Secret Book of Kings, The Hardcover – 23 Aug 2016 by Yochi Brandes (St. Martin's Press )

Two themes recur throughout The Secret Book Of Kings: 'Stories are deadlier than swords' and 'Our nation has a short memory'. Brandes' exploration of biblical history from the vanquished House's point of view cleverly illustrates both of these thought-provoking statements in the context of a gripping historical novel. I can't say how many biblical conventions are upended, as claimed in the synopsis, because I only recognised two moments - the David and Goliath encounter which is certainly upended here and, from Handel's Coronation Anthem, 'Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet' who 'an-oin-ted So-lo-mon Kiiiiing'. (Love that music!) Readers familiar with the Bible and the early Kings of Israel will no doubt enjoy greater depth of meaning and narrative from already being familiar with characters and events. Personally I did struggle with keeping track of everyone in the extensive supporting cast, especially their tribes and ancestral lineage, but easily understood enough of this to enjoy Shelomoam's quest.

Brandes covers decades of wars, secrets and political intrigues so there isn't much space for mundane details of how people lived. However I liked that her central characters, Shelomoam himself and King Saul's daughter, Princess Michal, are complex believable people. They live in times of incredible social upheaval and I found their respective coping strategies fascinating. I was also surprised at the strength and influence of the female characters. Although at a disadvantage in the strongly patriarchal society, none of these women are giddily fainting wallflowers!

I enjoyed reading The Secret Book Of Kings purely as a historical novel, but do feel that I have gained greater knowledge and understanding of this early period of biblical history - presumably from an upside-down point of view compared with tradition though! Our view of the past is obviously always guided by the stories left behind and, until the present era, human nature generally means victor's tales are all that remains for future generations to mull over. It would be interesting to discover how people familiar with traditional interpretations view this novel.