The Blind Scribe

The King's Men #0.6

by Connilyn Cossette

Shalem abhors when his cousins, Avidan and Gavriel, along with their friend Zevi leave him behind during their adventures. So, when the boys hear about a mysterious visitor to the mountain of Kiryat-Yearim, where the Ark of the Covenant has been hidden for many years, Shalem refuses to be left out of their mission to find out what the man is up to. What Shay doesn't anticipate is getting caught. Swept up in the mystery of the stranger and driven by his thirst for knowledge, he finds himself in an unexpected partnership which will change the course of his life. However, when his schemes are uncovered, the cost of his deceit may be too high.

Come along on another adventure with our future heroes long before the fateful day when they witness Saul's anointing in The King's Men series from Bethany House Publishers.

**The Blind Scribe is currently available only for those who have pre-ordered Shield of the Mighty (The King's Men Series)**

Genres: Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Novella, Historical

74 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2024

About the author

Connilyn Cossette is a Christy Award-winning, bestselling author who loves digging into the ancient world of the Bible and crafting immersive stories that encourage readers to encounter the Great Storyteller himself. As the grateful adoptive mom of two homeschool graduates and a recent breast cancer survivor, she knows firsthand how Yahweh’s steadfast love redeems every unexpected plot twist. She and her husband of nearly thirty years are based just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, with suitcases always half-packed for their next adventure together.

Connect with her at ConnilynCossette.com

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun]

“Knowledge is the most important currency.”

The Blind Scribe is set a few days before Pesach (Passover) in the woods of Kiryat-Yearim (about 9 miles outside Jerusalem) and takes place after both Between the Wild Branches and The Wedding Gift: A King’s Men Novella and a few years before Voice of the Ancient.

Cossette perfectly captures the innocence and curiosity of young boys and makes spending more time with Shalem, Zevi, Avidan, and Gavriel from The Wedding Gift a real treat!

You may remember Shalem (Shay) in The Wedding Gift and how he was hailed a hero. Well, this eight-year-old boy imagines that he’ll be rewarded for protecting Kiryat-Yearim from foreigners (and monstrous ones at that!), so when he finds two strangers camped out in the woods, he decides to spy and report back. Unfortunately, his plans don’t go according to plan!

While I did enjoy reading more about the boy cousins and their adventures, I really appreciated the lesson about the dangers of judging too hastily. It’s one of my weaknesses. I could also identify with Zevi as he took his adoptive father’s name and was overbrimming with the joy that comes with belonging to something bigger than himself. I thought of how we take our Heavenly father’s name, are adopted into his family and can rejoice in living in such a manner that we don’t tarnish His name. Like Zevi, I feel I have big shoes to fill.

This free gift with the purchase of Shield of the Mighty bridges the Covenant House Series and The King’s Men Series and is one you’ll want on your reading list!

[Michaela (Reading in the Heartland)]

I really enjoyed this companion novelette to The King’s Men series. It definitely gives us great insight into Shalem, his heart, and his affinity for languages and learning. It was good to read and gives great depth to the series.

[Mahaley Grace]

I loved this novella and it made me even more eager to read book two next month, if it were even possible to be MORE excited for Zevi’s story. I love these four cousins and their family so much. ❤️

[Maxine Burns]

This was a terrific prequel to the "King's Men" series.

[Nay Denise]

I absolutely loved this, and getting to see Shalem before he disappeared. He is such a sweet kid with a heart of pure gold. He is curious, has a mind that most would literally want to have. I love Shalem, and I need him to be found in the final book !!!!!

This novella follows Shalem and his cousins as they come across a blind man. There are many rumors about who the man is, but through an encounter, Shalem learns that the man is a Babylonian Scribe who is almost blind. He grows a friendship with him and his aid and begins to teach and share the Torah with them while also learning from them.

Shalem is amazing. We need more of his pureness.

[Nay Denise]

I absolutely loved this, and getting to see Shalem before he disappeared. He is such a sweet kid with a heart of pure gold. He is curious, has a mind that most would literally want to have. I love Shalem, and I need him to be found in the final book !!!!!

This novella follows Shalem and his cousins as they come across a blind man. There are many rumors about who the man is, but through an encounter, Shalem learns that the man is a Babylonian Scribe who is almost blind. He grows a friendship with him and his aid and begins to teach and share the Torah with them while also learning from them.

Shalem is amazing. We need more of his pureness.

[Sarah Raber]

The cousins are at it again, getting into more scrapes, as boys do. This time the story focuses more on Shay and his love for languages and learning. He has a quick and curious mind and risks danger to speak to a foreigner for a chance to learn his language. Shay has such a desire for learning and such a welcome nature. He is willing to put aside his fear to learn more about languages, people, the world, and his place in it. We also get more of Zevi’s character, hints at his past and his adoption into Natan’s family.

As I reread the King’s Men series, I’m curious to see how these details play into the bigger picture of these cousins and ultimately Shay’s journey in Throne of Heaven!

[DEBBIE AGUILAR]

The Blind Scribe A Wonder !!

This is a wonderful Addition to this series ! A Must Read to get more Acquainted with the characters in the Kings Men Series. Shoshana Gavi- Zevi - Natan-Shey they All become Like family . You learn with each book the rich character of each person , lovem so rich . This Series will go down the in history just Like "Mark Of The Lion series from Francine Rivers Books ! history making !!!

[Lisa Wilson]

Absolutely loving all these little novellas giving a sneak peek into the 4 cousins lives. This one gives so much insight into Shay’s life leaving so much to be
Imagined about what drove things that happen to him. My mind is whirling with possibilities to how his future ends up with his inquisitive mind. Thank you for giving us these snippets. I can’t wait to read what comes next.

[Mia A.]

Amazing Novella

The Blind Scribe is short, yet full of truth. Follow along as you see Shalem, Zevi, Avi and Gavi adventure as children. This story gives a beautiful introduction to Shalem and his fascinating mind. I’m excited to see what happens with his story as his love for Yahweh reminds us of the importance of sharing willingly the good news of our God. Well done, Connilyn!

[Maribeth Kayla]

Great novella

I enjoyed the story about the scribe from Babylon learning from a young Levite boy with great intelligence. Thanks for these novellas. I love this author and am excited for her next book to come out.

[Deborah A Scales]

Couldn't stop reading!

I enjoy getting to know Shay,Avi, Gavi and Zeti so much It is very interesting to get a glimpse of how people lived in biblical times. Great read. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and imagination with us

[Mary Ellen Barringer]

Cossette uses this novella to give details about the childhood of some of the characters we meet in another series. In this novella, Shay meets a stranger and shares his knowledge.

Sometimes a child can be wiser than parents.

[Camella Wade]

Wonderful!

I love this continuation of the Levite family! Shalem is such a fun character to follow. His curiosity and wisdom are great examples! And he's so gifted! Zaidu was an interesting character as were his companions. The ending was great!

[Patricia W. Thompson]

Loved this little story-
their values.

I continue on to # 2, in the series. ( should have read before the "Blind Scribe")

[Martha J. Thompson]

Great “Bridge” between two series!

I loved the first two books and am looking forward to reading A King’s Men soon. Thank goodness for such interesting stories.

[Rebecca]

Really enjoyed this novella that added to other books I’ve read. I usually really enjoy books set during Bible times and early church era!!

[Julie]

Can’t wait for Splendor to be released!

[Shawna]

These are fun little reads! I see how God used Shay's misfortune, that happened in the actual series, to fulfill parts of Shay's longing for adventure!

[Cherish Brown]

(5☆ Would recommend & wouldreadagain)
Great addition to the series. I liked how it gave us more background information on the cousins. I really enjoyed reading a story from Shay's point of view.

[Megan]

Novella # 2 of the King’s Men series.

As a lover of words and libraries I very much enjoyed this novella…. and I’m surprised it focused so much on Shalem (I had expected it to focus on Zevi.)
Love these glimpses into these 4 lovable cousins.

[Stephanie Mccall]

I actually received The Blind Scribe as a gift for preordering Shield of the Mighty, but had a lot of trouble locating the file (for some reason, it never downloaded onto my Kindle properly). So, I ended up reading this prequel *after* the excellent novel, but as I said, The Blind Scribe was worth the wait.

First off, again, I loved being reunited with The King's Men cousins as little boys. More importantly, in this installment, I absolutely loved Shalem. Of the four, he is the one I identify with most, and that was cemented here. We are both scholars, and we both love languages and words and music. In The Blind Scribe, I got to see a little more of his character--his photographic memory, for instance, and the way he has been chastised to keep his constant questions and deep thoughts to himself. Throughout the story I kept thinking, "Yes, that was me." It still is, in a way. My heart knit to Shay's, broke for him, and cheered for him.

Beyond that, I loved the new characters in The Blind Scribe and the friendship Shay formed with them. Zaidur and Gaidar now feel like new friends to me, too. I especially appreciated Connilyn's examination of Zaidur's condition in a time period where it wouldn't have been known, let alone diagnosed, and how she nevertheless united it with a love of words and reading. Like Shay, my heart broke for Zaidur because I could picture myself in his position. But I never pitied Zaidur or saw him as a victim. Instead, he, Gaidar, and their mission intrigued me. I rooted for these characters to find what and Who they were looking for, and to find community and acceptance. Plus, yeah, I'm gonna say it. Connilyn gets brownie points for the inclusion of the big cat bodyguard! (I would have adopted her in a heartbeat--*after* having a nervous first meeting of, "Good kitty...niiiice kitty...")

Finally, I want to commend Connilyn's spiritual threads in this story. They come through much more overtly than in The Wedding Gift, but here, that's a plus. I won't go into everything for fear of spoilers, but let's just say Shay, who so longs to be the hero and treated as a young man, gets his desire in an understated, yet vital way. The Blind Scribe is an Old Testament story, but the Gospel echoes in it, especially throughout the last chapters. I wanted to come into the book and tell Shay, "Wait until you hear Who is coming. You may not be on earth for that, but you are doing a great job preparing the way for Him and He is so proud of you." Plus, I loved how, stern though they were, Shay's dad and grandfather so gently, expertly mixed the natural consequences of reckless behavior with acknowledgment of the great thing Shay provided the catalyst for.

Maybe because this is a Kindle book, I did notice some writing issues. There are a lot of comma splices throughout, especially in the early chapters. There's a place where Eliora inexplicably refers to her husband as Eben, not Ronen (or else she was actually talking about Shay's father Eben, but because the uses of male pronouns weren't clear, I got mixed up). Also, there's a place where Maranhu, who is female, is inexplicably called "he" or "him," then switches back to female. Ordinarily, I'd take a star for that, but that seems a bit picky.

Overall then, The Blind Scribe is a confident 4.8 to perfect 5. I'm growing to love and anticipate these short stories and hope Connilyn has at least one more for us (maybe they can be an omnibus sometime)? And I'll admit it: As much as I want to know what happened to Gavi, I am now *bursting* to know Shay's whole story. Whichever "king's man" Connilyn chooses though, I'll gladly wait with anticipation. In the meantime, open your reading and spiritual eyes to this beauty!

[Esther Filbrun]

It was so much fun to pick up this book and get to know the main characters of The King’s Men series before the series started! Shay is quite the intrepid character; I loved watching him learn and discover through this story. This wasn’t a stand-out story, and I wouldn’t say you miss out on much (as the series stands) without reading it, but if you’ve enjoyed the series and want something to help keep the characters alive for you while waiting for the next book to release, I’d recommend you check this out. It’s a short, fast, easy, sweet read. I found it a nice companion to unwind with several evenings in a row. I doubt I’ll ever read it again, but it was a fun read.

[Erin Laramore]

I absolutely loved this glimpse of the early years of the cousins/friends who grow up to be the lead characters in the King's Men novels. As with The Wedding Gift, this is told in 3rd person narrative from Shalem's point of view. As the youngest of the 4, he is often the one left out when the boys embark on more "grown up" adventures, and so it is fitting that he continues to find himself in the greater adventures. This story, though incredibly short, was chock full of ALL the things - good plot line, good character development, good convicting message on the importance of sharing the gospel, a beautiful adoption story embedded within, and a thorough whetting of the appetite for more of this series! I'm so excited to dive in to Shield of the Mighty! Special thanks to the author for the gift of this e-novella. I was not required to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

[Tina at Mommynificent]

I love how these novellas about Avi, Gavi, Zevi, and Shay as boys are fun to read on their own while adding so much to the understanding of the characters as I read their full-length novels of them all grown up! I think my sons will really enjoy these novellas now and then in a few years will enjoy reading the series about these young men! Also, as a linguist myself, I can't wait to see what Shay does with all the language and culture tidbits he keeps picking up in these novellas!

[Linda Palmer]

A wonderful story of young boys coming of age. Very nice to read. Perfect to read on a quiet afternoon.