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Jerusalem, A.D. 66 . . .
The City of God seethes with rage against imperial Rome . . . and, in an act of unspeakable brutality, Rome takes deadly retribution. War looms on the horizon—but one woman already knows the outcome. . . .
Transported from the far future, Rivka Meyers has made her home in Jerusalem with her husband and fellow time traveler, Ari Kazan. But in a turbulent age, Rivka's foreknowledge of history is a heavy responsibility. She knows Jerusalem will be destroyed—and that a prophet will warn the fledgling church to flee the city. Is Rivka herself that prophet? And if so, will the people heed her warning?
Rivka's fears deepen when Jewish zealots demand Ari's help to design weapons of war. Ari faces an impossible choice: join the 'men of violence' in their doomed cause, or leave the people defenseless against Nero's legions.
Desperate to know God's will, Ari and Rivka are about to face the cost of forgiveness . . . gain an unexpected ally . . . and learn the extraordinary power of sacrifice.
Retribution is a convincing page-turner, full of compelling, distinctly voiced characters. I devoured the book and wished it were longer.
—Kathy Tyers, author, Shivering World and the Firebird Trilogy
Rivka woke from a light sleep, her heart aching. The room was pitch black and smelled of incense and sweat and cheap wine. Like her apartment building back home in Berkeley.
A dull sigh caught in Rivka's throat. She was not in Berkeley. Not even in America. She was in Jerusalem, a city of shimmering white stone, simmering with rage. And she was in the biggest trouble of her life.
Beside her, Ari moaned quietly. Dear, sweet, opinionated, lovable, infuriating Ari Kazan. They had been married for five years, and she knew now why people said it was a mistake to marry an unbeliever. More accurately, a half-believer. Ari believed in God. He did not believe in Yeshua. Three days ago, that unbelief had saved his life.
Deep grief welled up in Rivka's heart. She felt so very grateful Ari had been saved. But not that way.
She could smell him in the deep darkness, the stale sweat rank on his naked body. Rivka touched a gentle finger to his jagged back. Thank God, Ari had survived the flogging. Blessed be HaShem, as they said here in Jerusalem, where they were too polite to say God's name, but they had no qualms about torturing in his name.
"Rivka, are you awake?" Ari's voice was a tight whisper.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"A little." Ari rolled to face her. His labored breathing rasped in Rivka's ear. "Please forgive me for bringing you to this city."
"There's nothing to forgive." Rivka clutched his hands to her chest. "It was my fault, not yours." She closed her eyes, too late to stop the hot tears.
Five years ago, thanks to a physics experiment gone horribly wrong, they had come through a wormhole and ended up trapped forever in a world they could never have imagined. First-century Jerusalem.
It was a world that treated women like children. Rivka had hated it at first. Slowly, slowly, she had gotten used to the men who would not deign to speak to a woman, the women who looked askance at her. But she would never feel at home in this world.
Unlike Rivka, Ari had quickly found a niche in this city of God. Trained as a physicist at the Hebrew University, MIT, and Princeton, Ari had floundered when he first came to this primitive culture. Then certain young men had found him a job with a builder, and before long, Ari's talents as an engineer had blossomed into a lucrative consulting career. Now he had a great many friends.
Plus one very powerful enemy. Hanan ben Hanan, leader of the great and powerful House of Hanan, a man with no conscience at all, a conservative who despised the unorthodox, the strange, the new. Most of all, Hanan hated a stranger named Ari the Kazan, a "magician" who knew deep secrets of the universe that were surely forbidden by HaShem.
A few months ago, Hanan ben Hanan had been appointed high priest. This past week, he had arrested fifteen men he hated and tried them in his kangaroo court. Thirteen of them were now dead - killed in a stoning pit in the Hinnom Valley. One, Brother Baruch, had escaped entirely. The fifteenth - Ari - had received a flogging intended to kill him.
A flogging that should have killed him. Ari would be dead now, except for a miracle. Wracked by fever and loss of blood, Ari had slipped into unconsciousness, had found himself before the Throne, had exchanged words with HaShem, and then ...
... and then had been sent back because of the intercession of Brother Baruch, a man gifted in healing. HaShem had sent Ari back, but he had asked Ari to do some great and mysterious task. Neither Rivka nor Ari had any idea what that task might be.
Rivka felt a spasm of rage rush through her body. She hated Hanan ben Hanan. The man was evil, pure evil. She would never breathe easily until she saw him dead.
Ari sighed deeply. "Your thoughts are dark."
"I'm scared." Rivka felt nausea well up in her throat. She'd been trying not to admit it to herself, but now she couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Please, don't be mad at me, but ... I think I might be pregnant again."
A sudden intake of breath. "Are you sure?"
"Not a hundred percent," Rivka said. "I was due to start my niddah uncleanness three days ago. Last time I was this late, I was pregnant with Rachel. We need to get out of this city - go somewhere safe."
"Perhaps a son this time." Ari's voice sounded thick, husky. Thrilled. "Rachel has been asking for a brother."
"You're not angry?" Rivka couldn't believe he was taking this so calmly. She was furious with herself. They did not dare get pregnant at a time like this. She would love to have another child - but at the right time. Not now.
"It is a gift from HaShem." Ari pulled Rivka's hands to his lips and kissed them.
"Are you crazy?" Rivka felt so relieved, she wanted to cry. Ari wasn't angry. But he would be if he understood. "This is the worst possible time to get pregnant."
"My grandfather's sister became pregnant four months before they put her on the train to Auschwitz. She went straight to the showers. Please, you will remember that there is always a worse thing than what you are enduring."
Rivka knew all that, but Ari was wrong. In Berkeley, she had specialized in the history of this time period, and she knew that a thing worse than Auschwitz was coming to this city. "Listen, we have less than four years until the war begins. Eight years from now, the Romans are going to slaughter everybody in this city. Everybody. I want you to take me away from here. Now."
"And will we abandon our friends to die?"
Panic shoved a dagger into Rivka's heart. "If they won't come with us."
"We must persuade them." Ari's voice was infuriatingly calm. "You will tell them what is to come."
"Ari, nobody believes a word I say, remember? They call me the witch woman." And I am a witch woman. Everytime I turn around, I'm using my knowledge to manipulate people. I'm a scheming, deceitful -
"Our friends will believe you now." Ari's voice sounded tired and sad. "You foretold what would befall at the hands of Hanan ben Hanan, and none believed you. Now thirteen good men are dead."
"Will you talk to Shimon for me?" Rivka knew no man would listen to her, but they would listen to Ari, because he was a man. It wasn't fair, but she couldn't fight the system anymore.
"Which Shimon should I speak to?"
"Sorry, I guess I haven't told you about that yet. Shimon ben Klopas will be our new leader. According to Eusebius, he'll lead our people to safety."
"When?" Ari's voice sounded tight.
"I don't know. I'm assuming we'll leave before the war. For sure before the Romans destroy the city. You'll talk to Shimon?"
A long pause. "Yes, I will speak with Shimon, but I must know what to tell him."
"I'll try to figure it out, but ..." Rivka felt her throat tighten. She could not imagine giving birth to another child in this wretched city of God. "Ari, if I'm really pregnant, then I want you to take me somewhere safe right away."
"I will pray on the matter."
Rivka had never heard Ari say he would pray about anything before. It caught her like a slap, because ... she hadn't prayed about it. What was there to pray about? Of course God wanted them to get away from here. It said so in the Bible. Yeshua said to leave.
"You will pray on the matter also, Rivkaleh?"
Rivka held her breath for a long moment. "Yes."
"Then sleep." Ari kissed her fingers again. "All is in the hands of HaShem."
Which was exactly what Rivka was afraid of.
Rivka, wake up! There is trouble."
Rivka forced her eyes open. Her best friend Hana knelt over her, holding an olive-oil lamp, her face tight with anxiety.
Hana handed Rivka a tunic and cloak. "Please, you must come. Do not wake Ari the Kazan."
Rivka felt her heart thumping against her ribs. She pulled on her tunic and slid out onto the cold stone floor. Hana flung the cloak around her. Rivka stepped into her stiff camel-leather sandals, wrapped her hair in a head-covering, and followed Hana out into the corridor.
Surprise sparked through her. Where was Hana's husband? If there was trouble, they would need him. "Where's Baruch?" Rivka whispered.
"Hurry!" Hana pattered down the hall.
Rivka hurried. She reckoned it was still an hour before dawn. Every few feet, olive-oil lamps flickered in small insets in the stone walls. Rich tapestries of silk hung on the walls. The floor was inlaid with polished marble. The owner of this compound was an extremely wealthy man named Mattityahu, one of the most powerful men in Jerusalem. He had sworn to protect them all. Rivka was not sure he could keep his oath.
They reached the door and went out into the early morning chill. Rivka snugged her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Hana led her across the large courtyard toward the outer gate of the palace. Outside the iron gate stood two dozen men in the linen garb of Temple guards. In their center, Rivka spotted a sixtyish-looking man in aristocrat's clothing. Hanan ben Hanan, the high priest. Her heart skipped a beat.
Hanan ben Hanan was the reason they had taken refuge here. Now he must have come for Ari. Rivka would scratch his eyes out first.
Hanan ben Hanan took absolutely no notice of Rivka or Hana. In this city, women were of no consequence. Empty heads, vessels for bearing children, property to be hidden from the eyes of other men. A man of honor did not speak to a woman. Rivka bit her lip to keep from shrieking at the stupidity of a culture that made so much of wretched honor.
Flickering shadows sprang out in front of her. Rivka turned and saw several torches hurrying toward her from the palace. Shapes behind them. Men. Ari's friend, Yoseph. Yoseph's father, Mattityahu, the master of this palace. Several other men followed them, and in their center was ...
Hana's husband, Baruch.
Rivka's heart lurched. Suddenly, it was all clear. Her breath began coming in short gasps, and her head felt strangely light. Rivka stumbled over to Hana and put her hand around her shoulders. "Hana, they're not going to -"
"Why have you disturbed my gate, Hanan ben Hanan?" The old man, Mattityahu, stopped just inside the iron gate and put his hands on his hips, his gray beard quivering with anger. "I have sworn protection to these. What is the meaning of this?"
Hanan ben Hanan stepped forward, and the bitter gleam in his eyes frightened Rivka. He gave Mattityahu a cold smile. "You have sworn protection to certain women and children and to Kazan, is this correct?"
"You know it is," Mattityahu said. "I have sworn by the Temple of the living God. Leave now. I will not violate my oath."
"I do not ask for those under your protection." Hanan turned and pointed his finger at Baruch. "You are harboring this man who stands under sentence of death. I know with certainty that you have not sworn to protect him. He entered your palace yesterday, not at your invitation, and not under promise of protection. He stands under the curse of the court, and you will give him to me now."
Mattityahu said nothing. In that moment, Rivka saw that Baruch was lost. Everything Hanan ben Hanan had said was true.
"Baruch!" Hana screamed and ran to clutch him.
Baruch's face was calm, placid. He threw his arms around her. "Hanaleh, Hanaleh." He stroked her head softly and held her for a long moment. "Kiss my son Dov for me."
"No!" Hana shrieked. "Take me instead!" She flung herself at the iron gate. "Take me and leave him alone!"
Baruch signaled to Rivka. "Please, you will give comfort to her."
Feeling sick with rage, Rivka hurried to Hana's side.
Hana screamed a long wail of despair.
Baruch put his hands on Hana and calm seemed to flow from his fingers. Hana stopped screaming. Her frame shook with silent sobs.
Baruch turned to Rivka. "Please, you and Brother Ari will take care of Hana and my son."
Rivka stared at him and she read in his eyes that he had seen this coming, had known all along when he came back into the city to heal Ari that he would die. And yet he had come. To save Ari.
Hanan ben Hanan spit at her feet. "Mattityahu, you will give me the man called Baruch now."
Cold fury stuck a sword through Rivka's heart. Boldness welled up inside her. She jabbed a finger at Hanan ben Hanan. "You ... you son of Satan! Hear now the curse of the seer woman. Before the third month of your high priesthood, you will be deposed. Before seven years have passed, you will see the destruction of all you hold dear, and you will die in your own house at the hand of an Edomite!" Rivka put her face up to the bars in the gate and spat in Hanan's beard. "I am unclean with niddah uncleanness, and now you also are unclean until evening!"
Black rage slashed across Hanan's face.
For an instant, Rivka felt certain he would slip a dagger through the bars into her heart. Instead he spun away and stalked into the blackness of the night.
Rivka sagged against the iron gate. What had she done? Cursing the high priest - that was foolishness.
Hana put a quivering hand on Rivka's cheek. "You were very brave."
Rivka heard whispering behind her, and it was clear that the men thought she had acted foolishly. One did not antagonize Hanan ben Hanan. Shame pierced her heart. She had done it again - used her knowledge of the future to manipulate people. That was wrong, but what else could she have done? Hanan ben Hanan was an evil man, a murderer. Had she done nothing, he would have killed Baruch tonight - right now.
"Sister Rivka." Baruch's voice, very strong, unafraid. He was looking directly at her, contrary to the customs of this city. Baruch put a hand on her arm.
Rivka felt a little shiver run through her. In this society, a man did not look a woman in the eye, nor talk to her in public, not even to his wife. Certainly, a man would never touch another man's wife in public. Rivka could not remember Baruch ever doing any of these things, though he often spoke to her in private, knowing that the customs were different in the far country from which she came. But to touch her now in public? That was dishonor. Furthermore, she had said she was unclean. Therefore, Baruch had now made himself unclean. What could have got into him? Baruch had always been a man of honor.
Baruch took both of Rivka's hands in his and knelt before her. "I have spent much time in prayer since Brother Yaakov was murdered, and HaShem has told me that I must ask a thing of you."
Rivka felt her ears glowing as hot as the torches in the hands of the men around her. She risked a look at them. They were all staring at Baruch as if he had a demon.
"Please, my sister ..." Baruch began weeping. "I ask your forgiveness for treating you as the men of this world treat women, as less than a child. I beg your forgiveness."
Rivka felt a rush of heat in her frozen heart.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Retribution by Randall Ingermanson Copyright © 2004 by Zondervan. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Retribution Copyright 2004 by Randall Ingermanson Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ingermanson, Randall Scott Retribution / Randall Ingermanson. p. cm.—(The City of God series) ISBN 0-310-24707-1 1. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30—600—Fiction. 2. Jews— History—Rebellion, 66—73—Fiction. 3. Palestine—History—To 70 A.D.—Fiction. 4. Rome—History—Nero, 54—68—Fiction. 5. Americans—Jerusalem—Fiction. 6. Jewish Christians—Fiction. 7. Time travel—Fiction. 8. Jerusalem—Fiction. I. Title. PS3609.N46R48 2004 813'.6—dc22 2004005344
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
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Interior design by Nancy Wilson Maps: Jane Haradine Printed in the United States of America
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /.DC/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Rivka Rivka woke from a light sleep, her heart aching. The room was pitch black and smelled of incense and sweat and cheap wine. Like her apartment building back home in Berkeley.
A dull sigh caught in Rivka's throat. She was not in Berkeley. Not even in America. She was in Jerusalem, a city of shimmering white stone, simmering with rage. And she was in the biggest trouble of her life.
Beside her, Ari moaned quietly. Dear, sweet, opinionated, lovable, infuriating Ari Kazan. They had been married for five years, and she knew now why people said it was a mistake to marry an unbeliever. More accurately, a half-believer. Ari believed in God. He did not believe in Yeshua. Three days ago, that unbelief had saved his life.
Deep grief welled up in Rivka's heart. She felt so very grateful Ari had been saved. But not that way.
She could smell him in the deep darkness, the stale sweat rank on his naked body. Rivka touched a gentle finger to his jagged back. Thank God, Ari had survived the flogging. Blessed be HaShem, as they said here in Jerusalem, where they were too polite to say God's name, but they had no qualms about torturing in his name.
'Rivka, are you awake?' Ari's voice was a tight whisper.
'I'm sorry, did I hurt you?'
'A little.' Ari rolled to face her. His labored breathing rasped in Rivka's ear. 'Please forgive me for bringing you to this city.'
'There's nothing to forgive.' Rivka clutched his hands to her chest. 'It was my fault, not yours.' She closed her eyes, too late to stop the hot tears.
Five years ago, thanks to a physics experiment gone horribly wrong, they had come through a wormhole and ended up trapped forever in a world they could never have imagined. First-century Jerusalem.
It was a world that treated women like children. Rivka had hated it at first. Slowly, slowly, she had gotten used to the men who would not deign to speak to a woman, the women who looked askance at her. But she would never feel at home in this world.
Unlike Rivka, Ari had quickly found a niche in this city of God. Trained as a physicist at the Hebrew University, MIT, and Princeton, Ari had floundered when he first came to this primitive culture. Then certain young men had found him a job with a builder, and before long, Ari's talents as an engineer had blossomed into a lucrative consulting career. Now he had a great many friends.
Plus one very powerful enemy. Hanan ben Hanan, leader of the great and powerful House of Hanan, a man with no conscience at all, a conservative who despised the unorthodox, the strange, the new. Most of all, Hanan hated a stranger named Ari the Kazan, a 'magician' who knew deep secrets of the universe that were surely forbidden by HaShem.
A few months ago, Hanan ben Hanan had been appointed high priest. This past week, he had arrested fifteen men he hated and tried them in his kangaroo court. Thirteen of them were now dead—killed in a stoning pit in the Hinnom Valley. One, Brother Baruch, had escaped entirely. The fifteenth —Ari—had received a flogging intended to kill him.
A flogging that should have killed him. Ari would be dead now, except for a miracle. Wracked by fever and loss of blood, Ari had slipped into unconsciousness, had found himself before the Throne, had exchanged words with HaShem, and then . . .
. . . and then had been sent back because of the intercession of Brother Baruch, a man gifted in healing. HaShem had sent Ari back, but he had asked Ari to do some great and mysterious task. Neither Rivka nor Ari had any idea what that task might be.
Rivka felt a spasm of rage rush through her body. She hated Hanan ben Hanan. The man was evil, pure evil. She would never breathe easily until she saw him dead.
Ari sighed deeply. 'Your thoughts are dark.'
'I'm scared.' Rivka felt nausea well up in her throat. She'd been trying not to admit it to herself, but now she couldn't keep quiet anymore. 'Please, don't be mad at me, but . . . I think I might be pregnant again.'
A sudden intake of breath. 'Are you sure?'
'Not a hundred percent,' Rivka said. 'I was due to start my niddah uncleanness three days ago. Last time I was this late, I was pregnant with Rachel. We need to get out of this city—go somewhere safe.'
'Perhaps a son this time.' Ari's voice sounded thick, husky. Thrilled. 'Rachel has been asking for a brother.'
'You're not angry?' Rivka couldn't believe he was taking this so calmly. She was furious with herself. They did not dare get pregnant at a time like this. She would love to have another child—but at the right time. Not now.
'It is a gift from HaShem.' Ari pulled Rivka's hands to his lips and kissed them.
'Are you crazy?' Rivka felt so relieved, she wanted to cry. Ari wasn't angry. But he would be if he understood. 'This is the worst possible time to get pregnant.'
'My grandfather's sister became pregnant four months before they put her on the train to Auschwitz. She went straight to the showers. Please, you will remember that there is always a worse thing than what you are enduring.'
Rivka knew all that, but Ari was wrong. In Berkeley, she had specialized in the history of this time period, and she knew that a thing worse than Auschwitz was coming to this city. 'Listen, we have less than four years until the war begins. Eight years from now, the Romans are going to slaughter everybody in this city. Everybody. I want you to take me away from here. Now.'
'And will we abandon our friends to die?'
Panic shoved a dagger into Rivka's heart. 'If they won't come with us.'
'We must persuade them.' Ari's voice was infuriatingly calm. 'You will tell them what is to come.'
'Ari, nobody believes a word I say, remember? They call me the witch woman.' And I am a witch woman. Everytime I turn around, I'm using my knowledge to manipulate people. I'm a scheming, deceitful—
'Our friends will believe you now.' Ari's voice sounded tired and sad. 'You foretold what would befall at the hands of Hanan ben Hanan, and none believed you. Now thirteen good men are dead.
Anonymous
Posted September 5, 2005
If you've read Premonition, you already care deeply about Ari, Rivka, and their friends, and the trials they undergo will at times leave you in tears. If you didn't read the previous volume, it won't take many pages for Ingermanson to suck you fully into the action and into the hearts of his characters. Amazingly, the author's command of plot and character shows even more confidence and maturity than in the previous novel--which I highly recommend--and the historical accuracy of the details he weaves into the story is absolutely riveting. Thankfully, his straightforward style steers away from any hint of histrionics, which makes the searing action all the more powerful. This book will haunt me until the series reaches its final resolution--and beyond.
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Posted April 14, 2005
Randall Ingermanson blends fictional and historical characters and events so masterfully that you forget what is real vs. imagination. The constraints of historical fact didn't deter Ingermanson from weaving a tale of intrigue, mystery, romance and friendship that bends the boundaries of time and space to both entertain and enlighten the reader. I pray there is a fourth book in the City of God Series.
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Posted November 30, 2004
RETRIBUTION is no less captivating than its precursor, PREMONITION. So far, Ingermanson appears incapable of writing a poor novel. RECREATING HISTORY. You will care about and learn from history through reading this novel. The fact that the main character, Rivka, is a time traveler from the 21st century, makes her knowledge of the future a useful device for giving the reader historical information without it coming across as a dry lecture. Rivka's knowledge is woven into the plotline rather than distracting the reader from it. Ingermanson is very successful at making the reader feel the cultural differences between 21st-century N. America and 1st-century Palestine. RETRIBUTION has the quality of those stories that make us want to learn more than what the author has presented. This form of entertainment is very effective in making the lessons of history relevant to our lives--and Ingermanson has become masterful at writing these kinds of stories. (And not without touches of humour as well--look for the scene involving the now-[in]famous 'James ossuary.' Loved it.) CHARACTERS. Ingermanson's main strengths are realistic characterizations and engaging plot twists couched in abundant historical research. A stylistic element I quite like is that he's very strict on point-of-view; he writes each segment from a specific character's perspective, and all of the characters are plausibly fleshed out as if Ingermanson had lived their lives. He is capable of making any character interesting (albeit with perhaps a bit too much 'telling rather than showing' when it comes to characters' moods). The main character is Rivka, and as with PREMONITION, Ingermanson develops more of her frustration with first-century Judaism's male chauvinists. The buildup of that frustration makes Rivka's acts of boldness all the more dramatic. Realistic characterization is even more impressive when a negative character can be made to elicit sympathy from the reader. As this novel developed, I actually stopped hating Hanan ben Hanan--relearning, along with the protagonists, the necessity and value of loving the unlovable. Yet although Hanan has been humanized, he remains a potent villain. In some ways Berenike, the sister-queen of King Herod Agrippa II, is perhaps the most intriguing character in this saga. And though she can conjure up a mean streak, she is more of a tragic figure than a villain. I have really come to appreciate her character development and always look forward to scenes in which she is the viewpoint character; since I know from historical records what became of Berenike, I'm very curious as to how Ingermanson will dramatize this. Baruch didn't especially interest me in the previous installment of this series, but here he comes to the fore in a big way. If you do not tear up over his heroics, you probably have no soul and can't be a Christian. THINGS TO PONDER. Only rarely did I feel Ingermanson stretched credulity, such as a few scenes in which Ari and Rivka talk privately as if they were native 1st-century Judeans. He also managed to raise some thorny theological questions to which I will be anticipating resolutions in the next installment. One of Ingermanson's greatest skills as a writer is obscuring his own beliefs and letting his characters work things out in a manner consistent with their backgrounds and personalities. Through that process they strive to understand God's guidance and trust His sovereignty in the midst of tumultuous times; and the spirituality never comes across as forced or preachy on Ingermanson's part. (Caveat emptor: Is the Author's Note [p. 5] giving away the climactic scene? I was still impacted by that part of the story, but I think the effect would have been even greater if I hadn't been told of that historical event ahead of time. If you're reading this review before reading RETRIBUTION, I encourage you to avoid the Author's Note and plunge right int
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Posted October 23, 2004
Retribution, the third book in Randy Ingermanson's City of God series, pulls you into Jerusalem AD 66 and all of its wonders and horrors. The lives of Rivka, Ari, Baruch and Hana are tested, stretched, shattered and reborn as these fictional characters struggle with historical events and people. Meticulous research is evident in the way the author draws you into the his characters and the not-so-fictional world they inhabited. This isn't a book that deals in sweetness and light, with a grand happy ending. The characters struggle in a world filled with violence and racial hatred; a world where pain and death are daily events. Their struggles will either destroy them or change them in ways they never imagined. The book is fast-paced, the characters struggle and change, the setting alive and exotic. A book I've highly recommended to friends and family.
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Posted October 31, 2004
Hate/love, unrest/peace, disception/truth, fear/courage, sorrow/joy. This book has it all. There are no emotions left out. Rivka continues to struggle with the knowledge she carries of things to come. But is what she knows complete? Should she mention something which MIGHT come to pass for fear of being ridiculed or keep her thoughts and fears to herself watching her people suffer needlessly? Ari is forced to make choices none of us can imagine being faced with. New faces and personalities are dropped into these two lives. They must sink or swim in an era of unrest and suffering. How will they make it? Read it and find out.
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Posted October 24, 2004
Step into an era ages past, and feel the tension and passion of first century Jerusalem. Second in the City of God Series, Retribution follows book one, Premonition, and Ingermanson¿s first book in this story series, Transgression, bringing to a climax the continuing tale of Ari the Kazan and his wife, Rivka. Author Randall Ingermanson, has done an outstanding job of creating a suspenseful, dramatic, and provocative world, where the reader is carried along with each of the characters until the last page is turned to savor the satisfying conclusion. Experience the history of the early church and the years before the destruction of Jerusalem in a tale that not only educates and entertains, but inspires deep thought as well. Retribution is a provocative, endearing tale, where the growth of the characters is genuine and the memory of them lingers long after the book is closed. Don¿t miss it!
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Posted October 10, 2004
Ari & Rivka Kazan are stuck in the year A.D. 66. Stuck on the other side of a broken wormhole in the City of God. Stuck in Jerusalem--a city pulsing with rage and on the brink of chaos... Retribution is Ingermanson's best work yet! I couldn't put this book down and had been eagerly anticipating its release since reading book 2 in the series, 'Premonition,' a few months ago. A well-crafted novel with intriguing insight into life in first century Jerusalem, Retribution follows Ari as he struggles to decide whether to aid his brothers in developing arms against the Romans, or to listen to his friend Baruch and leave the city's fate in the hands of God Rivka too must make a choice. Will she hold onto hate for an evil man or let it go and become a true prophet of God? I loved this book even more than book 2, but reached the last page and couldn't let it go! I'm hoping Ingermanson has another book planned for this series. Kudos to Randy Ingermanson for an excellent piece of Christian fiction that not only entertained, but inspired me in more than one area of my personal life!
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Posted September 13, 2004
If you could go back in time, how would you handle foreknowledge? That is the question facing Rivka Meyers and her husband, Ari Kazan, sent back from the future to ancient Jerusalem when Nero ruled. Rivka is regarded as a prophet, but how much should she tell is a constant worry, and more than once she must wrestle with the consequences of her choices. Equally pressing is the tension of her own home; an object lesson in the passages regarding being yoked with unbelievers. Though Rivka is devoutly Christian, if somewhat intimidated by the first Person of the Trinity's call on her life; Ari is an equally committed Hebrew who judgems most Christians by the anti Semitic acts of the violent few. As the abomination of destruction approaches, their choices take on new importance and urgency; each must find new resources inside themselves and from God as they face truth. .......................... **** Even those who are not fond of time travel will find that this book has much to offer, giving a bird's eye view on church history in an entertaining fashion. This will appeal especially to those who enjoy delving into Christianity's roots in Judaism. ****
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Posted September 25, 2004
The continuing tale of Rivka and Ari is a page turner! In this, book 3 of the City of God series, Randy goes all out with well-reseached historical facts, fast-paced action, and realistic characters that makes the reader truly believe they're back in time on a fast roller coaster ride! Well done...the book is awesome!
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Posted September 4, 2004
Absolutely riveting. Randy Ingermanson's action races along and his prose is so engaging that I couldn't put it down. I don't read many historical novels, but this is a mix of both history and science fiction because the main characters are from our near future, stuck in the ancient past through the actions of a theoretical physicist. I've heard that time-travel is actually theorized in physics, although I would never understand the complex mathematics, so the characters' plight isn't through a magical talisman or something that *Bibbity-bobbity-boo* zaps them back in time. This dabbles in the realm of possibility, which is rather neat. The author has a short, amusing article on time travel on his website, as well as a couple historical articles related to this series.*********************** I've heard about the historical account of Josephus but never read his work. However, I thoroughly enjoyed how the author revealed and compared events transpiring with the slightly exaggerated writings of Josephus and other historians. The way the plot unfolds is intriguing and surprising. Things never fall into a predicted pattern or lose their richness, even though all the events are taken from actual historical writings. *********************** Each character, whether good or evil, is very complex. No one is a cardboard cutout, not from the most devout Rabbi to the most evil Roman. It adds incredible emotional depth to the story. *********************** Slight warning here: the author describes a true Roman crucifixion, which is a horrific thing, not the white-washed images of the Renaissance painters. The violence might offend some readers used to the typical fare of most CBA publishers. *********************** This is third in the author's City of God series. Before reading RETRIBUTION, I had not read TRANSGRESSION (book 1) but I did read PREMONITION (book 2). This book stands alone, but I do believe that reading PREMONITION (book 2) made this novel much more enjoyable, because I had already come to care for the main characters, had seen their struggles and conflicts in PREMONITION (book 2). Many of those conflicts are slightly related to the struggles in RETRIBUTION (book 3). *********************** Kathy Tyers, author of SHIVERING WORLD and her FIREBIRD trilogy, endorses this novel and mentions that she 'devoured the book and wished it were longer.' I was exactly the same. Randy Ingermanson's writing style is incredibly engaging, and the characters so 3-dimensional you can almost touch and talk to them. The ending comes as a bit of a shock because you want there to be more. *********************** Excellent writing--technically exemplary, if you follow Dwight Swain's method--and a very character-driven storyline. The plot twists and moves so quickly that I really felt like I was on a roller coaster. I intend to buy more copies of this book to give away. I think it would appeal to a large range of readers.
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Posted September 6, 2004
This third book in the City of God series made my heart pound in my throat from beginning to end. After reading it, I went back and read Premonition and am now trying to get a copy of Book One in the series, Transgression. Shocking, revealing, disturbing. I've been a Christian for many years and would have said I knew the early church. I knew what these first century Christians were like. But I was wrong. Mr.Ingermanson brought out the Jewishness of these early believers and made me see them as they almost certainly were. Real people who had accepted an unpopular prophet as their messiah and their God. The bible accounts of the early church seem more real to me now than ever before. The description of the fear and horror of living in Jerusalem during this time period, not only for Christians, but for all Jews, made me feel that I was there, walking the streets beside Rivka and her loved ones. I was chilled and horrified to read Mr.Ingermanson's account of the hundred innocent people who were yanked out of the crowd and crucified by a sadistic governor. I know that this was a book of fiction, but the historical incidents that the author included in his book have an authentic flavor that cannot be denied. I highly recommend this book for older teens and adults. However, the crucifixion scene is told quite graphically, so be forewarned.
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Posted January 15, 2011
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Overview
Jerusalem, A.D. 66 . . .
The City of God seethes with rage against imperial Rome . . . and, in an act of unspeakable brutality, Rome takes deadly retribution. War looms on the horizon—but one woman already knows the outcome. . . .
Transported from the far future, Rivka Meyers has made her home in Jerusalem with her husband and fellow time traveler, Ari Kazan. But in a turbulent age, Rivka's foreknowledge of history is a heavy responsibility. ...