My review of Captives and Kings by Craig & Janet Parshall...

From the Publisher:

Andrew, astute, applied, and ambitious, has little but contempt for his wayward and adventuring brother, Phillip...who in turn resents what he sees as Andrew's high—handedness and superior attitude. The rift is deep, and it seems it will be permanent after Andrew learns of Phillip's unwitting involvement in a court plot and insists that he and his son, Peter, flee to the new colony of Virginia.

So far apart in both body and heart, will the two brothers ever meet on common ground again, let alone find their way to forgiveness?

My review:

I was surprised that the description from the publisher didn't include the information that drew me to the book. The court plot alluded to is the plot to destroy King James and his court in Parliament. The story is about conspiracy against the Protestant king as much as it is about the relationship between brothers. It's about diabolical planning, murder, torture, heartache, injustice, adventure, and secrets. It's about political struggles, conspiracy, opposing religious forces, Bible translation, travel to the "New World", salvation, and true love. In short, it's about a whole lot more than the description would lead you to believe.

That said, I really enjoyed this book. The point of view was mainly omniscient, which provided for a variety of perspectives you wouldn't get from a third person POV account. This entire novel held my attention. I really took an interest in the portion of the story where Phillip and his son Peter traveled to Jamestown with the original group as settlers. Peter met Pocohantas, though he didn't know her name at the time. There were skirmishes with the native peoples, a thwarted search for the lost settlers of the original Roanoke settlement, sickness, and other adventures. At first I didn't think I'd like that part of the story, but it turned out to be my favorite portion of the book, though I also enjoyed the rest of the novel.

Captives and Kings was about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and about how the sin of one family member can impact the lives of so many innocent people. I had a hard time putting this book down. If you love historical fiction, this novel covers points of history rarely covered anywhere else in novel form.

Captives and Kings was published by Harvest House and released in January 2007.