Book Review: I Was There When the Giant Fell ~ The Review Stew

A book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

About the Book:

During the turbulent and tragic reign of Israel’s first king, Benaiah, an outcast from the village of Pirathon, turns his back on his troubled past and the love of his life and seeks fame and acceptance in the king’s army. There he faces fears and foes that loom larger than life and experiences one of the most famous battles recorded in Scripture. When the dust settles will he have the respect he craves and the woman he loves or will he lose all he holds dear?

I Was There When the Giant Fell imagines a life story for Benaiah of Pirathon, a man mentioned in only 3 verses in the bible. He is listed as one of David’s mighty men. The book follows him as he leaves behind the disrespect and abuse he has experienced in his home town and becomes a soldier in King Saul’s army. There he experiences firsthand the famous battle between David and Goliath and is forever changed. Follow him, his girlfriend, Hannah, and his mother, Serah, as they struggle with faith, love, rejection and abuse and seek comfort and strength in the only real God.

About the Author

Adam Nitz is a graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, WI and a former pastor. He regularly contributes to the website breadforbeggars.com. He has always had a love and passion for writing. He lives with his wife and children in North St. Paul, MN. You can learn more about him and his writing and follow his blog at adamnitz.com.

My Opinion

I used to be all about the romantic historical fiction books and I would read nothing else. But lately I have really been searching out and reading historical biblical fiction because I have found them to be so intriguing, a great way to strengthen my faith and understanding of the Bible and, overall, just really interesting!

If you are looking for a new Biblical Fiction book to read, then let me recommend I Was There When the Giant Fell by first time author Adam Nitz. You would never know this is his first book by the way he writes so descriptively, the way the book flowed so smoothly and how detailed the story line and characters were. I was swept away into the story line and character's lives from the very beginning of this book and didn't want to put it down until I found out what happened with all the characters!

We have all heard of David and Goliath and heard the story from David's prospective but it was really interesting to imagine how others would have viewed the situation! It really gave me a new perspective on the David and Goliath story and I will never read that story the same way again! Adam Nitz gave a great historical portrayal of what times were like back then - in war, in the army and with the Philistines. I really loved reading the historical aspect of what life was like back then!

This book had it all - romance, conflict, history, Bible lessons, a great reminder to trust God's plan for our lives and it was really well written!

The only slight thing about this book that was hard to follow was that it had a lot of characters, especially towards the beginning. It was hard as I was trying to get into the book at the beginning to keep track of all the characters as he switched between them with each chapter. However, as the book continued, the switching around of characters slowed down and I could really get a grasp for each one and understand each one's role in the book and story.

There was also a lot of violence so I don't recommend this book for young children or people who don't like the violence of war or abusive relationships. But this also really gives credit to Nitz as an author because the way he wrote the book so descriptively, I was seriously cringing at many situations throughout the book that he described so vividly. However, I also know he was only describing the truths of war and relationships of these Bible times.

If you are looking for a way to strengthen your understanding of the Bible and the historic happenings surrounding David and Goliath, this is a definite MUST READ! I can't wait to read more books in the "I Was There..." book series from this up and coming new author!