Biblical Historical Fiction

Two families' lives are turned upside down when a man from Nazareth enters the region along the Sea of Galilee, teaching, healing, and performing great miracles. The religious leadership is at odds with the stranger. Yet, even they will be confronted with having to decide whether he is who he claims to be. All of their decisions will be the difference between life and death.

While the Israelites struggle to occupy the Promised Land of God, Mahlah bat Zelophehad is orphaned and left to care for her four sisters. But daughters of the dead are unable to inherit land, and it will take a miracle for Mahlah to obtain the means to care for her sisters and uphold the vow she made to her dying mother. But, God is the protector of the orphan and the widow, and five orphaned daughters need his help. With God, anything is possible. Even changing man's tradition.

Can a family divided by a risen Messiah be put back together? After Jesus’ murder, Joseph’s family split. His mother remained with his brother’s followers despite a death sentence hanging over their heads. When his older brother claims to see Jesus alive, he wants them to stay in Jerusalem to join the disciples. Joseph wants the family to return to the safety of Nazareth. The problem is, he’s not the patriarch. Amidst the tide of division, one of his siblings goes missing.

Simon of Cyrene has long dreamed of celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. Yet the journey of a thousand miles seems impossible: Simon is crippled, and his beloved wife has been ravaged by a debilitating affliction. So when his sons arrange special passage to Jerusalem for Simon and his wife, the couple is overcome with joy and anticipation. It seems that an impossible dream is within reach...but their journey is fraught with unexpected perils, from deadly gales to dangerous thieves.

Jesus changed millions of lives; his was one of the first. After conflict and betrayal result in the arrest of Jesus, James is forced to turn his back on his brother. Sentenced to death by crucifixion, Jerusalem is painted with his brother’s blood. James’ mourning is met with fear when whispers of Jesus’ resurrection fill the streets. Obligated to take charge of a divided family, James must protect his siblings from blood-thirsty Rome and a pious council until they can flee the riotous city.

In ancient Palestine, three survivors struggle to find solace in a world of injustice and repression. Azara is studious and committed to her ideals. Jonah is pure and virtuous, but his heart has been darkened by the evils of man. And Vitus is a Roman soldier battling for order and progress. Separated by miles of dangerous lands, and decades of turbulent history, these three wandering souls set off on a journey beyond their imagination. Their travels will test their faith and culminate in an encounter with a rabbi from Galilee, who upends their lives with his revolutionary message.

Yosef struggles through his responsibilities as the surrogate father of the messiah, destined as he is to raise and train the single most influential person in human history. Dwelling with his wife and children in the quiet township of Natzeret, always beneath the shadow of the Roman Empire, at times beneath its hostility, Yosef does the very best that he can to guide his adopted prodigy of a son. No one else had ever been expected to function as the guardian of God during His incarnate adolescence. And Yosef never knew as much either.

In Rachel & Leah, Orson Scott Card paints vivid portraits of four celebrated women—Laban's daughters, Rachel and Leah; Bilhah, the orphaned servant; and Zilpah, an ambitious member of Laban's household. Into the desert camp comes Jacob, a handsome and charismatic kinsman who is clearly destined to be Rachel's husband. But that doesn't prevent the other woman from vying for his attention. Tracing their lives from childhood to maturity, Card shows how these women change in relationship to each other and how they are changed again by the holy books that Jacob brings with him.

A young, rightful queen returns from exile to her homeland. Her mission is to reclaim her country from the grip of an oppressive foreign occupation. To achieve her goal, she must find a king. Her quest leads to a charismatic and gifted man who possesses the ability to help her lead a nation to freedom. But the mission comes at a cost greater than anyone can predict, and the misunderstood legacy of their secret rebellion will endure for thousands of years. A failed political movement that gave birth to a new religion.

The insurrection having failed, Barabbas and his men find a cave in which to hide out. But Barabbas, unsatisfied, decides to try robbery. He enlists the help of the two beggars, and they set out to rob rich Benjamin. But Timotheus almost turns back, after seeing the Nazarene. Will he go on to aid in this crime? Will it be successful, or will this also result in disaster?

Step back into New Testament times - to Ancient Palestine at the time of Christ and of the historical Roman Empire, and ask: What could a cynical, non-conformist dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmith, and a musing mendicant all have in common? The answer: Down deep, they all seek something better. But will they find the true fulfillment they are seeking?