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Thrones of Genesis #1
Ashes Like Bread: A Biblical Novel of Lamech and His Two Wives
A scorned prophetess. A deadly omen. Will this kinswoman of Adam and Eve persevere with intuition she can’t deny?
Zyla is used to the elders of the clan rejecting her dark glimpses into the future, and bitter that she doesn’t receive the honor she deserves. When her forecast of a terrible flood gets her exiled, she and her sister flee the mountain of Eden to live among evil descendants of the murderer Cain. There, Zyla is willing to do anything to advance her status, even if it means becoming a second wife to her sister's desirable husband, or aligning with forbidden spiritual powers.
When the flood Zyla prophesied slams into her new home, the outcast must decide whom she really loves and what is worth risking death for. Will she be strong enough to find hope on the other side of the waters, or will the devastation sweep her and her prophecies away forever?
If you like ancient legends and dramatic Old Testament re-imaginings, you'll love this biblical fiction novel based on a story from Genesis 4. Buy Ashes Like Bread today to see the distant past through a prophet’s eyes!
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2018
95 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Jean Hoefling
9 books32 followersJean Hoefling’s biblical fantasy novel Ashes Like Bread won the 2019 Readers’ Favorite bronze medal in Christian Fantasy. Her third book in the series, Stones of Fire, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller.
Jean lives, writes, and copyedits in her native Colorado, and loves dancing, Colorado's rare fog days, and the beauty of the Orthodox Church.
Contact her at jeanhoefling3@gmail.com
Jean lives, writes, and copyedits in her native Colorado, and loves dancing, Colorado's rare fog days, and the beauty of the Orthodox Church.
Contact her at jeanhoefling3@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 21, 2018
Wow. Rarely have I been pulled into a book so thoroughly and held captive by the amazing characters and world within its pages. Jean Hoefling is an incredible author and I'm really excited to read more of her work! I've never read a book set in a pre-Flood world but it's definitely a time period I'd like to read more of (even if much of the world-building is left to the author's imagination).
WHAT I LIKED:
-Um...almost everything?
-The writing was beautiful. Thoughtful, lyrical, and just a little formal - the dialogue and narration fit with how I think characters in that time period would talk and think. I don't come across too many books these days that are truly written well, so Ashes Like Bread was a breath of fresh air.
-The characters had my heart! Each one goes through so many changes and so much character growth, which I LOVED. Zyla was a great protagonist, even if she sometimes behaved in rather horrid ways. I hope there'll be a sequel because I want to spend more time with these people. (Though I'm still sad about a Certain Thing That Happened Near The End Which I Can't Talk About Because Of Spoilers.)
-The story gripped me. Sure, the beginning was a little slow (basically, all the time Zyla spent with the Sethites didn't interest me too much - but once she left, I could hardly stop reading) but overall it was a thoroughly interesting story that I wish was longer.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
-The only thing I didn't like about this book, other than the slow beginning (and I'd probably enjoy the beginning more on a reread) was the amount of sexual references. I understand that the Cainites were a crude, horrible people compared to the Sethites (at least in some ways) but certain parts of the book left me feeling like I needed to scrub my brain clean. The content would definitely be a hard PG-13, if not creeping into R-rated territory. So definitely only for mature readers.
Overall, mature readers who enjoy Biblical fiction, well-told, will be in for a treat when they read Ashes Like Bread!
WHAT I LIKED:
-Um...almost everything?
-The writing was beautiful. Thoughtful, lyrical, and just a little formal - the dialogue and narration fit with how I think characters in that time period would talk and think. I don't come across too many books these days that are truly written well, so Ashes Like Bread was a breath of fresh air.
-The characters had my heart! Each one goes through so many changes and so much character growth, which I LOVED. Zyla was a great protagonist, even if she sometimes behaved in rather horrid ways. I hope there'll be a sequel because I want to spend more time with these people. (Though I'm still sad about a Certain Thing That Happened Near The End Which I Can't Talk About Because Of Spoilers.)
-The story gripped me. Sure, the beginning was a little slow (basically, all the time Zyla spent with the Sethites didn't interest me too much - but once she left, I could hardly stop reading) but overall it was a thoroughly interesting story that I wish was longer.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
-The only thing I didn't like about this book, other than the slow beginning (and I'd probably enjoy the beginning more on a reread) was the amount of sexual references. I understand that the Cainites were a crude, horrible people compared to the Sethites (at least in some ways) but certain parts of the book left me feeling like I needed to scrub my brain clean. The content would definitely be a hard PG-13, if not creeping into R-rated territory. So definitely only for mature readers.
Overall, mature readers who enjoy Biblical fiction, well-told, will be in for a treat when they read Ashes Like Bread!
March 29, 2019
I was asked by the author to review this novel.
This story is based on the account of Lamech and his two wives from Genesis 4: 17-24, Adah and Zillah. Hoefling has spelt Zillah as Zyla and has used the background from The Book of Jasher (2: 12,15-16) that directly shows her as a daughter of Kenan (also known as Cainan in this book and in other records),
15 And when Cainan was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.
16 And these are the names of the children of Cainan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these are the five children of Cainan that were born to him.
whereas the Bible does not and just says that Kenan had other sons and daughters as stated in Genesis 5:12,
12 Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.
I needed to see this visually. A family tree is always good for this purpose so I discovered this (from Wikipedia) about Kenan and his family. This certainly helps me visualise what the author has included in her novel.
When I started reading this novel, the first thing that hit me was how well written this is. Hoefling has an excellent and competent command of the English language and executes it to its full potential.
This enhances the novel and progresses the plot smoothly and seamlessly. This is especially evident in the first-person narrative of Zyla. You will definitely get to know her very well from this. I have found that using this first-person narrative is either used well or not by authors and I can see why readers do not like this type of narrative. I used to dislike it immensely but after reading a few novels where it is executed well, I have come to like it and sees its specific value in a novel.
I admire author’s like Hoefling who set about to fill in the gaps or re-imagine what life would have been like in the times of the Bible where it does not give enough specifics as to what life was like at that time. It is not supposed to or else the Bible would many volumes and to get to what God wanted us to know about Himself, our purpose here on earth and how to live according to His tenets and doctrines would be counterproductive. These re-imagings definitely make it edgy and speculative and definitely draw you in.
I can see that using poetic license here to re-imagine these gaps would either support the existing biblical accounts or take them on a tangent that would either mock or undermine the latter. I must confess I almost expected this to be the case with this novel. When I read one review that criticised the novel and the author for including a Cain who was delusional and lusting after a female fallen angel, my radar was activated. I approached this novel with a pre-conceived idea of what I would expect based on this. I do agree with that reviewer but only to a point. The Bible does not specify whether angels are male or female but due to the names of some, Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer, these are referred to in the masculine. Other angels are referred to in the masculine sense even though they are not named. As Matt Slick from CARM states,
One of the possible reasons angels could be referred to only in the masculine is that of the issue of authority and strength. Generally, the male gender is associated with authority and strength more than the female gender.
This reviewer’s point is a valid one where she states that if there were female fallen angels then why would male fallen angels need to procreate with human females when they could produce their own offspring and leave human females alone? This would still be an abomination to God just like the Genesis 6:4 account. Maybe this is why God did not create female angels? Hoefling’s poetic licence here could be interpreted as undermining the biblical account of Genesis 6:4,
4 The Nephilim[a] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. (Holman Christian Standard Bible, Biblegateway.com)
Now, I have not read the previous novel in this series, God in Havilah, where,
Cain spirals into ever-deepening tiers of delusion through his bondage to a beautiful fallen angel...
to quote that novel’s description. It seems in this novel that Hoefling may be expanding of the female fallen angel concept. I will have to read and find out. I found it interesting that this same reviewer also mentions the Bible hinting as to the presence of female angels in Zechariah 5:19, but Matt Slick again addresses this,
The context of Zechariah 5 is a series of visions. It is the sixth vision in which verse nine is delivered.
Verse 1, a flying scroll
Verse 2, its dimensions are 20 cubits long and its width 10 cubits
Verses 3-4, the scroll represents a curse upon those who steal and those who swear falsely by God’s name
Verse 5-8, a woman is personified as wickedness
Verse 9, two women coming out with the wind in their wings
Verse 10-11, the women are going to build a temple
So, contextually the figures spoken of in verse 9 are not angels. They are representative of wickedness and are not dealing with angels. Therefore, we can see that universally in Scripture angels are referred to in the masculine and not the feminine even though the Bible does not tell us why this is so.
And Slick continues,
We do not know for sure if angels can have sexual relations with women because the Bible doesn’t tell us. Nevertheless, some Christians think it is possible, and others do not. Various scriptures are used for both sides of the argument. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Matt. 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”
Luke 20:34-36, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; 36 for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
Gen. 6:1-4, “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’ 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
We can see from Matt. 22:30 and Luke 20:34-36 that angels do not marry, but this does not mean they can’t take human form and have relations. I am not advocating that they do have sexual relations with people, but I am simply stating that we cannot assert either position from this passage especially when the Bible tells us that people have entertained angels without even knowing it (Heb. 13:2). This means that angels can take on human appearance to such a convincing state that they can’t be distinguished from people. If this is the case, then it would seem logical that an angel (a fallen one) could imitate a human physical form including the sexual organs. On the other hand, I see no biblical support for such a manifestation of fallen angels in human form. Therefore, we are still left without an absolute answer.
Gen. 6:1-4 above is a more controversial passage. The question is: Who are the sons of God? Are they angels or people? Some commentators think that the Sons of God were the descendants of Seth:
“By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.”1
Other commentators teach that the Sons of God were angels since the term “Sons of God” is used elsewhere to refer to angels as the following scriptures suggest:
Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.”
Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
However, the term “sons of God” also refers to Christians in the New Testament, as Gal. 3:26states, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Since the question at hand deals with an Old Testament scripture, we must examine the context of that particular scripture to see how it is used.
Whichever the case, we do not know the abilities of angels. Given that they are very powerful and intelligent creatures, it is possible that they could manifest themselves as humans. This has been verified in scripture as we see from the following passage: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Heb. 13:2). Since they can appear in human form unbeknownst to people, it seems that a fallen angel manifesting itself in human form would be able to have sexual relations with a person.
1.Jamieson, R., A. R. Fauss
So based on this, I can only speculate that if angels could manifest as male and have sexual relations with human females, could they also manifest as female and have sex with human males? Very speculative indeed! I have had not conversed with the author of these novels but it would be interesting to find out her thoughts on this and what evidence, if any, she has based Gold in Havilah on this concept with its minor carryover into this sequel, Ashes Like Bread.
Hoefling only mentions Cain’s obsession with Lilith, the aforementioned female fallen angel, in Ashes Like Bread, a few times and it plays no major plot arc other than to be a small part of the history of Cain as it pertains to Zyla learning about Cain’s life after he was banished by God from Eden for his sin of committing the first murder, that of his brother Abel. Thus, Hoefling has not deviated on a tangent here.
While speaking of this re-imagining of life in the Cain camp after he was banished from Eden, Hoefling transports you to the life of Cain and his descendants and the life they create for themselves. It is very convincing and one that illustrates what a life, even in the 21st century, is like when it is based not on God, but on any other god or spirit that presents itself in deception over the unsuspecting. Zyla noticed this immediately she arrived in Cain’s city. The people seem dull and followed more of their base natures, which spiritually is regarded as their sinful, fallen nature. They also were very subservient to their gods whether they considered them beneficent or maleficent. Hoefling’s account of Zyla’s life amongst Cain’s descendants successfully shows what life is like when a society has strayed from their higher calling and purpose from God and live not according to His standards and have abandoned their relationship with Him or just do not know any better.
I read with interest Zyla’s journey from being scorned by her people for being a prophetess. In their culture and belief system, this role was seen and expected to be part of the male line. Ignored and excluded from many relationships with others in this community, and treated as though her visions are demonic in origin, she leaves Adam’s city on the mountain and settles in Cain’s community. Not only did her father and aunt deny her abilities to function as expected in their community, however, Zyla, never gave up on here abilities and responsibilities and continued to act as surrogate mother to Adah when their mother, Mual (Mualeleth in the extrabiblical, Book of Jubilees) died.
At first, I wondered why Zyla would leave this community that still had the covering of God and whose leadership of Adam and male relatives ensured the community lived according to what God had instilled in them. Then I realised that she had very little option as to where to go. Most of the other communities were too far away and the closest was that of Cain. And to stay with the only family that had not rejected her, Adah, she left with her to follow Adah’s future life with Lamech and to ensure that this marriage of these two would be according to the tradition of the Sethites and God to be honoured in this as well. I did also wonder where was her faith that she would leave based on the way her family and community had treated her? But the author had to follow what the Biblical record stated as history, that she married Lamech of Cain’s community. So everything leading up to this was the author filling in the gaps from the Biblical record and from the other extrabiblical texts mentioned.
Hoefling is a master at creating the environment, the relationships, the culture and being true to what we know of the Biblical record. In doing so, she creates a novel that is engaging, all-engrossing and more importantly, it honours God and does not show Him to be any less than what the Bible reveals Him to be. This I appreciated.
This account of Adah and Zyla in Cain’s city and the descriptions of their lives, cultures and religious practices borders on being dark but is definitely demonic as their worship of the gods is purely of those fallen angels. Only one of these is named, in this novel and is first mentioned in the Book of Enoch.
I can understand some readers having negative reactions to the depictions of sex and sensuality but despite what a reviewer has stated about the repulsive sex scenes, I wondered what she was talking about. Readers must remember that this author is depicting life in a community that is devoid of God, His precepts and tenets and the true meaning and purpose of sex that is designed by Him to only be between a married man and woman. In Cain’s community, sex and sexuality are used as a means to an end and as an expression of one’s base nature. In this community, you could have one wife for reproduction and one for sexual pleasure. In this novel, Adah was for the former and Zyla for the latter. The only thing that I could say was explicit was the frequency that Lamech had relations with his wives, but there being no explicit details or graphic descriptions. Hoefling only depicted this community as it most likely was.
Hoefling describes well how conflicted both Adah and Zyla are being in their adoptive community and what they have to give up, compromise and even betray each other in order to survive. But it is almost as if a supernatural drawing from God, changes their hearts and attitudes and they both re-embrace their faith in God and leave the city of Cain, one returns to Adam’s community while the other seeks a future elsewhere. And the former will be continued in the next instalment that is all about Mahalalel, Zyla’s brother from the subplot that is started in this novel.
Hoefling has explored this world of early mankind and brought it alive with research, clever use of poetic licence and imagination. This has given it a plausible and believable version of life that effectively fills in the gaps in the Biblical record. For me, I found this has not detracted from this record, undermined it or lessened its impact or authority. Any Christian author should have this as their aim when writing Christian fiction. It needs to support and promote the Biblical account and the power and authority it contains.
I look forward to reading Gold in Havilah and the next instalment in this series, Watchers that deals with Mahalalel as mentioned above.
Strongly Recommended.
The three ratings below are based on my discernment:
World Building 4/5
Characters 4/5
Story 4/5
The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:
Spiritual Level 3/5
Enemy Spiritual Level 0/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
This story is based on the account of Lamech and his two wives from Genesis 4: 17-24, Adah and Zillah. Hoefling has spelt Zillah as Zyla and has used the background from The Book of Jasher (2: 12,15-16) that directly shows her as a daughter of Kenan (also known as Cainan in this book and in other records),
15 And when Cainan was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.
16 And these are the names of the children of Cainan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these are the five children of Cainan that were born to him.
whereas the Bible does not and just says that Kenan had other sons and daughters as stated in Genesis 5:12,
12 Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.
I needed to see this visually. A family tree is always good for this purpose so I discovered this (from Wikipedia) about Kenan and his family. This certainly helps me visualise what the author has included in her novel.
When I started reading this novel, the first thing that hit me was how well written this is. Hoefling has an excellent and competent command of the English language and executes it to its full potential.
This enhances the novel and progresses the plot smoothly and seamlessly. This is especially evident in the first-person narrative of Zyla. You will definitely get to know her very well from this. I have found that using this first-person narrative is either used well or not by authors and I can see why readers do not like this type of narrative. I used to dislike it immensely but after reading a few novels where it is executed well, I have come to like it and sees its specific value in a novel.
I admire author’s like Hoefling who set about to fill in the gaps or re-imagine what life would have been like in the times of the Bible where it does not give enough specifics as to what life was like at that time. It is not supposed to or else the Bible would many volumes and to get to what God wanted us to know about Himself, our purpose here on earth and how to live according to His tenets and doctrines would be counterproductive. These re-imagings definitely make it edgy and speculative and definitely draw you in.
I can see that using poetic license here to re-imagine these gaps would either support the existing biblical accounts or take them on a tangent that would either mock or undermine the latter. I must confess I almost expected this to be the case with this novel. When I read one review that criticised the novel and the author for including a Cain who was delusional and lusting after a female fallen angel, my radar was activated. I approached this novel with a pre-conceived idea of what I would expect based on this. I do agree with that reviewer but only to a point. The Bible does not specify whether angels are male or female but due to the names of some, Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer, these are referred to in the masculine. Other angels are referred to in the masculine sense even though they are not named. As Matt Slick from CARM states,
One of the possible reasons angels could be referred to only in the masculine is that of the issue of authority and strength. Generally, the male gender is associated with authority and strength more than the female gender.
This reviewer’s point is a valid one where she states that if there were female fallen angels then why would male fallen angels need to procreate with human females when they could produce their own offspring and leave human females alone? This would still be an abomination to God just like the Genesis 6:4 account. Maybe this is why God did not create female angels? Hoefling’s poetic licence here could be interpreted as undermining the biblical account of Genesis 6:4,
4 The Nephilim[a] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. (Holman Christian Standard Bible, Biblegateway.com)
Now, I have not read the previous novel in this series, God in Havilah, where,
Cain spirals into ever-deepening tiers of delusion through his bondage to a beautiful fallen angel...
to quote that novel’s description. It seems in this novel that Hoefling may be expanding of the female fallen angel concept. I will have to read and find out. I found it interesting that this same reviewer also mentions the Bible hinting as to the presence of female angels in Zechariah 5:19, but Matt Slick again addresses this,
The context of Zechariah 5 is a series of visions. It is the sixth vision in which verse nine is delivered.
Verse 1, a flying scroll
Verse 2, its dimensions are 20 cubits long and its width 10 cubits
Verses 3-4, the scroll represents a curse upon those who steal and those who swear falsely by God’s name
Verse 5-8, a woman is personified as wickedness
Verse 9, two women coming out with the wind in their wings
Verse 10-11, the women are going to build a temple
So, contextually the figures spoken of in verse 9 are not angels. They are representative of wickedness and are not dealing with angels. Therefore, we can see that universally in Scripture angels are referred to in the masculine and not the feminine even though the Bible does not tell us why this is so.
And Slick continues,
We do not know for sure if angels can have sexual relations with women because the Bible doesn’t tell us. Nevertheless, some Christians think it is possible, and others do not. Various scriptures are used for both sides of the argument. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Matt. 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”
Luke 20:34-36, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; 36 for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
Gen. 6:1-4, “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’ 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
We can see from Matt. 22:30 and Luke 20:34-36 that angels do not marry, but this does not mean they can’t take human form and have relations. I am not advocating that they do have sexual relations with people, but I am simply stating that we cannot assert either position from this passage especially when the Bible tells us that people have entertained angels without even knowing it (Heb. 13:2). This means that angels can take on human appearance to such a convincing state that they can’t be distinguished from people. If this is the case, then it would seem logical that an angel (a fallen one) could imitate a human physical form including the sexual organs. On the other hand, I see no biblical support for such a manifestation of fallen angels in human form. Therefore, we are still left without an absolute answer.
Gen. 6:1-4 above is a more controversial passage. The question is: Who are the sons of God? Are they angels or people? Some commentators think that the Sons of God were the descendants of Seth:
“By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.”1
Other commentators teach that the Sons of God were angels since the term “Sons of God” is used elsewhere to refer to angels as the following scriptures suggest:
Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.”
Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
However, the term “sons of God” also refers to Christians in the New Testament, as Gal. 3:26states, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Since the question at hand deals with an Old Testament scripture, we must examine the context of that particular scripture to see how it is used.
Whichever the case, we do not know the abilities of angels. Given that they are very powerful and intelligent creatures, it is possible that they could manifest themselves as humans. This has been verified in scripture as we see from the following passage: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Heb. 13:2). Since they can appear in human form unbeknownst to people, it seems that a fallen angel manifesting itself in human form would be able to have sexual relations with a person.
1.Jamieson, R., A. R. Fauss
So based on this, I can only speculate that if angels could manifest as male and have sexual relations with human females, could they also manifest as female and have sex with human males? Very speculative indeed! I have had not conversed with the author of these novels but it would be interesting to find out her thoughts on this and what evidence, if any, she has based Gold in Havilah on this concept with its minor carryover into this sequel, Ashes Like Bread.
Hoefling only mentions Cain’s obsession with Lilith, the aforementioned female fallen angel, in Ashes Like Bread, a few times and it plays no major plot arc other than to be a small part of the history of Cain as it pertains to Zyla learning about Cain’s life after he was banished by God from Eden for his sin of committing the first murder, that of his brother Abel. Thus, Hoefling has not deviated on a tangent here.
While speaking of this re-imagining of life in the Cain camp after he was banished from Eden, Hoefling transports you to the life of Cain and his descendants and the life they create for themselves. It is very convincing and one that illustrates what a life, even in the 21st century, is like when it is based not on God, but on any other god or spirit that presents itself in deception over the unsuspecting. Zyla noticed this immediately she arrived in Cain’s city. The people seem dull and followed more of their base natures, which spiritually is regarded as their sinful, fallen nature. They also were very subservient to their gods whether they considered them beneficent or maleficent. Hoefling’s account of Zyla’s life amongst Cain’s descendants successfully shows what life is like when a society has strayed from their higher calling and purpose from God and live not according to His standards and have abandoned their relationship with Him or just do not know any better.
I read with interest Zyla’s journey from being scorned by her people for being a prophetess. In their culture and belief system, this role was seen and expected to be part of the male line. Ignored and excluded from many relationships with others in this community, and treated as though her visions are demonic in origin, she leaves Adam’s city on the mountain and settles in Cain’s community. Not only did her father and aunt deny her abilities to function as expected in their community, however, Zyla, never gave up on here abilities and responsibilities and continued to act as surrogate mother to Adah when their mother, Mual (Mualeleth in the extrabiblical, Book of Jubilees) died.
At first, I wondered why Zyla would leave this community that still had the covering of God and whose leadership of Adam and male relatives ensured the community lived according to what God had instilled in them. Then I realised that she had very little option as to where to go. Most of the other communities were too far away and the closest was that of Cain. And to stay with the only family that had not rejected her, Adah, she left with her to follow Adah’s future life with Lamech and to ensure that this marriage of these two would be according to the tradition of the Sethites and God to be honoured in this as well. I did also wonder where was her faith that she would leave based on the way her family and community had treated her? But the author had to follow what the Biblical record stated as history, that she married Lamech of Cain’s community. So everything leading up to this was the author filling in the gaps from the Biblical record and from the other extrabiblical texts mentioned.
Hoefling is a master at creating the environment, the relationships, the culture and being true to what we know of the Biblical record. In doing so, she creates a novel that is engaging, all-engrossing and more importantly, it honours God and does not show Him to be any less than what the Bible reveals Him to be. This I appreciated.
This account of Adah and Zyla in Cain’s city and the descriptions of their lives, cultures and religious practices borders on being dark but is definitely demonic as their worship of the gods is purely of those fallen angels. Only one of these is named, in this novel and is first mentioned in the Book of Enoch.
I can understand some readers having negative reactions to the depictions of sex and sensuality but despite what a reviewer has stated about the repulsive sex scenes, I wondered what she was talking about. Readers must remember that this author is depicting life in a community that is devoid of God, His precepts and tenets and the true meaning and purpose of sex that is designed by Him to only be between a married man and woman. In Cain’s community, sex and sexuality are used as a means to an end and as an expression of one’s base nature. In this community, you could have one wife for reproduction and one for sexual pleasure. In this novel, Adah was for the former and Zyla for the latter. The only thing that I could say was explicit was the frequency that Lamech had relations with his wives, but there being no explicit details or graphic descriptions. Hoefling only depicted this community as it most likely was.
Hoefling describes well how conflicted both Adah and Zyla are being in their adoptive community and what they have to give up, compromise and even betray each other in order to survive. But it is almost as if a supernatural drawing from God, changes their hearts and attitudes and they both re-embrace their faith in God and leave the city of Cain, one returns to Adam’s community while the other seeks a future elsewhere. And the former will be continued in the next instalment that is all about Mahalalel, Zyla’s brother from the subplot that is started in this novel.
Hoefling has explored this world of early mankind and brought it alive with research, clever use of poetic licence and imagination. This has given it a plausible and believable version of life that effectively fills in the gaps in the Biblical record. For me, I found this has not detracted from this record, undermined it or lessened its impact or authority. Any Christian author should have this as their aim when writing Christian fiction. It needs to support and promote the Biblical account and the power and authority it contains.
I look forward to reading Gold in Havilah and the next instalment in this series, Watchers that deals with Mahalalel as mentioned above.
Strongly Recommended.
The three ratings below are based on my discernment:
World Building 4/5
Characters 4/5
Story 4/5
The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:
Spiritual Level 3/5
Enemy Spiritual Level 0/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
December 20, 2021
Ashes Like Bread is a beautiful, haunting story that highlights the cost of sin and the abundant forgiveness of God.
I was a little wary going in since the story relies heavily on extra-biblical material, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was very biblical in its message. However, the author does include a lot of dark spiritual elements and controversial details, such as portraying Cain as having had a son with the fallen angel Lilith. But once you get past these aspects, this is a delightful story.
The first paragraph drew me in right away. The beginning was a little slow, accentuated by the fact that the author’s style is more lyrical and descriptive rather than straightforward and full of action. But I appreciated the ancient storybook quality to it, and while it’s not a fast-paced story, the complexity of the characters was what kept me reading. Once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down!
I sympathized deeply with Zyla and ached with her over her parents’ rejection and the Sethites’ wrongful suspicion. I felt for her as she tried to raise her wayward sister Adah and do what was best for her. She had a depth and complexity to her that made me want to get to know her more. While she didn’t always make the right choice, she chose to learn from her mistakes. Even though her actions led to so much pain and loss, she grew wiser through it and let it guide her back to God and His ways. I always love a good redemptive arc!
I was disgusted with Adah for most of the story, but I was glad to see she turned back to God in the end and chose to move on after her grief and loss.
The author obviously did her research, including many specific, contextual details related to dress, food, and way of life. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into what the early cultures of the world might have lived like.
The ending was my favorite part of the book. It was sad and wistful, but with a note of hope for the future, of new beginnings. I appreciated that the author pointed out that while the Cainites were wicked and deserved their punishment, the Sethites were not without sin either. They needed to repent of their sin of self-righteousness, of not offering mercy to others in the same way God had shown mercy to them.
As far as content, the author isn’t shy about portraying the vulgarities and immorality of Cainite culture, although none of it is graphic. There are a few brief depictions of intimacy and some crude talk of sex. A few deaths are shown as well. I would recommend this book for ages 15+.
I was a little wary going in since the story relies heavily on extra-biblical material, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was very biblical in its message. However, the author does include a lot of dark spiritual elements and controversial details, such as portraying Cain as having had a son with the fallen angel Lilith. But once you get past these aspects, this is a delightful story.
The first paragraph drew me in right away. The beginning was a little slow, accentuated by the fact that the author’s style is more lyrical and descriptive rather than straightforward and full of action. But I appreciated the ancient storybook quality to it, and while it’s not a fast-paced story, the complexity of the characters was what kept me reading. Once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down!
I sympathized deeply with Zyla and ached with her over her parents’ rejection and the Sethites’ wrongful suspicion. I felt for her as she tried to raise her wayward sister Adah and do what was best for her. She had a depth and complexity to her that made me want to get to know her more. While she didn’t always make the right choice, she chose to learn from her mistakes. Even though her actions led to so much pain and loss, she grew wiser through it and let it guide her back to God and His ways. I always love a good redemptive arc!
I was disgusted with Adah for most of the story, but I was glad to see she turned back to God in the end and chose to move on after her grief and loss.
The author obviously did her research, including many specific, contextual details related to dress, food, and way of life. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into what the early cultures of the world might have lived like.
The ending was my favorite part of the book. It was sad and wistful, but with a note of hope for the future, of new beginnings. I appreciated that the author pointed out that while the Cainites were wicked and deserved their punishment, the Sethites were not without sin either. They needed to repent of their sin of self-righteousness, of not offering mercy to others in the same way God had shown mercy to them.
As far as content, the author isn’t shy about portraying the vulgarities and immorality of Cainite culture, although none of it is graphic. There are a few brief depictions of intimacy and some crude talk of sex. A few deaths are shown as well. I would recommend this book for ages 15+.
October 31, 2018
Ashes Like Bread
Jean Hoefling has done it again. She has taken a relatively obscure couple of verses from the Biblical book of Genesis, augmented them by further research in other ancient and sacred scripts and crafted a thoughtful, realistic story.
When Zillah, great-great grand-daughter of Adam, and her younger sister, Adah leave home to meet Lamech, a descendent of Cain, they never expected the life they chose to be so different from the life they left behind.
Although the reader cannot expect historical accuracy, this type of story does make one stop and think about what life may have been like for our pre-flood ancestors. It is both a story if betrayal and redemption. The few known facts gleaned from Scripture and The Book of Jasher, an ancient sacred Jewish text, have been skillfully incorporated into the story making it, on the whole, a realistic tale. There are a few moments when I found myself questioning some of the events of the story, but upon further reflection, since there are no written records of that time and only a small section of revealed scripture, who is to say what actually occurred and what did not?
Ashes Like Bread can be read as a stand-alone book, but reading the prequel, Gold in Havilah, will enrich the reading experience since some events referred to are fully described in that story.
I look forward to more.
I received a proof copy of this book for the purpose of giving an unbiased review. The reason for a good review is a good story, well-written and believable.
Jean Hoefling has done it again. She has taken a relatively obscure couple of verses from the Biblical book of Genesis, augmented them by further research in other ancient and sacred scripts and crafted a thoughtful, realistic story.
When Zillah, great-great grand-daughter of Adam, and her younger sister, Adah leave home to meet Lamech, a descendent of Cain, they never expected the life they chose to be so different from the life they left behind.
Although the reader cannot expect historical accuracy, this type of story does make one stop and think about what life may have been like for our pre-flood ancestors. It is both a story if betrayal and redemption. The few known facts gleaned from Scripture and The Book of Jasher, an ancient sacred Jewish text, have been skillfully incorporated into the story making it, on the whole, a realistic tale. There are a few moments when I found myself questioning some of the events of the story, but upon further reflection, since there are no written records of that time and only a small section of revealed scripture, who is to say what actually occurred and what did not?
Ashes Like Bread can be read as a stand-alone book, but reading the prequel, Gold in Havilah, will enrich the reading experience since some events referred to are fully described in that story.
I look forward to more.
I received a proof copy of this book for the purpose of giving an unbiased review. The reason for a good review is a good story, well-written and believable.
March 9, 2019
Riveting!!!
This book was so different from what I thought it would be. I've not read anything quite like it before. The parallel lives of the descendents of Adam and Eve, the good verses bad; Cain and Abel. Very ancient times, yet still so very applicable to our modern day lives. Abel's faction on the holy mountain, trying to recover from the great sin of Adam and Eve, yet even then, some are judgemental and pious. Some are true to the One True God, buy get so misguided in their lives. Then the descendents of Cain, who live in the dry, arid land of the Cainites are so self-serving and under the control of Lucifer and other fallen angels. Cruel, ignorant and slovenly, these people are cut off from God. The two sisters Adah and Zyla, who flee the holy mountain to the Cainites, are caught up in sin, passion, intrigue, both marry the Lamech, and spend years in the unholy land until they realize that the awful circumstances are not where,and they should live. One sister returns to the mountain. The other choses to follow a different. This is sometimes hard to read. The sin and cruelty; the thoughts of how we have willfully chosen sin and strayed from God. His forgiveness of a broken an contrite heart says how much He loves us all.
This book was so different from what I thought it would be. I've not read anything quite like it before. The parallel lives of the descendents of Adam and Eve, the good verses bad; Cain and Abel. Very ancient times, yet still so very applicable to our modern day lives. Abel's faction on the holy mountain, trying to recover from the great sin of Adam and Eve, yet even then, some are judgemental and pious. Some are true to the One True God, buy get so misguided in their lives. Then the descendents of Cain, who live in the dry, arid land of the Cainites are so self-serving and under the control of Lucifer and other fallen angels. Cruel, ignorant and slovenly, these people are cut off from God. The two sisters Adah and Zyla, who flee the holy mountain to the Cainites, are caught up in sin, passion, intrigue, both marry the Lamech, and spend years in the unholy land until they realize that the awful circumstances are not where,and they should live. One sister returns to the mountain. The other choses to follow a different. This is sometimes hard to read. The sin and cruelty; the thoughts of how we have willfully chosen sin and strayed from God. His forgiveness of a broken an contrite heart says how much He loves us all.
December 31, 2018
This is perhaps one of the best Biblical fiction books I've ever read! There is so much mystery surrounding the lives of Adam and Eve and their children and also what happened to Cain after he was banished for killing Abel. This book certainly does a fine job of imagining what life may have been like in that time and culture. I loved this story! The characters were so realistic and the writing was superb. Not only is this a great fictional account but it also has some great messages as well...betrayal, straying from God, warnings about occult practices, forgiveness and redemption. Very interesting and highly recommended!
August 30, 2021
The story takes on the wives of Lamech, the first bigamist in the Bible. It centers around the 2nd wife, Zyla, who is much older than her sister. Lamech is the worst sort of man and uses women to further himself without actually doing any work. Personally, I found Zyla to be selfish and self-centered. All she wanted was to be loved for her gift to see the future, only Lamech tempts Zyla by promises of being a great seer in the city. She steals Lamech's affections and marries him with her sister, all for the promise of a seer's chair. It takes many years for her to see all the damage she has done, and returns to her people on the mountain for forgiveness. The writing is strong, but the story loses all momentum quickly after the climax. It's a story of redemption and happiness is not found in our dreams and expectations, but in what God desires for us to become.
April 5, 2019
First family
This story of Adam’s family was something I’d never thought of. I remember reading about Adam and Eve as a child but never thought of how it all began as his family grew. I always wondered how God filled the earth with this first family but never really sought out the how.
Seeing how Cain brought death upon the first family and the consequences of his actions was revealing. The good verses evil are eye opening. The separation of God’s love is devastating.
See how God spoke to His beloved. This book has so much wisdom of how God loves us and how separation from Him is so terrible for all. God’s ways are not our ways.
This story of Adam’s family was something I’d never thought of. I remember reading about Adam and Eve as a child but never thought of how it all began as his family grew. I always wondered how God filled the earth with this first family but never really sought out the how.
Seeing how Cain brought death upon the first family and the consequences of his actions was revealing. The good verses evil are eye opening. The separation of God’s love is devastating.
See how God spoke to His beloved. This book has so much wisdom of how God loves us and how separation from Him is so terrible for all. God’s ways are not our ways.
June 28, 2024
Zyla’s story (one of Lamech’s wives)
Zyla and her sister become wives of Lamech. They have a fierce competition for his heart, but ultimately it belongs to him and his lust for Zyla grows cold. Zyla was a very frustrating character and not very nice to her sister, but she improved in the end. She has prophetic powers which allow her to see the future, and she had to learn to attribute that to God and not get too self-important because of it. I found the narrative of the flood that covers 1/3 of the earth that she predicts interesting. Ultimately, this was a story about family and the importance of choosing God.
Zyla and her sister become wives of Lamech. They have a fierce competition for his heart, but ultimately it belongs to him and his lust for Zyla grows cold. Zyla was a very frustrating character and not very nice to her sister, but she improved in the end. She has prophetic powers which allow her to see the future, and she had to learn to attribute that to God and not get too self-important because of it. I found the narrative of the flood that covers 1/3 of the earth that she predicts interesting. Ultimately, this was a story about family and the importance of choosing God.
February 12, 2020
Ashes Like Bread: A Biblical Novel of Lamech and His Two Wives (Thrones of Genesis #1), my first read from Christian author Jean Hoefling. A well-written tale of the Biblical fiction novel based on a story from Genesis 4. I’ll be reading more by this author! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
January 2, 2019
This was a beautifully imagined piece of ancient history. The characters were not
envisioned as neanderthals or savages, but they were treated carefully and crafted
lovingly. It was incredibly hard to put this book down once I started reading it.
envisioned as neanderthals or savages, but they were treated carefully and crafted
lovingly. It was incredibly hard to put this book down once I started reading it.
February 11, 2019
Glad I Hung In There
This book was hard for me in the beginning...as the character struggled and made poor choices. But I’m glad I hung in there. It ended wonderfully! Definitely worth the read!
This book was hard for me in the beginning...as the character struggled and made poor choices. But I’m glad I hung in there. It ended wonderfully! Definitely worth the read!
March 30, 2021
Beautifully written
The writer draws us into a story of selfish ambition that one can relate to. The picturesque beauty and the comparison of ugly or evil is a running thing but the redemptive power of God in the return of a lost one is my lesson
The writer draws us into a story of selfish ambition that one can relate to. The picturesque beauty and the comparison of ugly or evil is a running thing but the redemptive power of God in the return of a lost one is my lesson
November 29, 2018
Such interesting characters I really enjoyed this book so much and looking forward to reading more of Jeans work.
March 31, 2019
Life Beyond Eden
This book captured me and it could not put it down until it was finished. Adam and Eve's defendants trying to live outside the Garden of Eden.
en of
This book captured me and it could not put it down until it was finished. Adam and Eve's defendants trying to live outside the Garden of Eden.
en of
July 19, 2021
Could not put this book down!!
This book tells the story of two sisters married into the lineage of Cain. It tells of love and pain and God’s love and forgiveness for His children
This book tells the story of two sisters married into the lineage of Cain. It tells of love and pain and God’s love and forgiveness for His children
September 21, 2020
Inspiring
I loved everything about the book. I spoke and prayed to God so much through reading it. I saw humanities weaknesses and strength, hurts,pain and selfishness,acceptance and rejection forgiveness and love and much more.
I loved everything about the book. I spoke and prayed to God so much through reading it. I saw humanities weaknesses and strength, hurts,pain and selfishness,acceptance and rejection forgiveness and love and much more.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews