The desire of Israel…
the first to wear the crown is the warrior king
For decades the nation of Israel had no rest from her enemies. The people cried out, “Give us a king to lead us, to go out before us, to fight our battles.” And Yahweh hears the cries of the chosen. He plucks a king out of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes—Saul, son of a herdsman. The prophet Samuel anoints him as Israel’s first warrior king.
Under the banner of the wolf, the symbol of his tribe, Saul rises to prominence, winning the hearts and minds of the people of Israel with his success on the battlefield and benevolent leadership.
But when the nation of Israel cries out, “For the love of Israel. For the glory of Yahweh. For the honor of the king,” the praises of the people turn the humble heart of the warrior king into one filled with pride—a pride that has fatal consequences.
In this tale of triumph and tribulation, deepest love and burning rivalries, the new epoch is given a voice…and it is a Song of Prophets and Kings.
My thoughts: My children and I have been going through several devotionals with our school and one of them (The Whole Bible Story for young readers) has been focused on Israel deciding that they need a king. So, I enjoyed delving more into the story of Saul with this book! I enjoyed the glimpse of the person behind the first crown in Israel. One who started out with his heart pursuing God, but is often remembered for his failings and the later part of his reign. I thought that the author did a good job of weaving what we know of Saul with fiction. David is introduced towards the end of the book, so I look forward to seeing where the next story takes readers!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.
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About the Author
Henry O. Arnold has co-authored a work of fiction, Hometown Favorite, with Bill Barton, and nonfiction, KABUL24, with Ben Pearson. He also co-wrote and produced with Steve Taylor (director) and Ben Pearson the film The Second Chance starring Michael W. Smith, the screenplay for the authorized film documentary on evangelist Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador, and the documentary film KABUL24, based on the book which is the story of western and Afghani hostages held captive by the Taliban for 105 days. He lives on a farm in Tennessee with his lovely wife Kay. They have two beautiful daughters married to two handsome men with three above-average grandchildren. For more information please visit: www.henryoarnold.com
More from Henry
After the golden age of theatre in the Greek and Roman times, the theatre went dark, very dark as in Dark Ages, and for centuries it was thus. But it was the church that brought the theatre back to life by staging passion plays on biblical subjects. Since most people could not read at the time, it was a great way to tell the folks some Bible stories. The world has certainly improved its literacy skills since then. The delight I have in reading and writing stories from the Bible or on biblical themes has been with me for a long time.
When I formulated the concept of retelling the stories of the first three kings of Israel and matching them with the leading prophets of that age, the title of the series, The Song of Prophets and Kings, was a perfect match for the biblical/historical fiction genre. The first volume in this series, A Voice Within the Flame, was released last year and features the life of the prophet Samuel up to and including the anointing and coronation of Saul as the first king of Israel. Now it is time for the second volume, Crown of the Warrior King. This second novel picks up where the last one left off.
Whether the reader or listener is familiar with the biblical stories or not, I have written these novels in such a way that makes these ancient stories come to life in the modern world. When the reader/listener dives into stories that are 3,000 years old, it will be surprising how we all can see ourselves in these characters.
These are biblical stories that I grew up with and have read and studied all my life. It is a joy to get to share them with you in this series, The Song of Prophets and Kings.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 13
Texas Book-aholic, January 14
Beauty in the Binding, January 15 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, January 15
For Him and My Family, January 16
Inklings and notions, January 17
deb’s Book Review, January 18
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 19
Splashes of Joy, January 20 (Author Interview)
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 21
Connie’s History Classroom, January 22
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 23 (Author Interview)
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 24 (Spotlight)
Cats in the cradle blog, January 25
Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 26 (Author Interview)
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, January 26
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Henry is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy of the book and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/17c58/crown-of-the-warrior-celebration-tour-giveaway
Sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to check this out!
ReplyDeleteCrown of the Warrior King sounds like an excellent read, thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Inklings and Notions, for sharing your review! Have a spectacular week!
ReplyDeleteThis series sounds good!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good
ReplyDeleteMy brother would like this book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
What inspires your main character ideas?
ReplyDeleteDear Inklings, just wanted to say thank you for your kind and encouraging words regarding Crown of the Warrior King. I so appreciate your support. Henry O. Arnold
ReplyDelete