Beyond the Desert Gate

Roman Empire Sequence #4

by Mary Ray

Palestine, first century A.D.-the Jews have revolted against Roman occupation. The ten Greek cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings. Apollodorus, a merchant of Philadelphia, takes a risk and rescues a man whom a Roman patrol has left to die in the desert. When Apollodorus is killed by robbers, his three sons are left almost penniless and must each find a way for themselves. Philo, the youngest, is befriended by Xenos, the man saved from the desert, who has lost his memory. From him the boy learns the art of the scribe, and together they try to find their identity-one from the past, the other for the future.
A serious story of an important time in history. Sequel to The Ides of April.

Genres: Historical Fiction, School, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Historical

190 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1977

About the author

Born to a teacher and his wife, Ray enjoyed learning about the ancient history of Greece, Rome, and Britain. While working at a variety of jobs and gaining a wealth of education, Ray also traveled widely. This travel enabled her to give extra life through realistic details to her books.

An author of fourteen books and three plays, Ray's writing style often seemed stilted and formal. Thus, she often appealed more to adults than her intended young audience. However, her series about the Roman Empire will live on as significant in the historical fiction genre. Living with her cat, Phoebe, in Canterbury, England, Ray is currently working on science fiction for adults.

Reviews

[mairiachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is connected to (and a sequel of) Ides of April which is part of why I enjoyed it, though I still prefer Ides.

Because the Goodreads synopsis sucks, I rewrote it:

Book follows a family, the father is a merchant and is gone at the beginning. The youngest is in school, and the older ones are all interested in various other things (animals, merchandise, teaching, etc.). The father and oldest travel together early on in the book, so the son can learn about the art of merchants. When they come home, they bring an unconscious man with them. He was found in the desert - he'd been tied to a galloping horse and dragged through the desert as punishment for something, and then left there to die in the sun. The youngest takes charge of him and tries to restore him back to health.

Things happen, the family falls upon hard times and has to cope with that, the youngest has to quit school and stay home to help. When the man can finally talk (his throat has been damaged due to dehydration after days in the desert), he can't remember who he is, what he did to receive such treatment, where he came from, or where he was going. As he tries to regain his memory, he helps the family in their struggle with poverty. They eventually rent their house out to the despised Romans who have taken control of the land and it is while the Romans are living there that the man starts unraveling the mystery of his past.

[Maria ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I read this for school but really enjoyed it. I found myself thinking about the characters for days afterward. It’s the story of three brothers in Philadelphia east of Jerusalem in 60 AD and their respective journeys going beyond the desert gate. It’s a story about the Roman army, a traveler who lost his memory, and three boys coming of age and finding jobs. I was surprised how much this book stuck with me after reading it. The relationships with the family are so well written, and all the emotions are well portrayed. The story takes place during the time when Jerusalem was destroyed.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complicated story of three brothers trying to make their way after the death of their father. The year is A. D. 70, Rome has invaded Philadelphia, and each must find their own path. Our beloved Hylas from "The Ides of April" is back and oh but I was happy to see him.

An excellent book that really makes you stop to think - while teaching you something about the time of the early Christian church. Highly recommended!

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

DO NOT READ THE COVER COPY OF THIS BOOK… Not only is it horribly written, it is FULL of spoilers. What was the publisher thinking?

Mary Ray’s Roman Empire Sequence was designed to introduce students to the ancient world through historical fiction. Beyond the Desert Gate, Book 4 of the series, takes place in the Decapolis, specifically the Greek city of Philadelphia (modern day Ammon, Jordan). Ruled by the Romans, who demanded taxes and men for their army, members of the Decapolis were caught in the conflict between Rome and the Jews of Palestine. The choice of Philadelphia of the Decapolis, a minor city, in the province beside the war to discuss the impact of the Jewish uprising from the perspective of bystanders is a compelling and unique. For more on the setting, see
https://www.biblegateway.com/resource...

For more historical fiction about the Jewish uprising from the perspective of Jews in Jerusalem, see
A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1), Francine Rivers, 1993
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The main storyline is the coming of age of one young Philo of Philadelphia, a Greek by birth. To this Ray adds the young man’s family of father, brothers, a trusted family servant, townspeople and the mysterious stranger Xenos, who has been attacked by the Romans and the left for dead. Full of vivid geographical description, attention to the multiculturalism of the empire, and the beautiful cruelty of Rome, Ray’s distinct characters all mature through the perilous events of their time.

Embraced and promoted by the homeschool community through the 1980s and 1990s, it’s too bad this series is becoming difficult to find as its popularity wanes. The writing is not literary, but it is solid. The characters are well articulated, and the relationship between the characters and the historical events of their time are particularly compelling. This is an interesting work that will appeal to students while exposing them to a time in which survival was not taken for granted… and yet, people are not so different than they are now.

Find a copy if you can! I’m happy to have one in our home library.

There’s more, (if you can find it!)…
Rain from the West (Empire Sequence #5), Mary Ray, 1980
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Somewhat easier to find...
The Ides of April (Roman Empire Sequence #2), 1975
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

For more information on the author and this series, see A Tent for the Sun (Roman Empire Sequence #1), Mary Ray, 1971
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[James Tetley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to my son. Lacked a strong plot line. An interesting historical take on the Roman period. Some periods are very slow, but the divergent paths of the 3 brothers makes for a semi interesting read.

[Melissa Hood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a terrible read. This book had so much potential... Set in AD 70-73 in Jordan...

Only boys in the story = ok... but a little one sided
Jews, Greeks and Christians all together, never discussing religion... bah!

The story was disjointed, almost as if the author only had so many words that could be published and she edited out the descriptions and transitions.

I had difficulty understanding what was happening, following who was speaking and who was in each scene. The story line was easy to predict and I was surprised by the lack of moral or point to the entire book.

I did enjoy the map at the front of the book, it helped a great deal while reading.

[Angela Squires · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this sequel to The Ides of April aloud to my kids. While I enjoyed Beyond the Desert Gate more than its prior counterpart, I still found the story and the characters a little hard to follow, much the same as I felt about Ides. I also found the book difficult to read. Misused commas and awkward phrasing were common throughout the book. The historical detail of the story is what earns it 3 stars from me, though I‘m certain I would have appreciated it more had I brought a better knowledge of the actual time period and events to the reading.

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started well and then it just seemed to get lost and the story began to wander around with a lot of gaps.

[Katie Killingsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read aloud with the kids with our Sonlight curriculum. I’m not heartbroken to be done with this one. It just felt like there were huge chunks of the story missing.

[Dee Paisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Beyond the Desert Gate," by Mary Ray is a historical fiction story about first century Palestine which I just recently visited. I could see some of the terrain and I could feel some of the containment within the walls even though it was Roman walls in a ancient Philadelphia (or Amman Jordan) in which these characters were set. The main character is Philo, his brothers, their life-long maid and the Mysterious wounded person their his dad comes across. The problems are immense and intertwine historical characters such as Titus, Vespasian and Nero. The ties to a previous story by Mrs Ray weren't absolutely necessary in reading this book, because indeed I hadn't read the previous story. I plan to now read the previous story where we find out more about the mysterious wounded person. This is an excellent book to read because it was what real family relationships are like even in ancient history.

[Marius B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Desert Gate follows the story of Philo, a young man growing up in Philadelphia, found in modern Turkey, during the time of the Roman Empire. Philo, son of the merchant Apollodorus, is living a middle-class life of simplicity. Philo and his family are changed forever when Apollodorus, returning from trading, finds a man near death in the middle of the desert. The man was staked to the ground. He's been flayed by the sun. He doesn't know who he is.

Set in a time of upheaval in the Roman Empire rarely seen in fiction, Beyond the Desert Gate chronicles the unsettledness of the empire as emperor after emperor died, the massacre of Jerusalem, and the prophesied attitude of negativity towards God's people, the Jews.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sequel to The Ides of April, Beyond the Desert Gate is the story of a small family which struggles after the father dies. Three brothers must make their own lives now. But when the middle brother decides to go to his mother's people and become a Jew, his other two brothers must struggle to keep him from the wrath of Rome. While this book doesn't focus on Hylas, he is still a main character. Hooray! Anyway, this is truly excellent historical fiction. It is slightly in depth, so it may be more suited to those actually interested in the time period rather than those of us who just enjoy going to another date in time.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Even better than the Ides of April. I loved seeing Hylas again, come into himself in full manhood. All the characters, though, were fully fleshed out and real. Some of the questions they wrestled with made me think. I really appreciate how Christianity was there, ever so slightly, but not too preachy, and the non-Christian characters were allowed to be non-Christian. There was no forced conversion. I really appreciated that bout Ides, too.

[Keith Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set at the time of the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire this is a well written, well researched story of one family's involvement in the events. There is tragedy and loss, and there is a hopeful ending. Very much in the spirit of Rosemary Sutcliff, but with an underlying Christian message, at the time of writing aimed at young teenage, but possibly too advanced for most such nowadays.

[Jenny Felber (Wildflower Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book doesn't make sense unless you've read The Ides of April by Mary Ray first. This isn't a stand alone book and most of the story feels like you're waiting for something big to happen. I liked it, and I liked the writing style of Mary Ray. I would love to read the whole series. If you liked the Ides of April, it's interesting to know what happens next.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* I was really pulled in to book 2 of this series and hoped for similar with this sequel. While I was so happy to have Hylas in the book this one was more descriptive in injuries, abuse to servants, soldier life, and war.

It made the book heavy, more a read of what trying to survive under Roman rule would be like. Much more discussion of following the Way and Christ.

[kinnfriaveive · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot-wise was okay, but writing-wise was very, very hard to read. I had to fight my sleepiness a few times while reading through this book. There really wasn't much to the plot. It was more of a character-driven book. I probably won't read the rest of the series unless my school requires me to.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical fiction. Helps readers understand through the story’s characters what living in the Roman Empire was like, especially in places where there was conflict or even war.

Read aloud for Sonlight Core G.

[Christy Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series for middle grade historical fiction in the first century AD. Interesting and with a fair bit of action and intrigue, but not too mature in content or advanced in reading level.

[Jillian Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A unique plot focus. Fun to read about Israel during the time immediately following the life of Christ, especially in the lead up to Christmas. Adds historical background for our current reading of the New Testament. But a very slow plot, and I was unmoved by the characters.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty depressing read. Good account of the Roman Empire and their brutal behaviors and tactics toward all cultures of the present day Israel and Palestine and how the beginning of Christianity is stirring among people. It was a slow read. Too many characters and a heavy read for our school year.

[Jersc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really slow. Could have been so much more interesting. Read it with my sons ages 14 and 11. They thought it was okay.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A read aloud with Molly.

[Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was absolutely trash. No happy ending and I barely learned anything.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fast-paced story, and the oblique references to deep emotions and feelings were lost on my boys, but packed with authentic detail about life under Roman occupation.

[Renee Haug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter as part of her 6th grade curriculum. We learned a lot about the Roman soldiers.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

School book that we loved for how it humanizes the Roman occupation of the Middle East centered around a family.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a heartbreaking tale, and yet the truth of warring nations. This is not something I would have picked up on my own, rather only for my daughter's curriculum, but it was a great read.

[Ben Spatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit boring, but had an interesting plot, i may forget it in the future but it was alright.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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