Amazon.com Review
May 19, 1948. The state of Israel is five days old. The city of Jerusalem is tenuously poised for a clash that will be critical in the life of the new country. Holding the keys to an Israeli victory is a diverse, rag-tag group: Peter Wallich, once a teacher of agriculture in the kibbutz, now instructing teens in the assembly of Molotov cocktails; the 74-year-old mother superior, who desperately wants to preserve her convent from annihilation; Commander Moshe Sachar and his wife Rachel, who cling together amidst the horrors of war; and an Arab street urchin, Daoud, who repays the kindness of the so-called infidels in the best way he knows how. Interspersed throughout is the appearance of a mysterious old gardener, with wounds on the palms of both hands.
In the Zion Legacy series, the Thoenes return to a cast of characters and themes from their bestselling Zion Chronicles series that earned them a sterling reputation and a faithful readership in the Christian fiction arena. This second installment, Thunder from Jerusalem, starts slowly as the characters are reintroduced, and the stage is set. Then, the pace accelerates. The lives of Muslims, Jews, and Catholics all intersect in a tale of romance and suffering, patriotism and betrayal. Here is solid historical research paired with dramatic storytelling, a combination that has won Bodie and Brock Thoene eight Gold Medallion Awards.
Those who enjoyed the bestselling Jerusalem Vigil, the first book in the Zion Legacy series, won't want to miss this latest offering from the pens of the popular Thoenes. --Cindy Crosby
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
In this pulpy sequel to Jerusalem Vigil, the Thoenes provide a bit more intrigue and a bit less bathos, but continue to serve up the same jaw-dropping anti-Arab, pro-Israeli bias as before. This novel picks up when the first endedAin May 1948 Jerusalem, as Arab Muslims from varioius nations attempt to reclaim nascent Israel by way of several bloody yet unsuccessful offensives. Characters from the first novel return to fight for Jerusalem's Old City, and while they remain one-dimensional, the suspense builds as multiple cliff-hangers keep readers guessing about what they will do next and whether they will survive. A heroic Old City defender named Jacob, for example, cheats death repeatedly, though each of his action sequences seems like it could be his last. The Thoenes portray these Jewish-Arab battles, however, as an extension of the Nazi Holocaust; the Arabs here lust after Jewish blood while the Jews are morally above reproach and regularly protected by God and his angels. All other characters fit into one of these categories, depending on which side has their allegiance. A historical novel that takes a position is understandable, but one that canonizes the good guys and demonizes the bad guys as uniformly as this one does is heavy-handed in the extreme. These twin stereotypes, though, are the beating heart of the Thoenes' Jerusalem. Readers should look elsewhere for fiction that acknowledges and explores the gray, complicated areas of history. 100,000 first printing; 6-city author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
