Title: Fiction Favours the Facts, Book 3
Author: Mark Timothy Morgan, Cathy Ruth Morgan, Laura Elizabeth Morgan
Series: Fiction Favours the Facts, book 3
Major Themes: Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Ancient Israel
Synopsis: Twenty-two stories retell familiar and not-so-familiar accounts from the Bible in a fresh way that I love!
I enjoy some retellings of Bible stories, but am very irked when the author deviates from the facts and makes up things that are not in the Bible. I also very much dislike it when authors make Biblical accounts into sensuous stories. In Fiction Favours the Facts, Book 3, Mark Morgan and two of his daughters have succeeded in retelling many stories from the Bible in a fresh way, while sticking to the facts and avoiding sensuous scenes. This is a book that would be fine for my children to read!
There are 22 stories included, half each from the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament section, well-known stories such as the births of Isaac and Samuel, or the writing on the wall in Daniel, are retold, along with rather obscure stories such as Zelophahad’s daughters and Habbakuk. Each one is told from a different perspective. Some are related by a family member of the main Bible character, and some are told by a bystander. For example, the hand writing on the wall comes from the perspective of one of Belshazzar’s officials. I especially appreciated a quote by Obed-edom. He said, “If we don’t know God’s commands, we can easily disobey them without knowing it, and, if we disobey God we are in great danger!”
In the New Testament section, the stories range from Anna, who spent her time in the temple watching for the Messiah, to the Samaritan healed from leprosy, Jesus crucifixion, and Paul’s shipwreck. The story of Anna includes historical facts about a Jewish rebellion that I don’t remember reading about before, and footnotes tell where the story came from. Speaking of footnotes, this book is well-documented, with Scripture references as well as some historical references.
I am quite impressed with Fiction Favours the Facts. This is an author I’ll be watching for! (By the way, did you notice the spelling of favours? He is Australian! It’s fun to find a book from a country other than America.) In my opinion, these stories can be enjoyed by all ages. This book would work well as a family read-aloud, as well as a good book for children or adults to read on their own. The stories are inspirational as well as interesting.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, 10 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback
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