Winner of 2019 Bronze Medal (Christian fantasy/sci fi) Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest!The prophetess Zyla is used to the elders of her clan on the mountain of Eden scorning her strange glimpses into the future, and bitter that she doesn’t receive the honor she believes she deserves. When her forecast of a devastating flood gets her exiled, she and her sister Adah flee the holy … her exiled, she and her sister Adah flee the holy heights to live in the desert among descendants of the murderer Cain. Fueled by her craving for recognition as a seer, Zyla will do anything to advance her status, even if it means stealing her sister’s prominent husband or aligning with unknown spiritual powers.
When the flood Zyla prophesied slams into Cain’s desolate outpost, Zyla must decide what is worth risking love and death for. Will this headstrong kinswoman of Adam and Eve be strong enough to find hope on the other side of the waters, or will the devastation sweep her and her prophecies away forever?
A dramatic Old Testament re-imagining from Genesis 4, this is biblical fiction at its most thought-provoking. Buy Ashes Like Bread today to enter the distant past through a prophet’s eyes!
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Ashes Like Bread is a beautiful, haunting story that highlights the cost of sin and the abundant forgiveness of God.
I was a little wary going in since the story relies heavily on extra-biblical material, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was very biblical in its message. However, the author does include a lot of dark spiritual elements and controversial details, such as portraying Cain as having had a son with the fallen angel Lilith. But once you get past these aspects, this is a delightful story.
The first paragraph drew me in right away. The beginning was a little slow, accentuated by the fact that the author’s style is more lyrical and descriptive rather than straightforward and full of action. But I appreciated the ancient storybook quality to it, and while it’s not a fast-paced story, the complexity of the characters was what kept me reading. Once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down!
I sympathized deeply with Zyla and ached with her over her parents’ rejection and the Sethites’ wrongful suspicion. I felt for her as she tried to raise her wayward sister Adah and do what was best for her. She had a depth and complexity to her that made me want to get to know her more. While she didn’t always make the right choice, she chose to learn from her mistakes. Even though her actions led to so much pain and loss, she grew wiser through it and let it guide her back to God and His ways. I always love a good redemptive arc!
I was disgusted with Adah for most of the story, but I was glad to see she turned back to God in the end and chose to move on after her grief and loss.
The author obviously did her research, including many specific, contextual details related to dress, food, and way of life. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into what the early cultures of the world might have lived like.
The ending was my favorite part of the book. It was sad and wistful, but with a note of hope for the future, of new beginnings. I appreciated that the author pointed out that while the Cainites were wicked and deserved their punishment, the Sethites were not without sin either. They needed to repent of their sin of self-righteousness, of not offering mercy to others in the same way God had shown mercy to them.
As far as content, the author isn’t shy about portraying the vulgarities and immorality of Cainite culture, although none of it is graphic. There are a few brief depictions of intimacy and some crude talk of sex. A few deaths are shown as well. I would recommend this book for ages 15+.
The story takes on the wives of Lamech, the first bigamist in the Bible. It centers around the 2nd wife, Zyla, who is much older than her sister. Lamech is the worst sort of man and uses women to further himself without actually doing any work. Personally, I found Zyla to be selfish and self-centered. All she wanted was to be loved for her gift to see the future, only Lamech tempts Zyla by promises of being a great seer in the city. She steals Lamech’s affections and marries him with her sister, all for the promise of a seer’s chair. It takes many years for her to see all the damage she has done, and returns to her people on the mountain for forgiveness. The writing is strong, but the story loses all momentum quickly after the climax. It’s a story of redemption and happiness is not found in our dreams and expectations, but in what God desires for us to become.