Monday 25 July 2016

In the Shadow of David by Martin Baggen

This is the alternative account of the life and "creation" of Jesus as told by the rebellion.

Yohannon (John the Baptist) is set to claim the title of messiah with Miriam at his side. A messiah with a radically different view from current teachings. His cousin Yeshua (Jesus) resurfaces to spend some time with Yohannon only to be thrust unexpectedly into the limelight when plans go awry. Now with Yohannon out of the way, Mirriam and her family Zachary and Lazarus as well as friends  Yehudah and Thomas, must manipulate events in order to keep Yeshua in the dark but still believing that he is the son of God.  The miracles and deeds must seem real, but can the behind-the-scenes influence go too far?

I found this a difficult read and had to restart it a number of times. I wanted to gauge reader reaction before I started it and found two reviews that thoroughly praised it so I was looking forward to getting stuck into it. It wasn't what I expected and it's definitely not for everyone. Firstly a lot of names sounded so similar that I was getting confused between the characters. The chapters begin with varying points of view too, which sometimes makes  it puzzling as to where the story is coming from. Personally (and this is just my subjective opinion), I did not like the lies and "manufacture" of Jesus. I also found that the lead up to where Yeshua becomes convinced that he is the son of God too long, and then the miracles all leading up to his crucifixion happen in a short space of time in the book. The depiction of the horrors of the crucifixion and the torture leading to it are very vivid and hard to stomach. The writing itself is excellent but the plot was not for me.


I'd still give it 3 stars because of the way it was written and the idea behind it but don't pick this up expecting a light read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review the book. 

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