The End of the Magi
In Babylon in 537 BC, the prophet Daniel learns his people, the Hebrews, are finally being freed to return to their homeland in Israel. All of them are joyful about the trip home, but Daniel tells them he must remain. The Lord has given him power over the magi, who are the wise and learned administrators and advisors to the royal families of the East. And now he has been shown they have a task. They are to mark the calendar and await the certain coming of the Messiah and then to anoint him.
Over 500 years later, a Hebrew magus and many of his fellow advisors are murdered by the Parthian monarch they serve on orders of the king’s Roman concubine. But the Jewish magus has adopted a Persian boy as his foster-son and apprentice magus. Myrad escapes the wrath of the royal family and flees, hindered by the clubbed foot he’s had since birth. Thus begins a long and fascinating circular journey where Myrad miraculously encounters a merchant caravan filled with strange men and women who become his new family. He also meets other refugee magi, both good and evil and, to his delight, finds Hebrews among them. Through traveling all over the tumultuous lands of the Bible, the novel deftly immerses the reader into them. Myrad and his closest family and friends follow a star only they can see. Ultimately, they journey to Jerusalem to witness the crucifixion and resurrection of their Savior. At the conclusion all of the issues posed by the prophets over 500 years are answered in a satisfying and inspirational manner by the book’s author.
This is one of those novels that succeeds in delivering the sometimes dry and often confusing stories, people and lands of the New and Old Testaments to vibrant life. Parthian, Armenian, Sarmatian, and Hebrew characters join together memorably. Great historical and biblical fiction.
