Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion Trilogy--A Review

One reviewer said Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy is her crown jewel of writing, and I have to agree. It doesn’t have as much press as Redeeming Love, but I like it better. The trilogy is historical fiction that takes place in Rome and Ephesus during the first century, and its main characters are Hadassah, a Jewish Christian who was in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Atretes, a German gladiator, and the Valerian family—Decimus, Phoebe, Marcus, and Julia—Hadassah’s masters following her capture and enslavement.

The first book, A Voice in the Wind introduces all the characters for the trilogy. Rivers not only describes the destruction of Jerusalem, but gives heart-rending detailed accounts through the eyes of friends and foes of this great city. Her characters are heroic and deeply flawed individuals who capture the heart from the first page. We see daily life in the Imperial Roman Empire through the eyes of people who are just like us. If you read this book, be sure to read the chapter at the end which introduces the second book, An Echo in the Darkness because this chapter is not in the second book and gives valuable information.

I bought the second book long before I finished the first, because I couldn’t put the first book down—did NOT want it to end. The second book was even better than the first. Grace, redeeming love, faithfulness, and forgiveness run through this book like a river, alongside betrayal, suffering, and death.

The third book, As Sure As the Dawn, follows the story of the German gladiator Atretes, a man who is enslaved to his own anger. If you buy these books, buy them all at once to save on shipping. Or do what I did and download them to a Kindle. You will not want to have to wait for the next book to come.

A couple of things really impressed me about these books aside from the story line. First is the parallel between first century Rome and modern day America. Considering how far apart we are in time and space, we are very similar. Rivers’ portrayal of Nero shows what a madman he really was, and we have connections with such people in our world. (Think Gaddafi—or Pelosi!) Secondly, Rivers’ gospel is true to the Word. Unlike the gospel we hear today which is all about us and how God can help us and give us a better life and fix our marriages and make us happy, Rivers’ gospel is an acknowledgement that our lives are not our own, and the call to Christ is a call to the cross, a call to death. If you purchase these books, be prepared to set aside your life for a while. You may have to turn off the TV.