The Mansions Of Idumea

Lieutenant Colonel Perrin Shin is not happy. Not happy about the changes he's seen in Edge since he arrived sixteen years ago. Not about his daughter and son turning into teenagers. And certainly not about the Guarders turning the village teens into thieves, or the world not noticing anything but the latest entertainment. Which also means no one’s noticing the ever-tightening control of Chairman Mal and the Administrators. While Perrin and Mahrree notice, as does their claimed brother Shem Zenos, there's nothing that two soldiers and a school teacher can do about those who rule the world. So when a disaster hits Edge and half of the world, then Perrin receives an urgent message demanding that he return immediately to Idumea--Well, he’s not sure what's worse: the fact that he has to leave his village that desperately needs him in order to face the government he hates, or that his wife and children are going with him.

Lieutenant Colonel Perrin Shin is not happy. Not happy about the changes he's seen in Edge since he arrived 16 years ago. Not about his daughter and son turning into teenagers. And certainly not about the Guarders turning the village teens into thieves, or the world not noticing anything but the latest entertainment. Which also means no one's noticing the ever-tightening control of Chairman Mal and the Administrators. While Perrin and Mahrree notice, as does their claimed brother Shem Zenos, there's nothing that two soldiers and a school teacher can do about those who rule the world. So when a disaster hits Edge and half of the world, then Perrin receives an urgent message demanding that he return immediately to Idumea — Well, he's not sure what's worse: the fact that he has to leave his village that desperately needs him in order to face the government he hates, or that his wife and children are going with him. Part fantasy, part adventure, part humor, part romance, part mystery all equates to a wholly entertaining and unique family saga. Forest at the Edge Series — you've never read anything like this before.

Captain Perrin Shin, assigned to village Edge of the World, is out to do more than command the new fort. He’s determined to uncover the mystery of the Guarders: where they live, why they attack, and what they want. Suspiciously, none of their behavior has ever made sense. Mahrree Peto, a teacher in Edge, is also growing suspicious. Of the Administrators who promise to eradicate the Guarders, and of the arrogant captain they sent to protect Edge. It’s hard to know who to trust. The most powerful man in the world is also fascinated by trust, and precisely what it takes to destroy it. He’s looking for research subjects, and up in Edge a brash captain and a nosy teacher have caught his attention. Let the experiment begin. Part fantasy, part adventure, part humor, part romance, part mystery all equates to a wholly entertaining and unique family saga. Think you know who to trust? Think you know the color of the sky? Probably not . . .

The problem with Shem, Mahrree--with everyone, Perrin concluded--was that they couldn't see what he did. Shem said his mind was confusing him. Mahrree said it was nightmares. His children said nothing. But he knew the truth: he was surrounded by Guarders, masquerading as cats. Perrin is right: the Guarders are closing in. But on the edges of the forests another army is assembling, wearing green and brown mottled clothing. Because they have plans of their own for the wounded falcon in the barn.

Conquering the world as masters of an empire was infused into the Roman psyche since the days of Carthage. Yet crushing rebellions in the midst of expansionism would be inevitable. The most ardent against Roman tyranny were the Jewish Zealots in the Province of Judea. Perceived by the Romans as criminals and by many Jews as liberators, the Zealots would finally cast off the shackles of oppression, slaughter the Roman garrison in Jerusalem, and declare war against the most powerful empire ever seenthe stage had been set and the year was 66 A.D. Centurion Gaius Cornelius Antony of the Thundering Twelfth Legion is part of the largest Roman army fielded in over a hundred years, with a mission to take Jerusalem and crush the dying embers of the Jewish rebellion after three years of war. Known as a man of honour, Gaius skill and leadership in battle is exemplary, yet his intuition to see its bloody outcome always haunts him. As the struggle for Jerusalem commences and crosses fill the landscape, he will lead his men boldly forward for the glory of Rome. Judah ben Yosef is a Jewish man consumed by hate and bitterness at the murder of his betrothed; he will stop at nothing until the Roman responsible is dead, a man simply known as Capito. Judahs faith and desire for God to fill him with peace in the midst of war always stands before him and yet seems impossible. Thus, entangled in a city of starvation, disease, inner fighting, and competing warlords, Judahs loyalty, allegiance, and service will be tested as he yearns to fulfill his vengeance while Jerusalem is threatened by the fury of the legions. Soon, Gaius and Judah, Roman and Jew, will meet and the survival of Jerusalem could be at stake. A solid war novel that will entertain history buffs for weeks. Kirkus Reviews