Saturday, May 2, 2015

"Shadow of the Mountain" by Cliff Graham

The Biblical account of the Exodus and desert wanderings does not mention Caleb much in terms of life history.  Very little is known about this courageous warrior.  This is where Graham comes in and dramatizes the life of Caleb with fascinating back-stories.  The author is careful to note that much of what is written in his book is purely fiction to help readers understand the culture of ancient Egypt and soldiering.  The book currently has Caleb as an old man.  The story of life in Egypt, the plagues, and so forth is set up as a series of flashbacks.  Caleb's nephew asks his uncle about his past during a rainy day, and so the tale begins.  Where the Biblical account is sufficient, it is quoted directly as Caleb says something along the lines of  "read what Moses has already written."  Since the author is a veteran, the battle scenes tend to be graphic.  They are not vomit-inducing descriptions, but I will say they give more detail than one may be comfortable with.  That being said, I do think this book would be a good gift for men.  Many biblical fiction books are geared towards women, and this book shows the aspect of warfare that men may enjoy better.

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