Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus

This book gives such an interesting and fun perspective of the exodus story. Cliff tells this story from an angle I'd never considered, that of an Egyptian. It is both heart wrenching and incredible to consider from that perspective. This is indeed FICTION and the author does a fantastic job weaving different possibilities into historic realities. I highly recommend this book.

This has been one of the most beautiful books written about the plagues endured by the Egyptians. I never imagined what it would have been like for the enemy of God to endure His wrath until now. Great insight and beautiful imagery. Overall amazing book!!

In Shadow of the Mountain, Cliff Graham recounts the story of the biblical hero Caleb, as the aging warrior, looking back on his life. Starting with his early days and continuing with his incredible military feats, he recalls a life-changing encounter with Moses and Aaron. Caleb knows that it is the God of the Israelites who has kept him alive. Despite his advancing age, Caleb refuses to rest until the land the Lord promised His people is conquered. Will Caleb live to see this promise fulfilled, or will the Israelites fail their God-given task?

With his incredible story-telling ability and extensive military background, Cliff Graham brings this biblical hero and his ancient battlefields to life in Shadow of the Mountain. The story is dominated by exciting armed conflict, complete with an authentic masculine voice. The novel is battle-heavy and geared for men. Thus, the graphic violence could bother some readers.

There are two weaknesses in The Shadow of the Mountain. The first is that it is so dominated by battle scenes there is very little character development. The other drawback is this: Although Graham freely admits that he takes liberties with the story. I am uncomfortable with the extent to which he takes these freedoms regarding Caleb’s background, simply because the hero is a biblical character. That said, Shadow of the Mountain is an action-packed, creatively told story about someone who is not well-known.

I was given a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

In the fiction work Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus, Cliff Graham tells a creative story about the life of Caleb, a man in the Old Testament with unknown origins. The setting of Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus is easily identifiable by anyone familiar with the stories of Exodus in the Bible. But, readers are invited to view the well-known events of Hebrew slavery, the ten plagues, and the exodus through the eyes of Caleb. This opportunity provides a unique, though graphic, experience.

To be fair, Graham includes a note to his readers that issues a warning regarding the graphic details included in Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus. However, the explicit descriptions of violence would certainly not be appropriate for some readers, including children or adolescents. In my opinion, the inclusion of graphic descriptions of battle and revenge, though perhaps realistic, did not contribute to any lessons that might be garnered from Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus.

Though graphic, Graham’s writing is captivating and Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus is mostly well-written. Scenes are described thoroughly, allowing the reader to feel present in Egypt. But, the conclusion was abrupt, seemed rushed, and did not bring resolution. While this builds interest in a sequel or series, I think there should have been more resolution to the plot line unique to Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus.

Readers must also remember that this work is fiction. It is easy to think that the events described are accurate or biblical. But, Graham readily states there are liberties taken and creativity used when writing about who Caleb might have been. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

In Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus (Bethany House 2015), author Cliff Graham brings to life Caleb, one of the Bible’s most intriguing heroes. Who can forget the indomitable 80-year-old who told Joshua “Give me this mountain!” a mountain held by the very giants that had so intimidated Israel 40 years before that they had turned back to wander in the wilderness for a generation.

The action scenes are generally well-written and kept the book moving (and me reading.) I appreciate Graham’s willingness to boldly depart from the sanitized stories so often featured in Christian fiction. I actually stumbled across Graham’s books when searching through lists of Christian books trying to see if anyone out there in the Christian world is writing the kind of action-packed, no-holds-barred fiction I love to both read and write. Finding Graham’s books gives me hope of one day going mainstream myself. Very young readers should probably wait a few years before picking up this book, but anyone from 12-13+ would enjoy it. This is a story of warfare and the level of violence is what you would expect: descriptive without being needlessly gory or gratuitious.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I read it over the course of a couple days, which is fast for me as I tend to read slowly and visualize the story as it unfolds. However, there were a few moments that jarred me out of the pleasant “suspension of disbelief” that makes the fictional world so magical. In some places the plotline seemed forced, as if Graham wanted Caleb to move, for instance, from being a stone carver to being a soldier and simply made it happen by unlikely turns of events instead of a natural progression. Certain battles seemed likewise unlikely, including the numerous attacks by Amalekites who seemed to fill a stand-in role whenever an antagonist was needed. Even within the battles the tactics often seemed questionable, such as when Caleb abandons a perfectly good war chariot designed to cut a swathe through infantry to flee on foot rather than simply riding straight through his attackers or when Anakim raiders focus on capturing women rather than killing warriors when sallying out to attack the Israelite besiegers. An assortment of typos as well as outright errors (Caleb wearing a medal that he just said he hadn’t received yet or sorcerers using rods that Aaron’s rod-turned-snake had already devoured) further broke the rhythm of the book. Caleb’s character was well-developed, but the lack of a true antagonist to set against him also weakened the novel. These various nits detracted from an otherwise very-enjoyable read and left me thinking that the novel would have benefitted from a more critical and detailed editing process.

All that being said, my love for historical fiction and compelling Biblical characters brought to life in this way, as well as my admiration for this war-weary, aged, and yet still fierce and faith-filled warrior Caleb carried my interest through the book. I enjoyed the sweeping vistas of Ancient Egypt and the wonder of the Pyramids. Going through the Plagues with Caleb instead of watching from the outside certainly put them in a different perspective and brought an understanding of the human suffering brought about by a stubborn ruler defying an almighty God. And I was happy to read a Christian novel with enough action to hold my attention. I’m likely to check out the other books by Cliff Graham surrounding the life of David and his mighty men, especially since other reviewers say those books are better-written.

Shadow of the Mountain is a fantastic book. It takes you through the exodus story in the perspective of Caleb. Cliff Graham does a fantastic job of portraying it in depth. He doesn't just show it from the Israelite perspective, but from the perspective of Caleb, who was a general in the Israelite army reflecting on his time as an Egyptian soldier during the time of the exodus.

The quality of this book comes at no shock to me after reading Cliff Graham's other series, Lion of War. This is a must read for every man.

I love when an author takes a ittle know biblical character an blows them up to a lead character. I also love all the action Cliff Graham puts puts in his books he truly wrtes for men of faith. but a woman i love them too

Graham is a very convincing storyteller who uses his own experiences as a former soldier to paint an effective life account of a biblical warrior.
My favorite quote is on the back cover:”May it be written that my woman loved me, my children admired me, and the enemy feared me.”
Read more review at https://bulgingbookelf.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/a-warriors-memoir-shadow-on-the-mountain/

I just started reading it and I am already pulled into the story. I think about it all day long and can't wait to get home and pick it back up. Once again Cliff Graham does an amazing job at story telling while staying true to the history of the characters.

Shadow of the Mountain is a fantastic book. It takes you through the exodus story in the perspective of Caleb. Cliff Graham does a fantastic job of portraying it in depth. He doesn't just show it from the Israelite perspective, but from the perspective of Caleb, who was a general in the Israelite army reflecting on his time as an Egyptian soldier during the time of the exodus.

The quality of this book comes at no shock to me after reading Cliff Graham's other series, Lion of War. This is a must read for every man.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was interesting to feel the raw strength that was written in the story. Caleb has always been a favorite of mine because he was truly a hero who walked his faith believing YHWH. This book portrayed Caleb in full color..