In the Shadow of the Sun King

In The Shadow of the Sun King, by Golden Keyes Parsons is a drama/family saga of religious persecution during the reign of France's "Sun King" Louis XIV. Many things set this tale apart from standard CBA fare beginning with the central theme of persecution of Protestants by Catholics; the time period, the attention to detail, and a heroine (who definitely deserves to be on this blog since SHE'S GOT CHARACTER) to root for.

Ms. Parsons is a generous writer, even giving the reader perhaps too much back story at times--for me, the prologue did so. In fact, it was enough to make me start reading with trepidation, but fear not; despite the promise of hard times for the characters, there is an interesting story, lots of action, pathos, and memorable characters. King Louis did not live up to my prior understanding of him, coming across as half-boy, half-man, but my "prior understanding" was formed a long time ago, and I haven't read about him in ages. And I enjoyed every scene where he appeared, regardless.

What could have been a little depressing in terms of the struggles the Clavell family suffers during the course of the book, instead, thanks to the deft handling by the author, leaves the reader with hope.

I highly recommend this book and I am now moving on to Golden's sequel,A Prisoner of Versailles.

Author Info: Golden Keyes Parsons is "The author who issues the challenge: Dare to take God seriously!" To learn more about Golden, click the title of this article.
Her books are available in bookstores, on Amazon, and wherever books are sold.