Stories are deadlier than swords. Swords kill only those who stand before them, stories decide who will live and die in generations to come.Shlom'am, a young man from the tribe of Ephraim, has grown up in the shadow of several secrets. He wonders why his father is deathly afraid of the King's soldiers, and why his mother has lied to him about the identities of Stories are deadlier than swords.

1. Book Of Deadly Names As Revealed To King Solomon Pdf Reader 2017

Darkness Revealed (Guardians of Eternity, Book 4) Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence Prelims & Contents 0639 8/11/00 12:58 pm Page i PROCEEDINGS OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY 104 GREEK PERSONAL NAMES Their.

Swords kill only those who stand before them, stories decide who will live and die in generations to come.Shlom'am, a young man from the tribe of Ephraim, has grown up in the shadow of several secrets. He wonders why his father is deathly afraid of the King's soldiers, and why his mother has lied to him about the identities of those closest to him.

Knowing his parents won't divulge more than they have to, Shlom'am sets out on his own to unearth his mysterious past.At the height of his journey, Shlom'am encounters the Crazed Princess. Princess Michal, daughter of the ill-fated King Saul and discarded wife of the illustrious, dangerous King David, seems doomed by the annals of history; hellbent on seizing the throne, David wiped out her father's line and left her isolated.and plotting. Only Michal knows the shocking circumstances of Shlom'am's birth. Only she can set into motion his destiny to become Jerobaam, the fourth king of Israel.The Secret Book of Kings is a sweeping biblical epic filled with court intrigue, romance, and rebellion. It engages with the canonized stories of the Israel's foundation and turns them on their heads. Brandes, known for her profound familiarity with Jewish sources, uncovers vibrant, adversarial men and woman buried deep in the scriptures and asks the loaded question: to what extent can we really know our past when history is written by the victors?

I was a bit hesitant to read this since my knowledge of the Bible is not what it should be, but I decided to give it a go. Keeping track of the names and areas characters were from was a bit daunting, however, it took nothing away from the story. It was very interesting realizing how much 'stories' play a part in history. Altering our perception of how and why events occurred. These 'stories' are usually created by the victors to strengthen their images. This novel explained through very good I was a bit hesitant to read this since my knowledge of the Bible is not what it should be, but I decided to give it a go.

Keeping track of the names and areas characters were from was a bit daunting, however, it took nothing away from the story. It was very interesting realizing how much 'stories' play a part in history. Altering our perception of how and why events occurred.

These 'stories' are usually created by the victors to strengthen their images. This novel explained through very good storytelling the people and events of the time period. I think that this will appeal to fans of The Red Tent and The Dove Keepers. Many years passed before he realized his error and came to understand that stories are more powerful than truth.I loved the cover and the idea behind this book - the story of King Saul and King David from the Israelic viewpoint and not the Judean one as per our Bible. We all know that history is determined by the victors, as theirs are the narration that will be passed down to next generations. Unfortunately, I never connected with the story or the characters, which felt very one-dimensional. I thi Many years passed before he realized his error and came to understand that stories are more powerful than truth.I loved the cover and the idea behind this book - the story of King Saul and King David from the Israelic viewpoint and not the Judean one as per our Bible.

We all know that history is determined by the victors, as theirs are the narration that will be passed down to next generations. Unfortunately, I never connected with the story or the characters, which felt very one-dimensional. I think this may be because of the translation.The Story: In the tradition of The Red Tent comes the stories of the struggles of King David and King Saul in the early days of the Kingdom of Israel, seen through the eyes of Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s abandoned queen.

The Secret Book of Kings is one of the best books I've read in some time. This was honestly a bit surprising to me, as I'm normally more of a sword and sorcery fantasy reader and not much up on my historical fiction. However, I'm a sucker for a mysterious past and mad princesses, and I found myself drawn into the story almost against my will.This book was extraordinarily well written. The prose was beautiful, not falling into the choppy almost stream of consciousness that other first person poi The Secret Book of Kings is one of the best books I've read in some time.

This was honestly a bit surprising to me, as I'm normally more of a sword and sorcery fantasy reader and not much up on my historical fiction. However, I'm a sucker for a mysterious past and mad princesses, and I found myself drawn into the story almost against my will.This book was extraordinarily well written. The prose was beautiful, not falling into the choppy almost stream of consciousness that other first person point of view works seem to take. The characters were well developed, their flaws very real and understandable.There are things I didn't necessarily like about the book, but those were quickly swept away by the sheer magnitude of the storytelling.

I really love this book, and it will absolutely have a place of honor on my book shelf. If you like historical fiction, or tales of court intrigue, I highly recommend this book.I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. History is written from the perspective of the victors. This novel (which I learned about from Bonus 8 in Season 1 of the ) is written from the perspective of the conquered.

Raised in a family of Hassidic Rabbis in Israel, this author tells the story of Shelomoam and Michal, Saul's daughter. The first section was a bit of a struggle, but the last two were absorbing and fascinating. I believe this is the first novel of Brandes' to be translated to English, but I hope that it w History is written from the perspective of the victors. This novel (which I learned about from Bonus 8 in Season 1 of the ) is written from the perspective of the conquered. Raised in a family of Hassidic Rabbis in Israel, this author tells the story of Shelomoam and Michal, Saul's daughter.

The first section was a bit of a struggle, but the last two were absorbing and fascinating. I believe this is the first novel of Brandes' to be translated to English, but I hope that it won't be the last. “Melachim Gimmel” (Kings III) by Yochi Brandes is a biblical fiction book which, presumptuously enough, is a continuation of the biblical books of Kings I and Kings II.

While not her first novel, this is the first “biblical” novel the former ultra-orthodox author wrote.The book is divided into three parts:Part one is when we get introduced to a child named Shlom’am (peaceful people) and follow him from childhood to young adulthood.Part two follows Michal, King “Melachim Gim­mel” (Kings III) by Yochi Bran­des is a bib­li­cal fic­tion book which, pre­sump­tu­ously enough, is a con­tin­u­a­tion of the bib­li­cal books of Kings I and Kings II. While not her first novel, this is the first “bib­li­cal” novel the for­mer ultra-orthodox author wrote.The book is divided into three parts:Part one is when we get intro­duced to a child named Shlom’am (peace­ful peo­ple) and fol­low him from child­hood to young adulthood.Part two fol­lows Michal, King Saul’s daugh­ter and the wife of King David.

Michal is act­ing as if she is insane to fool every­one around her. She screams at night, lights thou­sands of can­dles all in order to hide the fact that she is in cahoots with Hadad the Edomite so she can restore the king­dom to the right­ful lin­eage of King Saul.Part three brings the book together when Shlom’am becomes King Yerov'am, fourth king of Israel, and ful­fils the prophecy of Elisha.“Melachim Gim­mel” (Kings III) by Yochi Bran­des is a fas­ci­nat­ing book which attempts to turn some of the bib­li­cal sto­ries on their heads and give the reader a new per­spec­tive. While some peo­ple find that offen­sive, I am not included in those and actu­ally find those type of books cap­ti­vat­ing.The book fol­lows the life of Yerov'am ( Jer­oboam — 'the peo­ple con­tend,' or, 'he pleads the people's cause'), son of Nebat, an Ephraimite, and of Zeruah, a widow and the fourth king of Israel. In the bible Jer­oboam is depicted as a hor­ri­ble leader, a man who com­mit­ted appalling acts in G-d’s eyes when he divided the king­dom. How­ever, the author depicts Jer­oboam as the “good guy”, an enlight­en­ing man who saved the king­dom from the clutches of King David.Ms. Bran­des depicts the women in this book as strong and assertive.

The women are the ones who pull the string in the monar­chy, some­times David and Jer­oboam, but I found it hilar­i­ous to read her descrip­tion of King Solomon, known for his wis­dom, but in this ver­sion is noth­ing but a mama’s boy who picks the ripe fruits his mother’s con­niv­ing has planted.As with most Jew­ish lit­er­a­ture, names play a huge role in this book. No name, even one invented by the author, is a whim – they are all mean­ing­ful and sig­nif­i­cant in their own way.What I absolutely loved about the book is that it empha­sizes the power of the writ­ten word. Bran­dis con­tin­u­ally main­tains, through her nar­ra­tive, that the pen is indeed might­ier than the sword. While the sword deter­mines life and death in the “now”, the pen deter­mines life and death for future gen­er­a­tions. The cul­ture that is fought upon will be won by sto­ries (the bible in this case) rather than the might of the king.For more reviews and bookish posts please visit.

See more of my book reviews on my blog,Two themes recur throughout The Secret Book Of Kings: 'Stories are deadlier than swords' and 'Our nation has a short memory'. Brandes' exploration of biblical history from the vanquished House's point of view cleverly illustrates both of these thought-provoking statements in the context of a gripping historical novel.

I can't say how many biblical conventions are upended, as claimed in the synopsis, because I only recognised two moments - See more of my book reviews on my blog,Two themes recur throughout The Secret Book Of Kings: 'Stories are deadlier than swords' and 'Our nation has a short memory'. Brandes' exploration of biblical history from the vanquished House's point of view cleverly illustrates both of these thought-provoking statements in the context of a gripping historical novel. I can't say how many biblical conventions are upended, as claimed in the synopsis, because I only recognised two moments - the David and Goliath encounter which is certainly upended here and, from Handel's Coronation Anthem, 'Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet' who 'an-oin-ted So-lo-mon Kiiiiing'.

(Love that music!) Readers familiar with the Bible and the early Kings of Israel will no doubt enjoy greater depth of meaning and narrative from already being familiar with characters and events. Personally I did struggle with keeping track of everyone in the extensive supporting cast, especially their tribes and ancestral lineage, but easily understood enough of this to enjoy Shelomoam's quest.Brandes covers decades of wars, secrets and political intrigues so there isn't much space for mundane details of how people lived. However I liked that her central characters, Shelomoam himself and King Saul's daughter, Princess Michal, are complex believable people.

They live in times of incredible social upheaval and I found their respective coping strategies fascinating. I was also surprised at the strength and influence of the female characters. Although at a disadvantage in the strongly patriarchal society, none of these women are giddily fainting wallflowers!I enjoyed reading The Secret Book Of Kings purely as a historical novel, but do feel that I have gained greater knowledge and understanding of this early period of biblical history - presumably from an upside-down point of view compared with tradition though!

Our view of the past is obviously always guided by the stories left behind and, until the present era, human nature generally means victor's tales are all that remains for future generations to mull over. It would be interesting to discover how people familiar with traditional interpretations view this novel. I was chosen by Netgalley to review the book “The Secret Book of Kings” by Yochi Brandes (translation by Yardenne Greenspan). Given that fact, it has not altered my opinion on the book at all.

The Secret Book of Kings scheduled release is August 23, 2016.This book is broken up into 3 sections, and each section opens thusly:1. The Soldier- “Mother took me to the lepers’ cave for the first time on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.”2. The Princess- “Still staring at me I was chosen by Netgalley to review the book “The Secret Book of Kings” by Yochi Brandes (translation by Yardenne Greenspan). Given that fact, it has not altered my opinion on the book at all. The Secret Book of Kings scheduled release is August 23, 2016.This book is broken up into 3 sections, and each section opens thusly:1. The Soldier- “Mother took me to the lepers’ cave for the first time on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.”2. The Princess- “Still staring at me with that same angry helplessness, my wild wolf.”3.

The King- “When I was a child I liked to embellish.”I guarantee you that each section is vastly different, however they all connect and form the main story line. We open with the main character Shelomoam, a boy of 8. Throughout the chapters we live in his life struggle of growing up, learning secrets, keeping his own secrets bottled up, and running away from his problems.

And like any kid, he thinks that spiting his family, and doing the exact opposite of their wishes will hurt them the most. The only thing Shelomoam cannot foretell is that his spitefulness will actually set him on the path that was originally meant to be his.For my full review, please visit.

This book was so much fun. While at times, the anachronism of independent women got to be a bit hard to take, the whole premise made it worth putting up with that. It's an alternative history as told by the tribes of Israel, as opposed to Judah, from whom most modern 'Jews' are descended. Reading how the stories we know had been changed to suit the political aims of the kings of Judah was so much fun and so fascinating to consider. I'd recommend this book to anyone familiar with the stories of S This book was so much fun.

While at times, the anachronism of independent women got to be a bit hard to take, the whole premise made it worth putting up with that. It's an alternative history as told by the tribes of Israel, as opposed to Judah, from whom most modern 'Jews' are descended. Reading how the stories we know had been changed to suit the political aims of the kings of Judah was so much fun and so fascinating to consider. I'd recommend this book to anyone familiar with the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon, and the rise of the united monarchy in Israel and its split after Solomon's death. It turns so much that we are familiar with on its head! What an incredible story to experience a side of Jewish history that traditional sources cryptically seem to gloss over (and now we might have a ln idea why!).Similar to a Gregory McGuire novel, like Wicked, we get to see inside the Jewish monarchy from the perspective of the 'bad guy,' in this case, the line of King Saul, which was stripped of the crown in favor of King David.Brandeis at times treads dangerously close to 'heresy' without ever really taking us there. Inst What an incredible story to experience a side of Jewish history that traditional sources cryptically seem to gloss over (and now we might have a ln idea why!).Similar to a Gregory McGuire novel, like Wicked, we get to see inside the Jewish monarchy from the perspective of the 'bad guy,' in this case, the line of King Saul, which was stripped of the crown in favor of King David.Brandeis at times treads dangerously close to 'heresy' without ever really taking us there.

I received an ARC of this book in a good reads giveaway. This was a wonderfully written piece of fiction about the descendants of Saul. I enjoyed the characters and the unraveling of the history of Shelomoam and finding out where he truly came from. My favorite part was when he met the mad Princess and she revealed the truth of his family to him. This book sucked me in from the beginning and I truly enjoyed it.

If anymore works by this author get translated into English I look forward to reading I received an ARC of this book in a good reads giveaway. This was a wonderfully written piece of fiction about the descendants of Saul. I enjoyed the characters and the unraveling of the history of Shelomoam and finding out where he truly came from. My favorite part was when he met the mad Princess and she revealed the truth of his family to him. This book sucked me in from the beginning and I truly enjoyed it. If anymore works by this author get translated into English I look forward to reading them. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and always find it fascinating when I know the history behind the story.

The Secret Book of Kings describes the story of a young man in ancient Israel who finds out that he's the great grandson of King Saul. Under the rule of King Solomon, that information is extremely dangerous, and with the help from his grandmother and her advisor he's set on the path to become King of Israel. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and always find it fascinating when I know the history behind the story. The Secret Book of Kings describes the story of a young man in ancient Israel who finds out that he's the great grandson of King Saul.

Under the rule of King Solomon, that information is extremely dangerous, and with the help from his grandmother and her advisor he's set on the path to become King of Israel.I went to a Christian high school so we had studied the Bible and some of the stories of David and Solomon in class. What I think that I found most interesting was how every story in the Bible, just like in history, is up to different interpretations based on who won.

Book Of Deadly Names As Revealed To King Solomon Pdf Reader 2017

It was interesting to read about how others viewed King David, King Solomon, and King Saul. I have to admit this book also made me want to break open the Bible again and refresh myself on some history!You don't have to know the whole history of the Israelites in order to enjoy this book though. The story eventually spells it all out for you. If you enjoy palace intrigue and a fight for power, definitely consider picking this book up. I wish I'd been able to read this book in the original Hebrew, as I am sure there are Biblical allusions I missed due to translation.

(I'm more likely to recognize them in Hebrew than in English.) The translation also feels awkward at times, changing tenses, and interfering a bit with smooth dialogue. That having been said, I found this to be a fascinating take on what happened during the reigns of King Saul, King David and King Solomon, and shortly afterward.

It might help that this particular I wish I'd been able to read this book in the original Hebrew, as I am sure there are Biblical allusions I missed due to translation. (I'm more likely to recognize them in Hebrew than in English.) The translation also feels awkward at times, changing tenses, and interfering a bit with smooth dialogue. That having been said, I found this to be a fascinating take on what happened during the reigns of King Saul, King David and King Solomon, and shortly afterward. It might help that this particular set of Biblical stories is of special interest to me, but I found the book to be a satisfying experience through that lens. I am less able to evaluate it from a plot and character perspective, as an independent narrative, as I was invested in seeing how it compared to the original Biblical story. Have you heard this story before? A young girl is engaged to a decent man, whom she even loves, but she turns her back on him to marry an incredibly magnetic but brutal man instead.

That's a romance novel. That's, which I have always loathed.

And that's what this novel makes of Michal, daughter of Saul, princess of Israel.How about this story? A young man is raised by common people and spends his time among wastrels and thieves, only to discover he is the rightful heir to t Have you heard this story before? A young girl is engaged to a decent man, whom she even loves, but she turns her back on him to marry an incredibly magnetic but brutal man instead. That's a romance novel. That's, which I have always loathed. And that's what this novel makes of Michal, daughter of Saul, princess of Israel.How about this story?

A young man is raised by common people and spends his time among wastrels and thieves, only to discover he is the rightful heir to the throne. That's a mash-up of most of the folk tales we've ever heard and Prince Hal in Shakespeare. It's also what this novel makes of Yerovam ben Nebat, the man who tore the northern ten tribes of Israel away from the descendants of King David.I admire the idea of this book: to retell the story of the Saul-David-Solomon cycle in the Hebrew Bible right down to the split between Israel and Judah, but from the point of view of the 'lost tribes,' and especially, of the women. But the execution makes a mockery of the fine idea. Besides the hackneyed plotlines which prompted my friend Ian to compare this to a YA novel, the writing is poor, and it's not just the translation, because Brandes apparently never heard of 'show, don't tell.' .Characters also change without adequate background or motivation, just because they have to in order to fit the plot.The author is very clever about including obscure bits of the biblical text that help the reimagined version make sense, but when she needs to depart from the text, she makes things up out of whole cloth.

If they contradict the text, it's because the Judean scribes falsified history-a convenient excuse.Besides the writing, the concept is anti-feminist. Despite making women central characters, Brandes repeats some of the worst canards about women.

One falsely accuses a man of rape, for political purposes. (I nearly didn't finish the book after that.) Another's voice says no, but her body says yes. How can anyone write such retrograde and dangerous stereotypes in the 21st century?The best thing about the book is the ending, with its vision of an alternative history in which religious pluralism and economic justice could be enacted three thousand years ago.

But that's exactly why the author has to end the book with Yerovam's coronation: because there's no way to imagine that actually came to pass, no matter how much the history is rewritten by the victors.I read this book as a companion to studying I and II Kings in the 929 Tanach B'Yachad program. (The Hebrew title of this novel translates to 'III Kings.' ) It did help bring some of the characters to life and reminded me of people I'd forgotten. Now, though, I want to go back and read what I'm told is a better book on the same theme,. This book is solid and is in the same genre as Diamont's The Red Tent.

The story, via narrative, of the palace intrigue of King Saul, David, Solomon, and Jeraboam. I would add that there is a biblical conspiracy twist to the whole narrative, with the author/scholar supposedly basing her assertions on midrashim, and hidden text. This book does not make David and Solomon look good, especially David. The jist is the Saul and his line were righteous and wronged by David and friends. I did finally le This book is solid and is in the same genre as Diamont's The Red Tent. The story, via narrative, of the palace intrigue of King Saul, David, Solomon, and Jeraboam.

I would add that there is a biblical conspiracy twist to the whole narrative, with the author/scholar supposedly basing her assertions on midrashim, and hidden text. This book does not make David and Solomon look good, especially David. The jist is the Saul and his line were righteous and wronged by David and friends. I did finally learn what the echoes from Mt Ebal to Mt Gerizim means. Having to do w Jeraboam's coronation. I do wish that the author had listed her sources so that we would know where her interpretation of the biblical narrative was based on scholarship, rabbinic text, or her own imagination. Yochi Brandes was born in Israel in 1959 to a family of Hassidic rabbis.

With degrees in both Biblical Studies and Judaic Studies, she has been a prominent and sought-after lecturer on the Bible and on Jewish cultural topics for many years.One of Israel's bestselling writers, she is the author of seven historical novels and two non-fiction books, all centered on Jewish ideas, history, Yochi Brandes was born in Israel in 1959 to a family of Hassidic rabbis. With degrees in both Biblical Studies and Judaic Studies, she has been a prominent and sought-after lecturer on the Bible and on Jewish cultural topics for many years.One of Israel's bestselling writers, she is the author of seven historical novels and two non-fiction books, all centered on Jewish ideas, history, and culture. She has been awarded the Book Publishers Association's Platinum Book Prize for all her novels, including The Secret Book of Kings.The Secret Book of Kings is her first novel to appear in English translation.(source: Amazon).