The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards

Have you ever had a “feeling” about something, or known a secret that seems to just bubble up inside of you and take over every part of your life until you see it through? That’s the dilemma Enoch, from The Star ProphecyThe Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards, faces. He knows something with every fiber of his being and is compelled to do something almost everyone around him laughs at him for.

Enoch has heard the prophecies about the coming of the Savior, the signs surrounding His birth. But it’s not enough for Enoch to wait for the prophet’s words to be fulfilled when the Savior will come to visit the Nephites. Enoch is determined to return to Jerusalem to welcome the new born Jesus Christ himself. It’s his life’s dream and he will see it through even if it costs his life.

From the back cover:

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch's dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of his long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah. A few take Enoch seriously - the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and the prophet Nephi.

Five years before, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that "five years more cometh" and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great waters in search of his dream - to see the face of the Messiah.

What an amazing tale of faith and love for the Savior. Joining Enoch on his journey of faith was a beautiful experience. Though the ending was fairly obvious to me from the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading ride it took to get there. Oh, and I love the cover, too. Don't you?

Any whiny moments? A couple of places where I felt the story “jumped” ahead, rather than flowing through a smooth transition to the next scene. Not anything negative, just moments where I found my brain saying, “wait, I wasn’t done here yet,” or “what? Did I miss something?” I guess I just wanted a little more to the story.

Yes, The Star Prophecyhas a Christmas theme but it isn’t overwhelmingly or sappily (yes, I’ve decided that’s a word) so. It’s just a beautiful story that you’ll find appropriate for any Sunday afternoon, Christmas season or not. This is one that will appeal to young and old alike. Thanks, Joan Sowards, for bringing this tale to life.

The adventure begins with the blog tour
for
The Star
Prophecy by Joan Sowards

We will be giving away THREE copies of The Star
Prophecy.

It's easy to enter.
1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a comment letting us know why
you're excited to read The Star
Prophecy. Remember to include your email address.
2. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or
facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an
additional entry.

Good Luck! Entries close at midnight (MST) on January 28.


January 10
I Am A Reader, Not A
Writer

January 11
Totally Tina

January 12
Peggy Urry

January 13
Tangled Words and Dreams

January 14
Kaylee Baldwin

January 17
Of Writerly Things

January 18
Writers Mirror

January 19
Bonnie Gets a Say

January 20
The Blessing of Family
Life

January 21
Anna del C. Dye's Blog
Renee S. Clark

The Fourth Nephite by Jefferey S. Savage

We’ve all heard them: the arguments given from many different sources that try to discount or explain away the stories associated with the restoration of the gospel. But, what happens when those rationales and excuses are stemming from your own doubts and fears about your place in the gospel? It happens. Some are blessed with strong, unwavering faith. Some struggle to find a footing in life that makes them feel a part of any spiritual journey.

Where does it happen most? Probably among our teens and young adults. They are turning their whole lives upside down trying to figure out who they want to be and where they fit in the world around them. Entering this stage without a firmly planted testimony can lead to many questions and searches for answers. Some will look in the right places. Some will not. How do we help our youth find their place in Christ’s church, and more importantly how do we help them welcome Him into their hearts and lives? Jeffrey S. Savage seems to have found one way to offer a little support and encouragement in the form of The Fourth Nephite.

Kaleo Steele is just a typical struggling teen finding himself caught up in a life that threatens to carry him away and he’s not really sure that a bad thing. . . .until he gets caught by his seminary teacher. In an effort to cover up his mistakes, rather than any real sense of regret, Kaleo bargins with his teacher and gets sent on a special assignment to redeem himself. It’s a journey that requires Kaleo to decide if he is willing to stand as a witness to the truth of the gospel and the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith.

The Fourth Nephite is not heavily laden with scriptural insights and more “ites” to keep track of than you could manage to save your life. It’s simple, straight forward, and honest in its approach. For this I applaud Mr. Savage. His true intent was not to publish a work that celebrated his in-depth knowledge of the gospel; but rather, to reach out with his own beliefs and personal testimony that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God. It’s just right for his intended YA audience.

While most of the arguments given are ones that a seasoned member of the church would understand in their fullness, I can see the need to answer these types of questions for the younger member, new convert or hesitant investigator. I don’t think The Fourth Nephite would ever be souly responsible for someone’s conversion- and that’s as it should be- but it does offer a more personable view point that may make eternal concepts easier to grasp and take to heart. I think the most accepting audience, and those that it could have the greatest effect on, would be the young teens: ages 11-14-ish.

Okay, go ahead- ask me what I found to whine about this time. Just because I’m a little weird I seemed to be disoriented by the basic plot mechanisms. While I think the cover is beautifully done, between the name and the cover I would have had no idea what the book was actually about had I not flipped it over to the back copy. The cover shows a conglomerate of modern, early church and ancient American information. But I still had trouble getting my mind to resolve what kind of story I would actually find. It was a little disorienting to find my sense of time and place in the story. I kept expecting Kaleo to go visit and travel with the three Nephites in some way or another. That’s not the case. Using the three Nephites in both early church history and as a door to the past from our present world was a clever way to explore how one might go about experiencing history from a firsthand perspective but for some reason it still kept throwing me off.

Weird, huh? I have no excuses. I’m just a flake sometimes.

All in all though, The Fourth Nephite is a valuable piece of literature that I hope finds its way in to the hands of the Kaleos of this world. If you have young teens or pre-teens in your house this is a title that you might consider stuffing in a stocking or two. Thank you, Jeffery S. Savage for your sincere, sweet look into the life of the prophet Joseph Smith. It was refreshing.

Alma by H.B. Moore

Well, H.B. Moore has done it again. Personally, I’m very glad the wait is over. I loved the direction she took with Abinadi: it really made me think. But I’m relieved the wait is over to find out what happens next.

Okay, yeah, I know what happens next. But see, the scriptures don’t have Raquel and Maia in them. I missed the connection with the women Ms. Moore created to expand and personalize history. In my opinion Alma is another hit.

Just as a matter of coincidence I was reading the same chapters from the Book of Mormon while I read the fictional account of Alma. It made it kind of fun and added a new dimension. In the morning I’d read the scripture version. In the evening I’d read Ms. Moore’s version. As always, she did a great job of staying true to the scriptures while bringing them alive for my imagination.

I loved the way the events became more personal, more intimate to me through Alma. Nothing can compare to the word of the Lord for building a relationship with Him. But I do feel there is a place of gratitude and respect for those that can take the scriptures and help others [me] understand the emotion and difficulty behind the messages that Heavenly Father would have us learn from.

I have a greater understanding now of the suffering the believers faced, and a greater appreciation of the fact that no lines of black and white, good and evil, can be drawn by mere race alone.

Still, I have to admit I still don’t get the kidnapped Lamanite women. Ms. Moore did her best to help me understand and while I get it, I just don’t “get” it. That’s just me. I would have been right there with Maia thinking nothing in the world could be worse than having to marry a man who had so violently tried to capture my heart.

Whines and complaints? Um, I really don’t know. I seem to recall hitting a scene somewhere in the middle of the book that appeared to be abruptly cut short. But, when I went back to find it, I couldn’t. So I have no idea if it really was a little choppy or if I was just completely brain dead when I read it. I suspect the latter. Either way I doubt it’s enough to take away from the message the book and the scripture story carry.

Alma by H.B. Moore goes right next to Abinadi in a place of “hip-hip-horray!” honor on my bookshelf. She is a master of scripture based fiction and one to count on for an uplifting experience in imagination and faith. It’s a good thing she’s all ready working on Alma the Younger. I need to know how everything turns out. Well, I know, but. . . . you know what I mean.

The Forgotten Warrior by Kathi Oram Peterson

When I saw Kathi Oram Peterson’s new title: The Forgotten Warrior, I was pretty excited to see what it was like. The tale of the stripling warriors is on of my favorites and a classic standard for the youth. It's one you really want them to remember and understand because the world today can be just as brutal as those war years in the Book of Mormon. We want our children to understand the power that faith can have to protect them.

In The Forgotten Warrior, Syd, a modern teenage girl with a lot of worries and responsibilities weighing heavily on her shoulders is transported back to the time of the Helaman's Warriors. There was much to like about this story. I liked the fact that even though Syd had the emotions and thoughts of any teenage girl, she was far from incapable of handling the situation she found herself in. The author made it very clear that Syd was transported through time for the Lord's purposes, not just for a fun "magical" trip. Syd had a purpose to serve there and a few things to learn. What was her purpose? Well, it just so happens that Syd is a black-belt in karate and helps teach at her mother's dojo. Tada! After some initial distrust Syd is called by the prophet Helaman to prepare his son's for battle with her fighting style. Helaman feels that learning some of Syd's techniques will help give the Stripling Warriors an advantage they sorely need in their fight.

What does Syd need to learn? What it really means to have the heart of a Nephite. What the power of the Lord in our lives really is. Oh, and how to fall in love, too.

There were things about The Forgotten Warrior that I didn't like as well. There are snippets at the beginning of each chapter that are told from the perspective of one of the warriors. This was fine, except in my old age I had a difficult time reading the font that was chosen to distinguish between the two thought processes. Sadly, I ended up skipping many of these passages instead of taking the extra time to squint at it. When I did scan a few lines there seemed to be an added element of Book of Mormon history presented so I partly wish I could have taken in a bit more of it.

It also annoyed me that it took so long for anyone in Ancient America to first: notice Syd, and second: to figure out that the spy was a "she" instead of a "he". I get all the factors that the author put into place to compensate for that and the reasons why not everyone could find out her gender but it was still a little annoying to me personally.

Plus, I always wonder at these types of books when someone goes back in time and seems to carry such wonderful stores of knowledge around in their heads. As I've said before, I'm not the world's best Book of Mormon scholar and though this particular story is pretty well known I tend to get details muddled. Syd, on the other hand, always knew the next step in the war and what its outcome would be. I would not have been able to believe this except that the author let me know it was a portion of the Book of Mormon the teenager had to read and reread frequently for her mentally-challenged little sister.

These little nit-picks aside, The Forgotten Warrior has a lot of potential. It can be a great story for our young people, and big people too, to learn from but I'd have to recommend waiting a year or so before handing it off for someone to read. Why? I was really bummed by the ending. The Forgotten Warrior is obviously meant to be part of a series because the ending just leaves you hanging. I'm all for a good cliff hanger at the end of a book-- it always leaves me sniffing in disgust, but I get its value and use. The problem was there was almost no resolution at the end of The Forgotten Warrior. Aside from a little boy being rescued, every other story problem that had been set up was still just hanging there at the end. That felt very much like a betrayal of reader trust.

That being said, there are definitely things to be learned and inspiration to be had; the messages are still needed by our youth and Kathi is doing her best to get those messages out. She states, “The working theme of The Forgotten Warrior was that faith builds courage and courage builds faith. That faith you can help you learn to forgive. A bonus for me would be if my readers could come away learning more about the stripling warriors, about their strong loyalty to family, faith, and country and apply some of those character traits in their lives.”

To that end, she is currently doing two important things. If you watch her blog you can read her insights about the stripling warriors and how we can be more like them today. She is also currently holding a contest to encourage the youth to find stripling warrior role models among their friends. There is a form on her website that can be downloaded and filled out. People can nominate a youth between 8 and 18 (boy or girl) to be a Latter-day Stripling Warrior by listing a kind deed or deeds they have done. They fill in the nominee's name and address and mail it to Kathi. Every entry will receive a certificate that says "______ is a Latter-day Stripling Warrior". It will be signed by Kathi Oram Peterson and three of the heroes in The Forgotten Warrior. The overall winner receives a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com.

The Forgotten Warrior can also be ordered online at http://www.covenant-lds.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com, and http://www.deseretbook.com.

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Servant to a King by Sariah S. Wilson

Well, here we go. I’ve found a totally fun new LDS novel. Servant to a King by Sariah S. Wilson was just about the best book I’ve read in a while. I devoured it quickly and completely enjoyed the ride! It was fun, fast paced, and entertaining.

Do you remember the beginning of Ammon’s story with King Lamoni? That’s the part where Ammon is captured and vows to become King Lamoni’s servant despite the offer of marrying the king’s daughter instead? Very noble and righteous to be sure, but have you ever wondered what the daughter thought of this whole arrangement? I mean, really. What would you do if your father tried to hand you over to a complete stranger (and foreigner from enemy territory at that) and then you were rejected by that same strange? Ouch. Here’s where Sariah creates a totally lovable heroine for Ammon’s story, despite her sometimes too obvious boundary issues. Meet Isabel, who is the oldest daughter of King Lamoni. She also sees it as her personal mission to make Ammon’s life as miserable as possible—let the games begin!

You do get to experience the Book of Mormon culture and learn a little bit more about life for those we read about in the scriptures. That’s always a nice added benefit of well-done historical fiction. I totally loved that Isabel had worry dolls. I had a set of those things for years. They were awesome! There were a few times, however, where things of the ancient Lamanite world were explained more in 21^st century terms, rather than in terms of things Ammon could relate to. I took me momentarily out of the story but it was totally forgivable and I couldn’t help but jump right back in to the page after a very short, “huh?” moment every now and then.

My only other complaint about Servant to a King is the name. The cover gave me a hint that I could expect a fun book rather than a serious exploration of the scriptures. (Don’t get me wrong, the story is accurate and insightful it just entertains as much as it educates.) But the name did nothing to encourage me toward the book’s purchase. I could glance at the cover and say, “Okay, we’re probably talking Book of Mormon”. The back cover would help me get it a little bit more, but if I were faced with just the spine of the book the title would not have shouted out to me that this was a “must read”. It deserves more attention that the name suggested it might get on a bookshelf.

Do me a favor. If you’re wandering in a bookstore and notice this title peaking out of the stacks, take it out and turn it so everybody can see the cover as they walk by. Somebody with thank you for it, I’m sure. Oh, and if you haven’t read it yet yourself, you do have my permission to pick up the book and head straight to the cash register yourself. It’s definitely one you won’t regret spending the money on.

Though not her only published work, Servant to a King is the first novel I’ve read by Sariah Wilson. You can bet I’ll be watching her career with interest from now on. Super job, Sariah!

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Abinadi by H.B. Moore

I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a hard time relating to the story of Abinadi. It is very powerful and it holds some beautiful messages; but, I’m just no Abinadi, ya know?

While I love the power of the scriptures, I fully admit I wouldn’t make a very good ancient prophet, or prophet’s wife for that matter. I’d be far more likely to run and hide under my bed than become a martyr for the gospel. I think that’s part of the problem with Abinadi. The scriptural account, accompanied by the few popular artist depictions make him out to be someone that is miles beyond me in far too many ways. He feels like an old man making his last stand as he preaches before King Noah. You know, like the older gentlemen in your ward whose held every calling, and knows the gospel inside and out, and has more to say on any subject than you have ever even thought of—that type of guy.

The fact of the matter is that like so many things in the scriptures we miss a lot of the “back story”. When you look at the account of Abinadi, no where does it hint at that “wise old high priest” status. This is something that author H.B. Moore takes advantage of to tell a very different version of the story than the one I’d been seeing in my mind’s eye for so many years. I for one am extremely grateful that she did. In her latest novel, Abinadi, Ms. Moore takes a lot of “what ifs” and creates a life for the prophet that suddenly made him feel more real and complete for me.

While being fastidious with detail and spirit, H.B. Moore places an Abinadi before her readers who is young and happy. Abinadi is living a life full of hope and blessings. What if Abinadi was taking more chances than I naively assumed? What if, in order to preach the messages God put into his heart Abinadi had to kiss his wife and young child goodbye with a fairly certain understanding that his chances of seeing them again were slim? Nope, not me—see that reference to hiding under the bed.

Abinadi as told by H.B. Moore is an artfully crafted story of hope, faith, love, loss, and the gospel that would rival almost any situation that you and I could face in this day and age. It was so easy to see myself in Ms. Moore’s portrayal of the high priest Alma, and in many other characters. I could see for the first time how so many pieces could have come together to work the miracles Heavenly Father needed for His people during that time period. It made me examine my own life a little more closely. No, I’ll never measure up to Abinadi but maybe, just maybe, I could learn to be a little better than I am by paying attention to more than just the fact that Abinadi gave his life for the gospel.

Because I know how thoroughly the author researches her material, I read her descriptions and details with interest. The marriage ceremony was particularly fascinating to me. Plus, for those of us who’d like to know more about where her thoughts and ideas came from, the author provides a special set of notations in the back of the book. Under headings for the chapters, you will find some of the author’s notes and references that she used to reach her conclusions about settings, traditions, and more to help bring the scriptures to life for her reader. It’s a fun added bonus to go through and pick out these things and learn more about them, but not feel pressured to know more while you are immersed in the actual story.

Well, done Ms. Moore, for providing me with an engaging story that made the scriptures come alive in a way that kindly prodded me to keep praying and to look for sources of peace no matter what the world may throw my way.

Abinadi will become part of a new series for H.B. Moore, the next book feature Alma will be out in 2009.

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The Birthright and The Kings Heir by Loralee Evans

Last time we looked at one way historical fiction can be used to help us understand the Book of Mormon better by discussing the Out of Jerusalem series by H.B. Moore.

Is this the only way to express an understanding of the Book of Mormon? Absolutely not. Remember, Heavenly Father inspires His children to write and provide the avenues most needed by His children, and inspires His children to find those most appropriate for them. For me, what works best is a slightly different approach. Today, we’ll look at an example of this method by discussing The King’s Heir and The Birthright by Loralee Evans.

These two books employ a different method of helping us understand the material in the Book of Mormon. It takes the events and times and uses them as a background for an interwoven fictional tale. The main characters do not necessarily appear anywhere in the scriptures, or perhaps only hold a small mention. It’s an attempt to show the lives of everyday people, who would have been involved in the events, not necessarily center stage to them. These tales have a little more freedom than those that are trying to adhere to only those things recorded in the scriptures, such as the Out of Jerusalem series. This option is employed to give a different viewpoint altogether.

The Birthright tells the story of a Lamanite girl named Miriam and her Nephite friend Jacob as they experience and get caught up in the war chapters of the Book of Mormon contained in Alma. You get a rich view of everyday life, details about little things like how the people ate, slept and lived as well as a feel for what it would have been like to live as a part of these historical events. The King’s Heir, though published second, is actually a prequel to The Birthright. In it you get to back up and find out all the juicy details that lead up to a sweet girl with dark skin, bright blue eyes and a great capacity for love and goodness.

Loralee Evans proves herself to be a detailed but imaginative person, artfully weaving fiction and faith to create a captivating story that opens the reader’s eyes just a little bit more. True, it is a fictional story. Some things can only be assumed and hypothesized, but as far as we are currently able to understand things, these types of writers in general, and Loralee specifically, spend a great deal of time look at all those minute details and scholarly information. This allows them to paint a more personable image for those of us whose tiny minds never manage to absorb the information on how the Nephite’s would have planted and harvested their fields from an actual archeological study.

Just as with any other fiction book, if it is done well the reader is caught up and transported to the sights, sounds, and sensations of the time and place described in a more real and captivating way than most nonfiction books can manage.

I like this approach slightly better than the strict historical fiction accounts. It teases my mind a little bit more to call out what I know about the scripture accounts and keep it in context as another story plays out. It intrigues me a bit better because I don’t already know exactly how everything will turn out. ;)

As mentioned before, everyone does not learn in the same manner, take a moment to think about some of the experiences you’ve had in your own life that have made the scriptures really “pop” and come alive for you. If you feel like it, tell me about them.

No matter which route leads to better understanding for you personally, I for one count it a great blessing that Heavenly Father inspires, and continues to inspire, all kinds of artisans to open our minds, eyes, and hearts to the things of His gospel. I love the scriptures, but finding ways to expand my experience with them is a huge blessing for me.


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Out of Jerusalem series by H. B. Moore

What are the things that help you understand the Book of Mormon best? Of course, the best way is to immerse yourself in the words of the scriptures, then spend time in prayer, letting the words and the feelings flow over you until they become a part of your very being. Gradually, the language and messages become clearer, more personal, closer to hearing your Heavenly Father’s voice as if He were talking just to you. The wonderful part comes from knowing this is true.

There are other ways, as well. I think it is a huge blessing to realize how intimately Heavenly Father understands each of His children. He realizes that the methods that are easy for one are not necessarily the talents of others. He provides for every condition, talent and temperament of those who are truly trying to seek Him. Think for a moment about all the different experiences He provides, opening the door for the Spirit to touch our hearts in the most appropriate ways.

I am particularly grateful for books. I love everything about being part of the gospel. I cherish are the books written from a gospel perspective. Still, there is the part of me that freely admits that nonfiction is not always the best way for me to understand things. Ok, I know I write nonfiction, but it’s not always the way to my heart when I truly need to feel something. That’s the special place gospel based fiction has for me. Fiction or nonfiction, there is something for everyone.

There is a popular series out that you have probably heard of: Out of Jerusalem by H. B. Moore. If you’re yearning to feel closer to those early Book of Mormon heros, here is one place to look. I bow in reverence to Ms. Moore’s ability to stay so keenly close to the scriptures and the simple stories they tell, while expanding them with full, rich characters and settings that can help you feel what it must really have meant for Nephi to say, “I will go and do”.

The Out of Jerusalem series begins with the book Of Goodly Parents and takes the reader from the very beginning scenes of the Book of Mormon in a way that is very fulfilling. Not better than the scriptures, just different. Ms. Moore takes what we know and what we believe then colors in all the empty gaps between with vivid detail and human emotion. That’s what makes this series so popular. For many it is a blessing that can help them reach a goal of becoming closer to the gospel and understanding the scriptures.

It’s not the particular route I prefer, however. I love the poetry and fluidness with which H. B. Moore writes. She is an excellent storyteller that leaves readers much satisfied. Me, I have a different approach when I pick up her books. I become impatient following a storyline that I already know how it turns out. J Seems silly, I know. But when I read Out of Jerusalem, I’m looking for something else; I’m looking specifically at the colors and filled in gaps. I’m looking at the easy ways the writer places in a description of a well, or riding on a camel for days. I’m specifically looking for the things that couldn’t be included on the brass plates. I’m looking at the emotions and setting. I’m not disappointed. But I still find myself skipping pages when the story comes forward following exactly the original information available within the Book of Mormon. I know, it’s weird. H. B. Moore can be honored and credited for how strictly she portrays the true message of the scriptures, but I skip that part! I appreciate what she is able to accomplish in that area, but I keep her books on my shelves for the human experience they portray.

The Out of Jerusalem series is loved by so many, in fact, that the last book, Land of Inheritance, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Best Historical Fiction.

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