‘Prophecy Of The Heir’ Is A Daringly Imaginative Retelling Of The Bible
JC Lamont’s Prophecy of the Heir is an ambitious and daringly imaginative fantasy retelling the Bible’s history from the Creation of our universe to the birth of Christ Himself, as seen through the eyes of angels, both faithful and fallen. Her novel combines the spiritual warfare and intrigue of C. S. Lewis or Frank Peretti with heroic action and adventure pulled from the pages of the Bible itself, remaining faithful to the Biblical revelation of a young earth and special creation.
Lamont’s characters are engaging and believable. In this imaginative retelling of history according to the Bible, she reminds us that the Bible is a book of adventure and high drama. Prophecy of the Heir will make you look at the Scriptures anew through the eyes of warring angels [Malakim] and devils [Shaityrim]. Throughout the book, the archangel Michael struggles to believe that God’s love is behind His judgments upon the world and his beloved Amanah [Israel].
As a literary apologist, Lamont hopes her readers will find her book as much more than engaging fiction. As she stats in Appendix A of the book:
The intent of this novel… is to show the coincidences between the biblical account and the archaeological, historical, and scientific evidence are far too numerous to be discounted as myth by people of sound reasoning.
I was surprised to find that she sought to explain the existence of the demonic locusts of Revelation [termed Khimari in the book] and other beings in the Bible and that she provided a possible link between the Nephilim and giants such as Goliath of Gath, whom David slew. One of the most entertaining passages for me personally was a battle between Michael and a Satan-possessed Leviathan attempting to destroy Noah’s Ark! Readers should keep in mind that Lamont has created a fantasy-inspired Christian mythos; like all historical fiction, a certain amount of creative license is expected. The only theological concern I can see folks taking issue over is her assigning Michael the role of restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, a role commonly assigned to the Holy Spirit. This is a plot device that is certainly possible within the realms of allowable interpretation.
Some readers may find themselves a little confused at first by Lamont’s use of Hebrew and Greek forms of names. I admit that it reminded me a bit of Tolkein’s near-mythical use of language when I first read it. It certainly sets the tone early on. I also appreciated how she termed our universe “sub-natural” from the point of view of beings we view as supernatural. It is not a brisk read. It takes over 580 pages to convey the entire Old Testament from an angelic point of view. I can only promise you that it is well worth the read, and that Prophecy of the Heir does a great job of reminding us that the Bible is, as Lamont herself discovered, ”not merely a collection of moral stories, but an action-packed, battle-ridden love story.”
You can find out more about JC Lamont’s Chronicles of Time Trilogy at JCLamont.Blogspot.com. You can also buy it at Amazon.com.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
(Originally published at BookwyrmsLair.Wordpress.com.)