Customer Reviews

Servant Of The Gods

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

 

 

Servant of the Gods is a historical fiction novel that brings to life the events of the Song of Deborah, the Biblical story of how Deborah and Barak led an army to defeat the Canaanites and lay claim to Israel. Written to give the reader a closer insight into the life of Deborah herself, Servant of the Gods follows her from her birthright as a Canaanite priestess to her role as a female leader in a patriarchal society. A profound tale, with gripping dialogue and a firm grounding in scripture.

While not a student of the bible, I could certainly feel a sense of history from the beginning to the end. Sorter let us KNOW the characters, as well as the time and place. The ongoing intensity was amazing. We are grabbed in the beginning, and sustained throughout by brilliant narrative, and believable dialogue. Were this a movie, I'd say I sat on the edge of my seat thru' the whole thing, and felt as if I held my breath till the very end!
Bravo !!!!!!

Servant of the Gods by Amy Wolff Sorter was not the book I was expecting. Deborah the prophet from the book of Judges in the Bible is best known for The Song of Deborah and her leading troops into battle with Barak. Sorter gives this story a historical romance treatment that may have Christians who are expecting traditional Biblical fiction up in arms. But this is a book that needs to be accepted on its own terms. Devorah (Sorter's name for the character) is a priestess of Anat about to undergo a major ritual for her people when she encounters Aryeh, a Mosesite from the tribe of Simeon. Both are shaken by the meeting and soon are fleeing for their lives from the repercussions. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but it's full of twists and turns. Some of the connections between characters are a bit soap opera-esque, but the romance between Aryeh and Devorah is compelling. The sex in the book is similar to that of other historical romances on the market, but would be a bit of a surprise to the traditional Christian fiction reader. I really enjoyed how Sorter made the characters human. Although Devorah had a close relationship with God, she still struggled with lust, doubts, and the need for revenge. The other characters evince their weaknesses believably as well. There is a tendency among Biblical fiction writers to keep their characters a bit too clean, but as seen in the Bible itself, God worked best among those who struggled and sinned. Read this book with your eyes wide open, knowing what to expect, and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

The job of good historical fiction is to take the dough of history--or in this case, a biblical story--then pound it, knead it, season it and bake it until it becomes a delectable treat. This is what historical fiction buffs want, a tasty bite of the past. Ms. Sorter has created a nourishing loaf of bread with Servant of the Gods, but beyond that, not much more. In other words, and to continue this rather awkward analogy, it doesn't quite reach the level of a chocolate cake.

Her ingredient is the biblical story of Deborah, the leader of the Israelites who, with God's help, leads them against their oppressive Canaanite neighbors, wins a great victory, and establishes peace for the next forty years. The biblical story, contained in Judges, is a bare-bones recitation, with not much else than the names of the principals involved, a straight-forward narrative, and a couple of oddball facts thrown in.

Ms. Sorter does an excellent job of embellishing this and does so in a realistic, believable way. Interestingly, in Ms. Sorter's story, Deborah begins her life as a Canaanite priestess who worships Baal, and who at the beginning of the novel is preparing to be deflowered in front of the mob during a holiday fertility ritual. Fearful of a dire premonition, she escapes with the help of a visiting Mosesite, despite the fact that she knows she has committed a vile blasphemy in the eyes of the vengeful Baal. From there it is a years-long wander in the desert until she eventually returns to power and glory with the Mosesites as their prophet. It is set up very nicely. Without giving too much away, the principals in the biblical story are introduced in the novel fairly early on, and presented in such a way that their forthcoming actions become almost inevitable. In other words, though their actions stick with the facts, they are motivated by character, not contrived. There is also an unexpected twist at the end, which fits perfectly into what has gone on before, and which adds to both the reader's and the protagonist's understanding as well.

Although the novel is not terribly rich in historical detail, it is not barren either. It also manages to avoid the trap that so many contemporary authors find themselves enmeshed, which is that they can't seem to prevent themselves from interjecting their modern-day thoughts and attitudes into the personalities of these ancient characters. Ms. Sorter's characters, thankfully, remain true to their times in thought and deed.

Good as all of this is, the novel stumbles with its prose style, which is somewhat pedestrian and occasionally clumsy. Effective writing is that which by its style helps to convey emotion. The events in this novel cry out for dramatic intensity, but instead, we get: "Aryeh swore to himself then and there that he'd protect her and care for her as long as necessary to atone for what he'd done to her." The wordiness here drowns out the drama. How about: "Aryeh swore to himself that to atone for his act of selfishness he'd protect her to the end of his days." Direct, to the point, and dramatic. The novel, though not plagued with it, is often too wordy.

Also, there are occasional modern day colloquialisms which creep in and shatter the mood. For example, a character says, "everyone will go a little crazy," when the full moon arrives. There is really nothing wrong with this statement, except that, as the subject is ancient Israel, there are probably other words than "crazy" that could have been used to better effect. Another character asks a pregnant woman: "How far along are you?" This sounds like a Manhattan mother-in-law. A phrase such as, "How long has it been that the seed has taken root," or something equally archaic-sounding, might be used to help create verisimilitude.

All in all, though, the novel is not a bad read. It does the first thing a first-time novelist or any novelist should do and that is to keep the reader turning the pages. This novel certainly does that. The idea behind it is sound and the plot and characters are presented intelligently and within the framework of the biblical event. Indeed, it is a far better novel than others of its type that are bestsellers, such as the dreadfully dull Anita Daimant ooze. Ms. Sorter has a future in this business and should continue to perfect her craft.

Devorah b'Shiriis a Canaanite. She is a priestess of Anat. All her life Devorah knew that she would take a major role in the Festival Rites of Baal and Anat. Yet shortly before that fateful date, Devorah began having nightmares about the Rite. She knew that Sivah, whom she had known since childhood, was to play the part of Baal and take her virginity during the Rite. But in the nightmare, Devorah foresaw her death at Sivah's hand during the Rite. Devorah had no doubt that she was going to die. Worse, she overhears her own mother telling another that Devorah's sacrifice during the Rite would be fine by her. On the eve before the Rite, Sivah tries to rape Deborah. She severely wounds him. She would have killed him if someone else had not entered at that moment.

Aryeh ben Abinoam "Ari" is a Mosesite. He is Devorah's cousin. He is destined to take over the clan upon the death of his father. However, Ari's desire is to fight on behalf of the Mosesites - The Confederation. It is Ari's entrance that kept Devorah from slaying Sivah. Ari and Devorah have been attracted to each other since they met days before. She gives herself willingly to Ari. This means she is no longer fit for the Rite. Devorah and Ari flee, only hours before dawn. Fearing that being together would lead only to their deaths at the hands of the Shechemites, Devorah left one night as Ari slept.

Gildon ben Hadriel "Gil", one of the tribes of the Ephraimites, is a simple metalworker and trader. His traveling clan found Devorah unconscious by a river. They harbored her, even knowing that she was a Canaanite. Gildon is convinced that God "Yahweh" has plans for the young woman. He is so right! Yahweh sent her the nightmares, protected her from Baal/Sivah, helped her escape and to find her way to Gil's clan. Yahweh decreed that Devorah, a former follower of the Baal's consort, shall be His proof that He is the protector, not Baal. Devorah is to be His messenger. His Laws must be upheld for survival of The Confederation, for survival of the tribes He deemed fit to bring out of Egypt, away from slavery.

This is Devorah's tale!

***** Whether you are religious or not, this powerful tale will speak to you. This novel is based on Judges, Chapter four and five in the Bible. (Mostly on Deborah's Song.) However, this is NOT a religious work. This is a work of fiction. Even knowing this, I was amazed at the emotion and power that author Amy Wolff Sorter was able to weave into the tale. No matter who you are, you will not be the same after reading this masterpiece. Outstanding!*****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Before I picked up this book the only thing I knew about the "Song of Deborah" was it had something to do with the bible, but that was all. Not being a scholar of biblical studies I did look up to see what it was all about so I could have some background to go with Ms. Sorter's fictionalized story.

In researching what I discovered was very sketchy as little was known about this pivotal individual who lived in 12th century BC. Her most significant accomplishment was guiding General Barak in leading the Israelites to a victory as accounted for in Judges Books 4 and 5. She was venerated as being the force behind the voice of Yahweh that guided them to that victory. Before embracing Yahweh, she was a priestess who worshiped the pagan god Baal. Her accomplishments aside, for a woman to have been so respected during these times was nothing short of a miracle.

What Sorter did was take what facts she had about the life of this extraordinary person and develop an amazing first person account of the woman behind the legend. With well-written prose she breathed life and passion into her fictionalized portrayal of Deborah. With well developed dialogs and a vivid portrayal this reviewer was presented with a confused, scared, yet strong young priestess who rebels against tradition. Wanting to grasp one bit of happiness for herself she chose a different path than what was prescribed, and with that choice changed the course of history. You live her life experiencing her joy, her many regrets and the bittersweet love for cousin that led to the destruction of both their families. Instead of trying to interpret the oftentimes-obscure readings from the bible, the author rewrites the legendary story into one the lay person can understand and enjoy from Devorah's perspective. This was an incredible read both emotional and powerful that I can highly recommend.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization

Devorah b'Shiriis a Canaanite is a priestess of Anat. She has always believed that she would take a major part in the Festival Rites of Baal and Anat but before this can happen she begins having horrid and terrifying visions of what would happen during this important ritual. She sees a friend who is supposed to take her virginity during the ceremony...instead taking her life. Devorah overhears her mother agreeing that it would be fine if she was sacrificed and to add insult Sivah tries to rape her the evening before the rite. But she manages to fight and wound him before he could harm her further. She is saved from killing him when her cousin Ari arrives. She has always been drawn to her cousin and willingly gives herself to this man. But this action leaves them both open to danger and Devorah leaves Ari after only one night. This sets her on a journey she could not begin to imagine.

Not a well versed student of the bible I came to this story totally unaware of any details of the background behind this work of fiction. This was an amazing title. Although it has a biblical background for the groundwork this is not a religious story. Rather it is a story that Ms. Sorter has managed to create a wonderful first person account of a rather remarkable character. Her beautiful voice as a writer lends itself seamlessly to the telling of the story...making this a must read for fans of historic fiction. I highly recommend this effort as if is full of life and heart.

Breathtaking tour de force...stunning...bloody brilliant from start to finish.

Writing historical fiction is a tough road. A writer can step so easily into various pitfalls. Choosing to step into this quicksand, Amy Sorter has selected a very difficult path in taking on Biblical lore, and looking beyond at the people not the tales. Deborah can be found in the Books of Judges, telling of her triumph, how she saved her people. It is a first person account, relating the victory of the Israelites led by General Barak, guided by Deborah. This account in Judges Book 4. Book 5 has the same story in poetic form and is thought to have been composed in the later 12th Century BC, shortly after the events had taken place. Deborah was a leader, a prophetess, the fourth and only female Judge. It's spoken she was the mother of Israel, so Deborah is an interesting study of a woman in power, respected. God spoke throw her and men bowed to her wisdom. She is the earliest portrayal of a woman of intelligence and authority, instead of the typical victims or villainess in bible tales.

Very little is known about this amazing figure. She was "married" to a man named Lapidoth, she was a poet, as were the women of her line, originally an apostate to the pagan god Baal, and later she rendered judgments under a palm tree in Ephraim in the name of Yahweh. She was independently wealthy, owning palm trees in Jericho, orchards in Ramah and oil-producing olives in Beth-el. Simply, this woman was an amazing leader for any period, but for this period of the rise of patriarchal Christianity, her story is all the more astounding.

Sorter goes to the roots of the Song of Deborah, steps into her shoes and breathes life into the story, asks the question, who was this remarkable woman, what drove her to rise up and lead a rebellion to see the Israelites freed? She delivers not a biblical tale, but a story of a woman, her beliefs and the power of destiny.

Sorter's writing is amazing, drawing the reader into the narrative to where it's not a stuffy two-dimensional biblical tale, but one full of life and force. I am not a biblical scholar so I cannot address the merits. Won't even try. Sorter's fictionalize account is stunning, so I judge it solely on the writers ability to tell a spellbinding story. It an incredible work that challenges the reader, yet offers so much.

You follow Deborah's early life through the events that sent her down the road that saw her abandoning her gods, beliefs and family, to eventually finding the One-True God spoke through her. Sorter's writing grabbed me from the very start and never let me go as I hungrily devoured page after page.

The story is bold, the delivery done in sure, solid, visionary prose from a talent that is nothing less than phenomenal.