Review – The Bell Messenger

Not a fan of historical fiction, I received The Bell Messenger with hesitation. I honestly wasn’t sure I would enjoy it, in spite of the fact that I love Alton Gansky’s writing and books that involve archaeology.

The main character, for all intents and purposes, is a bible-one that has been passed down through generations of people-and not necessarily the kinds of people one would think.

The first owner is a young Confederate preacher, involved in the Civil War not as a soldier, but a messenger of God. He bequeaths the bible to the man who shot him- a man named Jeremiah Tate who is jaded against the government and God.

Somehow (we learn how as the book continues) Gary Brandon, a recent college graduate, comes to own the bible in 1980. He does his own research to find out who has written notes in the bible’s margins and what certain letters mean that were tucked away in its pages. From Virginia during the Civil War to a railroad camp in California to Egypt and Belgium in the early 1900′s, people and time periods weave together into an interesting and insightful panorama, depicting how the bible and people who believed in it changed lives.

The complex plot and emotive prose pleasantly surprised me. I couldn’t help but marvel at the way God’s purposes are portrayed in this novel. God uses all kinds of people to further his work and even the toughest end up making sacrifices they never would have dreamed about before. There are so many rich and varied characters-the reader will enjoy getting to know each one.

Indeed, God’s word does not return void if people speak it and live it boldly. This is an excellently crafted story that will be enjoyed by lovers of faith, archaeology, mystery, and historical fiction.