2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A good but not great. . ., February 14, 2005
By David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: King of Kings (Hardcover)
. . .novel about the life of King David.
In "King of Kings", the late Dr. Malachi Martin presents a novel based upon the life of King David -- a central figure in both Judaism and Christianity. Dr. Martin was a scholar in Semitic languages and this background shows through in this book.
However, this novel is average at best. Martin takes certain available archeological evidence -- and then from that evidence, constructs an anthropology which may -- or may not -- be accurate, or even reasonable. This is a novel; this is his perogative. However, others may disagree with his interpretation.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good but not great. . .,
By David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: King of Kings (Hardcover)
. . .novel about the life of King David.
In "King of Kings", the late Dr. Malachi Martin presents a novel based upon the life of King David -- a central figure in both Judaism and Christianity. Dr. Martin was a scholar in Semitic languages and this background shows through in this book. However, this novel is average at best. Martin takes certain available archeological evidence -- and then from that evidence, constructs an anthropology which may -- or may not -- be accurate, or even reasonable. This is a novel; this is his perogative. However, others may disagree with his interpretation. The book also suffers in that the enormous majority of the text deals with the early days of David's life. His kingship (which lasted roughly 40 years) is treated only in the final third of the book -- and the seminal events of his kingship are given even less attention. (Bathsheva shows up only after the book is 3/4 finished; the revolt by Absalom is given only a few pages at the end; etc.) There is also a "re-telling" of elements of the story which go beyond a novelist's "artistic license". I'll provide some examples: Item: It is strongly suggested that David connived at the murder of Abner by Joab. According to the text itself, Joab killed Abner in cold blood as revenge for Abner's killing of Joab's brother in battle. (Joab's brother, who was a fairly significant character in the beginning of the book just drops out of sight.) Item: It is strongly suggested that Joab killed Absalom in a blind rage having to do with Absalom's revolt. According to the text, Joab bore Absalom a personal grudge -- and had for years. This dynamic (which makes the killing make more sense) was missing from the book. Item: It is again strongly suggested that Joab's murder of Amasa was also with the connivance of David. According to the text, Joab had no such order -- and David bore Joab a lasting grudge for the murders of both Abner AND Amasa. Other readers may notice other examples -- these were just a few which occurred to me. An enjoyable read -- but not, in my opinion, a really good novel about the subject.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I'm not even gonna finish reading this book...,
This review is from: King of Kings (Hardcover)
As with many other reviewers of many other items, I chose one star because zero was not an option.
I picked up an old paperback copy of this book at a used bookstore for a quarter. Before I started reading it, I checked amazon for info about the author and the book itself. It looked very promising. I've just gotten to page 15, and I've given up on the book. It is just plain poorly researched and poorly written. For example, Elijah and Jezebel are thought about and spoken of by characters in this book - both before and during the lifetime of David (including David himself) - in the past tense...in other words, as historical persons. Anyone who is the least bit familiar with the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) knows that Elijah and Jezebel lived about a century AFTER the time of David! I'm usually at least somewhat of a fan of Historical and Biblical fiction, but in this case I'm gonna have to say that if you're curious about the life of King David, stick with reading the stories about him that are contained in the Bible. I have yet to find a decent fictional treatment of his life.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book,
By Tovie (Michigan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: King of Kings (Hardcover)
This is a fascinating book. I discovered it at the local library and used to check it out and reread it every couple years because I couldn't find a copy of it. Thank goodness for the internet.
It certainly takes all the liberties that Biblical or historical fiction would imply, but still a great read that makes the story of David come alive.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
