“May it be written that my woman loved me, my children admired me, and my enemy feared me.”
Exodus is the first book in Cliff Graham’s new series, Shadow of the Mountain, and tells the story of Caleb. In Exodus, we get a glimpse of Caleb as a young man and as a man that is in his twilight years where the strength he once knew has begun to diminish. In spite of the fact that the Bible doesn’t tell us very much about Caleb, Graham has crafted a fictionalized account of Caleb’s life as he gains notoriety in the ranks of the Egyptian army and watches as Yahweh smites Egypt with the ten plagues as recorded in the Biblical account.
Graham uses a combination of the third and first person point of views—the third person point of view for the current story and the first person for when Caleb tells of his experiences in Egypt. The author does a wonderful job of switching between the two without it being jarring in any way. Both storylines are as vividly compelling Graham’s Lion of War series.
Like Graham’s other novels, Exodus is full of supernatural events and lessons that readers can take to heart and dwell on even after turning the final page. This story is about finding strength and not succumbing to weariness or old age when there is still work to be done for the Lord. One of my favorite scenes in this book was when an elderly Caleb punishes his men for their lack of empathy towards a widow. For some reason, this scene was one that I really took to heart.
As usual with Graham’s stories, there are intense battle sequences and acts of violence that may disturb some people, as Graham does not shy away from depicting the true brutality of war and the time period. If you are one who gets queasy quite easily, then I suggest that you read this book with caution. Other than the violence, there is nothing else in this novel that one might consider to be offensive. Graham abstains from any portrayal of sex or foul language, and yet keeps his stories as entertaining and as compelling as any other epic out there.
I highly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to having the chance to read the next one as soon as it comes out.
Note: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
Evan W.S. Morgan 