Karl's Reading List

Published by The Text Publishing Company: Melbourne, Australia, 2023. Book 1 in 'The Hierarchy.' Followed by ' The Strength of the Few. ' Recently, I came across some "Book-Tok" style videos on YouTube, and this book was one that I began seeing reviewed favourably. I kept an eye out for it, wondering if I could borrow it from the local library, but finding it consistently on loan (perhaps others had been watching the same videos).  Then, one Saturday morning, I went to get coffees for Elise and myself, and on the book-swap shelf of that particular cafe, this book was proudly displayed. So, I took it. Hooray! And, now having read it... ...I can see what the fuss is about. This is a well-written high fantasy book set in a Roman-Empire-style society called Caten. The Catenan Empire has conquered the known world, with the help of their 'Will-infused' magic system/social hierarchy. Lower ranked individuals 'cede' half of their available 'will...

Published by InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2010. Recently, I met someone who is theologically suspicious of Constantine. I realise that numerous people are, but this person is of the opinion that Constantine was 'playing' the Council of Nicaea, cynically attempting to take over the Church, and even changing Scripture! As someone who has studied Theology, including Church History, this hasn't sat well with me - it doesn't feel accurate to the historical record, or to my theological understanding of the purpose of Scripture.  So, I have been re-reading some theological works I enjoyed in years past, and making sure I understand the arguments for and against Constantine. Guess which side Defending Constantine takes! This book begins with a focus more on the history of the time period and a biography of Constantine. Author Leithart gives the reasons why he is convinced that Constantine experienced a 'genuine' conversion to Christianity, and argues per...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2002 (1995). Book 3 in the 'Mark of the Lion' series: " A Voice in the Wind "; " An Echo in the Darkness "; " As Sure as the Dawn ." The final book in the Mark of the Lion series, As Sure as the Dawn changes its focus from Hadassah and Marcus to Atretes, the German gladiator who appeared in A Voice in the Wind . Picking up where that book left off, Atretes is an angry wreck of his former self, betrayed by the woman he loved and grieving the apparent death of his son. However, early on he learns (from Hadassah) that his son is still alive, and sets out to reclaim him from the woman who is now raising him: a Christian widow named Rizpah. As with the previous two entries in this series, As Sure as the Dawn focuses a lot on the relationships between the main characters, with Rivers' pre-Christian background as a writer of Romance fiction skillfully helping us to care deeply about ...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2002 (1994). Book 2 in the 'Mark of the Lion' series: " A Voice in the Wind "; " An Echo in the Darkness "; " As Sure as the Dawn ." The second book in the Mark of the Lion series, Echo is hard to talk about without spoiling certain elements of the previous entry, A Voice in the Wind .  That earlier book has such a good ending that I would encourage people considering the book to go and read it before carrying on reading this! So... spoiler warning... Hadassah has survived being thrown to the lions thanks to the aid of the surgeon Alexander, but has been hideously scarred as a result. Keeping her features hidden from the world, she now works with Alexander as an assistant, her faith in God manifesting itself through compassion for Alexander's patients and prayers for healing. Despite her new live bringing hope to those around her, Hadassah worries what will happen if the Valer...

Published by Howard Books: New York, NY, 2013. This novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Author Lee portrays Judas not as a out-and-out traitor, but more someone that just doesn't get what Jesus is all about. He is somewhat sympathetic - much is made of the fact that in Matthew 26:50 Jesus calls Judas "friend" - and even the betrayal itself is reinterpreted as an attempt by Judas to save Jesus rather than condemn Him. This doesn't entirely align with the Judas we see in Scripture, although technically all the 'beats' of Judas that we get in the gospels are covered. As one example, Lee softens Judas's thieving from the moneybag - it does happen but only for reasons that Judas deems as important to Jesus. So, with a main character that doesn't quite match the historical figure, Iscariot is an odd beast of a novel. In some ways I found myself struggling to 'buy in' to the story as I foun...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Wheaton, Illinois, 1993. Book 1 in the 'Mark of the Lion' series: " A Voice in the Wind "; " An Echo in the Darkness "; " As Sure as the Dawn ." Francine Rivers is a very well-known author in Christian circles, and this is one of her most popular books. I remember reading this when I was younger, but Elise didn't know the story at all. To be fair, I only remembered some of the major beats, but it was interesting having the two perspectives - I asked Elise on occasion where she thought the story was going, and would think about what elements I knew as we went forward, realising for myself when moments of foreshadowing occurred that weren't necessarily too obvious on the first read. The book follows three main characters: Hadassah (a Jewish Christian who is also a slave), Marcus (a Roman aristocrat who gradually falls for Hadassah), and Atretes (a German warrior who is forced to become a gladiator)...

Published by The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.: Australia and NZ, 1992.  First published 1880. An epic classic taking place during the life of Christ, Ben-Hur is a very thoroughly researched and interesting tale of revenge and redemption. But it is also very slow. The first 14 chapters tell the story of the Wise Men seeking the birthplace of Jesus, and this all happens before Ben-Hur himself is even born! When we finally meet Judah Ben-Hur, we learn he is the friend of a Roman who - from the outset - treats him with distain. The fact that Ben-Hur is later betrayed by this friend is not at all a shock to the reader. And then, the revenge tale (which is the focus of the movie versions) is wrapped up relatively early in the plot (although at the same slow pace as the rest of the book), allowing for Ben-Hur to return home and find out what has happened to his mother and sister. Honestly, I would prefer watching the classic movie version. I haven't seen the m...