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Shiloh Legacy #1-3
The Shiloh Legacy Complete Set
The Shiloh Legacy is a historical fiction series set in the United States between the WWI and WWII. The series follows a group of soldiers through the war and home as they seek to build their lives.
Shiloh Autumn, the novel is also related to these books.
Shiloh Autumn, the novel is also related to these books.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1993
About the author
Bodie Thoene
220 books1,405 followersBODIE AND BROCK THOENE (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 45 works of historical fiction. These best sellers have sold more than 10 million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards.
Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.
Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake Thoene, Luke Thoene, and Ellie—and five grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.
Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.
Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.
Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake Thoene, Luke Thoene, and Ellie—and five grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.
Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 21, 2008
Loved this series, maybe the most out of all! It's set in WWI in New York, in middle America, and it sets the stage for all the characters that you will grow to love in the three series (Shiloh Legacy, Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles). I have had friends who couldn't get into these books, but I have had others who love them. I love the way the Thoene's write and intertwine history into their fictional characters' stories.
September 9, 2026
Historical Christian fiction by the authors of the Zion series (4 stars)
Bodie and Brock Thoene have produced some of the finest Christian historical fiction, and the Shiloh Legacy trilogy is another excellent example. Consisting of In My Father's House, A Thousand Shall Fall, and Say to This Mountain, it is set in America from the aftermath of the First World War through the prosperity of the 1920s and into the Great Depression.
The three books follow four WWI comrades—Max Meyer, Ellis Warne, Birch Tucker, and Jefferson Canfield —and the families and friendships that grow out of their shared wartime experience as they return to an America that is very different from the one they left. They also find themselves facing the challenges of racial tensions, industrial conflict, the excesses of the Roaring Twenties, and eventually the Wall Street Crash and the economic devastation that follows.
The first book, In My Father's House, deals with the return of the four men from France and the racial, religious and cultural tensions of post-war America. Like most Thoene books, it took some effort to become immersed into the story, but soon became hard to put down. It showed real sensitivity towards an aspect of war that is often overlooked: the fears and anxieties of returning soldiers, and the challenges for their loved ones. Another important theme relates to racism and intolerance, as a result of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. The ending is tragic, and made me immediately want to continue with book 2.
The second book, A Thousand Shall Fall, jumps forward to 1929, focusing especially on Max, Birch, Trudy and David against the backdrop of the Wall Street Crash and the corruption surrounding it. The third book, Say to This Mountain, follows the characters into the Great Depression, bringing Max and David, the Tucker family, the Canfields and the Warne family together as they face poverty, tragedy and the need to trust God in circumstances they cannot control.
It’s a story filled with tremendous hardship and much pain, so if you are after a constant dose of feel-good endings, stay away. But it is filled with realism and gives a picture of the gritty context faced by the people of this era. I particularly enjoyed the way that the Thoenes weave a compelling narrative into the fabric of a very real historical backdrop. The events of history don’t just happen in the background, but have a real impact on the characters and their families. Particularly when the Depression arrives, the characters discover just how quickly financial security can disappear.
The cast of characters is one of the strengths of the series, and even though there are quite a few of them, they are interesting and well developed. The story also moves between people from very different backgrounds, which helps give a picture of American society at the time. I particularly appreciated how the racial injustice of the period is taken seriously. There are adult themes relating to intimacy in marriage, but these are handled tactfully and respectfully, and younger teen readers would just read over most of it without catching what is implied.
But the books aren't without their weaknesses. The Christian elements of the books are present, but largely function as part of the background. Most of the main characters are people of faith who trust in God, and their need to trust in God when things don’t work as they had hoped is often mentioned. But there is also a lot missing, because there is no real sense of a church community, or religious worship, and the message of the Bible is rarely mentioned as being what shapes their thinking and behaviour. In one instance a “vision” of one of the characters plays a role in events, promising an unlikely salvation that comes to pass, and book 3 begins with an old lady claiming to have a word from the Lord about disaster coming due to a particular moon. And while the story is an excellent one that is well told, it doesn’t reach the heights of the exciting narrative that I loved in the Zion Covenant series and Zion Chronicles series by the same authors.
There is also a fourth book, entitled Shiloh Autumn, which is essentially a continuation of the Shiloh story rather than part of the original trilogy. It follows Birch and Trudy Tucker and the Canfield family in Shiloh, Arkansas, in 1931, as the Great Depression finally reaches their farming community, and covers the collapse of the cotton market, and further economic hardship. The cover of the book says it is based on the lives of Bodie’s own grandparents, which lends an additional element of authenticity to the storyline. But it is also not as engaging a story as the main trilogy, and you won’t miss much if you stop reading with the main trilogy.
Overall I found the Shiloh Legacy trilogy along with Shiloh Autumn both entertaining and thought-provoking. There is plenty of drama, but there also serious interest in history, human relationships and the Christian life. I particularly liked the way the books show the effect of enormous historical events on ordinary people. War, racial conflict, economic hardship and social change aren't merely historical facts here—they affect families, marriages, friendships and individual lives. And while the characters experience plenty of tragedy and hardship, along with this there is courage, perseverance, and faith. While not as strong as some other series by the Thoenes, it is still worth reading, and stronger than most Christian historical fiction.
Bodie and Brock Thoene have produced some of the finest Christian historical fiction, and the Shiloh Legacy trilogy is another excellent example. Consisting of In My Father's House, A Thousand Shall Fall, and Say to This Mountain, it is set in America from the aftermath of the First World War through the prosperity of the 1920s and into the Great Depression.
The three books follow four WWI comrades—Max Meyer, Ellis Warne, Birch Tucker, and Jefferson Canfield —and the families and friendships that grow out of their shared wartime experience as they return to an America that is very different from the one they left. They also find themselves facing the challenges of racial tensions, industrial conflict, the excesses of the Roaring Twenties, and eventually the Wall Street Crash and the economic devastation that follows.
The first book, In My Father's House, deals with the return of the four men from France and the racial, religious and cultural tensions of post-war America. Like most Thoene books, it took some effort to become immersed into the story, but soon became hard to put down. It showed real sensitivity towards an aspect of war that is often overlooked: the fears and anxieties of returning soldiers, and the challenges for their loved ones. Another important theme relates to racism and intolerance, as a result of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. The ending is tragic, and made me immediately want to continue with book 2.
The second book, A Thousand Shall Fall, jumps forward to 1929, focusing especially on Max, Birch, Trudy and David against the backdrop of the Wall Street Crash and the corruption surrounding it. The third book, Say to This Mountain, follows the characters into the Great Depression, bringing Max and David, the Tucker family, the Canfields and the Warne family together as they face poverty, tragedy and the need to trust God in circumstances they cannot control.
It’s a story filled with tremendous hardship and much pain, so if you are after a constant dose of feel-good endings, stay away. But it is filled with realism and gives a picture of the gritty context faced by the people of this era. I particularly enjoyed the way that the Thoenes weave a compelling narrative into the fabric of a very real historical backdrop. The events of history don’t just happen in the background, but have a real impact on the characters and their families. Particularly when the Depression arrives, the characters discover just how quickly financial security can disappear.
The cast of characters is one of the strengths of the series, and even though there are quite a few of them, they are interesting and well developed. The story also moves between people from very different backgrounds, which helps give a picture of American society at the time. I particularly appreciated how the racial injustice of the period is taken seriously. There are adult themes relating to intimacy in marriage, but these are handled tactfully and respectfully, and younger teen readers would just read over most of it without catching what is implied.
But the books aren't without their weaknesses. The Christian elements of the books are present, but largely function as part of the background. Most of the main characters are people of faith who trust in God, and their need to trust in God when things don’t work as they had hoped is often mentioned. But there is also a lot missing, because there is no real sense of a church community, or religious worship, and the message of the Bible is rarely mentioned as being what shapes their thinking and behaviour. In one instance a “vision” of one of the characters plays a role in events, promising an unlikely salvation that comes to pass, and book 3 begins with an old lady claiming to have a word from the Lord about disaster coming due to a particular moon. And while the story is an excellent one that is well told, it doesn’t reach the heights of the exciting narrative that I loved in the Zion Covenant series and Zion Chronicles series by the same authors.
There is also a fourth book, entitled Shiloh Autumn, which is essentially a continuation of the Shiloh story rather than part of the original trilogy. It follows Birch and Trudy Tucker and the Canfield family in Shiloh, Arkansas, in 1931, as the Great Depression finally reaches their farming community, and covers the collapse of the cotton market, and further economic hardship. The cover of the book says it is based on the lives of Bodie’s own grandparents, which lends an additional element of authenticity to the storyline. But it is also not as engaging a story as the main trilogy, and you won’t miss much if you stop reading with the main trilogy.
Overall I found the Shiloh Legacy trilogy along with Shiloh Autumn both entertaining and thought-provoking. There is plenty of drama, but there also serious interest in history, human relationships and the Christian life. I particularly liked the way the books show the effect of enormous historical events on ordinary people. War, racial conflict, economic hardship and social change aren't merely historical facts here—they affect families, marriages, friendships and individual lives. And while the characters experience plenty of tragedy and hardship, along with this there is courage, perseverance, and faith. While not as strong as some other series by the Thoenes, it is still worth reading, and stronger than most Christian historical fiction.
June 14, 2024
Wonderful series. I read this 30+ years ago, and always wanted to find it again, but didn't remember the name of the books. I was so pleased to find it again. The 1st book focuses on the years after WW1. The 2nd book focuses on the late 1920's and ends with the Stock Market crash. The 3rd book takes place during the first few years of the Great Depression. The book I particularly remembered and wanted to find again is the 3rd book. This is because a good part of it takes place in Akron, Ohio, and centers around a tire manufacturing company. My family is from Akron, and my Grandfather was an accountant for Firestone from 1925 and onward. Every week, he said all the men were gathered together and layoffs were announced. He never got laid off. However, my mother's father was a home builder, and there were no homes being built. My mother, as a teenager, was the only member of her family of 8 who had a job. She worked at a lunch counter and supported her entire family. I grew up on tales of the depression. And I recognized many of the places they mentioned in the book -- like the Christmas decorated windows at Polsky's and O'Neill's department stores.
September 13, 2025
I have previously read this series and was so IMPRESSED that I tried to find the series as "audible books" on Amazon. To my disappointment, it was not offered as an AUDIBLE. The Shiloh Legacy Complete Set
March 5, 2008
These include grandparents of those you are introduced to in the Zion Series.
These cover WW1 (end of it) and back to the U.S to cover problems like racism, strikes in tire companies, stock market crash etc..Interesting.
These cover WW1 (end of it) and back to the U.S to cover problems like racism, strikes in tire companies, stock market crash etc..Interesting.
September 12, 2016
Although this book was very well done it left you without anything in the lives of the 4 main characters resolved. It's quite a long book and I don't enjoy not having any resolution even in a series. If not for that I would have rated it higher. I
April 24, 2008
Love these books! Follows the lives of several soldiers returning from WW1 and the new "war" they face with racism in America.
July 17, 2008
I loved them when I read them in high scool
August 19, 2008
This series is set in WWI and I liked them, but they were a disappointment after the other two series.
February 6, 2009
Also very good books by the Thoenes
February 26, 2014
Love this series. The emotional, heart wrenching story and dialogue drew me in and I had to have a tissue handy as I read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews