Adrenaline pounding moments and courageous characters: My review of "Day of War"

Publisher: Zondervan (May 28, 2011)

Enter the world of soon-to-be King David as told like no one else has done before. Benaiah is a powerful warrior in David's army, on the run from King Saul, who is bent on David's destruction. When David sends Benaiah to the Hebrew tribes to prove David's loyalty to his people, Benaiah finds himself in a clash with lions and with enemy warriors seeking to plunder a village and rape it's women. Benaiah gains crucial knowledge from a warrior before the warrior is killed, and races back to David's army to share about an imminent attack on their loved ones. David and his men soon find themselves fighting enemies on many fronts, both human and spiritual warriors alike.

Day of War is a book for men who want permission to be men, men who want to be the warrior protecting their family. The novel is true to the events captured in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 in the Old Testament, with manly characters untouched by the feminist movement of modern times, heroes who are imperfect and even deeply flawed but who battle for what is right. I love the author's description of David the warlord, a man with confidence and authority, a "lion's face" of power, and yet a man who could play the lyre & sing achingly beautiful melodies, a man who prayed loudly and passionately into the night. That is indeed a man who boys today can aspire to be like.

I found that the historical details of ancient Israel are rich, the scenes are vivid, the supernatural scenes mesmerizing. The story was taut and faced paced, with adrenaline pounding moments and courageous characters. Not only was the book thoroughly entertaining, but it brought to life David's story in a way that stirred my faith and, I believe, is written in a God-honoring manner.

I greatly enjoyed this book and award it 5 out of 5 stars. I look forward to the next installment in the series!

Warning: This book has violent scenes, and some readers may be turned off by the imagery used.

Disclosure: Book was provided courtesy of the publisher, Zondervan, for the purposes of this unbiased review.