Title: 1. A.D. 30, 2. A.D. 33
Author: Ted Dekker
Genre: Historical Fiction
Plot: A.D. 30 (1) – Maviah is the daughter of a great Bedouin sheikhs. She is an outcast, unwanted, and illegitimate. When another tribe attacks and destroys most of her tribe, Mariah manages to escape with two of her father’s warriors, Saba and Judah. They have limited supplies and are in the desert. Judah knows the stars and can help them find their way. With him guiding them, the three arrive in Israel. There, Maviah hopes to make to make an alliance with King Herod. Maviah hopes that King Herod will help Maviah take back her people and take revenge on those who attacked her people. While in Israel, Maviah meets someone else. He’s a rabbi, teacher, who’s teaching are different than anything Maviah has heard before. She learns much from the rabbi they call Yeshua and becomes his follower along with Saba and Judah. Maviah feels like Yeshua’s teachings could help save her people. More than King Herod and his alliance. Can Maviah save her people? Will King Herod help her? Or even listen and believe what she has to say? What of Yeshua? Can he help?
A.D. 33 (2) – Maviah has been made a queen, a queen of the outcasts. She has taught her people the ways of Yeshua. The advisors, and her people, are slow to learn. The other tribes around her are massing their armies. They don’t like what she’s been doing and seek to destroy her and her tribe. Once again, Maviah, with Saba and Judah, is forced to flee after the attack. Once again they make their way to Israel to ask for help for her people. They seek Yeshua. They join him in his final days until his death on a cross. Maviah is distraught after his death. The three of them return to the desert and wonder what to do. After some time, they meet Yeshua, alive. Their hope is restored. The three of them march into the desert towards their enemy. Maviah tries to bargain with the enemy leader. Instead of talks, Maviah is thrown into jail with Saba and Judah. Their fate is uncertain. Their faith is not. But what will happen to Maviah? And to Judah and Saba? Will they survive? What will happen to Maviah’s people?
Rating: 3.2 – a very different style of books for Ted Dekker
Opinion: This was a great series. It was very different than what I’m used to with Ted Dekker. This series is purely historical fiction. There is no fantasy tied in, which is unusual for Ted Dekker. I enjoyed the series because it brought a different side of the story of Jesus. It came from a culture we don’t usually hear much about in popular books. It focuses more on Arabic culture, more specifically Bedouin culture. Ted Dekker did lots of research for this series. At the daycare where I work, there are lots of Arabic families. When I had a question about the book, I’d ask one of the families. What I learned lined up with what was going on in the story. That being said, it was accurate culturally, too. I also enjoyed the fact that Ted Dekker used quotes from the Bible for what Jesus said, instead of making up his own quotes. Obviously, he couldn’t do that all of the time, especially when talking to Maviah after his crucifixion. But he did a good job of trying to keep it consistent with what the bible says. If you’re looking for a great historical fiction series, then I suggest this series. This is a great series for those who’d like to hear about a common story from a different point of view.
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