Through the eyes of Goliyath's shield bearer, himself a disenfranchised, cynical Israelite working for the other side, the reader is taken on an odyssey that spans nearly a hundred years and the cultural divide of the Biblical and pagan worlds. Foundation Stone, the first book in the Shepherd King series, begins from the seemingly small divergent steps of two twin sisters, Ruth and Orpah, both recently widowed to brothers the fate of the world is cast. One chooses the pagan cults and pageantry of the Philistines, while the other casts her lot with the tribal inheritance of Israel. It is their descendants, Dawid and Goliyath, who clash on the battlefield in the Valley of Elah. Two very different ways of life, clashing regularly, each claiming the same land as their own. It is an ageless tale of hope, courage and conviction whose echo resonates in the world today.
5 of 5 stars
DavidK says...
I read this book and was totally blown away. I was skeptical that this would be another boring Bible story. But I was wrong. It even reminded me of one of my loves, The Lord of the Rings. It was hard core. There aren’t any fantasy wizards or fairy tale monsters, but real heroes in real life. This novel brings to life one of the greatest heroic stories of all time. I was especially impressed with the vivid way the author contrasts the world of David’s ancient Israel with Goliath’s world of idolatry. It really brought these characters to life for me and the vivid images created have remained in my imagination deepening my appreciation of the HOLY BIBLE. I was especially impressed with the incredibly brilliant way the author narrates the book around the voice of David’s shield bearer. Literary genius!
2 of 5 stars
Talea Jurrens says...
Once in a while, a reader will come upon a book of a very different nature. A book that expands their circle of literary experience. Sometimes is just the book to fill an unforeseen gap that existed in the reader’s knowledge. Others may only fill a gap in the reader’s schedule.
The prologue set me wrong from the start but in all fairness, I judged to read on for the review. The location and character names are very language specific throughout the book. A glossary and pronunciation key does appear at the end but it comes much too late for those who don’t like to peek at the ending first. Mention made of this might have been helpful from the start as a nice set of informative maps were included there. I’m not sure if this book could be considered religious historical fiction or classified as something else. The dramatic descriptions could speak of adventure. The story has a tint of bitterness, pain, loss and grief throughout. Some areas have a leading edge of what could possibly be considered suspense. The story that is woven throughout the pages speaks of family dramas being played out through the deep sands of time. Whatever genre it falls into, it’s a book that is well written and shows some intellect behind the pen, which is one up on the plus side. The layout of the book is very neat and the paragraphs are well defined giving it a nice flow. There is no doubt that a certain audience is in need of a book like this but it is not like anything I have ever read before. I will not say that it is a bad book, nor can I say that I enjoyed it immensely. It just wasn’t one to fit my broad range of tastes.
Since this is a book with a religious basis as it’s background, I will not attempt to decipher fact from fiction. My knowledge base does not extend to stories told with this particular flavor in mind. I’m sure there are some who may enjoy this book but this audience is foreign to me. Hence, I have no specific reader recommendations other than to mention that it is not for children. If it sounds like something that might interest you, I encourage you investigate further and find out if it’s for you.
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