Henry O. ArnoldRecensioni

The Mercy Seat is one of the more unique novels that I’ve read in awhile. A pastor with a servant’s heart for his church and community is doing all he can, while serving in one of the roughest parts of Tennessee. What he doesn’t expect is just how dark his world will become, how deep the corruption goes, and who will be taken down in the process.

Profound descriptions describe a dark and desolate place and I fought the helpless and depressed feelings that washed over me as I read. Sadly, I am very familiar with this world as I grew up in a community not too dissimilar to what was depicted in The Mercy Seat. It is triggering for me to go into any details, but suffice to say I know this world better than I should, and the author did a great job of capturing the underbelly and those that are fighting to be free.

There are multiple narrators throughout the novel which I appreciated as it gives you insight into this situation from varying points of view. These characters have quite an authentic feel, with the exception of the language, which is cleaned up considerably, and rightly so. There is a lot that is packed within these pages and takes the reader on a journey that no one wants to be on. I admit that it took me a few chapters to really get the gist of what I was reading, but once I was grounded in the narrative I was hooked.

This is an intense read and though it is a Christian fiction it is not for the faint of heart. There is gang and drug activity as well as violence and corruption, but there is also faith, hope, and the power of redemption. The Mercy Seat is a compelling reminder that though the battle rages on there will one day be victory.

*I have reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.

The book takes us on a journey through Biblical times when Saul was king. Not everyone was pleased with him and many did not want to recognize him as king. The burden he and his family faced was filled with despair, pride and at times loneliness. The details are vivid and easy to visualize. That one moment when Saul takes out his anger in a vicious way may cause harm to many. I think we can all agree that at some point in our lives we have let our anger overtake us.

As a bloody battle ensues who will be the victor? The author does a good job of taking us into the middle of uncertainty as King Saul and his army descends on their enemy. The determination to win is fierce and you can smell fear on those nearby. I enjoyed the encounter between King Saul and Samuel. Wise words were spoken but will King Saul follow them? From their conversation, there is a hint that pride may be slipping in and Samuel has cautioned King Saul of this. Having power does something to some and at times they become fixated on the power they have and not the good of others.

Jonathan is someone I have always been intrigued with. His father the king can be very demanding at times. When it is discovered that Jonathan has perhaps sinned, what will the consequences be? The story is epic as it traces the life of King Saul. We watch him weep over the death of his wife and hear the words of the prophet that penetrate his heart. As David comes into the picture the author gives us a glimpse of what is to come.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

This book is a work of fiction about Hannah, her desire to have a child, and Samuel. I wish I could say I recommend this book, but I can not.

I believe a book, even a work of fiction, centered around people, places, or events included in the Bible should portray a certain level of decorum in them. This book focused to much on sexuality, negative behavior, and a general lack of tact regarding the fictional aspects of this book.

Within the story of Hannah, Samuel, and Eli, so many avenues could have been explored that would allow the glory to be brought to God. However this book seemed to focus more on carnal things,

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

Whenever I am reading a Biblical fiction book I keep my Bible close by. I am familiar with each story but I always like to reference back to scripture to see if the author has taken to many liberties in the retelling. I do enjoy reading these type of books, but I like to have the stories close to the original telling in the Bible. Sometimes an author will stray from the story and it becomes hard to follow. I think in this case the author did stray or enhance the story which took away from the original integrity of Samuel.

The first part is pretty accurate with Hannah giving birth to Samuel and then promising him to Yahweh. It would be very difficult for me to have to give one of my children like she did. The author did a good job in relaying how she felt even though she knew it was what was suppose to happen. Where the author takes a more fictional account is when Samuel matures. Here is where I started to question how far the story would go. I know there are things in the Bible that are hard to read, however I don’t think graphic details are necessary in a fictional account.

As with each book I review, I always want the reader to judge for themselves about a book. The book does have some good material but for me there was just a little more of a stray from the original story. With this being the first book I’ve read from the author, I think he did an adequate job and my opinion of his story may differ from others.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Luke 10:24 “For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

As I’ve mentioned before, Biblical fiction is generally a hit-or-miss genre, particularly when the main subject is an actual Biblical figure or event as opposed to a fictional character interacting with or living alongside people from the Bible, and even more so if the focus is on the Old Testament. Remaining true to the inerrant Word of God while creating a narrative of what life was like—the minutiae—before, during, and after the details that we read in the Bible requires research, prayer, and inspiration. It is not an easy task, and there are some readers who shy away from this category for various understandable reasons. As a result, it can be difficult to find books that explore the ancient Biblical world without superimposing modernity onto it in the form of customs, ideas, and interpretations. Some of the best authors in the genre include Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews, Connilyn Cossette, Brennan McPherson, and now, Henry Arnold.

A previously-unknown-to-me author, Henry Arnold has just released “A Voice Within the Flame”, book one of The Song of Prophets and Kings series. From the beautiful front cover that harkens back to Moses’ encounter with Yahweh in the burning bush and subtly alludes to the Mosaic Law still in place during this time period to the narrative itself, this book draws readers in immediately. I will admit that I had some apprehension at first, wondering if it would be boring or would diverge too much from the Biblical account. However, I can honestly say that once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop! I did occasionally cross-reference a few things with the Bible, but more for the purpose of refreshing my memory or learning more than for fact-checking. What I found most intriguing about this book is the background of Samuel; as with any extra-Biblical text, it is not necessarily exactly how each event happened or how each person felt, but I think that Arnold does well in using the Bible to inform his story and give readers a reasonable idea of the life of Samuel.

One of the aspects of Biblical fiction that I love the most is the humanity that it brings to the people of the Bible. For seasoned Christians especially, we can become so familiar with the stories of the Word that we rarely pause to think about how these people felt in the situations they faced or in day-to-day living. “A Voice Within the Flame” offers a possible account of how the events unfolded. Named Samuel, meaning “God has heard”, the miracle-baby changes the lives of not only his own family forever, but Israel itself. As heart-wrenching as it is to read about Hannah giving Samuel back to God around age 4 to learn and to serve in the Tabernacle, it is even more heart-warming to view it all from the perspective of history and to see (at least in part) that God was and always will be in control. As Hannah marvels at Samuel’s birth, “There had been no guarantee of this blessing, only the hope, and now they touched with their hands this visible, human soul of Yahweh’s favor.” Eli, the High Priest who teaches Samuel, also recognizes something special about him. “This was their son, eleven years in the making, Yahweh’s gift to them…a gift the Almighty would reclaim.”

As with so much of the Bible, a great deal of it is being fulfilled before our eyes, and the same can be said in Samuel’s case. The High Priest Eli teaches his students, Samuel among them, the foreshadowing of persecution and trials ahead. He warns them about the Benjamites, referencing the story of the Levite and his concubines from Judges 19-21 and proclaiming that “slaughter begets slaughter.” In a prescient lesson regarding this serious issue, he remarks that “To serve the people of Israel, you must know the people of Israel. Know our dark hearts and corrupted minds. Know that we are broken and fearful. Know that the longer Yahweh is kept at a distance the more craven we become.” How sadly yet starkly true this is for us today, as we near the end of 2020! Later in Samuel’s story, he follows in Eli’s footsteps to some degree, as his sons also rebel against Yahweh. Samuel, however, is upright, the last of the judges and a man who listened to and followed God, establishing the monarchy of Israel by anointing Saul, a Benjamite. That did not work out well for Saul, in the end, and eventually the shepherd boy David becomes king, in the patrilineage of Jesus Himself.

An epic story of the necessity of putting God first, “A Voice Within the Flame” separates the main sections of Samuel’s story into four parts and proves that God is always working behind the scenes and always in control, despite outward appearances.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

I kept going back and forth with this book. While I liked it, there were several things that threw me.

This book focuses on the activities and imprisonment of some Shelter Now International (SNI) employees by the Taliban army. The story in and of itself was sad and gave you a bird’s eye view of what it really means to be held in a prison with no real laws for 100 days. And while the experiences are something that very few people would have been able to endure, it felt like it was told as a shock value rather than a learning one.

The book was written to explain how the employees faith in Christianity made it possible for them to remain strong, but we rarely saw that. Instead we were slapped in the face over and over with the pain and indignities they had to endure. And while this must be written about, this goal of the book and the final result didn’t see eye to eye.

While I enjoyed reading the book, it didn’t scream out at me. Shock value and constant downers only go so far.