The Chronicles of the Kings

I have been engrossed in some books that I cannot put down. Lynn Austin is the author of these books. The first book begins with the childhood of Hezekiah during the reign of his father, Ahaz, King & 12th ruler of Judah. Hezekiah's accounts in the Bible can be found in 2 Kings 18:1 - 20:21; 2 Chronicles 29:1 - 32:33; Isaiah 36:1 - 39:8. Ms. Austin does a wonderful job of weaving the characters' lives into a story while retaining the factual events of Hezekiah's reign, such as opening the doors of the house of the Lord & repairing them; instructing the Levites to carry out their duties as appointed by God; destroying the brazen serpent Moses made; destroying all idolatry from the land of Judah; and his conflict with the Assyrian ruler. There are more facts, but the storytelling draws the reader into that time period. The life of Jerusha, as she winds up a prisoner of the Assyrians to one named Iddina, draws the reader into the grotesque and hellish lifestyle of this bloodthirsty army. Having never done any historical research on the Assyrians, I can say that what I received about them, from reading Song of Redemption
, was a picture of incredible violence like nothing I have ever read about (or imagined) before.

These books have so far brought forth laughter, anger, and tears as I have followed the lives of the characters as they were introduced and/or ended. Highly recommended reading!!

Get it used at Amazon.com!
The Chronicles of the Kings:
Book 1 - Gods & Kings
Book 2 - Song of Redemption
Book 3 - The Strength of His Hands
Book 4 - Faith of My Fathers
Book 5 - Among the Gods