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For Such a Time as This: Snow White Reimagined
Queen Vashti the Fair is not only the wife of King Xerxes, she is also—secretly—an enchantress. But thanks to Haman’s flirting she now has a new distinction: deposed. While Vashti loses perks like her holographic trousseau, Haman continues to enjoy his position as second in command, much to Vashti’s vexation.
Mordecai was once a soldier in the king’s private guard, but has since carved out a self-sufficient life for himself and niece Esther. Although citizens are required to have an identity chip for governmental transactions, he and Esther live off the grid and out of big-government’s greedy reach.
Or so he thought.
When Mordecai’s old nemesis, Haman, turns up demanding Esther’s participation in the king’s upcoming beauty pageant, Mordecai arranges to have her transported to the Vale of Seven Dragons for protection. But not before Esther’s charm makes her a target on Vashti’s radar, as Vashti seeks to undermine the outcome of Xerxes’ hunt for a new queen.
Esther is caught between loyalty to her uncle and fear for her future—whether in the care of dragons or in the palace of the king. Will she be brave enough to embrace her destiny, wherever that may be?
Mordecai was once a soldier in the king’s private guard, but has since carved out a self-sufficient life for himself and niece Esther. Although citizens are required to have an identity chip for governmental transactions, he and Esther live off the grid and out of big-government’s greedy reach.
Or so he thought.
When Mordecai’s old nemesis, Haman, turns up demanding Esther’s participation in the king’s upcoming beauty pageant, Mordecai arranges to have her transported to the Vale of Seven Dragons for protection. But not before Esther’s charm makes her a target on Vashti’s radar, as Vashti seeks to undermine the outcome of Xerxes’ hunt for a new queen.
Esther is caught between loyalty to her uncle and fear for her future—whether in the care of dragons or in the palace of the king. Will she be brave enough to embrace her destiny, wherever that may be?
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2018
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Heather L.L. FitzGerald
6 books54 followersHeather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. When her four kids were young, she enjoyed reading aloud until her voice gave out. (Her son, who is autistic, would just move on to his favorite book on CD).
Certain stories became good friends--the kind you want to revisit. The kind you wish never needed to say goodbye. Those are the sort of stories Heather aspires to write. Stories worthy of delicious coffee and tea, that are difficult to leave.
Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writer's group and helps to lead the Manet Writer's group in Fort Worth, Texas.
Certain stories became good friends--the kind you want to revisit. The kind you wish never needed to say goodbye. Those are the sort of stories Heather aspires to write. Stories worthy of delicious coffee and tea, that are difficult to leave.
Heather is a member of the North Texas Christian Writer's group and helps to lead the Manet Writer's group in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 30, 2020
It's rather hard to see how the Biblical story of Esther becoming the new queen to King Xerxes after he discards Queen Vashti for disobedience can be tied in with Snow White, unless you consider the Young Queen vs Older Queen struggle for the "fairest" title. This novella did a fine job of attempting precisely this, and deserves bonus points for creativity.
However, Esther here is rather a flat Mary Sue that's too easy to see killed the first time round if not because all the other characters are smarter and protect her, not to mention a convenient prophecy has her hide covered. King Xerxes isn't much better characterised, and his sudden change of heart by the end isn't believable in the least. And Vashti is a bipolar mix of scheming witch and poor victim of male whims, to the point that you could sympathise with her way more than with Esther, who might be fairer but is bland as yesterday's porridge.
Honestly, you have to look for the elements to see this as a Snow White retelling rather than a Sci-Fi retelling of the Book of Esther in the Bible as a space opera, it's the latter with a sprinkling of the former (and it doesn't always read like it belongs there). I think that, if not for the setting and the competitive animosity between Mordecai and Haman, the plotline would've suffered more. It's these two men who drive the plot, in my opinion, and are the most interesting and well crafted characters.
However, Esther here is rather a flat Mary Sue that's too easy to see killed the first time round if not because all the other characters are smarter and protect her, not to mention a convenient prophecy has her hide covered. King Xerxes isn't much better characterised, and his sudden change of heart by the end isn't believable in the least. And Vashti is a bipolar mix of scheming witch and poor victim of male whims, to the point that you could sympathise with her way more than with Esther, who might be fairer but is bland as yesterday's porridge.
Honestly, you have to look for the elements to see this as a Snow White retelling rather than a Sci-Fi retelling of the Book of Esther in the Bible as a space opera, it's the latter with a sprinkling of the former (and it doesn't always read like it belongs there). I think that, if not for the setting and the competitive animosity between Mordecai and Haman, the plotline would've suffered more. It's these two men who drive the plot, in my opinion, and are the most interesting and well crafted characters.
March 8, 2020
I got "For Such a Time as This" for free by signing up for Heather L.L. FitzGerald's newsletter. This story was an interesting combination between the story of Esther from the Bible and Snow White, and while I liked some things about it, there were things I didn't like, including but not limited to being a little disappointed by the ending, which is what led me to giving it 3 stars.
First of all, I enjoyed the combination of fantasy and sci fi in this story. It's not something I see a lot and I thought it was fun to have elements from both genres blended together seamlessly. Like, even though there were flying ships and tracking chips, I didn't question it when there was also magic and dragons because it felt natural to the world she'd created.
I also thought that the stories of Esther and Snow White combined well enough. There were parts where the story was closer to Esther and parts where it was closer to Snow White and that left enough wiggle room that I didn't know exactly how things would play out next. My one complaint about this combination of stories is that I almost would have preferred the characters names be changed from the ones in Esther. The fact that they weren't had me picturing things in a ancient biblical setting at the very beginning until futuristic technologies started being mentioned. It also made me feel like the author didn't trust the readers to pick up on the story similarities. I actually think I would have picked up on the similarities on my own and would have found it a lot more interesting to be allowed to notice them myself instead of being told outright that this is the story of Esther mashed with Snow White.
As for the characters themselves, I adored the replacement of the seven dwarves with the seven dragons. That was my favorite twist of all. I also liked Mordecai a lot. He felt well developed and it was clear how much he loved and wanted to protect Esther.
I wanted to like Esther and did like her for part of the story, but when the ending came around I felt like she didn't actually do all that much? She was pulled around by her circumstances so much during the story. The few times she made a decision that circumstances didn't force, they mostly were things with bad consequences, like registering and having the chip implanted that let her be tracked even when Mordecai made her flee to the forest, and biting the poisoned apple. Even the one choice she made that turned out well, I'm not sure I'm happy with because... I'm struggling with how to express this because I do appreciate what the author was trying to do with her "willing sacrifice" at the end... but I feel like it could have been done better.
Esther in the Bible wasn't literally grabbed by the throat, told "you're going to die either way, so you can make a choice to either go willingly or unwillingly. She could have stayed silent, though it would mean watching her own people be slaughtered in the streets. She could have focused on self preservation, pretended she wasn't a Jew, could have chosen not to walk into the throne room and not risked the king's wrath. But instead, she intentionally walked into the throne room, and put her own life in jeopardy to have the chance to speak and save her people.
Esther in this story... didn't do that? I can see where the author was trying to make the sacrifice Esther in this story made similar to the one in the Bible, but in my eyes, it was different. This Esther literally had a knife to her throat when she told the people trying to help her that she'd decided she was willing to die in the place of the other girls. And yeah, it's noble of her that she was willing to do that, but it felt very much "darned if you do, darned if you don't" because it was pretty clear that Vashti wanted to kill her at some point anyway, it was just a matter of Esther deciding in her own mind if it was a willing death or an unwilling one.
And later it was called into question by either Mordecai or Xerxes (I don't remember which) if Vashti even had the power she claimed to have to telepathically communicate with someone in another location to tell him to kill the other girls, and I felt like questioning that was a mistake story-wise because then it makes it seem like Esther's self sacrificial choice may not have even been necessary, which, to me, took so much impact out of it. In the Bible, if Esther had not put herself in the "line of fire" so to speak, people WOULD have died. There was no question of if anyone had the ability to go through with it.
It would have meant so much more to me if the Esther in this story had not been at knife point when she made the choice to sacrifice herself for the other girls. Maybe Vashti could have been cornered and been threatening to tell her henchman to kill the other girls, and Esther, not being in danger yet said, "Wait, take me instead." That would have been more similar in my mind to what Esther in the Bible did, and it would have been more emotionally impacting, too.
As for other characters, I didn't feel like most of the other characters had much depth to them. Vashti was little more than your typical Snow White evil queen with a beauty obsession. Even though I could have sympathized with her for being cast off by Xerxes, she ended up being so crazy and evil I kind of understood why Xerxes cast her off and didn't feel sorry for her because of it.
Xerxes was supposed to be the equivalent of the handsome prince, but he had less of a role than the original prince did. I didn't feel by the end that I knew who he really was, either. Vashti made it seem like he was really shallow, and the type who loves beautiful women and then gets rid of them when he's done, but then Xerxes claimed he had changed. The thing is, I didn't know which one of them to believe because I didn't know enough about him to know. I most certainly didn't know enough about him to be happy about his marriage offer to Esther, to whom he'd barely spoken two words. I also thought it was interesting that even though Esther was stated at the beginning of the story to know a local boy she liked and thought she might be okay with marrying, he was forgotten after all the drama. Literally, she didn't think a single thing about him when the king proposed. Guess she didn't like the boy that much after all? *shrug*
I guess I feel like this story could have used more finessing before being published (beyond just checking for spelling and grammar, which apparently happened because I don't remember any typos, and only one instance of a homophone being used in place of the proper word). There was a lot of potential for it to be done well, and the world building was solid, so I'm sad that I wasn't able to like it more than I did. I will say, though, that although I had problems with this story, I will give this author another chance. I still think her Teathered World series looks interesting and will check it out when I'm able.
Content Advisory
No language.
Spiritual Content: God is referenced occasionally and credited for giving Esther her purpose in life. One man is called a prophet and says God told him where to find baby Esther after her parents were killed.
Sexual Content: In almost all of Vashti's scenes, she's thinking about her plot, part of which involves getting Xerxes to take her back so she can provide him an heir and secure her place as queen. Nothing explicit is ever detailed, but she does take into consideration the fact that a spell to make her beautiful is also supposed to make her more fertile.
Vashti and Haman kiss a couple times (not described) and it's easy to deduce from their interactions that they're in a sexual relationship.
The most beautiful girls in the kingdom are kidnapped and held in a secret location. Haman leaves the area at one point but then goes back because he feels his men might take advantage of the girls if he leaves them alone too long. (Though, one wonders why he cares since it's clear he's the type of man who would like to take advantage of them himself.)
Vashti says Haman makes a habit of taking the women the king casts off into his own bed.
Magic: Vashti has a book that tells her how to create spells by combining various ingredients to do certain things. Her beauty spell apparently requires the hearts and spleens of beautiful young women as one of the ingredients. She performs one spell that turns her into an old hag. She also claims to have the ability to telepathically communicate with people, though this ability is called into question and never shown in action.
The seven dragons may be considered magical creatures and it does seem they have the ability to blind people with flashes of light.
Violence: We're told Esther's parents were killed in a building collapse.
Vashti makes it clear that she intends to have the young women she kidnapped murdered and use their hearts and spleens for her beauty potion, but this never happens. She throws around some other violent threats that never happen. She gives Esther a poisoned apple, which Esther eats, but it doesn't kill the girl.
Mordecai hits some palace guards over the head.
Someone has a knife held to their throat and is accidentally cut by it. They feel something warm and wet soak into their tunic and drip on their shoes, but ultimately survive the incident.
Mention of blood on a dagger and on someone's hand.
A dragon sets a bad person on fire. The person being burned up is slightly described, but not in a way that is icky.
First of all, I enjoyed the combination of fantasy and sci fi in this story. It's not something I see a lot and I thought it was fun to have elements from both genres blended together seamlessly. Like, even though there were flying ships and tracking chips, I didn't question it when there was also magic and dragons because it felt natural to the world she'd created.
I also thought that the stories of Esther and Snow White combined well enough. There were parts where the story was closer to Esther and parts where it was closer to Snow White and that left enough wiggle room that I didn't know exactly how things would play out next. My one complaint about this combination of stories is that I almost would have preferred the characters names be changed from the ones in Esther. The fact that they weren't had me picturing things in a ancient biblical setting at the very beginning until futuristic technologies started being mentioned. It also made me feel like the author didn't trust the readers to pick up on the story similarities. I actually think I would have picked up on the similarities on my own and would have found it a lot more interesting to be allowed to notice them myself instead of being told outright that this is the story of Esther mashed with Snow White.
As for the characters themselves, I adored the replacement of the seven dwarves with the seven dragons. That was my favorite twist of all. I also liked Mordecai a lot. He felt well developed and it was clear how much he loved and wanted to protect Esther.
I wanted to like Esther and did like her for part of the story, but when the ending came around I felt like she didn't actually do all that much? She was pulled around by her circumstances so much during the story. The few times she made a decision that circumstances didn't force, they mostly were things with bad consequences, like registering and having the chip implanted that let her be tracked even when Mordecai made her flee to the forest, and biting the poisoned apple. Even the one choice she made that turned out well, I'm not sure I'm happy with because... I'm struggling with how to express this because I do appreciate what the author was trying to do with her "willing sacrifice" at the end... but I feel like it could have been done better.
Esther in the Bible wasn't literally grabbed by the throat, told "you're going to die either way, so you can make a choice to either go willingly or unwillingly. She could have stayed silent, though it would mean watching her own people be slaughtered in the streets. She could have focused on self preservation, pretended she wasn't a Jew, could have chosen not to walk into the throne room and not risked the king's wrath. But instead, she intentionally walked into the throne room, and put her own life in jeopardy to have the chance to speak and save her people.
Esther in this story... didn't do that? I can see where the author was trying to make the sacrifice Esther in this story made similar to the one in the Bible, but in my eyes, it was different. This Esther literally had a knife to her throat when she told the people trying to help her that she'd decided she was willing to die in the place of the other girls. And yeah, it's noble of her that she was willing to do that, but it felt very much "darned if you do, darned if you don't" because it was pretty clear that Vashti wanted to kill her at some point anyway, it was just a matter of Esther deciding in her own mind if it was a willing death or an unwilling one.
And later it was called into question by either Mordecai or Xerxes (I don't remember which) if Vashti even had the power she claimed to have to telepathically communicate with someone in another location to tell him to kill the other girls, and I felt like questioning that was a mistake story-wise because then it makes it seem like Esther's self sacrificial choice may not have even been necessary, which, to me, took so much impact out of it. In the Bible, if Esther had not put herself in the "line of fire" so to speak, people WOULD have died. There was no question of if anyone had the ability to go through with it.
It would have meant so much more to me if the Esther in this story had not been at knife point when she made the choice to sacrifice herself for the other girls. Maybe Vashti could have been cornered and been threatening to tell her henchman to kill the other girls, and Esther, not being in danger yet said, "Wait, take me instead." That would have been more similar in my mind to what Esther in the Bible did, and it would have been more emotionally impacting, too.
As for other characters, I didn't feel like most of the other characters had much depth to them. Vashti was little more than your typical Snow White evil queen with a beauty obsession. Even though I could have sympathized with her for being cast off by Xerxes, she ended up being so crazy and evil I kind of understood why Xerxes cast her off and didn't feel sorry for her because of it.
Xerxes was supposed to be the equivalent of the handsome prince, but he had less of a role than the original prince did. I didn't feel by the end that I knew who he really was, either. Vashti made it seem like he was really shallow, and the type who loves beautiful women and then gets rid of them when he's done, but then Xerxes claimed he had changed. The thing is, I didn't know which one of them to believe because I didn't know enough about him to know. I most certainly didn't know enough about him to be happy about his marriage offer to Esther, to whom he'd barely spoken two words. I also thought it was interesting that even though Esther was stated at the beginning of the story to know a local boy she liked and thought she might be okay with marrying, he was forgotten after all the drama. Literally, she didn't think a single thing about him when the king proposed. Guess she didn't like the boy that much after all? *shrug*
I guess I feel like this story could have used more finessing before being published (beyond just checking for spelling and grammar, which apparently happened because I don't remember any typos, and only one instance of a homophone being used in place of the proper word). There was a lot of potential for it to be done well, and the world building was solid, so I'm sad that I wasn't able to like it more than I did. I will say, though, that although I had problems with this story, I will give this author another chance. I still think her Teathered World series looks interesting and will check it out when I'm able.
Content Advisory
No language.
Spiritual Content: God is referenced occasionally and credited for giving Esther her purpose in life. One man is called a prophet and says God told him where to find baby Esther after her parents were killed.
Sexual Content: In almost all of Vashti's scenes, she's thinking about her plot, part of which involves getting Xerxes to take her back so she can provide him an heir and secure her place as queen. Nothing explicit is ever detailed, but she does take into consideration the fact that a spell to make her beautiful is also supposed to make her more fertile.
Vashti and Haman kiss a couple times (not described) and it's easy to deduce from their interactions that they're in a sexual relationship.
The most beautiful girls in the kingdom are kidnapped and held in a secret location. Haman leaves the area at one point but then goes back because he feels his men might take advantage of the girls if he leaves them alone too long. (Though, one wonders why he cares since it's clear he's the type of man who would like to take advantage of them himself.)
Vashti says Haman makes a habit of taking the women the king casts off into his own bed.
Magic: Vashti has a book that tells her how to create spells by combining various ingredients to do certain things. Her beauty spell apparently requires the hearts and spleens of beautiful young women as one of the ingredients. She performs one spell that turns her into an old hag. She also claims to have the ability to telepathically communicate with people, though this ability is called into question and never shown in action.
The seven dragons may be considered magical creatures and it does seem they have the ability to blind people with flashes of light.
Violence: We're told Esther's parents were killed in a building collapse.
Vashti makes it clear that she intends to have the young women she kidnapped murdered and use their hearts and spleens for her beauty potion, but this never happens. She throws around some other violent threats that never happen. She gives Esther a poisoned apple, which Esther eats, but it doesn't kill the girl.
Mordecai hits some palace guards over the head.
Someone has a knife held to their throat and is accidentally cut by it. They feel something warm and wet soak into their tunic and drip on their shoes, but ultimately survive the incident.
Mention of blood on a dagger and on someone's hand.
A dragon sets a bad person on fire. The person being burned up is slightly described, but not in a way that is icky.
December 9, 2018
Weird and wonderful, I quite enjoyed this mashup of the story of Esther and Snow White set in a futuristic fantasy world. After reading The Tethered World Chronicles I've come to expect just about anything from author Heather L.L. FitzGerald, and this book was a perfect example. Whoever would thought of finding hovercraft and dragons in the same story??? But it's all here,and much more, in For Such A Time As This. While it's probably more of a YA book it can be enjoyed by adults just as well. If you are looking for a fun and fantastical escape for a little while you should check out this exciting novella!
October 23, 2018
Goodness gracious, I will forever read anything this woman puts out there. She has such a readable, authentic writing style that draws you into each character and keeps you wholly invested in the story. Even villains make sense on the page.
This novella is basically a unique mashup of Snow White/Biblical Esther that combines futuristic dystopia with the archaic. The overall feeling is fairy tale with some modern sips in there.
I really loved the world building of the Vale and Parthia - but no big surprise there since I’m a huge fan of her Tethered World series. World-building is FitzGerald’s strong suit and it shines in a short period of time here.
One of the coolest things I can say about this is that FitzGerald manages to surprise even though it draws from two well-known stories and it’s not like the endings change.
But somehow it felt really fresh! It was awesome to be reading along and thinking to myself, “now how is she going to make this (plot point) happen because that’s different?” And THAT’S what makes reading her work so much fun!
I only wish this story was a true book-length novel so I could have read it longer!
Absolutely loved it.
This novella is basically a unique mashup of Snow White/Biblical Esther that combines futuristic dystopia with the archaic. The overall feeling is fairy tale with some modern sips in there.
I really loved the world building of the Vale and Parthia - but no big surprise there since I’m a huge fan of her Tethered World series. World-building is FitzGerald’s strong suit and it shines in a short period of time here.
One of the coolest things I can say about this is that FitzGerald manages to surprise even though it draws from two well-known stories and it’s not like the endings change.
But somehow it felt really fresh! It was awesome to be reading along and thinking to myself, “now how is she going to make this (plot point) happen because that’s different?” And THAT’S what makes reading her work so much fun!
I only wish this story was a true book-length novel so I could have read it longer!
Absolutely loved it.
January 23, 2019
When I first heard the premise of this book, I wasn’t sure I would like it. Queen Esther meets Snow White? Bible story meets fairy tale? Isn’t that a little “out there”?
Now, however, on the other side of reading For Such a Time as This, I can tell you that Queen Esther’s Bible story and Snow White’s fairy tale are a match made in writer’s heaven. I didn’t realize until reading this book how well the two stories actually go together. With some poetic license—and a writer’s knack for teasing stories out of hiding—FitzGerald expands the familiar narrative of Queen Esther into a unique, intriguing, and beautiful fantasy.
Honestly, I think this book could be developed into a full-length novel. For a relatively short story, FitzGerald packed in a lot: intrigue on every page, solid development of each character, and the perfect amount of worldbuilding details.
This story genuinely intrigued me. From the beginning I was hooked by Vashti’s deposal, her scheme to return to the throne, and her secret link to magic. I thought her scheme/affair with Haman was a fabulous twist to the familiar Esther story. And her plot to bewitch her rivals in the beauty pageant (and then eventually ditch Haman—and of course potentially destroy the nation’s future) just solidifies her identity as the perfect Evil Queen. Disney couldn’t have done better.
The thorough character development both surprised and impressed me. I liked Esther—she has noble goals, even if she doesn’t always make the best choice, and her journey through doubt and discouragement to recognize God’s plan will encourage all readers. I despised Haman—while he’s married in the biblical account, in this story he’s a bachelor, which makes him the perfect creep for everybody. Points for a great bad guy. I loved Mordecai—I think FitzGerald should write another book about his backstory. I loved that he and Haman were once soldiers together and that Mordecai once served as a royal bodyguard. Both these aspects of his past not only round out his character but also contribute significantly to the story. So cool. And I appreciated Xerxes—at first I thought he was the typical greedy king who wants money more than anything else, but FitzGerald surprised me by giving him a heart along with the rest of her characters: by the end he genuinely wants to change and be a better king, for the good of his country. Touching and encouraging.
The worldbuilding also impressed me. At first it took me a little off guard to read about trams and automatic doors in one scene and wood chopping and horse riding in the next, but eventually I got used to what feels like a mash-up of dystopian, medieval, and science fiction. (Who ever said dragons and hovercrafts couldn’t go in the same story?) I especially liked the dating system—very creative and realistic. And how apples ended up being significant in more than one way throughout the story too. Well done.
The writing itself was good. FitzGerald brings each scene to life with vivid word pictures, and over and over again she impressed me with the depth of the stories within the story.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And no surprise—FitzGerald specializes in taking the “out there” and bringing it home to our lives and even our faith. If you’re an older teenager or an adult, I recommend this book as an intriguing, uplifting read no matter your background.
Now, however, on the other side of reading For Such a Time as This, I can tell you that Queen Esther’s Bible story and Snow White’s fairy tale are a match made in writer’s heaven. I didn’t realize until reading this book how well the two stories actually go together. With some poetic license—and a writer’s knack for teasing stories out of hiding—FitzGerald expands the familiar narrative of Queen Esther into a unique, intriguing, and beautiful fantasy.
Honestly, I think this book could be developed into a full-length novel. For a relatively short story, FitzGerald packed in a lot: intrigue on every page, solid development of each character, and the perfect amount of worldbuilding details.
This story genuinely intrigued me. From the beginning I was hooked by Vashti’s deposal, her scheme to return to the throne, and her secret link to magic. I thought her scheme/affair with Haman was a fabulous twist to the familiar Esther story. And her plot to bewitch her rivals in the beauty pageant (and then eventually ditch Haman—and of course potentially destroy the nation’s future) just solidifies her identity as the perfect Evil Queen. Disney couldn’t have done better.
The thorough character development both surprised and impressed me. I liked Esther—she has noble goals, even if she doesn’t always make the best choice, and her journey through doubt and discouragement to recognize God’s plan will encourage all readers. I despised Haman—while he’s married in the biblical account, in this story he’s a bachelor, which makes him the perfect creep for everybody. Points for a great bad guy. I loved Mordecai—I think FitzGerald should write another book about his backstory. I loved that he and Haman were once soldiers together and that Mordecai once served as a royal bodyguard. Both these aspects of his past not only round out his character but also contribute significantly to the story. So cool. And I appreciated Xerxes—at first I thought he was the typical greedy king who wants money more than anything else, but FitzGerald surprised me by giving him a heart along with the rest of her characters: by the end he genuinely wants to change and be a better king, for the good of his country. Touching and encouraging.
The worldbuilding also impressed me. At first it took me a little off guard to read about trams and automatic doors in one scene and wood chopping and horse riding in the next, but eventually I got used to what feels like a mash-up of dystopian, medieval, and science fiction. (Who ever said dragons and hovercrafts couldn’t go in the same story?) I especially liked the dating system—very creative and realistic. And how apples ended up being significant in more than one way throughout the story too. Well done.
The writing itself was good. FitzGerald brings each scene to life with vivid word pictures, and over and over again she impressed me with the depth of the stories within the story.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And no surprise—FitzGerald specializes in taking the “out there” and bringing it home to our lives and even our faith. If you’re an older teenager or an adult, I recommend this book as an intriguing, uplifting read no matter your background.
October 28, 2018
After having written my own fairtale/ biblical combo I was super excited to discover another story out there similar to mine in this aspect.
I love how this story is obviously both Snow White and Esther. I was extremely curious to see how the author would combine these two tales. I LOVE how she did it. And I loved how it felt like a Bible story, yet had that unique dystopic side.
Some examples of this blend of all the story is can be expressed in these quotes:
"Oh, the king was a fool! Everyone in the palace knew that his title "the Valiant" was a poor fiction. Like a decorative chamberpot, it attempted to disguise the ugly truth about the king's character."
"Vashti studied her reflection in the glassy computer monitor."
I found the story a very interesting fairy tale retelling and enjoyed my somewhat rushed reading of the story;) And I loved all the author's imaginations of the Biblical characters. I really loved what the author did with Vashti and Haman. They were my favorites to read about. Caleb was great fun, too.
The story had a lot of telling, but I actually liked how it was done, though I'm sure many readers will find that annoying or a sign of poor writing. I find it . . . nice. And I loved many of the word combinations the author used.
What I didn't like (spoilers):
I felt like Benjamin was an unnecessary character for the story. He was mentioned, but we really never met him. It was like he was meant to be more of the plot, but then the author had Esther work through some thoughts about him and he no longer mattered. Even though he'd never even mattered to me as a reader as I never saw him.
I both liked the dragons and didn't like them. They were important for the plot. And I liked that they represent dwarves — nice twist. But they seemed very distant and sudden at first.
I also thought that the king's character was sudden. At first we were told only bad things about him. Suddenly Mordecai liked him. And the king changed for no real reason. His repentance just felt forced for the plot.
At times Esther cried too much.
While I found it interesting, all the backstory about women's roles in the world and their inability to pursue anything outside of homemaking felt forced. Also, I thought Esther's thought about mothering being a great think a forced thought. I didn't necessary disagree with any of the sentiments expressed in these passages. But I didn't quite like them either, in how they were expressed.
Now, this is silly. But I found the dog a bit out of place. I didn't really like him. But maybe that's because I was thinking that in Biblical times most Jews considered dogs to be like pigs — unclean and unholy.
Overall, I loved this story. It was very clean. It stayed true to the Bible story and the fairy tale very well, adding a bunch of fun imagination. I would recommend this story to friends for a fun retelling.
I love how this story is obviously both Snow White and Esther. I was extremely curious to see how the author would combine these two tales. I LOVE how she did it. And I loved how it felt like a Bible story, yet had that unique dystopic side.
Some examples of this blend of all the story is can be expressed in these quotes:
"Oh, the king was a fool! Everyone in the palace knew that his title "the Valiant" was a poor fiction. Like a decorative chamberpot, it attempted to disguise the ugly truth about the king's character."
"Vashti studied her reflection in the glassy computer monitor."
I found the story a very interesting fairy tale retelling and enjoyed my somewhat rushed reading of the story;) And I loved all the author's imaginations of the Biblical characters. I really loved what the author did with Vashti and Haman. They were my favorites to read about. Caleb was great fun, too.
The story had a lot of telling, but I actually liked how it was done, though I'm sure many readers will find that annoying or a sign of poor writing. I find it . . . nice. And I loved many of the word combinations the author used.
What I didn't like (spoilers):
I felt like Benjamin was an unnecessary character for the story. He was mentioned, but we really never met him. It was like he was meant to be more of the plot, but then the author had Esther work through some thoughts about him and he no longer mattered. Even though he'd never even mattered to me as a reader as I never saw him.
I both liked the dragons and didn't like them. They were important for the plot. And I liked that they represent dwarves — nice twist. But they seemed very distant and sudden at first.
I also thought that the king's character was sudden. At first we were told only bad things about him. Suddenly Mordecai liked him. And the king changed for no real reason. His repentance just felt forced for the plot.
At times Esther cried too much.
While I found it interesting, all the backstory about women's roles in the world and their inability to pursue anything outside of homemaking felt forced. Also, I thought Esther's thought about mothering being a great think a forced thought. I didn't necessary disagree with any of the sentiments expressed in these passages. But I didn't quite like them either, in how they were expressed.
Now, this is silly. But I found the dog a bit out of place. I didn't really like him. But maybe that's because I was thinking that in Biblical times most Jews considered dogs to be like pigs — unclean and unholy.
Overall, I loved this story. It was very clean. It stayed true to the Bible story and the fairy tale very well, adding a bunch of fun imagination. I would recommend this story to friends for a fun retelling.
December 10, 2018
In For Such a Time as This, award-winning author Heather FitzGerald has created a hilariously offbeat retelling of Snow White by combining genres galore. Seriously, all we need are some spaceships and then this story would have everything.
When the snowy-skinned Esther (yep, the biblical niece of Mordecai) is forced to register (which, in a dystopian future, involves being implanted with a GPS microchip and having digital records made of you), she is called up in Xerxes’ beauty draft. His scheming sorceress-queen, Vashti, has finally gone too far and been removed from her position, and he’s in the market for a new queen—one who will respect him for the man he wants to be. Afraid for her safety, Esther flees to the Hinterlands, where she encounters evil plants before taking refuge with seven dragons. All she wants is to stay there peacefully until her uncle can join her. She has no interest in becoming one of the king’s numerous concubines.
But Vashti can’t imagine that any woman would turn down the opportunity to use her beauty to gain power. She won’t rest until every one of her rivals for the title of “fairest” is gone.
I’ve got to say it: Vashti is the best villain. She’s such a schemer, and the ambitious Haman makes the perfect villainous counterpart. They’re just so entertaining to read about. I love it when they end up working at cross purposes. (Only this time instead of banquets and decrees we have dragons!)
Mordecai also made me smile. With his commitment to living off the grid and growing his own food, he reminded me a lot of my own family. I loved his confrontation with Xerxes after he snuck into the king’s palace.
I love the diverse elements in this story, but I think they’re also its biggest weakness. I had a hard time understanding the setting as a coherent whole. If it’s basically our world after a disaster—which, from occasional historical or literary references, it seems to be—where did the dragons come from? If it’s a world that has always had magic and dragons, would the technological elements really have developed the same way as they have in the real world? Would you really put years of effort into inventing computers with artificial intelligence in order to watch people if you could just scry them? I eventually decided that Time occurred in an alternate fantasy world with similar tech to our own, but it took me a long time to figure this out, since new elements kept appearing as the story went on.
I had a lot of fun reading this story. It’s creative and unexpected and never boring.
When the snowy-skinned Esther (yep, the biblical niece of Mordecai) is forced to register (which, in a dystopian future, involves being implanted with a GPS microchip and having digital records made of you), she is called up in Xerxes’ beauty draft. His scheming sorceress-queen, Vashti, has finally gone too far and been removed from her position, and he’s in the market for a new queen—one who will respect him for the man he wants to be. Afraid for her safety, Esther flees to the Hinterlands, where she encounters evil plants before taking refuge with seven dragons. All she wants is to stay there peacefully until her uncle can join her. She has no interest in becoming one of the king’s numerous concubines.
But Vashti can’t imagine that any woman would turn down the opportunity to use her beauty to gain power. She won’t rest until every one of her rivals for the title of “fairest” is gone.
I’ve got to say it: Vashti is the best villain. She’s such a schemer, and the ambitious Haman makes the perfect villainous counterpart. They’re just so entertaining to read about. I love it when they end up working at cross purposes. (Only this time instead of banquets and decrees we have dragons!)
Mordecai also made me smile. With his commitment to living off the grid and growing his own food, he reminded me a lot of my own family. I loved his confrontation with Xerxes after he snuck into the king’s palace.
I love the diverse elements in this story, but I think they’re also its biggest weakness. I had a hard time understanding the setting as a coherent whole. If it’s basically our world after a disaster—which, from occasional historical or literary references, it seems to be—where did the dragons come from? If it’s a world that has always had magic and dragons, would the technological elements really have developed the same way as they have in the real world? Would you really put years of effort into inventing computers with artificial intelligence in order to watch people if you could just scry them? I eventually decided that Time occurred in an alternate fantasy world with similar tech to our own, but it took me a long time to figure this out, since new elements kept appearing as the story went on.
I had a lot of fun reading this story. It’s creative and unexpected and never boring.
June 30, 2024
I should have learned when I read the Tethered World Chronicles, that the author throws apologetics out the window when she starts to let her imagination interpret Scripture. I'm not sure how she managed to "ruin" the Book of Esther, but she succeeded very well. As the Nephilim are not "the good guys" but are actually the fallen angels who sided with Satan, dragons are only used as a description of Satan in the Bible, not as noble beasts.
If you are a student of the Bible you know that Queen Vashti was the daughter of Belshazzar of Babylon, who lost that great kingdom to the Persians because he blasphemed the One True God. Vashti herself was not removed as King Xerxes' queen because of her hatred of the Jews or pretty younger girls, but because she refused to dance naked before hundreds of drunk leaders of Persia.
Now Haman, who seems to be Vashti's lackey in this retelling of history, he was actually a descendant of King Agag, the King of the Amalekites. They, as a whole hated the Jews. Of course, this has no bearing on the author's story.
I highly suggest that you read the actual book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible if you want to read an adventure story about a beautiful woman who goes out of her comfort zone to save an entire nation of millions of people, not a few pretty girls. It is actually the only book in the Bible that God is not mentioned once by name.
So, back to a review of this book. The technology with the primitive surroundings was disconcerting. It didn't flow as well as other books I have read that have used the two side by side. The "dwarves" aren't fleshed out AT ALL. I couldn't remember most of their names, not to mention other than one being fat, they were interchangeable to a visual reader like me.
Again, the romance was bland. Wimpy man wins the girl from one shared glance. Please.
If you are a student of the Bible you know that Queen Vashti was the daughter of Belshazzar of Babylon, who lost that great kingdom to the Persians because he blasphemed the One True God. Vashti herself was not removed as King Xerxes' queen because of her hatred of the Jews or pretty younger girls, but because she refused to dance naked before hundreds of drunk leaders of Persia.
Now Haman, who seems to be Vashti's lackey in this retelling of history, he was actually a descendant of King Agag, the King of the Amalekites. They, as a whole hated the Jews. Of course, this has no bearing on the author's story.
I highly suggest that you read the actual book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible if you want to read an adventure story about a beautiful woman who goes out of her comfort zone to save an entire nation of millions of people, not a few pretty girls. It is actually the only book in the Bible that God is not mentioned once by name.
So, back to a review of this book. The technology with the primitive surroundings was disconcerting. It didn't flow as well as other books I have read that have used the two side by side. The "dwarves" aren't fleshed out AT ALL. I couldn't remember most of their names, not to mention other than one being fat, they were interchangeable to a visual reader like me.
Again, the romance was bland. Wimpy man wins the girl from one shared glance. Please.
November 17, 2019
So that was interesting. (I don't mean that in a bad way. I just mean it in a "I'm not sure how to review this" way.) I liked it; it took a very unique idea and, for the most part, delivered, and I liked the setting — the blend of past and future into one was handled pretty well. Honestly, this probably would've been a higher-starred read if not for a few things. Mainly it's the amount of telling vs. showing (there's more of the former than there really should be), but also some of the character and plot stuff seemed . . . I don't know. Rushed, I guess. And the king's character never seemed quite stable.
A few additional thoughts:
-All these characters are either so much more noble or so much more villainous than their Biblical counterparts. It's hilarious. (Spoiler alert: the historical Esther and Mordecai were brave, yes, but there's a pretty good argument that they weren't as noble or as devoted to God as a lot of people assume they were.) The one exception is this story's Haman, who is so much less villainous than the original. Which is also hilarious.
-Speaking of which, given that this story is set on a future Earth, I'm very curious how no one at all realized "Wait, why is our situation basically identical to that one book of the Bible?" We know Christianity survived to some degree; are all the copies of the OT or at least the book of Esther lost? Or is this an alternate world in which the Biblical Esther never actually existed?
-The dragons are astonishingly alien and I approve so much.
-This version of Mordecai is kind of great, to be honest. Definitely the best character in the book.
-I'm a little confused by the ending; not going to lie.
Overall, it's a good story. Not the greatest I've ever read, but still good. I'd probably reread it.
A few additional thoughts:
-All these characters are either so much more noble or so much more villainous than their Biblical counterparts. It's hilarious. (Spoiler alert: the historical Esther and Mordecai were brave, yes, but there's a pretty good argument that they weren't as noble or as devoted to God as a lot of people assume they were.) The one exception is this story's Haman, who is so much less villainous than the original. Which is also hilarious.
-Speaking of which, given that this story is set on a future Earth, I'm very curious how no one at all realized "Wait, why is our situation basically identical to that one book of the Bible?" We know Christianity survived to some degree; are all the copies of the OT or at least the book of Esther lost? Or is this an alternate world in which the Biblical Esther never actually existed?
-The dragons are astonishingly alien and I approve so much.
-This version of Mordecai is kind of great, to be honest. Definitely the best character in the book.
-I'm a little confused by the ending; not going to lie.
Overall, it's a good story. Not the greatest I've ever read, but still good. I'd probably reread it.
October 27, 2018
What do hovercars, biochips, wizard wars, dragons, the story of Snow White and the story of Esther have in common? They’re all components of Heather L.L. Fitzgerald’s unique scifi/fantasy fairytale/Bible story mashup For Such a Time as This!
Throw everything you know about the original stories out the window. Heather borrows lightly from the original sources while giving this hybrid novella a spin all it’s own. Despite the similar names and inciting events, in many ways this book is more loosely inspired than a retelling, though it never loses the connection either.
I have a bit of an obsession for tales that are distinctively different so I’m ashamed to admit my focus was distracted part of this story, wondering how it was going to get back on track. But I should have known the author had it well in hand. She even managed to make the king sympathetic and likeable when I was all set to loathe him. How did she do that!? lol ;-)
My biggest regret is that For Such a Time as This is only a novella. The post-cataclysmic world in the book and the events referred to throughout are so interesting I would have enjoyed getting to know it better.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Throw everything you know about the original stories out the window. Heather borrows lightly from the original sources while giving this hybrid novella a spin all it’s own. Despite the similar names and inciting events, in many ways this book is more loosely inspired than a retelling, though it never loses the connection either.
I have a bit of an obsession for tales that are distinctively different so I’m ashamed to admit my focus was distracted part of this story, wondering how it was going to get back on track. But I should have known the author had it well in hand. She even managed to make the king sympathetic and likeable when I was all set to loathe him. How did she do that!? lol ;-)
My biggest regret is that For Such a Time as This is only a novella. The post-cataclysmic world in the book and the events referred to throughout are so interesting I would have enjoyed getting to know it better.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
December 16, 2018
I don’t think I have ever read a story quite like this before: the retelling of a fairy tale using Bible characters. I vaguely recall Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, although I don’t recall if I ever actually read the story. The Biblical account of Queen Esther is very familiar to me. However, this story also combines futuristic technology and dragons. Quite an interesting approach. Heather Fitzgerald has a vivid imagination and kept this reader pressing forward to see what would happen next. With the typical fairy-tale good versus evil, I found it entertaining. I will stick with my Bible for the story of Esther, but I enjoyed this new twist on an old fairy tale. I received a copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
October 23, 2018
Okay, this was pretty cool. Dragons and tracking chips and Esther, oh my! Really interesting retelling, though it was a bit strange having the biblical story (names and all) play out in a world that almost felt like an apocalyptic Earth (okay, plus dragons and magic). But the characters were true to themselves and the Snow White elements were worked in smoothly, and there were dragons. And a cute dog. A fun read!
January 23, 2020
I really loved this reimagined story. I really like how the story of Ester from the Bible was tied into the story. I know this was a retelling of old stories, however the way she presented it was original to me. I will read more books by the wonderful author!
February 21, 2020
Ebook randomly toggles fonts. I found that very distracting from the story as I attempted to find some rational behind the changes.
An enjoyable retelling of Snow White with dragons and skimmers.
But what happened to Jupiter?
An enjoyable retelling of Snow White with dragons and skimmers.
But what happened to Jupiter?
Read
September 1, 20192.5 stars
June 8, 2022
So annoying I couldn't finish it.
August 3, 2019
I love the Bible story of Esther, it’s so full of rich lessons for life. A story of courage and faith when met with opposition. With lessons of standing strong in the face of trials. So, when I saw the title of this book, I thought WOW, this might be fun to read.
However, I was totally blown away (in a good way) with this book! Not only did it start out like the story of Esther, but WAM! Right away I could tell this was going to be a wonderfully fun book written by Heather LL FitzGerald. There was a twist and turn, and all the sudden I was reading a remake of the fairytale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (or should I say Dragons) with a spin into a futuristic, fantasy lifestyle with still a touch of the Biblical story mixed in.
Heather LL FitzGerald, has a sweet whimsical way of writing wonderfully, colorful stories, which will capture your heart and keep you reading until the very end. (And that is what I did with this book!)
If you like fantasy, adventure, fairytales, a bit of suspense, dragons, a touch of magic, and romance, then this book will be a fantastic addition to your reading library. I highly recommend reading this book!
However, I was totally blown away (in a good way) with this book! Not only did it start out like the story of Esther, but WAM! Right away I could tell this was going to be a wonderfully fun book written by Heather LL FitzGerald. There was a twist and turn, and all the sudden I was reading a remake of the fairytale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (or should I say Dragons) with a spin into a futuristic, fantasy lifestyle with still a touch of the Biblical story mixed in.
Heather LL FitzGerald, has a sweet whimsical way of writing wonderfully, colorful stories, which will capture your heart and keep you reading until the very end. (And that is what I did with this book!)
If you like fantasy, adventure, fairytales, a bit of suspense, dragons, a touch of magic, and romance, then this book will be a fantastic addition to your reading library. I highly recommend reading this book!
December 29, 2018
What a different retelling of Queen Vashti. Totally enjoyable.
January 8, 2019
Interesting mix of Snow White and Easter with fantasy mixed in. Would love to read more of these types of reimaginings.
Want to read
October 8, 2018I give this delightfully quirky mash-up of Esther and Snow White five stars!
Esther is one of my favorite Biblical accounts, so when I heard about this mash-up of Snow White, (my favorite fairy tale), and Esther's story I was immediately hooked. For Such a Time as This is a commedic spin on the story, the story of a deposed queen robbed of her holographic fashions and many other perks. Add dragons to the mix and you have an unexpected and riveting story. While the story deals with the time leading up to the "beauty pageant" put on by King Xerxes to choose a new queen, For Such a Time as This is no less suspenseful, for Vashti and Haman have plans to make certain no new woman is chosen. Only a long-ago prophecy, seven dragons and a courageous girl can save the day.
The unusual setting was what drew me into this story. I was expecting straightforward Biblical fiction but got a surprise instead. I enjoyed the banter between Vashti and Haman. Vashti was funny even though she was despicable. I also loved the author's portrayal of Mordecai, who is my favorite person in the Biblical account. Esther was delightful, and her vulnerability and spunk were clearly shown.
If you enjoy clever twists to Biblical stories and fairy tale retellings to boot, I definitely recommend this marvelous tale. God bless you all.
Esther is one of my favorite Biblical accounts, so when I heard about this mash-up of Snow White, (my favorite fairy tale), and Esther's story I was immediately hooked. For Such a Time as This is a commedic spin on the story, the story of a deposed queen robbed of her holographic fashions and many other perks. Add dragons to the mix and you have an unexpected and riveting story. While the story deals with the time leading up to the "beauty pageant" put on by King Xerxes to choose a new queen, For Such a Time as This is no less suspenseful, for Vashti and Haman have plans to make certain no new woman is chosen. Only a long-ago prophecy, seven dragons and a courageous girl can save the day.
The unusual setting was what drew me into this story. I was expecting straightforward Biblical fiction but got a surprise instead. I enjoyed the banter between Vashti and Haman. Vashti was funny even though she was despicable. I also loved the author's portrayal of Mordecai, who is my favorite person in the Biblical account. Esther was delightful, and her vulnerability and spunk were clearly shown.
If you enjoy clever twists to Biblical stories and fairy tale retellings to boot, I definitely recommend this marvelous tale. God bless you all.
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