The Ark

by Ken Newman

For the House of Seth the end of the world was only the beginning. In an antediluvian world, as modern as our own, humanity is fighting and losing a ruthless war with a hybrid of human and angel—a savage race called the Nephillim. Disgusted with rebellious humanity and the amoral giants, the Lord has decided to destroy all life on earth and orders Noah to build the Ark. Lucifer, to prevent the advent of the promised Messiah—who will come from Noah's bloodline—has warned the Nephillim of the coming cataclysm. Plotting the destruction of the Ark, the Nephillim will make certain that when the waters recede, it will be they, and not humanity who inherit the new world.

262 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2012

About the author

Ken Newman has loved stories of the fantastic since listening to his grandmother's folk tales of witches and haints when he was a child. Devouring the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury and Fredric Brown, to name a few, gave his imagination wings. Ken is the author of the paranormal thriller Forsaken and the newly released science fiction adventure Dead Ends, both released by Black Opal Books.
When not writing, he enjoys sculpting, cheesy monster movies, and building the occasional trebuchet.
A member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Ken lives in East Tennessee with his wife Christian and their three daughters.
Please feel free to contact Ken, he would love to hear from you.
www.newkman.net
@newkman61
facebook.com/newkman61.com

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

As per the title, one is able to assume that this novel is about God along with Noah and the ark – which is correct. But, in this novel, Newman puts a modern spin on the whole story. Usually with religious novels, they are either hit or miss. I was a bit interested and also a bit nervous to start this book because of that. I must say, The Ark is a hit!

I thought it would take me awhile to get through this, honestly. But, it hasn’t at all. From the first page, there hasn’t been a dull moment. It is full of action.

There is the classic theme of Good vs. Evil. God vs Satan. The Humans vs The Giants. They are present throughout the whole novel.

In The Ark, Noah is cast aside by many members of the community and also his own family for his beliefs. They think he is crazy for believing so much in God and trusting Him to guide him through life. When God appears before him telling him that the world is going to end, and tells Noah that he needs to build an ark to keep him and the animals safe, everything takes a turn for the worse. The family starts falling apart, and a huge target is put onto Noah and The House of Seth from the outsiders.

Then at the end – my favorite, there is a huge twist! I never saw it coming which made me super excited.
Overall, The Ark is an easy, fun read. I, myself, am a Christian so it was especially entertaining for me to read. The chapters were short, so it makes the book seem not as long. And Newman never leaves you with a dull moment.

It is a great modernized retelling of Noah and The Ark, and I would recommend anyone who has some interest in the Bible and God to pick it up. Even non-believers could be entertained. Very well written.

5/5 Stars from me!

[Sandi Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ark by Ken Newman was a fun read. "The Ark is a new spin on the Biblical account of Noah" It isn't your traditional Noah and the Ark story. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a unique spin on the story of Noah. It is set in a fictional world with modern day attributes. Once I got into the book I couldn't put it down. I can only think of 2 cons to this book. First, I wasn't crazy about the cover. It wouldn't be something that I would typically choose to read but don't judge this book by it's cover or you will miss out. Second, it was a little slow going for the first few chapters but hang on it gets much, much better.

I loved the colorful characters. There is a struggle within the family and their differing beliefs in God as I'm sure happens in many families. This book meant as a fictional entertaining read really made me think of the real story of Noah and how life may have been before the world was destroyed. It also had me thinking about the corruption in the world today and made me ask myself just how far is too far. History is repeating itself. We never know when the end of the world will come. Will tomorrow be our last day?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, clean storyline with lots of twists and turns.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting retelling of the Bible’s story about Noah and his ark. It is an unusual story to begin with, and Mr. Newman has managed to make it even more so.
The plot takes place in modern times, although it’s a slightly shifted modern world, where things are a bit different from how we know them. People worship strange gods and keep turning away from the true one Noah believes in. The author managed to catch my attention from the beginning, and, since I’m not a Christian, this should tell you that no matter your religious denomination it is a great story with a fast plot. The author does a nice job of building a credible situation of something that is so hard to believe.
Something that I found interesting was the way that he chose to make Noah’s wife more rebellious than her Biblical counterpart. It made everything more even more complicated than it would have originally, and really added another layer to the basic story. We got to know Noah’s role in his own family, which is something we don’t get from the Bible.
I really do recommend this one. It is quite different from the usual, but hugely rewarding.