Tag: An Echo in the Darkness

What's a book you've read more than three times?

Bookish Question #326 | What’s a book you’ve read more than three times?

Does reading my own book count?

I read that so many times while I was writing and editing. I honestly can’t say how many times. I can say that I didn’t read the whole book each time—I read as much as I had written, and moved forward from there. I’m currently following a similar process for my second book.

If we exclude books I’ve written (or edited), then there are a few I can think of:

An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers is the second in The Mark of the Lion series, and my favourite. I’ve definitely read it more than either of the other two books in the series.

Secrets by Robyn Jones Gunn is the first book in her Glenbrooke series. I read and enjoyed all the books, but I think Secrets and Whispers were my favourite.

Love Finds a Home by Janette Oke is the final book in the Love Comes Softly series, because this was the book where Belinds and Drew finally (finally!) get their happy-ever-after.

And the Bible. I’ve read through the complete Bible several times as part of a Bible in a Year challenge, but I consciously selected a different version of the Bible each time. So is that one book or several?

What about you? What’s a book you’ve read more than three times?

What's the best Christian novel you have ever read?

Bookish Question #320 | What is the best Christian novel you have ever read?

I have read more Christian novels than I can count.

According to Goodreads, I’ve read over 1,500 in the last ten years (and that’s just a drop in the bucket of all the novels published in the last ten years).

Most of the novels I read are good. Many are excellent. Few last in my memory beyond me writing my book review. The ones I remember longer tend to be the ones that make it to my end-of-year “Best of …” list.

Despite the fact I write contemporary Christian romance, the novels I remember tend to be historical Christian fiction from authors like Elizabeth Camden, Gabrielle Meyer, Roseanna M White, and Francine Rivers.

On that basis, it’s perhaps no surprise for me to decide my favourite Christian novel is Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

Echo in the Darkness is the second book in her Mark of the Lion trilogy. In many trilogies, the middle book is the weakest (the “saggy middle” writers dread).

But it’s my favourite because it focusses on my two favourite characters in the series, Marcus and Hadassah, and their protracted romance. Marcus is a Roman and not a Christian, but journeys to Israel to discover more about Hadassah after he believes she has been killed in the arena. There he learns to forgive his sister (who he blames for Hadassah’s death) and find God’s forgiveness for himself. I love strong salvation stories, and Marcus’s journey to faith was compelling reading.

Equally compelling was Hadassah’s story back in Rome (and perhaps Ephesus. It’s been a while since I read it, so some of the details are hazy). She works with a healer and finds herself back in Marcus’s family home, caring for his mother.

Echo in the Darkness is, first and foremost, a Christian novel. It’s set in a fascinating period in history–the Roman empire shortly after the fall of Jerusalem–and it incorporates the history and customs of the day into a wonderful Christian romance with a good deal of light suspense.

The writing style might be a little dated, but there is a reason Echo in the Darkness (and many more of Francine Rivers’s books) have remained on bestseller lists for decades.

What about you? What is the best Christian novel you have ever read?

Do you have a favourite "I couldn't put this down" book?

Bookish Question #265 | Do you have a favourite “I couldn’t put this down” book?

Good question.

I don’t re-read books as often as I used to (back in the days before I had a Kindle, and relied on new stock arriving at my local bookstore or library). Now I always have an embarrassingly large number of unread books on my Kindle.

But if I think back to my pre-Kindle days and the book or books I used to read and re-read, then what book was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down?

The answer will be An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers.

It’s the middle book in her Mark of the Lion trilogy, which is probably the only trilogy I know where the middle book is my favorite. I think that’s because of the structure of the series : the first book (A Voice in the Wind) introduces several characters and ends on a less-than-happy note for one of those characters.

An Echo in the Darkness book picks up where A Voice in the Wind leaves off, and gives my favourite character the happy-ever-after she deserves.

The third book, As Sure as the Dawn, takes place in the same timeframe as An Echo in the Darkness, but follows a different set of characters. While I enjoyed their story, An Echo in the Darkness remains my favorite.

What about you? Do you have a favourite “I couldn’t put this down” book?

About The Mark of the Lion

Travel to first-century Rome in this classic series and discover what has inspired millions of readers worldwide. The three books in the Mark of the Lion series are packaged in a giftable boxed set.

A Voice in the Wind, the first book in the trilogy, introduces readers to Hadassah, a young Jewish girl captured and sold into slavery but still holding firm to her faith in God. Though torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, Hadassah becomes a shining beacon of light in the darkness and depravity around her.

In An Echo in the Darkness, Marcus, a wealthy Roman aristocrat touched by Hadassah’s sincere belief, begins to wonder if there’s more to this life. As he continues to search for meaning and faith, he is led by a whispering voice from the past that could set him free from the darkness of his soul.

The trilogy concludes with As Sure as the Dawn, which follows Atretes, the high chief of a Germanic tribe who fought as a gladiator and won his freedom. As Atretes sets out to return home with his infant son, only one thing stands in his way: Rizpah, a Christian widow who has cared for the baby since his birth.

What's your favorite classic Christian novel?

Bookish Question #150 | What’s your favorite classic Christian novel?

I’m never entirely sure what qualifies a novel to be called a classic.

It’s partly age—no one would argue that Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, or Dickens are anything but classic. But Christian fiction, as a genre, isn’t that old.

Yes, there are older novels written that are explicitly Christian e.g. the novels of George McDonald. There were novels written by Christians with Christian themes from authors such as CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. There were more overtly Christian novels from authors like Grace Livingston Hill or Taylor Caldwell, but they never caught my interest. There were no doubt others that haven’t stood the test of time.

So I guess that’s what makes a classic: a combination of time and popularity.

On that basis, my first favourite classic Christian novel was Christy by Catherine Marshall. It is considered one of the earliest success stories in modern Christian fiction, and it’s the inspiration for the annual Christy Awards, which celebrate the finest in Christian fiction.

My other old favourite is An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers. It’s the middle book in her Mark of the Lion series, and it’s always been my favourite of the three. In fact, I think it’s the only trilogy where the middle book is my favourite.

What about you? What’s your favourite classic Christian novel?