I was a HUGE fan of the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series by the Thoenes, however after reading the first in this series, I am underwhelmed. This book has little of the suspense that so attracted me to the other series. It is also a painfully long read for it to only take place over 5 days. It is basically the long, drawn out saga of one small fight in Jerusalem after the British left. There simply isn't enough real content in this book. You could take out 75% of it and still get the gist.

I was a HUGE fan of the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series by the Thoenes, however after reading the first in this series, I am underwhelmed. This book has little of the suspense that so attracted me to the other series. It is also a painfully long read for it to only take place over 5 days. It is basically the long, drawn out saga of one small fight in Jerusalem after the British left. There simply isn't enough real content in this book. You could take out 75% of it and still get the gist.

This was a book that at first reading I kinda felt like it was going on and on and on... but then I realized that I was already half way through the book in a really short period of time. It is definitely not a book for those who are sensitive about war. But I do believe that it is a book for Christian, Jew, and Muslim alike. It shows the good and the bad in all. It's a good read and as an introduction to the Thoene's way of writing, a pull to read other novels as well.

I honestly didn't remember the characters, though I think I'm pretty sure I've read the other series. Still, the Thoenes pull off another exciting story. Part of my complaint about a lot of Christian books is that nothing happens. Not so with this book. From the first chapter to the last, Israel's experiencing some serious problems as an infant nation. There's appropriately placed humor and detailed descriptions pretty much everywhere. If you're not a Thoene fan, you might be after this one. (though reading the other series first might be good:-)

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN A TRILOGY. YOU WILL WANT ALL THREE. THE CHARACTERS ARE PEOPLE YOU WILL LOVE. YOU WILL LAUGH AND CRY WITH THEM. THE RESERCH FOR THIS BOOK IS THE GREATEST, YOU WILL LOVE THE HISTORY OF JERUSELEM. THE BOOKS WILL CARRY YOU THROUGH THE TRIALS OF THE BIRTH OF NATION OF ISAREL. READ THIS BOOK AND YOU WILL BE ORDERING THE OTHER TWO BEFORE YOU READ A THIRD OF IT!!!!
EMILY SIMPSON

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN A TRILOGY. YOU WILL WANT ALL THREE. THE CHARACTERS ARE PEOPLE YOU WILL LOVE. YOU WILL LAUGH AND CRY WITH THEM. THE RESERCH FOR THIS BOOK IS THE GREATEST, YOU WILL LOVE THE HISTORY OF JERUSELEM. THE BOOKS WILL CARRY YOU THROUGH THE TRIALS OF THE BIRTH OF NATION OF ISAREL. READ THIS BOOK AND YOU WILL BE ORDERING THE OTHER TWO BEFORE YOU READ A THIRD OF IT!!!!
EMILY SIMPSON

This is the first book in the Zion Legacy Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene. The first series dealt with events in Europe from 1938 until the beginning of World War II (ending with the Battle of Dunkirk). Then they jumped to two series (The Zion Chronicles Series and the Zion Covenant Series) dealing with the events leading up to the rebirth of the nation of Israel. This book, the first in this series deals with the events in and around Jerusalem starting on Friday, May 14 1948 and ends on Tuesday, May 18 1948. Such a short period of time but filled with so much history and action. The history is quite accurate, but the riveting development of the fictional characters make it difficult to separate history from fiction, and that is the wonderful result of this book and this series.

My wife and I started with their first series, The Zion Chronicles, and could not stop until we finished this series. The interesting characters, the non-stop action, the intrigue, the interaction with historical figures and events all make this a book and this a series I heartily recommend.

Please note that these books are written from a Christian-Jewish perspective. Having said that, if you are neither Christian not Jewish, I think you will gain an insight in how we look at the events surrounding the rebirth of the nation of Israel in the post WWII era.

Jerusalem Vigil may be technically well written but it becomes upon reading unhistorical fiction that unfortunately powerfully reinforces "evil Arab" stereotypes. The action and historical events, while very compelling, end up getting lost in sinister slurs and innuendo. The malevolent Arab enemy is a hook-nosed slaughterer of innocents. A Muslim child ends up "seeing the light", despite his implied evil Arab upbringing and environment, due to the kindness of his Jewish counterparts in the very end of the story. At a low point in the story, there is even an implied caring versus remote-idol difference drawn between the God of Israel and Allah! Perhaps since most of the audience will be Christian, they are treated in a positive light with the exception of one anti-Semitic monk who also ends up "seeing the light". An evil character or two is expected in any story about war but implying a totally evil culture and religion in the context of a purported historically accurate work renders this novel questionable in its motives and message. It is unfortunate that what could have been a great and admirable read about the compelling birth of a nation and the fears and hopes of the returning persecuted Jewish Diaspora is lost in one-sided negative stereotypes and prejudices.

After reading this book, I discovered that it was #1 in a series of 5 published by the Thoenes. I immediately purchased the other 4, took them with me on vacation and was fully immersed in the mutiple story lines. For someone who likes historical fiction, this series is an absolute must. The appreciation for diverse cultures is handled in a very respectful way. The timeframe is 1948 following the declaration of the independent state of Israel. The series not only tells about the strife around Jerusalem but relates Old and New Testament stories in an innovative way.