Do not start this series unless you intend to finish it. Do not read this book unless you want to be haunted by the characters for months to come. Francine Rivers’ A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion Series #1) is hauntingly written, with powerful archetypal characters that will linger in your subconscious. Once you come to know them they will surface in your thoughts repeatedly to remind you of important lessons in Christian character.
Powerfully written, this first in a series of three works of historical/biblical fiction transports us to a time shortly after Christ’s death. Hadassah is a young Hebraic Christian girl whose father knew Jesus during His time here on Earth. We first meet her during the fall of Jerusalem to the Roman armies. Losing her entire family during the siege and attack she finds herself taken hostage and eventually sold as a slave.
Throughout A Voice in the Wind we are able to watch Hadassah mature in her faith and come to trust in the Lord completely. The book chronicles the challenges she faces as she strives to love those she serves in a Christ-like way. The Roman family who owns her is immersed in the idolatry and widespread sin common in their society. Despite, and indeed because of this fact, Hadassah is driven to love them and serve them beyond her personal limits as she seeks to show them Christ’s love relationally.
Her mistress Julia embodies the self-centered and morally decaying Roman society. Through her example we come to see that all types of sin have been with us ever since the fall, including modern ‘hot spots’ such as abortion and homosexuality. At times one would think that the book was written in a modern setting due to the relevance of the issues dealt with throughout.
Julia’s older brother Marcus is a Roman playboy, disaffected and empty, seeking fulfillment in all the wrong places. His emptiness draws him to Hadassah when he begins to see Christ’s light shining within her. Rivers was a romance novelist prior to her conversion, and as Marcus is drawn to Hadassah we encounter some highly sensual scenes as he attempts to engage her physically. For those who prefer to avoid sensual, romantic novels, I can assure you that though Marcus is persistent Hadassah holds firm to her Christian values throughout. It is a delight to watch her placing God before anything else in her life, difficult though that may be.
Article comments
1 - PaKou Thao
I absolutely love this book. Read all three books more than twice now. It's paints the perfect images and pictures throughout the whole series, which make the series even worth reading because Francine is so good with describing the places and the people's charater, as wella s looks.
2 - Sarahy Alvarado
Mark of the Lion series are my favorite! I love to read and am also very picky about what I read. Every time I read them, I am taken back in time and eventually find myself shocked to see Im in the twenty-first century when I am done. I love Hadassah, Marcus and even his mother. They are beautiful people that we may see in today's society everyday.
3 - Chantal Willemburg
I'm reading this series for the second time and I cant get enough of it, it moves me so, this review is so good because it describes exactly the same feeling that I'm experiencing, where I think about Hadassah at my workplace or when I'm with family, I am moved to love God in a way that she loves God. An excellent read and a book I will recommend to all who wants to grow further in Christ.