Lawless: An anthology of short stories inspired by the biblical book of Judges

by Alli Prince, Brad Pauquette

Welcome to Covenant, a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Earth where technological advancement has come to a jarring halt and resources are sparse. The Journeymen, a group of people chosen by a mysterious deity called Donumdonair, must struggle through treacherous deserts inhabited by two tyrannical tribes─the fierce Desperados and The Order of Kosmoa. The Journeymen must fight against the destruction and desires of the world around them as they strive to survive.

Inspired by the book of Judges, watch as Donumdonair chooses the most unlikely heroes to showdown with demons, triumph over armies, and fight the galactic battles that rage around and in them.

Presented by The Company, Lawless showcases the work of fourteen emerging Christian authors. Featuring short stories by Chris Babcock, Jonathan Babcock, Abigail Bales, Anita DeVries, Elijah Fitz, Megan Flahive, Katelyn Flatt, Nicole Gusto, Vannah Leblank, Drake McDonald, Brad Pauquette, Alli Prince, Matthew Sampson, and Thirzah.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Anthologies

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 18, 2024

About the author

Alli Prince has been creating stories since she could form words and has been writing since long before she learned about sentence structure and grammar (her editors think she could still learn a thing or two about grammar).

She’s been published to The Pearl and was the project manager for Lawless. Alli is currently attending a writing trade school called The Company. She is learning everything she can about writing, editing, and marketing. She hopes to use these skills to influence the world of Christian literature and bring glory to God’s name.

Reviews

[Taylor Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawless is a fun compilation of stories inspired from the biblical book of Judges. I enjoyed the way in which each story was its own while at the same time drawing certain details from the characters and situations in Judges. On a couple occasions I felt that I had gained insight into what could’ve taken place (whether backstory or setting or tensions). I appreciated the world, the cool weapons, and the storytelling. The stories/chapters I most enjoyed were:
-The Bramble King (by Megan Flahive) on Abimelech
-The Deliverer (by Brad Pauquette) on Ehud
-Prison of the Mind (by Elijah Fitz) on Samson
-Sacrifice (by Alli Prince) on Jephthah

4.25/5

[Ana Teoh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology made me want to read the book of Judges---which is precisely what it is meant to do. After comparing the stories in the book to the stories in the Bible, I concluded that the authors did an excellent job of making the stories more "relatable": it is still set in an alternate world, but the parameters of the stories are more personal. In the Bible, the stakes are entire kingdoms: complete this task and you will become the leader of all the Jews. In the anthology, the stakes are the singular lives of the characters: acceptance within one's tribe, the death of a close friend. They still lead huge armies, but they lead the armies because the war matters to them personally.
I found the world building to be consistent across all stories, which helped with the immersion. Two things which put me off a little bit: overall, I think that the number of dialogue tags could have been reduced, and that there were too many descriptions of eye colour. This varies from author to author, but in general, personal description intrudes onto the story.

Finally, I found the use of the Oxford comma to be impeccable. Cool beans.

[D.T. Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 (for worldbuilding, some memorable characters, and The Mark, Part II)

I have mixed feelings about this collection. When I saw it was inspired by the Biblical book of Judges, I was really curious to see it. Often, adaptations of Biblical content aren't something I care much for. Lawless, sadly, didn't change that opinion.

I really loved how much worldbuilding went into this. The cultures, peoples, and landscape of Covenant got a lot of great development.

A number of the main characters were interesting to follow, and I definitely sympathized with many of their plights. "The Mark, Part II" was my favorite selection, and I really felt it stayed true to the heart of the account of Gideon.

Overall, however, I just feel this collection takes too many liberties with the source material and inserts so much grit that it often feels gratuitous. If I had to rate this for TV, it would receive an R-rating (or M (Mature) if we were talking a fanfic site). I don't think this was the intent, but often things like excessive language, violence, and gore were added for shock value instead of for the betterment of the story, and some things bordered on disrespectful to the source material. There were also a number of places where a copy edit was needed.

[Sonora Newheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars.

This anthology was a difficult read, but in a good way. Because it is Christian fiction based on the book of Judges, it incorporates shocking topics from the source material, but handles them with care and discretion. It isn’t afraid to portray the “hard stuff” of the Bible, as mentioned at the beginning of the anthology. I went into reading the book with this in mind, and by the end, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories and characters crafted by the authors. Each story felt as if it belonged in the world of Covenant, which is impressive given that there are fourteen different stories from different authors. Each story had its own twist on a tale from Judges, some holding closer to the source material than others. I particularly enjoyed the stories that incorporated unexpected twists on the original, such as using sci-fi technology or changing the roles of characters in a way that still respected the theme and narrative of the original. Most importantly, I appreciated being able to connect to each character and see the stories of the Bible through a different lens. Reading the book of Judges can be quite dry and boring, but this anthology helped me see each Biblical figure in a new light, not as just words on the page but as individuals who once lived and breathed as we do now. I can tell that the authors crafted the world of Covenant with passion and ambition, just as they did the characters. The worldbuilding makes me wish that there were longer books set in this world and not just short stories. I would love to read a whole series set in Covenant, written as an allegory of the entire Bible, even.

In addition to the characters and setting, I also evaluated other qualities while reading this anthology, such as the plot, pacing, prose, dialogue, and theme of each story. Certain stories excelled in some areas more than others, but they overall balanced out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This is the only reason I gave the book 4.25 stars instead of 5. Some stories had issues with pacing or did not have clear plot progression. In others, I wished the characters’ motivations were stronger. In a few, the theme was difficult to discern or could have been developed better.

Another thing to note is the characters’ use of colorful yet harmless language to replace modern curse words. It’s a personal peeve of mine when a story overuses made-up curse words to avoid having to spell out offensive words. Also, the stories still included women being called derogatory words that are usually considered offensive and did not substitute other words for those, which was confusing to me. Regardless, it’s a personal gripe that doesn’t really affect my rating.

In summary, this anthology is an engaging, impactful piece of Christian fiction that portrays gritty subjects in a tactful way. Each story captivated my imagination and truly immersed me in the world of Covenant. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction but dislikes the clichéd conventions of typical works in the genre. It delivers on its promise of tackling hard subjects in stories that ultimately point toward the Truth.

(Disclaimer: I was approached by the authors to read and review this book. I found it an interesting premise, so I purchased and read the book. All opinions in this review are my own and I was not compensated for my review.)

[sj · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time supporter of Alli Prince, I was very excited to see her work published in book format. Super happy I got to pick up my own copy. :)
With the number of different authors involved, I was curious as to how this collection of short stories would fit together. Now, though I am a huge fan of the Bible, I'm not entirely familiar with Judges. I thought there was a possibility it would hinder how I read it, however, it only inspired me to read through some chapters for a little refreshing.
I loved how the stories all followed the same overall themes, including vocabulary, names of places, etc, each time not plunging the reader into an unfamiliar world, but the same world with different stories and new characters. Each writer had a very distinct writing style, and it was fun to be able to see everyone's interpretation on a chapter/story. I'd definitely follow some of these authors onto new projects because of the way they used their words to paint such unique and beautiful stories.
Overall I really recommend this one! Especially if you love Christian fiction/Bible re-tellings/short stories.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard about this project, I was excited to see how these authors would adapt the book of Judges into a post-apocalyptic world. The answer was: Wonderfully.
The world-building across the book was superb. It made me wish there were more stories to find in this world to explore it and its people even more!
Each story noted what biblical story it related to at the end and I was so happy to go see if I guessed right what events were being referenced. In some cases, I was so surprised the authors were able to create stories so rich with just a couple of verses as reference. As I read I had a couple stories from Judges tucked in my head with the thought that there's no way they would try to approach that one. But there in the book was one of the stories I was certain could not be handled easily. And it was handled wonderfully.
The characters in this book have a depth to them as they are faced with situations and decisions that many people don't think of the bible containing. But just like the bible is full of people who live in a challenging world and make mistakes, so is this book.
It was a wonderful read and left me both satisfied and wanting more like any good book should.

[Kevin Hinebaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book, and collection of short stories! I'm so happy I picked this up and read it. The theme wove through each voice while feeling fresh with each successive chapter. It was a joy to read!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroes Grapple in a Gritty World (A Sensitive Reader's Review)

Expect a gritty world, full of characters who win your heart despite their tragedies and flaws - and others you can't help but despise. Many of the “heroes” grapple with a desire to do good without ever having posessed a role model of what “good” even is.

My favorite aspect of this project was the opportunity to view familiar accounts in a new light, and to guess which one the author was drawing from as I was reading.

Did I enjoy the book? It was a ride!

Am I a better person for having read it? I think so. There were a few stories in particular that I plan on revisiting. There were a few character trait choices that felt off, but that look forward to considering more fully and comparing again with the source material. There is *definitely* real-world application and character growth to grapple with: “What would I do if…”
 

Now, I had understood PG-13 as "child-friendly but edgy," expecting some violence above my threshold (I mean, that’s in Judges anyway, just without a lot of descriptive narration!) as well as references to difficult and sometimes sensual/sexual topics. I ended up speed-reading through a lot of the fight scenes, and struggling/part skimming a few particular scenes with rough and difficult material. I did not expect to blush at one scene in particular that crossed a threshold for me. When it says PG-13, it *means* it! (If there was a PG-14 rating I might slap it on. xD )


Would I read it aloud on a family road trip? Ehhhhhhhh... I’m slowly warming to the idea, though I'd summarize what I speedread for my own sake. It brings welcome food for new discussion on familiar material, and there were several scenes and concepts I really loved, but it did come at a cost.


Is it a worthwhile read for you?  Likely so (but tread with caution if you are sensitive to matters of either sexuality or violence). Just be ready to grapple with all aspects of a world where everyone does what is right in his own eyes.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawless is a collection of short stories that follow the lives of characters as they face oppression from powerful enemy nations and wrestle with difficult decisions.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book was trying to figure out what inspired the characters or plot in each short story. I was excited to see how the stories progressed and I got to see how the inspirations from the book of Judges were used together with each author's own creativity to develop different themes and storylines.

While I read the book, the worldbuilding stood out to me. All the stories took place in the same post-apocalyptic world, where people live with technologies like plasma-knives and hovercrafts. Even though the stories were short and often told from the perspective of different characters, they collectively worked together to build up this world in my imagination.

I appreciate the effort the authors put into developing these stories, and I hope these stories inspire readers to read (or reread) the book of Judges and the Bible.

[Valari Westeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't often see "gritty" and "Christian" in the same sentence, but that's what this anthology is: gritty and Christian. While the content can be difficult to read and definitely isn't for younger readers, the authors don't include anything (except boys sold as sex slaves for a man) that isn't covered in the biblical book of Judges, one of the grittiest, most difficult books of the Bible for Christians to grapple with. I admire these authors for not shying away from tackling these topics and showing how yes, the Bible tackles these topics too.

For me, the three stand-out stories in the collection are "Primal Network" by Matthew Sampson, "Steelhounds of Mercy" by Nicole Gusto, and "The Stars Stand Witness" by Drake McDonald. (And "A Thorn of Rust" by Vannah Leblank deserves an honorable mention!)

**BELOW ARE SPOILERS FOR WHICH BIBLE STORIES ARE BEING RETOLD**

"Primal Network"

Samson has never been a favorite Bible character of mine, so I never would've expected a fictional retelling of his story to make me root for him. But this story managed to do it! The reinterpretation of his "strength" was so cool, unique, and rooted in this dystopian world, and I love how this story focused on the earlier part of Samson's story, since that's less well-known.

"Steelhounds of Mercy"

Yes, this story had the advantage of telling the lesser-known story of Jephthah, and since I like surprises, this already grabbed my attention since it took me a while to realize which story from Judges this was retelling. But this story didn't rely just on that for twists: it added new characters who added depth to this world, and my favorite character in that bunch revealed such a clever twist at the end! This story also did the best job of showing how the gritty and dark world of this anthology provides a unique opportunity for pointing to virtue. With most Christian stories, you expect mercy to be a theme that the characters choose. In this story, mercy is so far from how the characters live their day-to-day lives that it MEANS something, and it sticks with you.

"The Stars Stand Witness"

I wondered if this collection would touch on the story of the Levite's concubine, one of the darkest, most difficult stories to read in the Bible. At first I felt that the abuse and suffering this woman went through wasn't addressed well enough, or resolved too easily. But at the same time, the way it ended pointed out a redemptive quality in her story that I'd never pieced together before (I won't share because spoilers). And my initial discomfort with the story meant that I kept thinking about it after putting the book down, and for better or worse, a story you can't stop thinking about is a story that made an impact on you. I'm really glad they chose to end the collection with this one.

"A Thorn of Rust"

Jael is awesome. 'Nuff said. Normally I'm not as drawn to retellings that are more obvious about what stories they are retelling, or that don't really change much from the original. But I love how this story was mostly told from the baddie's point of view. I knew what was coming, and the anticipation was great.

I recommend this anthology for anyone interested in seeing Christian literature that isn't afraid of going to some dark places, all to show that the light of Jesus can provide victory ANYWHERE--not just in clean stories.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! 3.5 stars, rounded up because I am so pleased that this exists.

My critique of the contemporary Christian fiction I have encountered is the way it still reads more or less like its secular equivalents in terms of most of its values, caters to a relatively privileged audience, and relies on the ''Christian'' label to cover over the sin of lazy writing. Where are the Lewises and Tolkiens and Sayerses and Williamses and Goudges of our generation, who can write compelling and original stories that grapple with contemporary issues of faith and brokenness, grounded in the Christian worldview, without sentimentality or preachiness?

I wouldn't say this anthology operates quite on the level of the above heroes of Christian fiction - that would be a lot to expect from a group of young and emerging authors - but it is certainly a move in the right direction and a breath of fresh air. Part of the fun of reading this, for me, was similar to the fun of reading a detective novel or an adaptation of a fairy tale: Can I guess where we're going? How will this author handle this part of the story? And part of the fun was reading something different from what I have been reading recently; I can't remember the last time I read any sci-fi.

The transposition of the ancient world of Judges to a dystopic Western future works surprisingly well (someone once described the TV show Firefly to me as ''cowboys in space'' and this has similar vibes, although there is no actual space travel involved). The feel of Judges, of the struggle to maintain allegiance to a God obscured by the choices of His people in the midst of disempowerment and disappointment, is well communicated. The book had my interest and attention the whole time.

Critiques? It could have done with a better copyedit, and the writing varied a bit in quality. Over all, it leans action/adventure (Brandon Sanderson vibes: plot over prose); I appreciate a descriptive and lyrical prose, and Babcock's "The Mark" was perhaps the only story that scratched that itch. Also two of the stories were a bit much for me in terms of graphic content (not to be read before bed), "Prisoner of the Mind" and "The Stars Stand Witness," although to be fair, they are just following the examples of their inspiration in Judges!

All in all, a good and welcome read. I look forward to what these authors will do in the future! Keep it coming ;)

[C.K. Slorra · Rating 5 out of 5]

In case you haven't read the synopsis, Lawless is a series of short stories based on the book of judges except its western sci-fi / junk-fi.

This book is perfect for savoring. I enjoyed reading a couple stories an evening and setting it down to think about the stories.

This book is perfect for cutting to the chase. Because every story you read will start and end in seventy five hundred words (at most!), you'll get to the action no matter what story you read.

This book is also great for ADHD because you can jump from story to story 😆

Lastly, this book is great for biblical connection. The stories aren't meant to be accurate to the Bible in every way (it's sci-fi, guys. Fiction is in the name), but it is teaching about scripture. I'm not going to say I agree with every story's interpretation of scripture, but every story made me think about scripture and really meditate on the reality of these stories and their morals.

I'm sure this book won't be for everyone-- it's dark and you have to be ready to think when you sit down with a story-- but for those it reaches, Lawless is going to change their lives.

[Karissa C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In those days. . . everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Anthologies are hard to review, but on the whole, these stories made me think differently about the book of Judges and want to re-read some of the Scriptural passages, which I'd count as a win. These authors aren't afraid to dive into the darkness of sin, but the flecks of light and redemption are enough to give the reader hope that the age of lawlessness will pass and the day where a law of righteousness will be written on men's hearts will come.

[Christina Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very enjoyable. I usually enjoy historical-fiction stories that brush up against Biblical events, and though this is a different style it is a lot of fun. Some followed a judge's story more exactly than others, and a couple judges had two different stories devoted to them, which were interesting to compare. Since many of the judges' stories are such brief snapshots of someone's life, they are perfect for a collection of short stories, just as the the Bible's treatise on human depravity fits well in a desert dystopian world.

[Christopher Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I'll be the first of the fourteen authors to shout "first!" and review my/our own book.

It brought me so much joy to write this with the rest of the team. Adapting Gideon's story into a sci-fi Western setting was not only thrilling, but also made me dive a lot deeper into the themes of the book of Judges. If nothing else, the process of writing "The Mark Part 1" shaped me as a person.

My hope for this book is that we can redefine the way that people think about Christian fiction. I recently got to share about the anthology at a conference full of university students, and I talked to so many people who were thrilled at the idea of Lawless. I think there's a real desire for fiction that deals with the nitty gritty reality of sin and darkness while also pointing toward redemption. If you read Lawless, I hope that's what you find. And I hope that it brings the Bible to life for you in a fresh and interesting way.

[Noah Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is so intriguing! The way the different authors all brought the same complex world to life is a big credit to them!
The stories I've read so far are engaging, creative in prose and plot, and had well-developed, interesting characters!
Highly recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi, the Bible, or complex themes!

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these short stories and was impressed by how they juggled depicting rather different subject matters. The adaptations of Jair, Gideon, and the latter half of Jephthah's life particularly stood out to me.

I will also say that the re-envisioning of Samson as a cyborg was one of those surprising story elements that ended up working really well.

[Ed R White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent anthology based on the book of Judges. I loved the worldbuilding and how various stories tied into each other. That said, the book lacked a sense of plot inertia, and some characters felt underdeveloped─then again, this was an anthology, not a full-blown novel. The spiritual themes were awesome and gave the book a strong vibe.

[Rebecca van den Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the book of Judges. This anthology did not disappoint in these sort of steampunk retellings of the Bible stories. All the authors did a very good job on this collection.

[Kamryn Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last story is absolutely 10/10 🤌🏻