FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bodie and Brock Thoene's superb storytelling comes alive in Jerusalem Vigil, a novel of the struggle for Jerusalem. It is May 14, 1948, in the world's holiest city: today the new State of Israel will be proclaimed and British troops will hand over the key to Zion Gate leaving behind hostile Jewish and Muslim forces poised for battle. Caught up in this historic moment are Moshe Sachar, an archaeology professor who is also a strategist; his pregnant wife, Rachel, who flees Tel Aviv for Jerusalem via a perilous route through the Christian Quarter; and Daoud and Gawan, two orphaned Arab boys who find a father with an unlikely surname. In this engrossing page-turner, the Thoenes combine historical authenticity, unforgettable characters, and gripping drama to create a saga about a fascinating period in world history.

One is watching history unfold when reading the Thoenes' work. (Houston Chronicle)

Author Bio: Bodie And Brock Thoene, are the authors of the bestselling series The Zion Chronicles, and The Zion Covenant. Together they have won eight Gold Medallion writing awards.

FROM THE CRITICS

New York Post

For fast-paced, often riveting action, the Thoenes come through with scenes of horror and fear that rival those of James Michener, master of the sweeping-novel genre."—March 26, 2000

John Mort - Booklist

The perennially popular Thoenes, long a fixture in Christian publishing, cross over to a mainstream commercial house with this compelling, Michener-like tale of Israel in 1948. As the British pull out and David Ben-Gurion consolidates power, Arab forces attempt to rout Jews from the Holy City, while the poorly armed, nascent Jewish army, composed of almost every nationality, schemes to break through Arab defenses and bring aid to their starving compatriots. Meanwhile, a great convoy, besieged at every turn by snipers and Egyptian jets, struggles to bring food and weapons from the coast. Though the Thoenes are highly partisan and their Israelis are all in varying degrees noble, they manage at least a credible job of portraying the various factions of Egyptians, Syrians, and Jordanians, even quoting from the Koran at times. They are the most adept in evoking the desperation of Jewish immigrants, vividly rendering the wartime sufferings of Poles, Germans, Italians, and English, the sum of which all but force Israel into existence. Lori and Jacob Kalner, who have been apart for most of their eight-year marriage because of Jacob's German internment, are representative. They have been ashore only a few hours when the Israeli army dragoons Jacob into the service and impresses Lori as a nurse. Though the Thoenes seldom can match the seamless, irresistible prose of Michener at his best, they have his ability to synthesize great dollops of history around appealing, though broadly drawn characters. They've turned in a rousing performance in this opener for the Zion Legacy series.

Publishers Weekly

In their first attempt at crossing over to mainstream audiences, these award-winning evangelical Christian novelists (the Zion Chronicles series) fashion a rather formulaic tale of bloody battle in which Jews and Christians of unsurpassed bravery and goodness fight evil Arab Muslims who oppose the nation of Israel and the internationalization of Jerusalem. The initial entry in a series, the novel chronicles five days in May 1948 and introduces dozens of characters who experience warfare at both a physical and spiritual level. Whether taking up arms or working as medics, members of the Jewish Diaspora and assorted Christians experience angelic protection, spiritual revelation and assurance that God has chosen them to fulfill the biblical prophecies quoted at length at the beginnings of several chapters. With the exception of two brothers, who are given full, complicated personalities, Arab Muslims are depicted as sadistic, demon-possessed Nazi prot g s who gleefully slaughter Jews, children, puppies and nuns. The Muslim troops brag about the holiness of their jihad and their courage in battle, but their actions expose them as cowardly, effeminate and completely at odds with the will of Allah as it is described in the novel's only quotation from the Koran. A few innocent Arab Muslim children and Arab-appeasing Jews and Christians complicate the plot. But even the most complexly developed characters are burdened with stiff, ungainly dialogue. The authors do deliver moments of genuine suspense and horror, but these scenes are often outweighed by tired action-film cliches and attempts at lighthearted esprit de corps that fall flat. Devotees of spiritual historical/adventure novels may find this worth the read, but those who seek fresh and nuanced fiction about this chapter in Middle East history may not anticipate the Zion Legacy's next four installments, due to be published at the rate of two per year. 12-city author tour. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

First came the "Zion Chronicles," then the "Zion Covenant" series. Now the Thoenes launch an explosive new series that begins with the creation of Israel's statehood in 1948. For five brutal days, Arabs and Jews fought to establish territorial lines following the British withdrawal from Jerusalem. Men, women, and children were slaughtered on the basis of where they lived, how they dressed, who they worshiped. As Moshe Sachar leads a band of Jewish freedom fighters into the deadly streets of Jeru-salem, his wife Rachel greets the first boatload of Jewish immigrants who've come to fight or die in their new homeland. This remarkable adventure based on historical fact is required for all collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/99.] Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

AudioFile - AudioFile Review

This novel focuses on the early days of the nation of Israel in the spring of 1948. It takes place primarily in Jerusalem as Muslims and Jews battle for control of the Holy City. The audio is strong, with music and a small number of sound effects heightening the mood. The reader is excellent, handling the assorted accents with skill. At times, a listener might swear two people are doing the reading instead of one. A weakness, though, is in the abridgment. The authors have used so many characters and scenes that following them in audio is difficult. And the abridgment has excised some of the linking material. So it can take a few sentences for a listener to figure out who's who and what's what. R.C.G. ￯﾿ﾽ AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine