in its initiation. It also shows and indicates that the human race cannot continue on this sinful, destructive path. From the Biblical account at this time of history, we can see that God had a solution for this and in this novel, it relates to where God states, in Genesis 3:15,

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

It is understandable that they thought Cain would be the one to destroy the works of Satan but from his sin, it becomes obvious that it is not him and it would need to be a "perfect" man to do this (as quoted by Cain and shown to be correct from the Bible in the account of Jesus from Isaiah 53, 1 John 2:2 and many others). Inman has depicted appropriately hints at this happening in the future. She hints at it and by whom this person is in the account of Abel being received into heaven upon his death. The study guide at the end of the novel is excellent here for more explanation to those who want or need to delve further

The spiritual warfare aspects of this novel, while not frequent, reveal more than enough about our fight against Satan and his forces. The accounts of Satan instructing his other fallen angels in how to tempt, harass, and manipulate our emotions and thus lead us to then sin could be a study in how to understand how this works against us and what we must do to prevent their dominion over us. It grieves me that this is not taught more or in greater depth by Pastors and Churches nowadays. There are many examples of the battle strategy that Satan uses that Inman has included but also of those that God uses and it is here that this study could be developed and used. The study guide at the end of the novel is a great asset here for further study.

Inman is dedicated to honouring God and His word in her writing and I was impressed to see an example of this in Fallen about becoming one flesh through the sexual union in the marriage covenant instituted by God. This was beautifully depicted in Fallen and in Refuge, Inman develops it further by showing how sin has tainted and warped sex when it is taken it outside of this covenant when Cain and Lilith become the first fornicators, who could not wait for their wedding day. They had sinned sexually and despite them considering themselves one flesh, they were not considered such by God. It was from this point on that Cain's life began to unravel further and this sexual sin was one reason God did not acknowledge his sacrifice at the altar and this led to Cain murdering his brother, Abel.  

I was intrigued as to why Inman chose to use the name Lilith for Cain's wife. There are two reasons for this, extra-biblical texts depict her as Adam's first wife before Eve was created, and not supported by any Biblical canon or text, and secondly, another novel I had read about Cain's life had Lilith as his wife's name but this wife was not human but a female fallen angel, whose existence is controversial amongst biblical scholars and apologists. Again, the study guide underpins why Inman used this name here. Kudos to Inman for researching and applying this well and appropriately without detracting from or undermining the Biblical record!

I can see some readers, Christian, as well as non-Christians, objecting to the depiction in this novel of how the offspring of Adam and Eve would find marriage partners. I had researched this myself years ago so was so pleased to see Inman supporting this research. This was ordained by God from the beginning but I can understand how Adam and Eve were clueless about this once they sinned, and were banished from the Garden and this may have been one detail not instructed by God now they were on their own and outside of His direct covering. It did make me chuckle somewhat looking at this from today's mindset, warped as it is with all our knowledge! It has only been the deterioration of the genes caused by the effects of sin on all life that has caused abnormalities in the offspring between family members and it has taken many generations before these abnormalities to be manifested, hence family members no longer being encouraged to procreate amongst themselves, even to the point of it is illegal by law and culture to do so.

I would highly recommend any reader, Christian, or not, to take the time to read the study guide at the end of the novel. There is a wealth of knowledge and resources here that will give a better understanding of this novel, its themes, who God is, and His plan of salvation. It also equips the Christian in giving an account of why we believe what we do just as 1Peter 3:15 instructs us to,

but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

It is my prayer that Inman continues to create novels regarding the retelling of Biblical history that contains the direction and substance of God and His Spirit. I have a hint of this in the subtitle of this novel, A Lilith and Cain Novel. It is my prayer that Inman continues to create novels regarding the retelling of Biblical history that contains the direction and substance of God and His Spirit. I have a hint of this in the subtitle of this novel, A Lilith and Cain Novel. 

For a debut novel, Inman has hit the ground running! I do not believe that any reader would know this once they start reading this tome. She is quite the wordsmith and has applied her craft, talent, and creativity well and allowed God to have His way in delivering His message to the reader.

Highly recommended.

The three ratings below are based on my discernment:

World Building 5/5

Characters 5/5

Story 5/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:

Spiritual Level 2/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

_______________________________________________________

Spiritually, based on my review and on the aforementioned reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland (Radiqx Press), and that Refuge contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Pre-Christian Godliness Fiction as follows:

• they accurately depict Godly living at the Old Testament level,
• they clearly reveal the Truth about the Lord and how He works
• there must be specific references to the coming Savior/Redeemer and the Lord’s ultimate plan for His people, 

we bestow upon Melinda, the

Reality Calling Pre-Christian Godliness Fiction Award

Congratulations, Melinda!

To buy or preview this novel, click on the BUY/PREVIEW icon on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Refuge and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Gold in Havilah: A Novel of Cain’s Wife by Jean Hoefling.

 I reviewed this novel on 23/04/22 in another blog, now defunct. 

Gold in Havilah: A Novel of Cain's Wife

Cain's wife is a nameless biblical woman lost in the early Genesis narrative. Yet what if her life journey wasn't so different from your own?

Akliah is a daughter of Adam and Eve who has grown up at the foot of the pristine holy mountain where the Garden of Eden lies. She and Adam's other children know well the story of their parents’ fall from innocence and their banishment from Eden. And they know the prophecy, that their privileged brother Cain will soon crush the head of the ancient serpent who tempted their parents there. Fiercely in love with Cain, Akliah is determined to become his wife. But her schemes are shattered when Cain kills his brother, Abel, and abducts her to a barren land east of Eden. In Nod, she grieves her mistakes while Cain spirals into ever-deepening tiers of delusion through his bondage to a beautiful fallen angel. When she finally meets a man who offers a chance for genuine love and redemption, Akliah is torn between an honest confession of her past and her longing to be admired. Against the backdrop of life in the world's first city, Akliah must finally make the choice to regain her heart's integrity or die trying. 

Perspective by Peter:

I did not have this on my review schedule and only read it out of curiosity to see what this novel is like after I reviewed Ashes Like Bread, the latter as a request by the author. Hence the shorter review.

As I stated in my review of Ashes like Bread, this author writes well with an excellent command of the English language. It is also constructed well and holds your attention. The first-person narrative adds a great layer of intimacy between the character and yourself as she becomes very relational.

Yes, I give a tick to all other things relating to a novel. I was entertained and given a view of life in this era of the biblical timeline and this is done well. And it is written in the style and extensive detail that Hoefling has delivered in Ashes Like Bread. 

My only beef with this novel is the use of her poetic license in relation to the "other" humans that are present that Akilah comes across who are also in search of the One True God and who are not offspring of Adam and Eve. Hoefling adds a reference to where this came from and the author of this supposition that she includes is just that.

I love poetic license where this is used to fill in any gaps between an established narrative/account, truth, or fact where it does not undermine these. In this novel, Hoefling uses poetic license to add that God created other humans besides Adam and Eve so there was no lineage or offspring directly from the latter.

This undermines the Bible and its theology and the motive for God to have created Adam and Eve as the first humans. To me, it also adds other motives that are not explained as to why God did this.

I am willing to ignore this use of poetic license when it is used by authors who are not Christian or do not believe in the Sovereignty of God, doctrines of the Bible, and its doctrines as they know no better or feel they can write as they please. They do not consider they are accountable to anyone let alone God. That is between them and God in the final analysis.

I do have a problem when Christian authors do this. I do not feel it is worth it to change what we know, what the Bible says, or the motives of God. Despite it being fiction, this use of poetic license in this way could become a stumbling block to those whose faith is weak or those who are seeking to know the truth of God and His Word. 

Despite this, I am still interested in seeing what Hoefling does in her next novel, an account of Zyla's brother, Mahalalel. I liked him and his storyline in Ashes Like Bread.

Entertaining, but that is all. 

Series Review: The Baptist trilogy by Ryan David Gerard

I reviewed this series on 22/09/19 in another blog, now defunct.

Series Review of The Baptist trilogy by Ryan David Gerard.

I was asked by the author to review this trilogy many months ago. I was unable to at the time. Recently, Ryan was asking for reviews of this trilogy on Goodreads. I decided to spotlight this series and offered Ryan a guest post to talk about the grittiness of these novels and his concern about depicting Christian Fiction realistically. This became the post, Ryan David Gerard and the Challenge of Depicting Christian Fiction Realistically. From reading that post, I became even more intrigued than I was previously and found myself reading the first novel, Judge's Genesis. Before I go any further, here is what this novel is about:

In the year 2041, the world has become a worse place than we could imagine. On the brink of war, the world is on the verge of actually seeing time travel achieved in order to fix all the mistakes we've made. But, Baltimore cop, John Revele is lost inside the human condition. His passion for retribution of the innocent drives him to madness as he realizes there is not much he can do within the law. Outside of it is a different story altogether. He rises up to battle evil on the streets in a vigilante blitz, but he learns that more is going on in the spectrum of good and evil then he realized. Supernatural forces are at play and God and the devil have made an arrangement for the souls of humanity. From street thugs to mob kingpins, sex traffickers, and demonic forces, Revele brings his fight full force, but only to realize there is a much bigger war going on. In the face of evil--true evil--he will have to defeat his greatest nemesis--himself--in order to truly be ready for the next stage of the fight...

By this stage, I was so addicted and engrossed, I had to continue with the second novel, A New Testament:

In the wake of the devastating event that broke the space-time continuum, John Revele must begin to find his way through this new realm he finds himself in. With only the instructions of the mysterious Stranger, he will need to track down Jason Richter, the physicist who started all of this, in order to put time back on track.
Meanwhile, the normal realms of time and existence go on. The other versions of John and everyone else push forward--towards the series of events that sparked the anomaly in the first place.
Four years have past and John's new name; The Baptist, has become legend on the streets of Baltimore. Criminals have grown to fear the name as he and his group of friends have earned a reputation for dealing with society's worst. John's estranged wife; Clare, after putting her career case to bed, finds herself faced with a new terrorist group that could be worse than the last. As John tries to decide how far he is willing to take this mission of his, the version of himself that is trapped underneath time must convince Jason Richter to help him fix the space-time continuum.
The result spawns a whole new reality--a version of events that is different than anyone has seen before!
All the while, the ever scheming; Ranston sets up for the climax of his plan and the realization of his dark second chance...

and by this stage, I could stop here but to finish with the final instalment with Revelation:

The epic finale of John Revele's saga! Ranston has won and The Stranger is dead! While John is still trapped in prison, war rages on the outside and his group are scattered. Richter and Ken's plans to fix the space-time continuum are thwarted by the authorities, Clare is trapped north of the border and rest of the twelve are unaccounted for. Hope is been shattered with the execution of their savior, especially when He doesn't rise on the third day and expected by some. Now, each of these characters will have to rely on the help of unlikely aides and some old familiar faces, in order to find each other again. Once they do, they will mount an attack against Ranston and those who have sided with him in this war. It's an all out launch of assault against the enemy of life as the group seeks their revenge--only to realize that the vengeance was never theirs to take...Can Richter make it to Israel and set the distorted timeline right again? Can John finally see the end of all evil?--and what will this mean for the rest of the characters? Find out in this, the final instalment in The Baptist Trilogy!

When I read the guest post mentioned above, I was getting a bit concerned that this trilogy was going to be so far out of the square that I would not enjoy it or think that the author was now orbiting a different planet than ours!

However, I can see what he is talking about from that post. This is not your typical or usual Christian fiction. But, I thought it was very well done. Despite the grittiness, the occasional dark aspects, the descriptions of violence, thuggery, corruption, deception, Gerard instils a sincerity and genuineness to depict it as it is. All of the aforementioned destructive behaviours and attitudes are just as I would have expected them to be if I was involved in the world that he has created. It is not glorified, it is not added for the sake of it, or to cover up a writing deficit he has as an author. His guest post mentioned above gives some much-needed background to this trilogy and I am glad to have encouraged him to compose this. Understanding his motives for writing gleaned from this post certainly enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of this trilogy. I would also recommend any reader to read the notes from the author at the beginning and end of each novel, especially after the finish of Revelation.

Gerard should commend himself for not compromising any part of the Gospel message, the depiction of Jesus or the demonic/satanic in this trilogy. I found his depiction of these to be of adherence to their biblical origins. Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible and of the Trinity. He is depicted as Divine, the Son of God. Satan is depicted as he is from the Bible as well. Gerard has not given him any more power, authority or dominion than we know from the Bible.

Any author who depicts the events of the Bible, in this case, the New Testament and integrates them into a modern, futuristic but dystopian world would have quite a challenge to pull it off and have it read as if it happened that way. Gerard is a master of this. There were some details that he simply could not address, (and he explains in the notes at the end of Book 3), but this does not make the plot or the worldbuilding fall into any deficit or weakness.

With each novel being in the 400-500 page range, Gerard packs a lot into each and in the overall plot of this trilogy. There are so many levels or layers. There is never a dull moment or lull in the pace of the plot throughout. All the characters come alive and you will find yourself pack of the world that Gerard has placed John Revele. This is epic dystopian fantasy. You will laugh, I found myself crying at some parts, especially the crucifixion and how the characters reacted to Jesus' death. I was infuriated and disgusted at the deceptiveness, manipulation of Ranston who represent satan incarnate. I found myself relating to all of the character's perspective and how they fitted into John's quest for justice in this world of moral corruptness, selfishness and chaos.

Gerad has used symbolism in all three novels. I challenge any reader, especially Christian ones to see who is the modern counterpart of the disciples. I correctly identified who the disciples of John, Peter, Judas, Andrew. It was not at all hard to identify Mary Magdalene. Gerard may not have done anything cryptive for this character, it was fine as it is.

It is interesting how the Bible could be seen as a battle between a good character and a bad one. Jesus versus satan. In this trilogy, Gerard has done the same thing. Satan throws Jesus a wager that if he was given a second chance he would defeat Jesus and God and be what he wanted in the beginning, to rule over everything and everyone, rule his way and sit on God's throne.

Jesus accepts and they both choose their players. Jesus chooses John Revele and satan chooses Jason Richter. Jason is a loner, hates people but loves science. John loves people and stands for justice and treating everyone fairly and as they need to be treated. Jesus "inserts" himself in their reality or world as The Stranger and just like He did in the Biblical times, He drew people to Himself and connected with them where they are and on all levels of their psyche. Satan is depicted as Paul Ranston, a master manipulator, political adviser to the two POTUS and financier of the terrorist groups who do his bidding. And the three novels show how Ranston tries to do things differently. But just when you think, Gerard is depicting this to be so, there is always a twist to prove otherwise.

And while we talk about this, Gerard is the master plot, worldbuilder and character developer. All these three fit seamlessly together to support the wager satan challenges God with. The mystique, suspense, thrills, action and adventure never let up and layer upon layer is unravelled and embeds you further into this world.

The spiritual and supernatural aspects are well done. A novel of this dimension and with this plot would not be successful without the inclusion of these two aspects. It is the underpinning foundation for it all. While there is no specific redemptive procedure that John Revele's group go through, they show transformation of character, heart and spirit from following The Stranger and living out His teachings and principles in their lives. Gerard has "copied" what the Bible has done. It does not account for how the disciples believed in Him but showed they did by following His teachings and adopting them into their lives, albeit for such a short time (3 years of His earthly ministry before being crucified). So it is in this trilogy. Gerard has depicted the Spirit instructing and encouraging John (and if I remember rightly others) in various circumstances over the course of these three novels. 

If a movie production house translated Gerard's novels into a movie with very little or no poetic licence added, this would make a sensational movie. And it would show the impact and power of the Gospel message. It would clearly define who Jesus is, who satan is and what they stand for. It would show Jesus of the Bible and what He achieved on the Cross, it would show the hatred, deceptiveness and manipulation of satan towards God/Jesus and His creation, mankind. It would show the power of the Cross and how to live victorious in Him. All this wrapped up in an action-packed, dramatic, edge of your seat thrilling account of the Gospel message. Gerard would have to be the screenplay writer or at least the chief advisor of the film's production or some other existing Christian playwright/advisor or Director.

There is so much more that a review of Gerard's novel could include. But this would make the review far too long. Suffice to say that Gerard has not written this trilogy for fun, for the entertainment value alone. He has crafted a saga here with many layers, many dynamics, many spiritual truths and Biblical ones more importantly. I love and appreciate his sincerity and genuineness to tell it as it is for all the right and commendable reasons, to give the reader something to think about and in doing so, shows what a true disciple of Jesus is. These characters are flawed and badly, the world is corrupt, morally bankrupt, messy, life's events and people's reactions to them are gritty, chaotic and irresponsible based on selfishness and warped by man's sin and rebellion against God and His ways.

I believe that Gerard has no major concerns to worry about depicting his fiction the way it is. He needs to stay true to this style and the motives he has in creating it. He truly has a God-given talent for story and being honest, truthful, sincere and genuine about it.

I am the first one to state when a novel dishonors God, undermines the Bible, promotes the demonic or the satanic as being more powerful or greater than God. This is not the case here with Gerard. He is respectful in keeping it as it is and how it should be and needs to be. He has not deviated from these criteria.

My one concern about his depiction is where The Stranger and Ranston have a physical brawl. My first reaction was, "Really?" and then I felt it went on for too long. It needed to be shorter if it had to be depicted at all. However, reading this scene reminded me of Thor fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Gerard does know how to write fight scenes! But unlike the fight scene in that movie, the Good Guy wins, but how would it be otherwise when we are talking about God?

I can see this trilogy not appealing to all Christians. And yes, those Christians who believe that Christian fiction should be sugary sweet with no violence, sex (none in this trilogy!), swearing (cussing), or depictions of Christians being flawed and showing it, will be aghast and critical of this trilogy and of Gerard. No doubt they will insist he repent of his evil ways and renounce his foray into the dark side! But to do that without giving this trilogy a fair go and a chance will be doing Gerard and his world in this trilogy an injustice and deny the Spirit a chance to minister to them. But as Gerard states in his guest post,

This series is written specifically for the world, not the church.  It’s not a typical, wholesome piece of Christian media.  It comes with one of those “explicit content” warnings on it. There is violence, in lots of police-action-style shooting and fight scenes and there is language. Because it’s all about the human condition, it is not a very pleasant subject matter. There are prostitution and drugs as well as gang and criminal activity.  None of the characters is Christian and, as such, they are written that way. It’s a story about how the rest of the world goes through life, popular beliefs about how good and evil should be handled, and how the average citizen would deal with God showing up in their life. 

and later in the post,

The bottom line is that I thought to myself; “Why can’t Christians put out a better product—a more realistic, gritty, raw and unvarnished piece of media?  A well written and well-produced story, and wouldn’t it be awesome to not worry about being safe” or “So I began to realize that I should be the one to produce something like this, instead of waiting and criticizing.”

I have no doubt that Gerard has succeded in his quest here. Christian authors can put out a better product just as he described it, realistic, gritty raw and unvarnished. I welcome more of it from Gerard. I pray he can be an inspiration to more Christian authors out there who are maybe afraid to go down this path and show fallen mankind and the world that results from this.

Highly Recommended.

If you would like to investigate The Baptist trilogy, click on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading The Baptist trilog and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Novel Review and Christian Redemptive Fiction Award: Redemption’s Promise by Sandi Rebert.

 Redemption's Promise.

Redemption’s Promise is an exciting adventure/romance set in Jerusalem during Jesus’ death through His ascension. It also weaves in Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in Christ. All this in a fast-paced fictional story you won’t be able to put down! - Jason bar Micaiah is just sixteen years old. His father, an insurrectionist, has been killed; his mother is missing. Given the choice of death, slavery, or becoming the son of a Roman centurion—he chooses adoption. Though he despises his new identity, his secret goal is to use it to his advantage—to continue his father’s fight against Roman tyranny. Jason's life becomes an exciting, dangerous, and soul-searching adventure that ultimately leads to the true meaning of Redemption’s Promise.

Perspective by Peter:

I may become a convert to Biblical historical fiction! I have not read much in this genre, but Rebert's novel has changed that! Now, I realise that all novels in this genre will not be like this one, but it has whetted my appetite to read more of these.

This is such a beautiful story. I was totally engrossed in it. I stayed up late over two nights just to find out what would happen next. I loved the romance, even the forbidden sense of it, between Jason and Rebecca, Antonius and Deborah, but this is not as it seems by the end of the novel and forms the basis for the sequel. There are some loose ends and questions left unanswered, that Rebert outlines at the end of the novel in preparation for this sequel:

Does Braedon ever enter the story again?

Does Ruth’s mother live or die? Will Antonius and Deborah marry?

Will Jason keep his promise to Yosef and Maya?

Is this the last we see of Petronai and Aurelius?

To answer those questions and provide another exciting biblical fiction adventure, I am working on a sequel that will also include the conversion and ministry of the Apostle Paul!

Rebert has written this novel so well that you are in the novel with the characters. More than an observer, unattached to the characters. You will become endeared to them. You relate to them, you experience their happiness, their joy, their sorrow, their despair. You might even re-experience the Joy of your salvation, that feeling of joy when you accepted Jesus as Saviour. I did again when Jason accepted Jesus as His Lord and Saviour. I had a bit of a cry of Joy during this.

I became incensed at the harshness of Antonius' discipline and punishment towards Jason's disobedience towards him, I cried at the scourging (whipping) of Jason at Antonius' hands. I understood his reasons for doing so, that were explained later in the novel. It was such a difficult position, his superiors had put Antonius in. Such a harsh test of his loyalty to the Roman hierarchy. Antonius was just a product of his Roman training and indoctrination of the Roman way of thinking and military mindset. However, deep down, he was always a man conflicted. There was a pain in his heart from the death of his son and loss of his wife. This is expressed in him adopting Jason as his son and preserving the life of Jason's mother. I had a soft spot for Antonius despite his many flaws and harsh behaviour. Maybe the father in me came out when I read about the trials of their relationship.

I loved the puppy love that originally existed from Jason towards Rebecca that grew into full unconditional love. If there is one thing that I appreciated was the prayers that Jason expressed in his despair when he could not ever be with Rebecca (until God answered this prayer). They are tender, sincere, heart felt and show a teachable spirit. We could all take a lesson from this. How to accept God's will for our lives despite what we want. I have said before in other reviews that I don't understand why fellow Christian readers criticise an author for including the content of a character's prayer. I can understand a non-believer doing this as it is unfamiliar to them and even a form of spiritual resistance in their fallen/unregenerated spirit. It does not detract from the story, it does not slow the plot down. To me, it shows a realistic and essential way of life and Christian living for the Christ follower. These prayer inclusions enhance the story and show the relationship we need to have with Jesus.

This brings me to another spiritual aspect of this novel. It is replete with wisdom of forgiveness. The dialogue between Deborah and Jason concerning the latter forgiving Antonius and Ephraim shows the power of the Gospel and what Jesus achieved on the Cross for us. Rebert writes from her heart here and it is beautiful and powerful. I am sure it might convict some readers to re-evaluate their hearts towards those they are struggling to forgive. I know it did me. And this is one aspect of Christian fiction I love to see in novels, where it encourages a deeper walk with Christ, where it convicts you of a stronghold, where it edifies your spirit, it educates you in another aspect of God, or our Christian living and how to be more Christ like. Rebert shines here.

And I must say that Rebert shows in this novel what Redemption's Promise is all about. As Jason's states,

“I’ve been thinking. Perhaps redemption’s promise has to do more with spiritual freedom, the forgiveness of sins, rather than escape from the bondage of Rome. Jesus claims He has the power on earth to forgive sins!”

and when he is witnessing to Antonius,

"The life-changing words of Jesus that Nicodemus had shared with him echoed in his mind. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Jason looked at the centurion. That includes Romans! Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming concern for his stepfather’s eternal destiny. He reached out and touched Antonius’ arm. “Redemption’s promise is not for the Jew alone, but for all who come to Jesus in repentance and faith.."

Rebert has depicted the life of the time for both the Jew and the Roman and the obvious conflict of the Jews living under the rule and dominion of the Romans. She portrays the attempts of the Jews to overthrow the Roman rule and how the Jews felt they could engage the services of the Messiah to do this. This is explored with Jason wanting to engage Jesus in his quest to overthrow Roman rule but became disillusioned when he discovered that Jesus was not here for physical warfare or revolution, but for spiritual peace and restoration of man's soul. It was this that turned his attitude around.

It was good having one of the Jewish scholars, Benjamin, be open to the claims in the Old Testament that had clues to who the Messiah could be and how he investigated these clues against Jesus and his background. This also assisted Jason in believing that Jesus is the Messiah and him accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I loved this character and the relationship that developed between both of these. Even Nicodemus played a part here.

I am very taken with this novel and I am glad there will be a sequel. Sandi is an author who writes from the heart, with a focus on the Gospel and showing the power of the Cross. This is one God-honouring novel, tender, beautiful, entertaining and spirit edifying.

I highly recommend this novel.

The following three ratings are based on my judgment:

World Building 4/5

Characters 5/5

Story 5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:

Spiritual Level: 4

Enemy Spiritual Level: 2

Spiritually, based on my review and on the aforementioned reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland (Radiqx Press) and that Redemption's Promise contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Christian Redemptive Fiction outlined in this booklet, (click on the title below to see what this is based on), I bestow to Sandi the:

Reality Calling Christian Redemptive Fiction Award

Congratulations, Sandi!

If you like to investigate this novel further, click on the image below:

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Redemption's Promise and then submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media platform you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.