Review of 'The Mark of the Lion' series by Francine Rivers
Since being given ‘Redeeming Love’ by Francine Rivers as a
gift, reading it and falling immediately in love with it – I’ve been keen to
read some more novels that she has written. I have read ‘The Last Sin Eater’ which
was fascinating and somewhat dark.
When Koorong had a big sale before Christmas, my darling
husband suggested I purchase some books for my Christmas present from the rest
of the family. I settled on ‘The Rose Trilogy’ by Beverly Lewis and ‘The Mark
of the Lion’ series by Francine Rivers.
The three books of ‘The Mark of the Lion’ series were large
and in a cool box – so I was excited to crack the first one open and devour the
pages with my hungry eyes ratcheting back and forth across the words. My very
first reaction to the book was distaste. It begins in Jerusalem, which is under
attack from the Romans. There’s lots of bodies, death, disease and illness.
Francine, in her very gritty way very ably sets the scene for her first character,
Hadassah, to be introduced.
We follow the story of Hadassah, sold as a slave to a
wealthy Roman household with two grown children, one of whom is a womanizer and
the other a self-centred and spoilt girl. Hadassah is given to the girl to be
her personal slave. Thus began one of the longest and laborious reads of my
life! From when Hadassah becomes Julia’s slave, right through to the end of the
novel, I was appalled and sickened by Julia and her actions. It grew repetitive
in the second half of the story.
She is tolerated by her father, mother and older bother,
Marcus and her actions are disastrous. It was painful reading about her and I
really didn’t like her story. But what saved the novel was the incredibly
dramatic ending – a climax of drama involving Hadassah, a man who is well above
her situation and Julia, with her selfishness and cruelty.
In the first novel we are also introduced to a Germanian
warrior who is captured in battle and sold into becoming a gladiator, Atretes.
I had to stop and work out how to pronounce his name at first! His story gently
weaves through Hadassah’s experiences with Julia and her family. Somehow, his
tragic and horrible story is more bearable than Julia’s relentless stupidity.
In the second novel of ‘The Mark of the Lion’, we follow the
consequences of Julia’s selfish and deluded actions. It’s the story of Marcus
and Hadassah and Julia again, but focusses more on Marcus and Hadassah. It’s a
powerful and compelling narrative which had me hanging on to the final pages!
Atretes is once again woven into the story, his connections with the main
characters strengthening. I was relieved to enjoy the novel and once again
enjoy Francine Rivers’ swift prose and intriguing plot. She masterfully builds
tension and passion to seemingly impossible heights without leaving the reader
hanging too much.
The third and final novel of ‘The Mark of the Lion’ was, in
my opinion, Rivers’ best. Atretes is the focus of this novel and we follow him
after he earns his freedom and journeys home to Germania. It’s passionate and
enthralling as Atretes and his companions journey through dangerous and
enticing Rome, up through snow-capped mountains and down into dark, thick
forests. Atretes is told the entire Bible by one of his companions, which
Rivers includes very skilfully.
The constant theme through Rivers’ series is the story of
the early Christians – the narrative is set about 40 years after Jesus’
resurrection. Many of the characters become Christians. It is fascinating to
read about Christians who have no Bible, no regular church, very few Christian
friends and only rely on prayer to stay close to God. ‘The Mark of the Lion’
helped me strip back my faith to what it is, essentially – and inspired me to
follow Jesus’ teachings, not what people say Christians should or shouldn’t do.
I was particularly inspired by the character Hadassah, who wins people to
Christ by her humility and graceful example. People are drawn to her because
she’s different. She has a peace that they can’t explain. Hadassah is a great
example of godly womanhood.
Rivers has obviously done meticulous research and an
appendix is included in each novel. In my view, the series is perhaps more
historical than romance or adventure – but evidence of all three genres is
clear and enjoyable throughout. I would include ‘The Mark of the Lion’ series on
my ‘Must Read’ list for good, solid Christian entertainment. Although the first
novel may be a bit of a laborious read in places, the following two novels are
absolutely brilliant, full of rich history, passionate, sweeping romance with
some adventure and of course, wonderful examples of godly people and Biblical
truths.
How about you? Have you read the series? What did you think?
Have, read all of them except the Rose Trilogy But Have quite enjoyed other by Beverly Lewis. The only problem I have with Francine Rivers is that she does not write books quick enough! Redeeming Love is my absolute favorite, I read it in under 12 hours, some how managing to take care of my family too. well more or less. lol I find you get to the certain point in her books, which I call the point of no return, where you HAVE to keep reading to find out what happens at the end even if you are up till 2am. Love Mark of the Lion, One of the Character that Intrigued me most was the Doctor. How he saw so many times What the Power of "Haddasah's God" Could do, But managed to not really get it. But a totally excellent book showing such a wide variety of Characters, and how the respond (or don't) to God's Grace.
ReplyDeleteDon't Know if you have read her mother Daughter Series, Mothers Hope and Daughter dream. It follows the lives of 4 generations of women in the same family, The lives they lived, and the effects and relationships on the daughters down the line as a result. Have tried for ages to find an Author as good as Francine Rivers but its very hard. Beverly Lewis is cool if you like Amish Stuff. I reading the AD Chronicles at the moment and it pretty cool, as well Fatherless and Childless By Dr James Dobson and Kurt Bruner They are great reads but pretty full on.