Fiction Friday: Of Fire and Lions

A tale that brings the Old Testament book of Daniel to life.

Ever wonder what it might’ve been like living back during the Babylonian empire? Wonder no longer. Mesu Andrews’s new novel, Of Fire and Lions, brings you right into the action. Here’s a blurb:

Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. During her many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, she pretended with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Now, as Daniel's wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she's safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear…until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar's palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall.

The Persian Army invades, and Bellili's tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone? 

Ultimately, Yahweh's sovereign hand guides Jerusalem's captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions.