MY REVIEW:
As I began reading The Damascus Way, the third and final book in the Acts of Faith trilogy, I soon found myself immersed in the richly detailed account of life among followers of The Way during the turbulent era after the death of Christ. As I walked along beside these early believers in my imagination, I experienced both the hardships and the joys of their lives. There were brief encounters with disciples Phillip, Peter, and John as well as the tangible fear of Saul that the early followers lived with daily. I witnessed multiple miracles and experienced the joy of seeing both strangers and family members become fellow believers. I experienced and survived a violent dust storm and encountered bandits. And I was there when Saul had his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus.
Yes, The Damascus Way has been written so skillfully that the reader almost becomes a part of the story. Although many of the characters are fictional, everything about them and their lives is realistic and believable. Actual biblical events have been portrayed in a manner that remains close to actual scriptural accounts. Once again I have been challenged to look at my own life in contrast to those of the early believers. I am convinced that I would fall far short of their example.
As I have expressed in my reviews of the earlier books in this series, I believe that The Damascus Way would be an excellent resource in the study of early Christian history. I highly recommend all the books in the Acts of Faith trilogy.
This book was provided for review by Laura Christianson with Blogging Bistro, LLC.
Book Synopsis:
The Damascus Way, by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke
Book 3 in the Acts of Faith series
BethanyHouse Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0866-9
ISBN-10: 0-7642-0866-7
Young Julia has everything money can buy—except for acceptance by either Gentiles or Judeans in Tiberias. When she discovers the secret her beloved Greek father has kept all these years, she is devastated. Julia and her Hebrew mother are indeed less than second-class citizens. Her future is dark with clouds of uncertainty.
Jacob, Abigail’s brother, is now a young man attempting to find his own place among the community of believers. Does it mean trading away the exhilaration and adventure of his current profession as a caravan guard?
Hired by Julia’s father to protect a wealthy merchant’s caravans on the secretive “Frankincense Trail,” Jacob also reluctantly takes on the perilous responsibility of passing letters and messages between communities of believers now dispersed across the land. He is alarmed to discover that Julia, hardly more than a girl, is also a courier. Can their initial mistrust be put aside to accomplish their mission?
The Damascus Way is the finale to the best-selling Acts of Faith trilogy co-authored by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke.
Book 1 is The Centurion’s Wife
Book 2 is The Hidden Flame
About Davis Bunn:
Photo courtesy of Chris Kidler, Florida Today
Short bio:
Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write.
Extended bio:
“Wise teacher.”
“Gentleman Adventurer.”
“Consummate writer.”
“Renaissance Man.”
Reviewers, readers and friends use those phrases to describe Davis Bunn. An internationally-acclaimed author who has sold more than six million books in sixteen languages, Davis is equal parts writer, scholar, teacher, and sportsman.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Davis left for Europe at age twenty. There he first completed graduate studies in economics and finance, then began a business career that took him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Davis came to faith at age 28, while living in Germany and running an international business advisory group. He started writing two weeks later. Since that moment, writing has remained both a passion and a calling.
Davis wrote for nine years and completed seven books before his first was accepted for publication. During that time, he continued to work full-time in his business career, travelling to two and sometimes three countries every week. His first published book, The Presence, was released in 1990 and became a national bestseller.
Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include The Great Divide, Winner Take All, The Meeting Place, The Warning, The Book of Hours, and The Quilt.
A sought-after speaker in the art of writing, Davis serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.
The Christy Award
Best North American Historical fiction, 2000
Q & A with Davis Bunn
What inspired you to write Acts of Faith, a series of three books set in the earliest days of the church?
Janette Oke and I have wanted to do a Bible-based series for years. Then health issues forced her to retire, and it looked like we would never have that opportunity. Three years ago, she came out of retirement, specifically so that we might do this final trio of books together. It has been an answer to a prayer for us both. We have so enjoyed this project.
How do you come up with the trials a character will face in growing in their faith? Do you draw on your own experience or similar situations that maybe you or friends have been through?
Each book was based around a specific portion of the Gospels and the Book of Acts. In our initial discussions, we winnowed down the lessons we personally gained from the passages to one specific issue. One core component that we felt truly represented the eternal theme. A good novel can only have one such message. This is a crucial difference between fiction and non-fiction. Stories require a weaving together of theme and tale, and having more than one theme results in a weak structure. Distilling our personal lessons down to this lesson was a great learning process for us. It really brought us closer to each other, and to God.
Many – in fact, most – of the characters in the Acts of Faith series are not believers. Why did you focus the books on them?
Janette came up with this idea. We wanted to get away from an inspirational book where all the characters were either of faith or moving in this direction. Life then, and now, was very different for a lot of families, and we wanted to reflect that in our characters.
What is the biggest personal lesson you have learned from writing the Acts of Faith series?
The greatest lesson I personally have gained from this series is how our world is reshaped through the vision of Jesus. This is a truth revealed time and again through the Book of Acts. We hope this same truth will shine within our pages. Our hope is that each of these stories will ignite in the reader a new hunger to enrich themselves through the treasures found in the Book of Acts.
Our first book, The Centurion’s Wife, dealt with the forty days between the resurrection of Jesus and the arrival of Pentecost.
The key component of our second book in the series, The Hidden Flame, was what I called the passing of the torch. Jesus left, and his disciples took over. They moved from the position of followers to leaders. What an enormous challenge that must have been, and yet how similar it is to the challenge any leader faces today.
In The Damascus Way, the third book of our trilogy, we create a story based upon outreach. We look at what it means to engage in evangelism, and seek a clearer understanding of the challenges and mysteries faced by those earliest believers. And we seek to enrich the glorious moment when Saul, the early church’s greatest enemy, was called to faith by our Lord.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website, blog, and interactive discussion group are at www.davisbunn.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davis-Bunn-author/134762129885578
Twitter: @davisbunn – http://twitter.com/davisbunn
