Review of The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria

[ken4512]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria" by Ray Filby.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Ray Filby's historical fiction The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria is a fascinating and immersive fictional biography of Apollos, an early Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament.  He was a contemporary and associate of St. Paul and a great teacher of the Christian faith. 

Apollos was born in Alexandria. The little known about Apollos indicates that he was a man of great intellectual and spiritual strength and played a significant role in developing the early Christian churches.  

The novel is set against the backdrop of the first century of early Christianity. Apollos is a young Jew who travels from Alexandria to Giza, driven by intellectual curiosity to see the great pyramids and learn more about ancient civilizations. Upon his return to Alexandria, he sets off almost immediately on a second and more extensive journey to Jerusalem and Greece. As he travels through towns known for their ancient Jewish history, he encounters early Christians like Simon of Cyrene, Barnabas, John Mark, and Paul. A journey that begins with intellectual curiosity to learn more about the world becomes a spiritual quest. Apollos experiences a life-changing spiritual transformation and becomes a Christian. 

I immensely enjoyed reading Ray Filby's historical fiction The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria for its character development of Apollos. His character sprang to life as he journeyed to new places and learned of different faiths, cultures, and ancient civilizations. 

Apollos' character development became more compelling as he met people who had met Jesus or had been at Golgotha when Jesus was crucified. He encounters people of the Jewish faith who had been profoundly changed by Jesus, either through direct contact with him or indirectly through some profound personal difficulty.

I liked the multifaceted layers of this novel as Apollos meets the early Christian teachers and learns of the immense and growing impact of Jesus, his life, good deeds and miracles,  and sacrificial death.

The narrative profoundly moved me as other characters emerged in the novel, and Apollos had to confront his growing spiritual doubts and uncertainties. He faces a spiritual challenge to accept Jesus as his spiritual guide, not only through his encounters with Christians but through his tragedies, trials, and tribulations.

I am rating Ray Filby's historical fiction The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria 5 out of 5 stars. It is a profoundly moving story set in the early years of Christianity, about the lives of people who lived in Jesus' time and early Christian converts like Apollos following Jesus' death. This novel's historical and cultural backdrop was vivid, with details of the first-century milieu of different faiths, cultures, societies, and politics, from Alexandria to Jerusalem to Greece, of Jewish, Christian, and the ancient beliefs of the Greeks and Romans. I liked the chapter titles and the beautiful sketches reflecting people and places, all connected to the journey that transformed Appolos' life profoundly and spiritually. 

I recommend Ray Filby's historical fiction, The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria, to fans of historical fiction and fictional biographies of Biblical figures, spiritual quests, and the transformative power of faith. 

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The Sun and the Moon of Alexandria
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