Jerusalem Vigil (The Zion Legacy Series) [Hardcover]

Bodie Thoene (Author), Brock Thoene (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Zion Legacy Series | Publication Date: March 20, 2000

In the first volume of a momentous new crossover saga set in Jerusalem, a top-selling author team that dazzles with historical fiction in the tradition of James Michener

With more than 6.5 million books in print, Bodie and Brock Thoene have dominated the Christian fiction market for over a decade and struck a chord in the hearts of readers everywhere. Those readers--and the booksellers who track their tastes--have long clamored for a continuation of their blockbuster Zion Chronicles series: five vivid, sweeping historical novels depicting the 1948 birth of the state of Israel. Viking is pleased to meet that demand. In The Zion Legacy series, Jerusalem--today a city of bimillennial celebration--is once again the stage, this time for three millennia of its history detailed through a cast of historic characters.

Book One of The Zion Legacy series opens as the British are withdrawing from Jerusalem in 1948 and tells the enthralling and dramatic story of several richly drawn characters who are caught up in this momentous time in the world's most sacred city. The Zion Legacy series (with two new books to be published each year) is exquisitely timed for a readership hungry for superb storytelling, historical authenticity, and spiritual adventure of all kinds.

Also available as a Penguin Audiobook

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jerusalem Vigil is the first novel in a planned Zion Legacy series that will chronicle three millennia of Jerusalem's history. Authors Bodie and Brock Thoene, whose Zion Chronicles and Zion Covenant Series have sold more than 6 million copies, write with the suspenseful flair of Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, and convey the historical knowledge of authors like James Michener and Herman Wouk. Jerusalem Vigil unfolds over a period of five days during the British withdrawal from Jerusalem in 1948. Its Jewish, Christian, and Arab characters (including Holocaust survivors, British military officials, and Arab insurgents) find themselves drawn into a mysterious and violent tangle of events that can only be understood in reference to ancient prophesies, particularly those of the book of Isaiah. The historical detail of this book is impressively deep, and its use of Scripture is always clever and surprising.

From Publishers Weekly

In their first attempt at crossing over to mainstream audiences, these award-winning evangelical Christian novelists (the Zion Chronicles series) fashion a rather formulaic tale of bloody battle in which Jews and Christians of unsurpassed bravery and goodness fight evil Arab Muslims who oppose the nation of Israel and the internationalization of Jerusalem. The initial entry in a series, the novel chronicles five days in May 1948 and introduces dozens of characters who experience warfare at both a physical and spiritual level. Whether taking up arms or working as medics, members of the Jewish Diaspora and assorted Christians experience angelic protection, spiritual revelation and assurance that God has chosen them to fulfill the biblical prophecies quoted at length at the beginnings of several chapters. With the exception of two brothers, who are given full, complicated personalities, Arab Muslims are depicted as sadistic, demon-possessed Nazi prot?g?s who gleefully slaughter Jews, children, puppies and nuns. The Muslim troops brag about the holiness of their jihad and their courage in battle, but their actions expose them as cowardly, effeminate and completely at odds with the will of Allah as it is described in the novel's only quotation from the Koran. A few innocent Arab Muslim children and Arab-appeasing Jews and Christians complicate the plot. But even the most complexly developed characters are burdened with stiff, ungainly dialogue. The authors do deliver moments of genuine suspense and horror, but these scenes are often outweighed by tired action-film cliches and attempts at lighthearted esprit de corps that fall flat. Devotees of spiritual historical/adventure novels may find this worth the read, but those who seek fresh and nuanced fiction about this chapter in Middle East history may not anticipate the Zion Legacy's next four installments, due to be published at the rate of two per year. 12-city author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (March 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670889113
• ISBN-13: 978-0670889112
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Late Night Vigil, March 19, 2000

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jerusalem Vigil (The Zion Legacy Series) (Hardcover)

Nothing like running into old friends, eh? I actually purchased this book as a gift for my grandmother, another Thoene fan. It arrived two days before her party. (Yes, thank you Amazon! They upgraded the shipping for free.) But then I read the first paragraph, realized it was the same characters I'd come to love from the Zion Chronicles and Covenant years ago, and--well, I was hooked. I stayed up late reading two nights in a row to finish it before the birthday party; I laughed aloud at the last line as we pulled into the driveway! My grandmother's thrilled, and I feel like I've met with old friends. The drama and heartache of the Jewish struggle come alive through these characters, leaving us asking for the sequel--due out in the fall, from what the publisher says. (And by the way, Viking/ Penguin did a great job with the cover and lay-out.) The writing is crisp, historically informative, and heartfelt. Thanks, Bodie and Brock for a labor of love.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sure bet for a great read, November 20, 2000

By 

Patty DeRousse (Panama City, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jerusalem Vigil (The Zion Legacy Series) (Hardcover)

For fans of Bodie Thoene's Zion Chronicles books, "Jerusalem Vigil" and its sequel, "Thunder from Jerusalem" are like the first heavy rains after a long drought; much anticipated and a great relief when the wait is finally over. "Jerusalem Vigil" picks up immediately where the 1988 book "The Key to Zion" left off, in the first week of the life of the infant yet ancient nation of Israel in 1948. Haganah defender Moshe Sachar and his pregnant wife, Rachel, are central characters and they are joined by old friends from yet another Zion series, Jacob and Lori Kalner,and Alfie Halder. Though there has been a time lapse of over twelve years between the publishing of the last book in the Chronicles and the beginning of this Zion Legacy series, the stories flow smoothly together and the characters are just as vividly alive as they were a decade ago. However, you do not have to read the five books in the Zion Chronicles to understand and enjoy the action in "Jerusalem Vigil" and "Thunder from Jerusalem"; there is enough background information given for these novels to stand alone. Bodie's books are all wonderfully written with characters that are so well-drawn and stories that are so historically accurate that you forget that you are reading fiction. As a matter of fact, these two novels will provide any reader with timely insights into the struggles and battles happening in present-day Jerusalem. The parallels are simply stunning and it is amazing to think about how the timing of the release of these two novels coincides with the reemergence of fighting in the long-standing enmity between Jews and Palestinians in Israel. On the whole, eachof these books provides a great read for both men and women with their stories of love and war, told with grit, tenderness, and a fascinating secret about a centuries-old library hidden beneath the Temple Mount. I give "Jerusalem Vigil" and "Thunder from Jerusalem" the highest rating and I urge you to read them, along with the many other titles in Bodie Thoene's library. You will not only not be able to put these books down, you will also have a hard time reading any other author after you finish.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction at its finest!, May 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Jerusalem Vigil (The Zion Legacy Series) (Hardcover)

Jerusalem Vigil is perhaps the most intense historical fiction I have ever read. I am a fan of Rutherfurd, who is interesting, but, like Mitchner, tends to slow and does not have the personal character development the Thoene writings always have in their stories. It is interesting that anyone would compare their fiction to a history book like O Jerusalem which is...well...history, lacking the heart of a work of fiction. The reality is, as far as subject matter and accurate retelling of a dramatic, sometimes tragic and difficult time, Thoenes have outwritten Wouk, Uris, Mitchner etc. on the subject matter. They also include a spiritual dimension to their characters which seems totally appropriate since Jerusalem and Israel has been the scene of spiritual conflict for ages. Far from being stereo-typical, the characters of Jerusalem Vigil include a look into the lives of two Arab orphans caught in the middle of a war they did not want to fight; non-Jews fighting beside Jews for a Jewish homeland; Jewish characters who have a depth and insight which Christians maybe should pay attention to. i.e. Dr. Baruch, who speaks of 2000 years of persecution. If anyone at all could find something to object to in the dramatic presentation and execution of this fine work it is because they resent the acknowledgement by these authors that there is a God who loves Israel and has kept his promises to his chosen people. That theme is throughout the book. Personally I found that to be something I need to be reminded of in a world which has forgotten the Holocaust and still vilifies the Jewish people and the nation of Israel at every turn. We need more books like this to remind us that Israel is not just a political state, but a spiritual entity with a place forever in the divine plan of an awesome God. Keep writing Thoenes, there is no writer to compare with you.