Book Reviews (2)

The Journey of the Eldest Son

Written by J.G Fyson

A sequel to Three Brothers of Ur, The Journey of the Eldest Son follows the story of fourteen-year-old Shamashazir, who leaves his home in the city of Ur to travel with his cousin Serag.  Weighing heavily on Shamashazir’s conscience is the fact that his brother Haran had broken the sacred image of the family teraphim, and had then stuck it back together with porridge.  Shamashazir wondered what woes would befall his family.

But despite his troubles, Shamashazir is enjoying the journey, and all is going well.  Then one morning, disaster strikes when Shamashazir takes an early walk high in the cliffs by himself and disappears...

Thinking that his cousin is dead, Serag and his company continue on alone, Serag with a heart that is heavy not only for his cousin, but also because he does not know what Shamashazir’s father will do to him when he hears that his son is dead.  

But Shamashazir is not dead.  He was found by the tribe of Enoch, which had once been great, until most of them were killed in battle.  They taught him about the Great Spirit, who is more wonderful and more powerful than any other god.  Shamashazir soon became friends with these suspicious yet kind people, especially the animal-loving Sam, the hunter Eb and the Ishak* of the tribe, Enoch. However, he didn’t find it so easy to befriend the Ishak’s proud son, also named Enoch.  Enoch son of Enoch thought of Shamashazir as a heathen, and an enemy to the Great Spirit.  

But Shamashazir and the tribe of Enoch journey together, they begin to see more of the heart of the Great Spirit - his love and forgiveness, even towards the cursed tribe of Cain, the first murderer.   

My Thoughts:

The Journey of the Eldest Son was a very interesting and thought-provoking book.  Fyson has a gift for making history come alive - though the story was set around 4,000 years ago; somehow it feels like it could have happened yesterday.  A note at the end says that Shamashazir is actually the author’s name for Abraham.  The book is not based on real events, and some of it is a little sketchy as to biblical soundness, but overall I felt that Fyson has respect for God.

I give it four stars.

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*Chief