As Sure as the Dawn: Mark of the Lion Series Book 3 (Christian Historical Fiction Novel Set in 1st Century Rome)

by Francine Rivers

Book Overview

This classic series has inspired nearly 2 million readers. Both loyal fans and new readers will want the latest edition of this beloved series. This edition includes a foreword from the publisher, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0842339760
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Length: 508 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Found after YEARS of searching!

So happy to own the trilogy again... historical fiction that reminds me that God is faithful!

Not good

I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous two.

Fitting end for strong series

This is the third and last entry in the Mark of the Lion trilogy. I felt that Atretes had slipped a little from his softening in the previous book, but as the book went on I could see how necessary his hardness was. The character of Anomia is a bit cliched, but to tell the truth, she's a well-written cliche and some people are truly that self-centered. I admired Rizpah's strength throughout the book and how her love for Atretes softened her and allowed the Lord to use her for great works. The level of detail in 1st century AD daily life is astonishing. Rivers fills the book with breath-taking descriptions and detail so that it's easy to fall into that world. I held off on reading this series despite the good feedback I'd heard about it, because I was concerned that it would come off as too stiff or so full of trying to preach that the story would be neglected. I should know better from Rivers. She never makes the story secondary to the message; they are always entwined so carefully and completely that one without the other would fall flat. And I've yet to read a Rivers book that falls flat. This whole trilogy is definitely a must read for Christians. We're blessed in this country that we have freedom of religion. These stories of people who have to hide their faith or die for it is amazing.

Worth Reading

Although this book was different from the 1st two books in the trilogy, I must say that I did enjoy it. The 1st 2 books were dramatic, intense, heart wrenching, & tearful. While this one made me laugh out loud many times, especially in the beginning. This book is definitely not a tear-jerker like the first two. It was hysterical trying to picture some of the scenes described in the early part of the book. For example, Artetes, a total barbarian, arrives to live in a lush villa after living in a cave for 5 months. Some of the descriptions of his behavior and the responses of his slaves are priceless. Another hysterical description is when Artetes wants to confront the apostle Paul on an issue. He finds Paul at a gathering in which he is preaching to a large crowd. In the beginning Artetes sits under the tree waiting for the service to end. He gets tired of waiting and decides to interrupt. He breaks through the crowd, heading for the front to confront Paul at the same time there is a call for anyone to come forward who wants to be baptized. So, as Artetes is breaking through the crowd everyone is cheering him on and encouraging him, thinking that he has just given his life to Christ and wants to be baptized. His reaction to this and other interactions with believers is extremely funny. In contrast to Hadassah (the main character in the 1st two books), who is gentle, soft spoken, and humble, Rizpah is independent, spirited, and strong-willed. This results in amusing interactions between her and Artetes. I did feel pretty sad at how Artetes treated his wife near the end of the book and wish more was written on his remorse. But other than that, I enjoyed the book. It really takes your mind off all of the drama that occurred between Hadassah, Marcus & Julia from the 1st two books. It was a nice way to bring closure to this amazing, well worth reading trilogy.

AVL's review

I enjoyed reading As Sure As the Dawn. It was so exciting that you don?t want to stop reading it. Although the second book in the series is still my favorite, I think As Sure as the Dawn is definately worth your time.

Okay, Okay, just take a second to read this!

Some of the reviews say that this is not as good a book as the 1st and 2nd in the series, but believe me, it is just as wonderful! I liked this book just as much as the others. Of course, their story only took up one book and not 2 like Hadassah, but that doesn't mean that it is in any way worse! I totally loved it! Wow! It's great, and anything less than 4 stars is a total injustice of a rating!!!

<p>This book was excellent! A MUST READ!

Atretes : Mighty German warrior who was arrogant, fierce, hot blooded - until God changed him. Rizpah : A beautiful widow who was has a tongue like fire and a shady past. Theophilus : A Roman Centurion who has a heart and mind for God. Anomia : Younger sister of Atrete's dead wife who is beautiful to behold but like Satan in character. Rolf : Young Chatti warrior, caught by the deception of the Chatti god, Tiwaz. Freyja : Atrete's mother, who is a high priestess of the Chatti god and shudders at the name of Jesus. This novel is about a mighty German warrior named Atretes who was help captive by Rome as a gladiator after his village was raided. When he finally earned his freedom, he found out that his son who was supposed to have died, was alive and in the hands of a widow named Rizpah. Rizpah had lost her own baby and was a woman after God's own heart. Atretes finds the widow and demands to have his son back. Rizpah did not want to let the boy whom she had named Caleb go. After certain circumstances she was allowed to live as a hired hand to take care of Caleb. Atretes found out that the persons who had taken him captive and thrown him in the ludus wanted to have him fight in the arena as a gladiator once again. He did not want to and therefore fled Rome with Rizpah and his son to go back to his homeland, Germania. With the help of a Roman centurion, Theoliphus, who was a Christian, they were able to travel to Germania and back to Atretes' people, the Chatti where deception, evil spirits, murder, and redemption occur. I will leave it at there. I do not wish to reveal too much. This book is filled with adventure, romance, resurrection and spiritual warfare where God prevails. I would recommend this book to anyone.