Author Description

During the reigns of Kings Ahaziah and Ahab in the eighth century B.C., worship of the God of Israel had weakened considerably among the tribes. King Ahab's wife Jezebel, whose very name has entered our language denoting a certain type of woman, weakened this worship even further by introducing worship of the god Baal. Elijah, a simple peasant shepherd at the time, fought against and discredited the false prophets of Baal, who turned to Jezebel for help.Elijah stood up to Ahab and Jezebel on other questions as well, and, with God's backing, issued a challenge to the priests of Baal that seemed hopelessly one-sided: 850 priests of Baal against only Elijah.Although the Bible mentions little about this heroic prophet, Elijah is venerated in the holy writings of three major religions -- Judaism, Islam, and Christianity -- because he did not die as a mortal but was elevated to Heaven by the hand of God. This novel tells the timeless story of faith and heroism of how Elijah rose to this reward -- with an ending tipped from today's most dramatic headlines.