Customer Reviews

Dark Hour (Serpent Moon Trilogy)

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As evangelical, God-fearing Christians living in at least a nominally Judeo-Christian world, it's pretty easy to saunter through life a little laid back about our faith and our freedom to worship God as we choose. True, the world becomes ever harsher towards true believers every day, and the concept of "family values" and "morality" - once bedrocks of this nation - have become slippery slopes of opinions, interpretations, and "alternate lifestyle choices". It's not hard to look around and realize that we're not home yet, the forces of evil growing with each passing moment.

Still, given all that - we've got it pretty easy. We can attend any church of our choice; if we don't like what this pastor is teaching or disapprove of that worship style, we can just pick up and attend some other church. Other, alternative belief systems have become more prevalent in our society, but we really don't pay them much mind, do we? We don't have to wonder what would happen if one day, a Satanist or demonologist was elected president, and the nation's motto changed from "One Nation Under God" to "One Nation Under Beelzebub".

Go to the store, pick up Ginger Garrett's Dark Hour, and shudder as you realize just what a sanitized¸ safe life we lead. Usually, I start my reviews with some teaser elements of the story to whet my reader's appetite, but in this case, I'd hate to give away anything about this novel. Set during Jezebel's reign of terror in Old Testament times, Garrett takes the reader and thrusts them into a world far away from microwaves, The Purpose Driven Church, and churches with coffee shops in them. Dark Hour takes place during a time before Christ came to Earth, shed His blood to create a new covenant with us, when the spiritual battlefield was engaged in all out warfare for the minds, hearts, and souls of the people.

Garrett is extremely meticulous in her research and fact-finding, painting a realistic panorama of biblical times, and this story makes you powerfully aware of the tenuous existence early followers of Yahweh lived. Even as stained as it is, in today's world the institution of Christianity is a long established thing, even given all of its sects, forms, and denominations. Dark Hour confronts us with the lives of people challenged to believe in this "strange, new god" that demanded complete obedience and faith. That, and the novel's tangible essence of spiritual warfare gives it a gritty, visceral feel. We've all read great spiritual warfare novels like This Present Darkness, but we can't help but view them from a Western, Judeo-Christian perspective. Dark Hour portrays a frightening clash between holy Yahweh and old, ethereal pagan religions, and it serves to make a reader very thankful for the ease of our contemporary existence, indeed.

This is no "chic lit" book either; it's moving, powerful, and touching. Also, as the first entry into what's been tagged the Serpent Moon Trilogy, it stands alone as its own novel, while promising a deeper look into these long gone biblical times.

[...]

"The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you...Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:11,16).

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers" (Genesis 3:15).

Years before, God promised David that his descendants "shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 9:5). But in Israel that promise is a distant memory, dimmed with the passage of time, and the royal house has been infiltrated by idolaters with dreams power and a burning desire to see the Jewish faith permanently discarded in favor of gods such as Baal. The kingdom has become divided. In Israel, Ahab rules with the scheming Jezebel at his side. One of their daughters, Athaliah, is sent to Judah to marry Jehosophat's heir, the prince Jehoram. And Athaliah is every inch her mother's daughter, bringing to her marriage new gods and a burning desire to control the throne and rival her mother's power in the north.

In Dark Hour, the first novel in the Serpent Moon Trilogy, Ginger Garrett brings this small slice of Old Testament history to vivid, colorful life. Garrett's scriptural source material is 2 Chronicles 21-23, the story of Jehoram and his son Ahaziah, and how both were manipulated by Athaliah's machinations and perverse religious influence. She was nearly successful in her carefully planned attempt to usurp the throne and destroy the line of David. Athaliah, daughter of the infamous Jezebel, absorbed all of her mother's ways, and sought at every turn to undermine the Jewish faith and consolidate power to herself and her gods of wood and stone. Her nemesis is Jehoshebeth, the daughter of Athaliah's strongest rival among Jehoram's wives. Jehoshebeth's mother dies giving birth to her, and in her death throes prophesied that her child would be Athaliah's doom. Athaliah, confident in herself and the power of her gods, raised the girl to be ignorant of her true parentage and grew complacent, forgetting her dead rival's words until her pride and ambition led to her downfall. Athaliah ruled on her own for six years following a murder spree she ordered to eliminate her rivals to the throne. One woman dared to stand against Athaliah's murderous schemes and saved the life of Joash, an heir of David, who was eventually crowned and in so doing restored the Davidic dynasty to the throne.

Out of these brief scripture references, Garrett has crafted a stunning novel that illuminates this criticual juncture in biblical history. As Garrett states in her Author's Note, "[t]heoretically, other heirs of the house of David might have been alive to continue the bloodline. But God used Joash. It's startling to think that the future of Christianity, of the person of Jesus Christ, was held in the hands of one terrified woman defying an evil queen." Based on the 2 Chronicles account, little is known of Jehoshebeth. The Bible hints at the incredible bravery and devotion to God that it must have taken to risk all in incredibly dark and dangerous times. In Dark Hour Garrett carefully crafts a very real, flawed heroine who struggles with faith, courage, and destiny, and whose bravery stands as a shining example of God's faithfulness to His promises.

Dark Hour is biblical fiction at its best -- an absorbing, meticulously researched, well-written account of a dark chapter in biblical history. Garrett is a master storyteller and succeeds in a stunning fashion, fleshing out the scriptures and bringing ancient Israel and her people to vivid life. Dark Hour more than succeeded in holding my interest -- itinspired me to delve deeper into the scriptures for further study of the fascinating history illuminated in the novel. In her Author's Note Garrett states:

"For those of you, like me, who once believed the lie that the Bible is a tale of repressed women mastered by men and submitting through force, coming to the tale of Athaliah and Jehoshebeth is a shock. Athaliah did what no woman had ever done, ruling as sole monarch in Judah. Jehoshebeth was a formidable enemy and ultimately proved her undoing. I read the Bible now and am impressed with the role of women in the story..."

Well said. I very much look forward to more from Ms. Garrett. Read this novel and be fascinated and encouraged by this incredible story of God's promises and His faithfulness shown through the life of a woman willing to stand for truth.

Book #2, Midnight Throne (the story of Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah), is due out in June 2007, and book #3, Huntress Night (the story of Samson and Delilah) is due out in spring 2008.

UPDATE March '07: Info from the author's blog -- the remaining books in the Serpent Moon Trilogy have been cancelled (only temporarily, this fan hopes!).

I picked up this book because it was endorsed by Bodie and Brock Thoene, who write amazing historical fiction. So I thought, it couldn't be half bad.
I was pleased with it. Ginger seemed to do a good job on her research. She didn't sacrafice any of the facts to make a better "story." I enjoyed it, and it is worth the read.

This book really appealed to me because it took a Bible story that is not well known and brought it to life. I actually did not know much about Athaliah other than a small blurb in my children's bible when I was growing up. We didn't talk at all about her in Sunday School. For that matter, we barely mentioned Joash, other than the fact that he was really young when he became king. Pretty much this part of the Old Testament seemed to be taboo in Southern Baptist children's programs. Therefore this book brought to life a part of the Bible I didn't know much about at all.

Usually I'm a bit wary with Biblical fiction, not because of the liberties it takes with the characters, but because of the historical inaccuracies that some authors use to create their stories. My opinion of using Bible characters in stories is that I don't mind it because while I personally see the Bible as the word of God, I also see it as a historical text. As with any historical text or event becoming fiction, the key is to use good research and checking facts and not to make your characters do things that they would not have done during that time period.

I felt that this book portrayed both historical and Biblical information well. The reader learns about what was going on during the time period in terms of royal lifestyle as well as the religious movements of the time period. I had always wondered how the WIFE of the king was able to crown herself ruler even though there had been heirs to the throne alive at the time. Another aspect I had not expected was to actually feel sorry for Athaliah due to her background circumstances.

There are some violent scenes that might be a bit graphic for normal Christian fiction readers but if you've read any mainstream thriller, it is nothing new. Overall I did enjoy this book. I felt like I learned a lot and was entertained at the same time. I'm really sad though that the rest of the books in the trilogy never got released. It is always disappointing to pick up what is touted as the first book in a new series and then the other books don't get published. I would have liked to have read what else would have afflicted the royal family.

Dark Hour
By: Ginger Garrett
Review by Karen Higson
Price $12.99


I have just finished reading Dark Hour, the first in the Serpent Moon Trilogy. This was a powerful novel based on the story from 2 Chronicles 21-23 (and yes it made me go back and reread these passages of scripture).

The story is woven around the wicked Athaliah as she tries to blot out the descendants of the line of David so she can rule with her dark powers from the throne of Judah. She thinks the kingdom is within her grasp, but she underestimates the power of the One Holy God, Yahweh. God uses Jehoshebeth and her husband Jehoiada the priest to overcome Athaliah's evil, and together they save the only male descendant of the line of David, Joash, and raise him in secret so that in God's timing the house of Judah is restored and the Lord God is worshiped once more. The characters are strong and vivid. The story, woven in and throughout the original story of 2 Chronicles, is so carefully told and researched that the reader is drawn into the story and held there until the very end. Ginger Garrett took a story that we might read over a few times in the Old Testament and just dismiss and turned it into an eye opening look at a brave few who, with God's help, stood up to the wicked and overcame tragedy, heartbreak and pain, all to the glory of God. The story was made so real to me that I was restless the first night I tried to sleep after I had started it, as the wickedness and cruelty was exposed.

Bravo Ginger, a great read with a lot of factual accounts. You made me think and research these scriptures for myself, and that is always a good thing. I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy!!!

Author Ginger Garrett's pulled me into a story I knew very little of quickly. Her powerful and evocative story reached deep into the heart of truths untold. That alone is the bases of my review. I have a simple rule when I find time in my hectic life to read. If I love a book I cannot put it down. If I am not enthralled I pass it on. If you are the same it is worth the read. I found it readily kept me turning pages as I rapidly raced toward its conclusion. Trust my review cannot begin to spin words like other reviews have done. They have gone into agonizing details and depth about the tragedy and terror in Israel's divided kingdom found in this novel. I will keep it simple. This novel highlights power and cruelty at its worst. It creates a vivid image of Old Testament times, and how truly influential females were in ancient male-dominated times. A great read -

Although Ginger Garrett's style does venture into the "strange" at times in this book (as it does in "Shadow of Lions") overall I rate this as a very good book. Very dramatic and imaginative, never loses your interest. Unfortunate that the second two books in the trilogy were never published, as I would have liked to read them.

Dark Hour, author Ginger Garrett's fictional representation of tragedy and terror in Israel's divided kingdom, was the topic of discussion at our church book club last night. It ranked very high among our readers and readily kept us turning pages as we rapidly raced toward its conclusion. Staying terrifyingly true to the biblical account of Queen Athaliah, this novel highlights the bloody rise to power of one of the cruelest queens ever to rule over the southern kingdom of Judah in Old Testament times. Surpassed in cruelty only by her mother, Jezebel, this story exposes life as it was for many of God's people in those darker days. The book creates a vivid image of old testament times, and reminded this writer of how blessed we are to live in an era that knows and can appreciate the glory of serving our risen Savior, Jesus. If you like studying the Old Testament, you'll love Dark Hour.

Despite the occassional vague spots in the plot where the reader can't really be sure what is going on, we felt the story of Athaliah and Jehoshebeth did a great job of showing how truly influential females were in ancient male-dominated times. Either for good or for evil, the women who preceded us found amazing ways to infiltrate the seats of power, staking their claims to fame in palace courts, temple yards and everywhere in between.

We can't wait for Dark Hour's sequel to be released. Bring it on Ginger, we're ready!

Good books linger in your memory. Great books change the way you think. Garrett's portrayal of the power of individual choice and the impact of those choices on the broader culture is evocatively drawn. Consider that a book written about an ancient era impacted the way I viewed modern life, and you'll understand why I believe Dark Hour to be a truly great book. You'll reflect upon the implications of this tale long after you've turned the last page.

Highlighting one of the bloodier stories in Biblical history, Dark Hour brings II Chronicles chapters 21-23 to life on the pages of this intense novel. A page-turner, Dark Hour is not typical Biblical fiction. Like much of the Old Testament, it doesn't gloss over a thing. Before Christ, and following the downfall of David's kingdom, the world was not a good place. Murder, intrigue, false religion, struggle for power, and unimaginable abuse are woven between the pages of Dark Hour, though not in such gory detail that I wouldn't let my child read it. I literally felt sucked into that era with all of its' struggles, passions, and culture.

I felt the heroine Jehoshebeth's confusion and fear as she dealt with Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel, who was her alleged mother. When Athaliah slaughtered the royal children in Judah and Israel to make herself queen, she proved that like her mother, her evil had no limits. As a reader I entered the temple courts where sacrifices were offered, prophets were killed for their messages from the Lord, and being a follower of the God of Israel was not looked upon with favor unless you lived with the priests. Miraculously, an heir to the throne of David was preserved despite the enemy's attempt to snuff out the lineage of Christ.

This wonderfully-written novel made me want to read through Chronicles again. This is the perfect novel for readers seeking an escape to a world without hope, yet where the triumph of God is clearly seen in the midst of the dark trials suffered by the characters. Dark Hour is published by NavPress and is being released this month.