The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr
Book Description
Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel creates a select group of men who will count down the calendar to the arrival of Israel’s promised king. Centuries later, as the day nears, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen.
Having grabbed only a few possessions, Myrad escapes the city, and searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, he tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is hiding secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable traveler, an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles begins.
With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can’t forget and the promise that the world will never be the same.
My Review
☺☺☺☺ 4 Smiles
Patrick Carr’s first foray into biblical fiction is a fabulous tale for the Christmas season and one that can be enjoyed by the whole family. As I listened on Audible, my grandkids (ages 7 and 5) were drawn into the story, and though they couldn’t absorb the fantastic historical details Carr includes, they were enthralled with the adventure and qualities of the main character, Myrad.
I love Carr’s skillful weaving of the prophet Daniel’s story as his opening chapter—someone most everyone is familiar with—with our teenaged hero 400+ years later. Right away, the reader understands the urgency and importance of Daniel’s connection with this boy who has a club-foot and was adopted by a Magi. Myrad is a bit quirky and a little bumbling but incredibly bright and devoted. He’s a young hero I cheered for throughout the story—and I was a little amazed that a beautiful girl would give him a second look! But I loved it! The author even makes this unlikely pair a believable love story.
This book seemed written to the young-adult audience, which is another plus in my opinion. Though it makes for a somewhat linear adult read, it could be a fantastic family read-aloud novel for the Christmas season. It contains fabulous historical information on biblical events, deftly told through a teenaged boy’s quest to change the world for the father he adored. It’s what I’ll be reading to my grandkids this December!
