Biblical Novel Brings Old Testament to Life
Fascinated by the power plays, epic battles, and supernatural forces of Tolkien’s trilogy, Star Wars, or Game of Thrones? Ever wished your inspirational reading could be as riveting? Trouble in the Ruins, the latest installment of the Stones of Gilgal biblical novels, opens a dramatic window into the turbulent times of Joshua that rivals contemporary films, yet shows the hand of God as He transforms the chaos and guides His covenant people.
Author C. L. Smith, retired teacher of English and history, former missionary, and lifetime student of the Bible, plunges the reader into the struggles and triumphs of the Children of Israel during their first few months in the Promised Land. The miraculous crossing of the Jordan River is behind them. The collapse of Jericho, treason within the camp, and battles with Canaanite kings await. Unaware that coalitions of warrior-kings and Anakim giants are gathering to destroy them, the people of Yahweh stop to renew their sacred covenant vows and celebrate the first Passover in Canaan. In a fictional rendering that is as faithful to the biblical record as it is imaginative, Smith tells a tale of good versus evil on a grand biblical scale, as seen through the eyes of a set of real, but minor biblical characters who experienced these epic events.
“I began this writing journey years ago,” Smith says. “Impressed with the brief account of Othniel, the first of the biblical hero-judges, I began digging and discovered his love story with Acsah, daughter of Caleb. Then I discovered their contemporaries: Jonathan, Phinehas, Salmon, and Rahab. Their stories intersect with the miraculous crossing of the floods of Jordan, the collapse of Jericho, the sun standing still in answer to Joshua’s prayer—astonishing miracles portrayed in the Bible in a larger-than-life panoramic sweep. Suddenly, I saw these events through an intimate, close-up lens, the viewpoint of a group of young people coming of age in the era of terror and triumph recorded in the book of Joshua.”
Smith’s original idea for a single book quickly grew into the Stones of Gilgal saga. Trouble in the Ruins is book three in a series of six. Backed by solid biblical research, the books follow the narrative consecutively; however, each story can be read independently as a faith journey complete within itself.
Trouble in the Ruins is published by Mountain View Press, an imprint of Redemption Press. Book one, Balaam’s Curse, was published in 2016, and book two, A River to Cross, in 2017.
(SOURCE Redemption Press)
