Deluge

by Daniel Diehl

Noah’s wife and sons knew he was old but they assumed his claim of being over 600 years old was a joke. But when he begins hearing a disembodied voice claiming to be an unknown God who was about to destroy the world, they begin fearing for his sanity. When Noah insists on building a huge ship to save his family they are certain that advancing age is destroying his mind – at least that’s what they think until the mysterious strangers appear out of the desert and claim they have been sent to help Noah build his great ship. Finally accepting this strange situation, Noah’s sons agree to help build the ship, but as construction progresses relations between Noah’s family and their neighbors deteriorate into ugly confrontations and threats of violence. Then, as the ship nears completion, it begins to rain…and then the real problems start.

412 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 2013

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this from Library Thing to read and review. After reading this, I know I will never, ever think about Noah and the big flood we read about in the Bible the same way again. The author has done a very good job tackling a story we all know so well. It takes a brave soul to attempt this. The author has done quite an amazing job bringing the story to life and infusing a bit of modernity into it. I must admit, reading the characters of Noah and his sons and their wives and children speaking in today’s vernacular came across as a bit disconcerting at first, but, once I got used to it and into the story, I found it really did not make much difference to me. Noah is a typical father for the times, with two pretty good, well-behaved sons who have pretty good marriages, one son who has not managed to grow out of his adolescent belligerence and immaturity despite his wife, and one teenage son who is a pretty typical teenager. All his sons have a pretty good mix of life and culture from the era we generally associate with them, along with a good mixture of present day life and culture. Noah is different from everyone else, if you can believe just how old he really is. Sometimes even his family wonders about him and whether he’s lost it already or is on the verge of losing it completely. This comes to a head when he insists on building a huge boat to save himself and his family, and they really begin to doubt him. However, things change when strangers appear to help him in this endeavor, and his family begins to come around. During the construction, tensions grow between Noah and his family and his neighbors, until it begins to rain, when things really change. The author has taken a well-known story and made it contemporary (sort of), and brought it and all the characters involved to life. He has managed to combine a pretty good mix of the culture and life of the times with just enough modernity to bring the story home to his readers. I enjoyed watching Noah interact with each of his sons, their wives and with his own wife, as he struggles through the important mission he has been given. As I said, I will never think of the story of Noah and his ark the same way again. This story will appeal to anyone who is looking for something a little bit different from the stuff that is out there today. It will also appeal to anyone who enjoys a great story or who is into history. Most readers may begin with some serious doubts as I did but will quickly find themselves totally involved in this story of a man, his family and his special mission from God.

[Nicole Dunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Deluge. It is written by Daniel Diehl. It is the about Noah's Ark. It is based on what it says happened in the Bible and what history says as well. It is written in a narrative story about Noah and his family. He has them speaking in modern language.

I personally find it very creative how he was able to create such a captivating narrative story about Noah and his family. He even managed to make it unique. There are many stories out there about Noah's Ark. This had it's own personal little twist. It was amazing. I absolutely loved it!

The only thing I didn't really like was the transitioning. In some places it was really great, but in some places it was really poor. There were many times I had to go back and re-read passages because I was unaware points of view had changed because it flowed right from one point of view to another without any indication that it switched. That's the only real problem I had with it

I recommend this book to anybody who loves religious stories. I also recommend this book to anybody who loves history. I love how he took a historical event and mad a truly amazing narrative story out of it. I have to give him props for that. It was truly amazing!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

In Deluge, Noah is presented in a way that I hadn't pictured him and it opened my eyes to the struggles that he most likely did go through when God came to him.

I am normally not one to enjoy reading long, detailed descriptions but this book is an exception. The details of wine-making interested me because my son is a winemaker. And the building of the ark was fascinating. I always knew a lot went into it but reading the detail made me stop and think what a huge undertaking it actually was.

The author did a lot of research for this book and it's obvious. At the end of the book he explained the research he did and included copies of the documents he used for his research. I found this part information as interesting as the book itself. He also explained some of the liberties he took to make a better story and to make it an easier read.

Daniel Diehl is also good at describing human interaction. There were a couple times I caught myself with my mouth hanging open.

I definitely recommend Deluge, especially if you like historical and/or Christian fiction.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deluge is the story of Noah, an inspiring man who claims to have lived more than 600 years. Noah, is a good, caring, loving, and fair man to his family and others. He also has difficulty believing in the wide variety of "gods" that other people devoutly worship. Noah's upstanding character and past lineage do not go unnoticed by God. So when God decides to destroy mankind as punishment for their sins He chooses Noah and his family to be the only survivors. But, when God first visits Noah it turns his life upside down. Noah begins to question many things, even occasionally his own sanity. As God continue to visit Noah, Noah accepts the will of God. Now, Noah must convince his family that God knows what He is doing and that Noah and his family must obey, regardless of what anyone thinks.

Having heard the story of Noah's Arc many times, I was eager to read Deluge. Daniel Diehl is a talented storyteller and his book takes readers on the incredible path that Noah and his family follow to serve God. The story is well told with vivid details and the author's knowledge of the story of Noah is evident.

I highly recommend picking up Deluge. You won't be disappointed.

[Wendy Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the retelling of the Old Testament story of Noah and the Flood. Diehl's knowledge of the landscape and history of the area sets the scene for Noah, a family man, disappointed and frustrated by the behaviour of his people but content to continue planting his vines, supporting his sons and working hard for his family until one day, through his ancestor Enoch, he is commanded by God to save his family as the people of the earth, their blasphemies and deceits, are to be destroyed.

This book got better and better and I loved the journey of Noah and Japheth to Jerico and the description of what they found there.

Diehl's words at the end of the book, explaining how he had gathered extra information, were fascinating, especially his dilemma of when to place Noah in history.

Well written, well observed characters and a cracking story make this a 5* read.

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deluge---The Great Flood---This book is a wonderful account of the story of Noah and the Ark. Almost every culture in the world has a story about a great flood. The author studied three of these, including the story of Noah, to create this book. He uses what is known about Noah's story to deliver a very interesting, fast reading tale. He does this by using contemporary language and authentic historic details. Whether you believe or not, the details and descriptions of life during that time and the account of how the ark was built and how the flood developed make it a very good book.

I received this book from librarything.com

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be a very interesting perspective of Noah and the great flood. Noah's story is brought into the modern age. I will never be able to look at the old Bible story the same way. Mr. Diehl has an amazing skill for story telling. I look forward to reading more from this author.