I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

 The premise behind I, Saul, by Jerry B. Jenkins, is fascinating. 

Through a series of inter-related storylines, the reader travels through the Apostle Paul's early memories, his experience as a prisoner in ancient Rome's Mamertine prison to be executed, and a modern-day storyline of a university professor who stumbles upon a previously-hidden (and completely unexpected discovery) of Paul's memoir. 

What a fascinating concept! 

That is what kept me reading, as I felt like the novel had a slow start, and I found it difficult to connect to the modern-day characters. When I finally realized what 'incredible discovery' had been found, that's when I found myself invested in the story. I wanted to know more! And the way it ends makes it seem like it's part of a 2-part series. Unfortunately, when I looked on Amazon and saw a title for one called I, Paul, it didn't look like a readily available book even though it was supposed to be published in 2014. I'm unsure if it was ever released—but I'm going to keep looking for it. I want to know what else is in that fictional memoir!

The premise of this novel reminded me a lot of Paul L. Maier's The Constantine Codex and because I just read that novel a few weeks ago, I couldn't help comparing the two. For me, I, Saul fell short, simply because it felt... smaller... than Codex, which felt more global and high-stakes in scope. That being said, it's definitely worth the read!

Click here to find it on Amazon!

The Flames of Rome by Paul L. Maier

The Flames of Rome is the final novel by Paul L. Maier that I'm going to review (because he doesn't have any more right now, haha). First published in 1981, this story takes us through the Roman world during the time of the early church (and some well known emperors). For anyone who loves ancient Rome (me!), this book definitely interested me.

From Claudius to Nero and Vespasian, Maier takes us through the turbulent times of AD 41-69 in the center of the Roman Empire. Full of intrigue and adventure, the reader sees the rise and fall of each emperor, runs from the flames of the great fire, and finally, sees the first Christians martyred for sport in front of a Roman crowd. The depth of Maier's research is evident, as well as his skill with a pen.

This novel also reminded me of Robert Whitlow's The Advocate, which also was set during that time period (but published much more recently). Their similarities, though written so many decades apart, is proof to me of the verifiable sources available on this time period. It was fun to see how the different authors crafted their own story while staying true to what happened. After all, this is, as Maier says in his preface, a "documentary novel, resorting to fiction for such connective material as well as dramatization, dialogue, and subplot to flesh out the story and bring its characters to life" (p. 9). In addition, he also includes a section of notes at the back of the book, listed chapter by chapter. 

Despite its 'older' style, The Flames of Rome is a great read for anyone looking to understand this fascinating time and culture. You can find it here on Amazon!

The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier

The Constantine Codex, the 3rd book in Paul L. Maier's 3-part series, is my favorite of all.

Published in 2011, I feel like this book solves some of the 'problems' that I had with the other two (granted, it was likely only me, as they were both bestsellers!). The prose and the dialogue match the era much better, which is more accessible to the modern reader, and I didn't find the romance as distracting (there were fewer allusions to the first book, whereas I felt like the second book revisited almost every scene of their 'fairytale romance'). 

As with the other two, this book is fiction and its story needs to be taken with a grain of salt as far as the 'incredible archeological discovery and the global ramifications' depicted, but I didn't have a problem with that. 

In fact, I loved the story itself, probably because I love books so much, especially the Bible, and love anything having to do with Israeli and early church history. This book was fascinating! I'll likely read it alone more in the future, even if I don't read the others as often. That's another thing- while each of the novels in this series could stand alone, this one definitely stands out the best (even with it's references to the earlier ones).

Something fun that stood out to me as well was that I read this book a few days after finishing Nabeel Qureshi's Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. Part of the storyline of Maier's novel involve a debate between a Muslim leader and the main character, Jonathan Weber. Many of the same 'arguments' that Weber's character used line up exactly with Qureshi's story. I found this a happy connection (being that Maier's book is fiction, but Qureshi's is nonfiction), and showed the incredible depth of Maier's research and the extent of his masterful weaving of story while portraying truth.

I 100% recommend The Constantine Codex. You can find it here on Amazon if this book interests you! And please let me know what you think!

More than a Skeleton by Paul L. Maier

Like its prequel, the stakes in Paul L. Maier's More than a Skeleton are high.  

Published in 2003, this story takes place post-September 11, 2001, and is once again in Israel (and Rome). This time, instead of an archeological discovery, there's something else just as potentially world-changing: a mysterious man named Joshua, born in Bethlehem to a Miriam and Joseph, raised in Nazareth. He performs miracles (or does He?), heals the sick (hmm...), even raises a disciple from the dead (huh), claiming to be an intermediate coming of Jesus, sent by God to bolster the church in these turbulent times.

Hmm... I struggled with this premise and how Maier was going to get out of it. But around halfway through, I really began to appreciate the extent of his research and storytelling ability overall... it's a complicated book! And the modern setting with Joshua's  interlaced into the parallels of some of Jesus' Biblical ministry, were fun to explore.

While the style of the novel is more modern, which I enjoy, this being the 3rd book of Maier's I've read recently, I feel like his strength lies in his prose and his storytelling abilities overall. I honestly struggle with his dialogue, as characters speak like academics in the 1940s (truthfully, they are academics. It's just that the style of the dialogue is incongruent with the era of the novel). I felt it fit better in the first book, where the style matched the dialogue better, if that makes sense, because it all was older. And, because of my struggle with the romance in the first book, I am a little biased against the couple in this book as well—but that's my problem, not anyone else's. It's not that I don't root for them, but the constant allusions to their 'fairytale romance' are too many, and I still don't find it believable that they got together in the first place. 

That being said, if you love fiction that makes you think, More than a Skeleton definitely fits this category. Click here to get it on Amazon! And come back next week for the next book in this trilogy (I haven't read it yet, but I am looking forward to it!).

The scariest book I've ever read

In 1998, I was 14 years old and visiting my best friend for 3 weeks where she lived in Germany, and randomly picked a book over her family's shelves. It looked interesting because it had to do with history, archeology, and Israel. 

It was the scariest book I've ever read.

The book was A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier, and while I knew it was fiction, its ramifications were terrifying. It wasn't paranormal or horror (although I felt sick with horror, and it did involve a skeleton); it was regular Christian fiction. I remember staying up until 2am to finish it because I had to know. The sinking pit in my stomach, my racing heart (and mind), wouldn't let me go to sleep until I reach the end and verified that even in this fiction.

Without giving away what the book is about, the reader follows a Biblical scholar/professor and archeologist after they make an "impossible" find in a tomb in Israel. Over the course of this year-long journey, its implications rattle the faith of millions around the world and have far-reaching impact—shaking economies and religious followers the world over. 

I recently re-read this book, which is why I'm reviewing it here. While written in an older style, I loved "revisiting" Israel in this book, as the hero travels from Galilee to Masada, to Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt, the Vatican, the UK, the US, and back again. While I did enjoy that, the romance that builds throughout those visits is distracting, as well as unrealistic (even though stereotypical). To me, it detracts from the story. As for the story itself, I also (because I knew how it ended, haha) was better able to deal with the story from an objective perspective, letting me fully grasp the breadth of this narrative. It really is incredible - and best of all, while fiction, still supports what I know to be true with every fiber of my being. 

You can purchase this book here on Amazon! And come back next week, where we'll talk about it's sequel!

Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier

Here's another one for fans of Biblical fiction or anything having to do with ancient Rome! 

Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier is an older novel, published in 1968, and is a thorough exploration of the governance and career of Pontius Pilate, starting from his first appointment to Judea, his 10 years there, and his return to Rome. 

Being that he lived during one of the most fascinating times in Rome's turbulent history, it's an interesting story anyway. But throw in his key role during Jesus' trial, and it makes for an interesting read for any lover of history, especially Roman or Biblical. Obviously, this book is fiction, but it's so well researched that it gives great insight into a piece of what was going on during that time. I also love that it was written from Pilate's perspective, as it is a unique one we haven't explored before.

Because this book is from 1968, it is written in an older style and is a bit of a slower read—but that doesn't take away from its subject. You can find it here on Amazon!