Captives and Kings

This is a must read for those who love historical Christian fiction. The Parshalls are gifted in many ways and writing page turner books is one of their most outstanding talents. #1 and #2 are both excellent!

I stayed up way too late a few nights reading this book. Couldn't put it down! Surprise ending.

I was surprised that the description from the publisher didn't include the information that drew me to the book. The court plot alluded to is the plot to destroy King James and his court in Parliament. The story is about conspiracy against the Protestant king as much as it is about the relationship between brothers. It's about diabolical planning, murder, torture, heartache, injustice, adventure, and secrets. It's about political struggles, conspiracy, opposing religious forces, Bible translation, travel to the "New World", salvation, and true love. In short, it's about a whole lot more than the description would lead you to believe. That said, I really enjoyed this book. The point of view was mainly omniscient, which provided for a variety of perspectives you wouldn't get from a third person POV account. This entire novel held my attention. I really took an interest in the portion of the story where Phillip and his son Peter traveled to Jamestown with the original group as settlers. Peter met Pocohantas, though he didn't know her name at the time. There were skirmishes with the native peoples, a thwarted search for the lost settlers of the original Roanoke settlement, sickness, and other adventures. At first I didn't think I'd like that part of the story, but it turned out to be my favorite portion of the book, though I also enjoyed the rest of the novel. Captives and Kings was about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and about how the sin of one family member can impact the lives of so many innocent people. I had a hard time putting this book down. If you love historical fiction, this novel covers points of history rarely covered anywhere else in novel form.

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (4/07) "Captives and Kings" continues the Mackenzie family saga that started in "Crown of Fire." The year is 1605 and there's a plot afoot to kill King James of England. Ransom's sons, Andrew and Phillip, are now middle-aged with grown children and are living and working in London, Andrew as a middle-level associate to King James' religious council and Phillip working as a mapmaker with his son, Peter, now 20, working as an apprentice. As Peter's skills grew, Phillip began to leave more and more of the work in his hands while he went off on mysterious errands, not telling Peter where he went but sometimes returning home with large sums of money. The two brothers are estranged, not having spoken in several years, when Andrew hears rumors of a plot to assassinate King James I and the members of both houses of the Parliament by blowing up Westminster Palace at the opening session of the 1605 Parliament. As more details trickle in, inferences that a man named Mackenzie might be involved reach Andrew. When Andrew hears that gunpowder is to be used, he knows that Phillip, whether knowingly or not, could be involved, for Phillip was a master with explosives. When Andrew confronts Phillip, Phillip acknowledges that he had spoken to Guy Fawkes about where to find the best fuses in London, but swears he was told they were needed to remove stumps from Fawkes' estate. As more of the conspirators are brought in for questioning, Andrew convinces Phillip to leave England and set sail for the New World under a different name. To Peter's anguish, he finds that he must leave too or face death for treason. Now he has to leave his country and his new love, Rose Heatherton, forever. So Phillip and Peter set sail for the New World, Phillip with excitement, Peter with deep regret. The book gives you a behind-the-scenes look at historical events, such as the Gunpowder Plot and the writing of the King James Bible. I never really gave it much thought, but as I read, I could imagine the men sitting day after day, arguing some fine point of theology as they rewrote the Bible. And I was reminded of the fact that they wrote it all by hand and with no source of light except the sun and fire. Another thing that impressed me about "Captives and Kings" is that it doesn't sugarcoat life in those times. It was hard. People lost everything and were thrown out on the street. Parents lost far too many of their children to disease and accidents. The authors kill off leading characters because that happens in life. I enjoyed the book so much that I bought the first book in the series as soon as I finished this one. And as far as my history can remember, the events talked about happened just as they describe.

Janet and Craig have written another wonderful novel that conveys historical truth and biblical principles. If you love historial fiction, you will love this book. I have read all of their books and this one is especially impacting and well written. Get a copy...you'll enjoy it!