A Voice In The Wind By Francine Rivers - A Review

"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." 1 Kings 19: 11-12 K.J.V.

A Voice In The Wind is the first of three books in The Mark Of The Lion Series by Francine Rivers.

I found out about it, the way I find out about most good books, quite by accident. A few years ago, I was in the bookstore browsing and I saw all three books on sale. I had never read anything from Francine Rivers before and so I was hesitant about picking it up to read it.

I forgot about the books until, one day, I saw a book called Redeeming Love. I recognized the name of the author and I decided to buy it and read it. After I read it, I remembered the series and I resolved to head back to the bookstore where I saw it and get it because I knew that if the series was as good as I thought it would be, I would regret it if I did not buy it.

Guess what? They had no more copies of the first book only the second one, An Echo Of Darkness.

I couldn't very well pick up the second book and read it without the first now could I? So I went home a bit disappointed.

A few weeks later, while going browsing the library, I came across a copy of the book. It was the only copy and there were no signs of the sequels ever being there, but I borrowed it, believing that if I did not enjoy it then I would not wish to read the follow-up books anyway.

I lied to myself when I believed that because I knew that Francine Rivers writes well.

Set during the time of The Roman Empire,the story has four main characters: Hadassah, Marcus, Julia, and Atretes.

Each of them have their own story and then their lives become intertwined.

Hadassah is of Jewish heritage. She is an Israelite who is a Christian.She has no family of her own and is sold as a slave during the fall of Jerusalem. Hadassah doubts her faith and does not think that she is strong enough to be a good messenger of the Gospel. She longs for fellowship with the brethren but she takes on what is given to her with gratitude to God, believing that all things work together for good for those who love God.

Atretes is the opposite of Hadassah. He is a barbarian (German) and he is the leader of his tribe. He is a warrior a fighter who worships a false god. He has striking looks whereas Hadassah cannot be described as a great beauty. Yet, he is taken captive as a slave as well. He does not go willingly and fights all the way. He never thinks about the will of God or anything except freedom.

Both Hadassah and Atretes are taken to Rome where they must serve. Atretes is ordered to become a gladiator and Hadassah is sold to an Ephesian family. The master of the house has two children: Marcus and Julia.

Marcus and Julia have similar personalities because Julia has always wanted to be like her big brother. They are both selfish and hedonistic and they care nothing about morals or consider what is right or wrong.

Hadassah is ordered to serve Julia, and, because she is a part of the household, she gets to know Marcus as well.

The siblings cannot understand Hadassah and her humility. They do not know why she is so loyal to God, indeed, for most of the book they do not even know her to be a Christian. But that is not a spoiler because you must know that Christ has to enter into the story. Hadassah witnesses many sins and sorrows because of sin when she enters the servitude of this family and yet she is still able to love.

So how does Atretes enter the story? In the beginning one really does not know how she is going to introduce him but his story of slavery as a gladiator in Rome is updated in each Chapter so that we, the readers, can see that the place where the two roads meet are not far ahead. To say how he is incorporated would spoil A Voice In The Wind a bit I think. I actually think I have already said too much.

The Gladiator Games play a big part in this story and a reader might pause to say perhaps that the story is centered around it but that is not so....the story is centered around the Lord and His mercy.

In the first chapter there are things that happen and so it goes for all of the chapters. To tell one means I will have to tell all.

What I can say is that A Voice In The Wind mainly focuses on Hadassah and her struggles with faith in God. She doubts her faith is even as large as a mustard seed and at the end of the book, when her faith is tested (honestly I think it was tested throughout the entire book) she sees for herself what is the strength behind her faith.

In Redeeming Love, Rivers herself rates her book as PG-13 because of situations that occur in it. There was no rating in this book although I suspect it was because of the edition I read. I would say that this book should be considered the same because there are some situations in it that are sensitive and some that are violent, though life today has so desensitized the children and this is a book that leads one to Christ and not from Him, I still think that parental discretion should be used.

If you are a parent, and you think you would like your child to read it, have a go at it first and see what you think. As a matter of fact that is the way it should be with every book that enters the house, I believe. You should always be sure about what your child is reading.

One other thing - don't be stupid like me. If you get part one, get two and three as well because as I type, I have not yet gotten my hands on book two and there is nothing more nail biting than knowing the continuation is out there but you can't read it!

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