Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation

by Amy Mantravadi

Overview

The Church is fracturing, revolution is brewing, and society is changing rapidly. Three authors who shaped this new world with their pens—Martin Luther, Desiderius Erasmus, and Philipp Melanchthon—will now be shaped by it in turn. When the pope and King Henry VIII of England pressure Erasmus to take a public stand against Luther, both authors will be forced to wrestle with literal and figurative demons. Erasmus is haunted by his illegitimate birth. Luther struggles with the rejection of the Church and his own father. Melanchthon, Luther’s associate and a long-time admirer of Erasmus, is increasingly caught in the middle, forced to choose between two men he venerates or be torn asunder. The three men’s lives and fears are woven together as events spiral out of their collective control.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781962654777
Publisher:	1517 Publishing
Publication date:	11/26/2024
Series:	Reformation Novel Series
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Amy Mantravadi lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, Jai, and their son, Thomas. She holds a B.A. in biblical literature and political science from Taylor University and an M.A. in international security from King's College London. She is a 1517 contributor and author of the Chronicle of Maud series of historical novels. When she is not writing, she enjoys geeking out about history and theology, filling the internet with GIFs, and spending time with her family.
 

Editorial Reviews

"I cannot get over what Amy has pulled off in Broken Bonds. Historical fiction of the highest order, jammed with excitement and grit and detail, yet with a depth of theological understanding the genre almost never possesses. This helps tremendously given the period she's chosen to bring to life, The Protestant Reformation. Events and people I thought I knew well take on a whole new dimension and urgency in her hands. I was gripped from start to finish. A major achievement, and one that I hope finds a wide readership. Bravo!" - David Zahl, author of Low Anthropology

"This is a wonderful and weird book, which will delight and edify lovers of theology, history, and the history of theology. Broken Bonds is a thoroughly researched and exceptionally well written recreation of one of the church's pivotal dramas that does not shy away from exploring the humanity and complexity of its central characters. Broken Bonds is a compelling book that every reader will benefit from." - Matthew Lee Anderson, Asst. Professor, Baylor University Honors Program, author of Called into Questions

"Amy Mantravadi has taken one of the most consequential yet inaccessible controversies of the Reformation—over the freedom or bondage of the will—and rendered it in living color, three-dimensional depth, and an emotional charge that grabs you by the throat. Civilization and salvation are at stake, yet we experience the stakes through the intense, ever-shifting relationships between the three men at the center of the debate. An ambitious undertaking, deftly executed!" - Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, author of Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration and A-Tumblin' Down: A Novel

From the Publisher