4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In the novel, Og: The Conquest of Canaan, author Brittany Shannon takes us on a journey through a time in history when the Israelites began their conquest of the Promised Land that God gave to them. This is quite the unique historical fiction novel that puts the reader right in the middle of the happenings of the Old Testament in the Bible.
The story is told in the first-person narrative that switches perspectives with each new chapter. We get to see the story unfold before us through the eyes of a few different characters throughout the book. The two main characters are Kaya and Travin who are currently adults and have been friends since they were young children living in the peaceful town of Avoca in the land of Canaan. The bulk of the story takes place after both they and others flee from their town and become part of the growing Israeli army that is beginning its march through Canaan on towards the Jordan River. Though the advancement and fighting of the army is a big part of the book, the main thrust is actually found in the relationship between the two friends who have slowly drifted apart as they grew up. Through the testing of their newfound war and the myriad of new and old interpersonal relationships, we see Kaya and Travin ebb and flow in their respect and devotion to each other as friends.
Though the book is based on Biblical events, it goes beyond the Good Book’s narrative to fill in the parts of the conquest of Canaan that were not recounted there. It is not meant to be precisely accurate to the actual occurrences either, but for the most part it stays pretty faithful to the original telling from the Bible. This was something that I originally was a bit concerned about, yet the author did a nice job in keeping true to the spirit of the Israelites in that period of history. Also, the filling in of more specific actions and events in relation to the history was something that I really enjoyed reading about throughout the book.
I can say that there wasn’t really too much that bothered me about the book. One thing that I got frustrated with was Kaya and how she acted and reacted often towards those around her. It made me want to shake the book to wake her up at times. A few peripheral things that happened during the story were kind of left unexplained in the end, but they were not so glaring as to truly detract from the story as a whole.
Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars. It was a nice flowing read that took me back into the history of Israel as it began to claim its new home after wandering the wilderness for 40 years. I think that any reader who likes historical or religious fiction will truly enjoy reading this story. Those who like a little bit of intrigue with some romance lightly sprinkled on top should also find it a good read.
******
Og
View: on Bookshelves
Like rssllue's review? Post a comment saying so!
