The Reluctant General by Herb Sennett Review

The Reluctant General by Herb Sennett
ISBN: 978-1490818078
Publisher: WestBow Press
Date of publish: January 2014
Pages: 250
S.R.P.: $19.95

Their world was falling apart. They had come to the land of the Canaanites to find a home where they could live in peace after years of slavery in Egypt. But, now the ancient Israelites faced opposition and persecution from a cruel and vicious king named Jabin and his cold-hearted commander of the army, Cisera. The persecution and hellacious taxation policies continued for over twenty years until a woman named Deborah and her reluctant hero led a rag-tag group of men to the rescue!

The story of Deborah and Barak from the biblical book of Judges describes amazing courage and fortitude beyond modern comprehension. In this modern retelling of the old story, Herb Sennett brings to life the people of 1150 BC in such a way that their hopes, dreams, struggles, pain, and suffering help us face our own problems in the light of God’s willingness to help his people whenever they are threatened with extinction. The Jewish people of that day knew little of warfare and tactics, but they were able to defeat the most powerful army of the day and then conquer the most heavily defended city in the area. This novel tells of their struggle to live free of oppression and fear through their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Book trailer:
http://youtu.be/RQZ33f0GCv4?list=UUmby-Ng-dOPFmkZSMJ-h7EA

About the author:
Herb Sennett has spent the last thirty years as a college professor (Palm Beach Atlantic College, Louisiana College, Southeastern University, and currently at Broward College and Palm Beach State College). He was trained in speech and drama education (B.S.E.) at Arkansas State University and holds master’s degrees in speech (M.A., University of Memphis) and theater (M.F.A., Florida Atlantic University) as well as a doctorate (Ph.D.) in theater awarded by the Louisiana State University. He also holds a masters degree (M.Div., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and a doctorate (D.Min., Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) in religious studies.

Herb has produced, directed, and/or written three dozen stage plays and eleven short films. He is the author of two books dealing with theater history. He served six years in the pastoral ministry and twenty-one years as a chaplain in the US Army Reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

In 2010, Herb decided to bring his years of research, training, and ingenuity to a new creative effort: writing novels that are historically accurate as well as compelling and exciting to read. Herb believes that some of the greatest stories ever written are to be found in the pages of The Holy Bible as well as in the myths of ancient Greece; and it is these stories he wishes to share in a new and exciting way for the modern world.

Herb writes, teaches, and lives in South Florida with his wife of more than forty-five years. They have two children and one grandson.

My Review:

This was a good retelling of a Biblical story that I knew. That gave them even more interest for me, because I remembered them. There were good visuals and I liked how the author was able to talk about faith. Faith is one of the hardest things about religion, because you have to believe in what you can not see or feel. the author proved that no matter what era, faith is still an issue. The book was also sad because it talked about war and death. This is also the background to other famous Bible stories. I liked the ending, and the author's afterthought. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review from the author through Bostick, however all opinions are my own.