The story of Elijah is one of my favourites. Full of high drama, incredible faithfulness, the highs and lows of a ministry. Although this book covers more of the background surrounding and supporting Elijah’s own story, this book fully does it justice.
It is fast paced, engaging, with well researched details that set the scene. It draws you into the Biblical account.
From the story you can clearly see the extent to which Israel had fallen away, the debauched worship of idols, the warped priesthood, the obscene control of Jezebel. Superstition, paganism and idolatry had merged into a toxic mix, that show how much Elijah was facing up to and contending with. No wonder it took all that he had and more to speak truth to this power.
The book offers background that shows the harshness of life living in this corrupt society, driven by the greed of Queen Jezebel that tainted the life of everyone in her kingdom.
The story takes you on a life adventure of a young priest, who is drawn to the charismatic character of Elijah, albeit from a brief interaction. But this begins his calling to follow Elijah, as he rapidly sees through the lies and false gods and begins to see the truth of Yahweh.
Later, a further encounter with Elijah leads him to become his helper as mentioned in the Biblical account. The telling of the story from his viewpoint helps the reader engage fully with the circumstances, the culture and the impact that the two years of drought would have had on society, and the depth of meaning that Elijah’s intervention would have had.
Dana is a great storyteller, bringing tension and intrigue, keeping the reader deeply engaged and even weaving a heart-warming love story into a sub-plot.
If you are a fan of the Biblical fiction genre, then this is a fine example.
