Of Fire and Lions by
Mesu Andrews
Mesu Andrews has undertaken a real challenge—fictionalizing the
life of Daniel. She has meticulously researched
his life and times, and given him a fictional family. She takes the facts from the Biblical
narrative and fleshes out the details, conversations, and people that would
have stitched those facts together.
After reading this book, I wanted to re-read the book of Daniel. In my mind, that is what excellent Biblical
fiction does: drives the reader to scripture.
Her characters, especially Daniel, became real to me. I loved having a peek into his life and
culture. Especially fascinating was her account of Nebuchadnezzar becoming a
beast due to God’s judgment. In addition, I loved how her characters grew and
changed over the course of their lives.
The one thing that was difficult for me to follow was the
changing point of view. I had to read
carefully to determine which character was narrating the events. However, after a while I got the hang of
that.
If you enjoy reading Biblical fiction that will make you
hunger more for scripture, then this book is for you. I received a copy from the publisher for
this, my honest review.
