Customer Reviews

Heart of a Lion (Lions of Judah Series #1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although some of the dialog sounds too contemporary, this book does a nice job of highlighting Noah's faith. I was reminded of this passage from Hebrews 11 - "By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told." I think Morris has done a good job of highlighting the challenges of living by faith.

It was great to read this during Advent since one theme in the book is the coming of the One who would be suffer greatly and yet would rule the world and set all things right.

I am looking forward to the other books in this series. Also, of note, is the fact that this book had a clear ending. This bucks the trend in Christian fiction to force readers to continue to purchase books in a series that could have been published in one volume.

This story about Abram and family is a most exciting story and was hard to put down. Book #1 & 2 should be read by all Bible readers. The author has gone back in time placed the readers at the scene of the story.
I applaude his work and sincerely hope he continues through the Bible making the Bible come alive. I also want to make it clear to readers that some of story is fiction as he fills in details. I say read it and enjoy as I did. I really did have a hard time putting it down.

Let me get this up front. Gilbert Morris is one of my favorite writers. As a guy, I gotta admit I don't wait out the "romances", sorry Friend Gilbert. My wife does and that counts. Up front, number two... Gilbert Morris would not, did not and never would play fast and loose with what the Bible states. I feel sorry for nit-picking reviewers who lie in wait for an omission or addition that sets them off into printing entire books of the Word online to back up their piousness. Get a life babe! These books are meant to augment the experiences of these great patriarchs not re-write them! To the point now that I've had my tirade... This is a GREAT book! These people simple came alive and leapt off the pages. The descriptions of the times and the scenes are spellbinding. If you look in the Bible and count out how few chapters are actually devoted to the story of Noah, you will see the remarkable talent of Gilbert Morris. This guy Noah did actually live, slip up, worry his parents, stay out late, had a drink or two and yet walked with God. I kept thinking about all the old Sci-Fi stuff in the fifties and sixties about neighbors ridiculing the "nut" who constructed a fallout shelter, yet pounded on the door demanding admission when the air-raid warnings sounded. In short, if you wanna knowa Noah... a pun... loosen up- Read this book. Like the commercial about spaghetti sauce "you want it, it's in there. Score 5 for Gilbert Morris.

This was a great book about Noah and his family. It really put the bible to life. I loaned this book out to several friends, and they could not put the book down. One friend read the book in one day, not going to bed until 5 am! I highly recommend this book - it really made me want to study the story of Noah in depth.

I thought this adaptation of the life of Noah was wonderful! I find Mr. Morris's writing to be gripping and holds one's interest until the last page! I have read the entire "Lion's of Judah" series, and they are all equally wonderful. Highly recommend!

As one who loves to read Biblical fiction or novels based on characters in the Bible, it can be frustrating to find novels based on two of the oldest characters in the Bible: Adam or Noah. When I bought this book years ago I was excited to finally read a novelization of the Flood, and about this enigmatic man who was commanded by God to build an ark to save his family and many pairs of creatures. After finally reading it, the book didn't disappoint. The characters came alive in a way that the Bible only shows so much, especially the women who are given names and voices here. The book also doesn't shy away from Biblical data that may confuse readers, such as the giants (the Nephilim) that were said to exist in those days or people living for centuries. One caveat, though, is that the book glosses too easily over the woman Kefira and the rivalry between Shem and Ham.

Otherwise, this book is a wonderful read, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

8-2-10 What a great series. It is hard to put the book down as it keeps my interest.

I have to agree with D.White about this story having numerous errors when compared with the Bible account. For example, Heart of a Lion has everyone eating meat before the Flood, but the Bible states that man was only to eat plants before the Flood. Meat was only allowed after the Flood. Yet the Godly men in this story eat meat before the Flood. I also had a hard time believing that the Noah of this story, who was not only tempted but jumped feet first into sin for a bit, really accurately represents "a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time (Gen. 6:9)." Also, instead of coming to God because he realizes that God is right and making that faith in God his own, it seemed to me Noah rather said, 'hey, I don't know what to believe, I'll believe whatever you tell me.' It might have been a good story if it wasn't pretending to be about Noah, but the historical and Biblical inaccuracies just keep me from enjoying the story. If you want a really well-written, historically and Biblically accurate fiction book about the Flood, read "The Heavens Before" by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow.

As I read this book, I really began to wonder if Morris read the Bible, let alone researched ancient history from a Christian perspective. There are numerous statements that conflict with the Biblical account. Like the book has Noah barely fitting all the animals in the Ark when research has shown that there would be plenty of room for the animals, food, humans, and then extra room for exercise besides! Morris states that there were only two sons of Adam (excluding Abel): Seth and Cain. But Gen. 5:4 says, "After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other SONS and daughters." So Adam has at least two more sons. Jewish tradition has Adam with about 18 sons total. Morris states that farming was only invented a generation or two before Noah, and herding rarely done in preference of hunting. However, Gen. 4:2b-4 says, "Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock." Farming and herding were common from the beginning! Morris implies that mankind was very primitive in Noah's day, but the second generation of men (Cain) built cities and by the eighth generation, Tubal-Cain was doing complex metal work (bronze is an alloy of copper and tin mixed in specific ratios and iron is a more difficult metal to work). (Noah was 10th generation.) There are numerous mistakes like these.

So Morris' setting and many of the foundations for Noah's motives and actions are based on a world that Noah never knew. If Morris was going to write Biblical fiction, the least he could have done was stick to what the Bible said on the subject.