- ASIN: B0BWPN5PYR
- Publication date: February 22, 2023
- Language: English
- Print length: 135 pages
- Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
The BookViral Review:
With his seemingly endless talent for absorbing storytelling regardless of time, place or culture, Neil Perry Gordon builds on his previous success with ‘THE NAZARITE-The Untold story of Samson and Delilah’. Breathing life into this miraculous and fantastical Biblical account, Gordon lends an air of believability to the astonishing events in the life and downfall of Samson the Nazarite.
Conveyed through the voices of Philistine scribe Mizar and Samson himself during the final five days of Samson’s life, the tale springs to life, as human longings, failings and idiosyncrasies which merely bubble under the surface of the Biblical writings in the book of Judges spring forth, giving depth to his authentically presented characters and making sense of their confessions and betrayals.
Weaving the past with the present, Gordon gently leads protagonist Mizar through a series of flashbacks as he finds himself irresistibly drawn by both Samson and his mistress, Delilah; their sensual declarations of desire and seduction culminating in his own hastily chosen actions as he is swept away by the intensity of their love story.
Evocative of the very basest of needs and desires within each one of us, ‘THE NAZARITE’ forces us to face the inevitable frailties of mankind, as each character faces their own test of loyalty and love. Turning up the sexual heat at all the right moments, Gordon holds his readers’ attention, creating a taste for forbidden fruit as he tantalisingly brings his characters close, and sometimes over, the edge. Displaying an excellent eye for structure, he brings his tale to an absorbing and tension-soaked finale as the events turn full circle to a surprising yet satisfying climax.
With the closing lesson that faithfulness does not necessarily mean perfection, Gordon brings his poignant authentically written novella to a close. But not without a final unexpected cliff-hanger…
Well-written and effortlessly readable, ‘THE NAZARITE-The Untold story of Samson and Delilah’ is unreservedly recommended.
