Book: Shadow of the Mountain
Author: Cliff Graham
My Rating: 4 Epic Stars
Hey fellow bookworms! I’ve got an interesting book to chat about this week. Don’t ask me why, but I was really in the mood for an epic tale – something along the lines of Gladiator. I wanted ancient history, sword fights, and inspirational speeches. So, I found Shadow of the Mountain, which is biblical fiction. (Disclaimer: heavy on the fiction.) I haven’t read much biblical fiction, because too often it comes across dry like a history textbook. And I understand, authors are basing their stories on a holy text, they want to be accurate and respectful. But if it’s done well, I won’t begrudge an artist a little creative license.
Most parents tell their kids fairytales as bedtime stories, but my mom would tell me Bible stories. So, when I saw that this story was centered on Caleb (as in Joshua and Caleb) I was immediately interested. Caleb was there during all the famous Old Testament stories of Moses, but he’s not mentioned much. Which meant the author had a lot of leeway with his backstory. I will say, that where there are biblical references in the story, they seem to be pretty accurate. But I would encourage you, if you are Christian, to read this purely as fiction and not as a Bible story.
In Cliff’s story, Caleb is a battle hardened warrior. And his stories of training and fighting are epic and beautifully choreographed. Perhaps this is because Cliff is retired military, or perhaps he’s just really good at writing fight sequences that come alive like a movie. But I’m telling you, if Ridley Scott got ahold of this, those battles would rival the most iconic scenes from Gladiator.
This story is interesting because it’s written as Caleb, now an old man and a general, tells his nephew his life story while they await yet another epic battle. Typically, I’m not a fan of the flashback. Something about it as a story device feels like a waste of time to me. But in this case, it really worked. An old man reluctantly telling his story while passing on hard earned wisdom, it didn’t feel unnecessary but rather important. And the stories were exciting! The book is split into two parts and Caleb’s story doesn’t merge with Moses and Joshua until part two. Once Moses came on the scene, I was really enjoying comparing this story to what I knew from the Bible. I even pulled out my bible to reread the original stories that make appearances in this book.
Overall, I was totally entertained from page one all the way through, and it also inspired me to read my Bible a little extra, which is always a good thing. I did notice a few inconsistencies in the plot, and I was also thrown off because one chapter would be 8 pages long and the next would be 37 pages long. Which might be a weird thing to complain about…but when you say, “one more chapter,” there’s a big difference between 10 more pages or 40 more. I highly recommend this one if you like ancient history, Old Testament Bible stories, and epic battles!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.