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The Mantle
In this brutal, yet magnificent, story—set in the stark landscape of ancient Israel—William Stephens vividly portrays the heroic adventures of Elijah. All alone this rough-hewn prophet confronts Queen Jezebel in her malicious scheme to supplant the worship of Jehovah with the sensuous fertility cult of Baal. All alone God’s servant, Elijah, turns the tide of Jewish history.
Elijah . . . Jezebel . . . Ahab—names charged with electric emotion! Here the electric charge is transformed into throbbing, explosive reality—names become flesh and blood people—as the reader lives with them in the terrible presence of frenzied, demonic priests and enslaved masochistic devotees of Baal.
This book has been published also under the titles Elijah and Prophet of Fire.
Elijah . . . Jezebel . . . Ahab—names charged with electric emotion! Here the electric charge is transformed into throbbing, explosive reality—names become flesh and blood people—as the reader lives with them in the terrible presence of frenzied, demonic priests and enslaved masochistic devotees of Baal.
This book has been published also under the titles Elijah and Prophet of Fire.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 1, 2014
The combination of religion and politics is a dangerous one, as William H. Stephens’ beautifully researched and gorgeously evocative novel of Israel’s past makes clear. Jezebel may be reviled by generations, but in her own world she’s a wise, determined woman, seeking the best for nations through human power. And the gods... they’re the tool to unite us in politics. Meanwhile priests and prophets of Yahweh seek to accommodate to the world they live in, or to hide from it. Human wisdom proves a fickle friend.
“[P]ublic opinion... moves with the force of the ocean, crushing everything not caught up in its sweep, an ally when it moves in your direction, and archenemy when it does not.” So muses Elijah as the tide of opinion swings again. But can powerful miracles sway that opinion to God? Is Yahweh’s voice really heard best in the roll of thunder? Or does God maybe have something else in mind?
Elijah brings the world of prophets and politics to life with fascinating detail, pleasing interpretation, and a nicely convincing view of human experience of the supernatural. I love how the author reproduces the story of the raven feeding Elijah. I love the chance to see familiar characters made three-dimensional. And I love the jungles and mountains of Israel, through which this prophet runs.
From Carmel’s power to Solomon’s Temple to the Oaks of Mamre and beyond, this is a wonderful novel of the ancient world, with wise lessons for the modern. “Perhaps there was a point at which God’s gentleness turned to vengeance,” Elijah muses. May it not be today.
Disclosure: I spotted this in a free promotion and I’m just sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. It’s wonderful!
“[P]ublic opinion... moves with the force of the ocean, crushing everything not caught up in its sweep, an ally when it moves in your direction, and archenemy when it does not.” So muses Elijah as the tide of opinion swings again. But can powerful miracles sway that opinion to God? Is Yahweh’s voice really heard best in the roll of thunder? Or does God maybe have something else in mind?
Elijah brings the world of prophets and politics to life with fascinating detail, pleasing interpretation, and a nicely convincing view of human experience of the supernatural. I love how the author reproduces the story of the raven feeding Elijah. I love the chance to see familiar characters made three-dimensional. And I love the jungles and mountains of Israel, through which this prophet runs.
From Carmel’s power to Solomon’s Temple to the Oaks of Mamre and beyond, this is a wonderful novel of the ancient world, with wise lessons for the modern. “Perhaps there was a point at which God’s gentleness turned to vengeance,” Elijah muses. May it not be today.
Disclosure: I spotted this in a free promotion and I’m just sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. It’s wonderful!
March 6, 2012
I remember really really liking this book when I was a kid. I should probably re-read before I rate it... This is the book that kicked off my love of Biblical/Jewish/Old Testament fiction.
August 31, 2024
I enjoy biblical stories, but this one falls short for me. The descriptions of Baal worship are pretty graphic. Probably realistic but it doesn’t mean I want to read all the gory and sexual details.
Beyond this, I don’t feel the storyline is coherent and connected enough. It jumps around to a lot of characters, some of which we never hear about again. I don’t feel that we get to know Elijah or get into his head and experience how he felt. A good story should show conflict and growth in the main character’s life and character and this is missing. It’s more of an outside watcher’s retelling of the events. The last part did seem more engaging, and this is the only reason I managed to finish it.
Beyond this, I don’t feel the storyline is coherent and connected enough. It jumps around to a lot of characters, some of which we never hear about again. I don’t feel that we get to know Elijah or get into his head and experience how he felt. A good story should show conflict and growth in the main character’s life and character and this is missing. It’s more of an outside watcher’s retelling of the events. The last part did seem more engaging, and this is the only reason I managed to finish it.
January 19, 2020
Excellent read
This is a well done story of Elijah's life following scripture quite well. The only reason I knocked off a star is do to many typographical errors as well as words that were wrong. A decent editor would have fixed much of them.
This is a well done story of Elijah's life following scripture quite well. The only reason I knocked off a star is do to many typographical errors as well as words that were wrong. A decent editor would have fixed much of them.
September 9, 2020
Awesome, well written
Because it is the highest rating I can give the book, and I can't find anything I Sun-Times about it. Rest a assured that I will talk about it and pass it along to my friend's.
Because it is the highest rating I can give the book, and I can't find anything I Sun-Times about it. Rest a assured that I will talk about it and pass it along to my friend's.
September 12, 2021
Fictional (obviously) account of the great Prophet Elijah. The author certainly seems to know the religious and sociopolitical background of this time period. This will open your eyes to the profound challenge that Baal worship was for the people of Israel at this time.
May 25, 2017
While a work of historical fiction, it was helpful to get the events involving this old testament prophet in narrative form that highlights the chronology and context of his life.
December 23, 2022
This started out as a snoozer. It got better but took me the days to read
Read
December 8, 2024This book really opened my mind to what was happening in this biblical time/story. I enjoyed it and plan to read it again.
March 5, 2013
I read this under the title "The Mantle" on kindle. This book was a fictional account of Elijah's prophetic ministry amidst the overwhelming evil of Ahab and Jezebel's reign. The geographic descriptions were interesting at first, but got a little dull later on. But the gem here is in the history. From my understanding, the author did his research in regards to Baalism, which is graphically depicted in this book. Such a book leaves me never to read about baal worship in the Bible the same way again, and gives me a new perspective on the world we live in now. If you believe in the God of the Bible, this is a story you will want to read, if for nothing else to gain insight into the incredible evil Elijah encountered, and the amazing power of Jehovah.
August 13, 2012
I finished this book a few weeks ago, and it took me several weeks to get through. Not especially riveting, well-written, or character driven, I found it tough to stick with the lengthy terrain descriptions. It gave some sense of historical context for the prophet and his relationship with Ahab/Jezebel/other prophets, but even those contexts were weakened by the lagging storyline. I'm glad I persevered--since the last few chapters of the book impressed a meaningful spiritual concept on me; however, on the whole, I wouldn't recommend this book as engaging biblical fiction.
April 25, 2013
This was a wonderful portrayal of the prophet Elijah come to life. I enjoy biblical fiction that brings the Bible to life, staying very true to the Bible while making the people real, showing their emotions, the consequences of their actions--in other words, filling in details that the Bible doesn't mention. As long as we remember that this is just one man's IDEA of how it might have been, I think stories such as this help us remember that the Bible is not just a book of stories, but a true account of real people who lived long ago. If you agree, then this book will not disappoint.
November 2, 2013
I read it years ago. It made the drama of Elijah's life really come alive. It's quite graphic in depicting the terrible practices of the time. It's one of those books that has always stuck with me. I haven't been able to find the book anywhere recently but would read it again if I could.
January 5, 2011
this has my boyfriends name so i went to read it. it kinda sound like him to
October 10, 2012
Enjoyed this book
March 29, 2013
Good and exciting account of Elijah's life. It is fairly accurate and doesn't stray too far from the text. I am not keen on the slightly graphic descriptions of Asherah worship.
September 12, 2013
A great telling of the life of Elijah. It has made me want to go read the story in the Bible.
March 12, 2014
Fantastic book in the historical fiction genre. However, rather than just a look back, the parallels and implications regarding today's times are both staggering and frightening.
March 2, 2015
The three well known stories were written well with lots of added detail. It was the in between stories that lost my interest.
August 13, 2015
Fiction. Always tough to tie to Bible truth but an entertaining story.
June 14, 2016
The spelling in this book was a bit distracting, but other than that it was a good and very descriptive story.
February 18, 2017
Very thought-provoking for those who have a prophetic calling...
March 31, 2019
Review Pending
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews