Book Review: God King

We finished this book yesterday afternoon during our Read Aloud time. Once we got close to the end, there was no stopping. The kids wouldn't allow it! 

Joanne Williamson has written several wonderful works of historical fiction. She skillfully weaves her tales around actual historical figures and events. This particular story is set "around 701 BC" when Egypt was ruled by the Kushite Dynasty. There are conflicting records of exactly who was King at exactly what time, but there is evidence of a "pretender" and a "usurper." These are the key elements Williamson uses to form the framework for her story.


Taharka, one of the royal princes, was the one chosen to succeed his father as Pharaoh. But this choice was a complete shock to everyone. And since the choice was made with the King's dying breath, there were those who questioned the validity of Taharka's claim to the throne. Chief of these, was his brother, Shabataka, previously the favorite to succeed Pharaoh.

Filled with intrigue and betrayals, the story finds Taharka fleeing Egypt to Jerusalem at the time of Hezekiah. Captured by the Assyrians and revealed for his true identity, the young Pharaoh finds himself among the Assyrian camp as they are encircling Jerusalem during the siege. Rescued from the tent he is being held in by the Israelite nobleman who had also rescued him from the palace in Egypt, they make their way passed the guards and, by means of the secret water passage constructed by wise Hezekiah to secure the city's water supply for "such a time as this," Taharka is ushered into the presence of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah's Tunnel is still there today, 2500 years later. 

The amazing events from the Bible, when the sun moved backward in the sky and when the mighty Assyrian army was mysteriously decimated and forced to flee, having never entered Jerusalem, are all part of the tale of the displaced Pharaoh, Taharka. 

It was a little slow in the beginning, but only a few chapters in, we were all enthralled by this well crafted tale. This is a great addition to a study of Ancient Egypt and would be considered a "living book" by Charlotte Mason.

#21 in the quest for 52 in 52