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In the Beginning: Dark Retellings of Biblical Tales
In the Beginning (Oct. 25, 2016) –Eight authors come together to build a powerful collection of dark young adult short stories inspired by the mysteries, faith, and darkness found within the Bible. Old Testament and New Testament, iconic and obscure figures alike are illuminated, explored, and re-envisioned throughout this charity anthology from Month9Books.
IN THE BEGINNING, ed. Laureen Cantwell and Georgia McBride
Daniel and the Dragon by Stephen Clements
A troubled orphan named Habakkuk dutifully follows his master, the prophet Daniel, into temples of blood-thirsty demon-gods, battles with unspeakable horrors, and bears witnesses to mind-breaking evil until his master's zealous defiance of the king's law seals their fate.
Babylon by Nicole Crucial
Far above the earth, in Second Eden, where moments and eternities all blur together, young Babylon befriends Sefer, the Book of Life. As Babylon awaits the moment she'll fulfill her destiny, she and Sefer try to understand the world in which they live.
Last Will and Testament by Mike Hays
A homeless young boy, Baz, bears the weight of humanity on his shoulders and upon his body. When dark forces test a new-found friendship, Baz’s willingness to bear the ugliness of their world will be shaken.
The Demon Was Me by Sharon Hughson
Based on the story of the demon-possessed boy healed by Jesus, this tale provides a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world where a teenage boy seeks to journey to a better land and yearns to discover the kind of man he's meant to be, only to be hijacked by an evil spirit intent upon chipping away at the hope, faith, and resilience of its host.
The Deluge by Marti Johnson
A non-believer shares the story of Noah’s ark-building and the deadly downpour that follows. Fear, faithlessness, and the fallibility of mankind collide in a community where second chances aren’t unlimited and a better-late-than-never attitude just might be your doom.
Condemned by Elle O'Neill
Just sixteen-years-old, Barabbas finds himself pulled out of Routlege Academy and into a reality show competition—against Jesus himself—where the reward for the winner is life.
First Wife by Lora Palmer
In a first-person retelling of the saga of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, themes of family, deception, guilt, and heartache emerge amidst the first days of Leah’s marriage to Jacob—a marriage mired in trickery a mere week before Jacob was to marry Leah's sister Rachel.
Emmaculate by Christina Raus
Based on the story of Mary's Immaculate Conception, we enter the troubled mind of Emma, who finds herself torn between her religious upbringing and the purity ring that binds her to her boyfriend and the pregnancy that results from her relationship with another boy.
IN THE BEGINNING, ed. Laureen Cantwell and Georgia McBride
Daniel and the Dragon by Stephen Clements
A troubled orphan named Habakkuk dutifully follows his master, the prophet Daniel, into temples of blood-thirsty demon-gods, battles with unspeakable horrors, and bears witnesses to mind-breaking evil until his master's zealous defiance of the king's law seals their fate.
Babylon by Nicole Crucial
Far above the earth, in Second Eden, where moments and eternities all blur together, young Babylon befriends Sefer, the Book of Life. As Babylon awaits the moment she'll fulfill her destiny, she and Sefer try to understand the world in which they live.
Last Will and Testament by Mike Hays
A homeless young boy, Baz, bears the weight of humanity on his shoulders and upon his body. When dark forces test a new-found friendship, Baz’s willingness to bear the ugliness of their world will be shaken.
The Demon Was Me by Sharon Hughson
Based on the story of the demon-possessed boy healed by Jesus, this tale provides a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world where a teenage boy seeks to journey to a better land and yearns to discover the kind of man he's meant to be, only to be hijacked by an evil spirit intent upon chipping away at the hope, faith, and resilience of its host.
The Deluge by Marti Johnson
A non-believer shares the story of Noah’s ark-building and the deadly downpour that follows. Fear, faithlessness, and the fallibility of mankind collide in a community where second chances aren’t unlimited and a better-late-than-never attitude just might be your doom.
Condemned by Elle O'Neill
Just sixteen-years-old, Barabbas finds himself pulled out of Routlege Academy and into a reality show competition—against Jesus himself—where the reward for the winner is life.
First Wife by Lora Palmer
In a first-person retelling of the saga of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, themes of family, deception, guilt, and heartache emerge amidst the first days of Leah’s marriage to Jacob—a marriage mired in trickery a mere week before Jacob was to marry Leah's sister Rachel.
Emmaculate by Christina Raus
Based on the story of Mary's Immaculate Conception, we enter the troubled mind of Emma, who finds herself torn between her religious upbringing and the purity ring that binds her to her boyfriend and the pregnancy that results from her relationship with another boy.
- GenresYoung AdultAnthologies
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2021
My reason for deciding to read this: I had just finished reading another book which had the narrator making bible references that left me confused and thinking "Someone should do a retelling of some of these stories."
Well, apparently someone heard me because I was informed about this tour the very next day. (Or maybe later that day, I can't say.)
That being said it should be obvious that I've never read the bible. (My grandma use to take me to church but I stopped after they scared the crap out of me by saying that the devil was everywhere. I was eight I took it literally.)
I am familiar with maybe half of the stories being retold, but I don't know if that made too much of a difference in reading this book.
My rating of 3.5 - 4 of 5 stars: Like with all anthologies some stories are great, some not so great and others leave you wanting more. I struggled in the beginning and actually wondered if I would be able to continue but something inside me kept saying it'll be worth it in the end.
And it definitely was. It just kept getting better.
A couple really did leave me wanting more. Thinking: What happens next?! or What! I was just really getting into it!
Of the eight stories five are 4 stars and three land around the 3.5 mark good but just missing that extra something.
My favorites: Emmaculate by Christina Raus, The Deluge by Marti Johnson, The Demon Was Me by Sharon Hughson.
Well, apparently someone heard me because I was informed about this tour the very next day. (Or maybe later that day, I can't say.)
That being said it should be obvious that I've never read the bible. (My grandma use to take me to church but I stopped after they scared the crap out of me by saying that the devil was everywhere. I was eight I took it literally.)
I am familiar with maybe half of the stories being retold, but I don't know if that made too much of a difference in reading this book.
My rating of 3.5 - 4 of 5 stars: Like with all anthologies some stories are great, some not so great and others leave you wanting more. I struggled in the beginning and actually wondered if I would be able to continue but something inside me kept saying it'll be worth it in the end.
And it definitely was. It just kept getting better.
A couple really did leave me wanting more. Thinking: What happens next?! or What! I was just really getting into it!
Of the eight stories five are 4 stars and three land around the 3.5 mark good but just missing that extra something.
My favorites: Emmaculate by Christina Raus, The Deluge by Marti Johnson, The Demon Was Me by Sharon Hughson.
October 27, 2016
***Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for a review.***
All anthologies are hit & miss, dependent upon the style of the authors involved. This one's more hit than miss- good ideas, flawed execution.
What's Good: "The Demon was Me" had an organic flow to it, trying to fight the demon's possession even as he knew it was a losing battle. Only thing is you won't understand how a bunch of grown men had so much trouble keeping a teenaged boy restrained... "Deluge" was the best story- seeing Noah & his family through the eyes of a non-believer. "Last Will & Testament" needed more fleshing out; felt like it was all happening in a vacuum.
What's Bad: "Babylon" was... odd. It kinda threw all sorts of things at you, mostly for the sake of doing so. One moment things were one way, then they were another all the while slogging towards its inevitable finale. Just didn't work for me. "Condemned" was kinda insulting. Right off the bat the author shoehorned in a few Hunger Games references- apparently because the reader would be too dense to pick up on similarities and inspiration for the story. Barabbas was a sympathetic guy right up until the end when he suddenly does a one-eighty. Why not keep him consistent?- wouldn't have changed anything. "First Wife" was just plain clumsy. So the wedding simply entails putting the two of them in a room to have sex and the bride keeps her veil on the whole night...? That's the best the author could come up with to explain how Leah ended up with her sister's betrothed- c'mon, really? While I liked the premise to "Emmaculate", I had a hard time accepting that things would've been allowed to get so far out of hand.
What's Left: An entertaining collection of stories that's keep you reading. I think you'll like it.
All anthologies are hit & miss, dependent upon the style of the authors involved. This one's more hit than miss- good ideas, flawed execution.
What's Good: "The Demon was Me" had an organic flow to it, trying to fight the demon's possession even as he knew it was a losing battle. Only thing is you won't understand how a bunch of grown men had so much trouble keeping a teenaged boy restrained... "Deluge" was the best story- seeing Noah & his family through the eyes of a non-believer. "Last Will & Testament" needed more fleshing out; felt like it was all happening in a vacuum.
What's Bad: "Babylon" was... odd. It kinda threw all sorts of things at you, mostly for the sake of doing so. One moment things were one way, then they were another all the while slogging towards its inevitable finale. Just didn't work for me. "Condemned" was kinda insulting. Right off the bat the author shoehorned in a few Hunger Games references- apparently because the reader would be too dense to pick up on similarities and inspiration for the story. Barabbas was a sympathetic guy right up until the end when he suddenly does a one-eighty. Why not keep him consistent?- wouldn't have changed anything. "First Wife" was just plain clumsy. So the wedding simply entails putting the two of them in a room to have sex and the bride keeps her veil on the whole night...? That's the best the author could come up with to explain how Leah ended up with her sister's betrothed- c'mon, really? While I liked the premise to "Emmaculate", I had a hard time accepting that things would've been allowed to get so far out of hand.
What's Left: An entertaining collection of stories that's keep you reading. I think you'll like it.
November 5, 2016
If you love bible stories and also love to read things on the darker side then this anthology is perfect for you. The authors take stories from the bible and put an unexpected spin on them. My favorite story is The Deluge because Noah's story is probably my favorite bible story and I liked the way the author portrayed how things could have went so differently. Some have a tinge of the supernatural or paranormal and some don't but they are all wickedly awesome in their own way. The one thing that I took from most of the stories is that they have some sort of lesson - not in the same way that the original stories do but somehow they seem to bring a sort of understanding to the stories in a different sense. I actually believe that these stories can teach us a lot about the bible and help us realize how important the real stories are. I also enjoyed the way the authors attempted to write the stories in the same style as the bible itself. Very good read for anyone.
***I received a complimentary copy of an ebook in exchange for my honest review.***
***I received a complimentary copy of an ebook in exchange for my honest review.***
November 3, 2016
This was an interesting read. I checked out the blurb and wasn’t sure if it was something for me or not, but I wanted to give it a go. I am glad I did as it was a very unique read, but I see it as more of a Marmite book (meaning that you’ll love it or hate it) and a lot of that may be based on the fact that it is based round a biblical nature.
Don’t let that hold you back. I am not a religious person at all, but I found the stories very interesting and they were written quite well. It is a unique take on the stories of faith and it really gives another perspective on the originals.
I felt the book, whilst written well and rather unique, was something that I enjoyed, but may not read over and over, as I might other books. It is a good first time read though and gives you something to think about, even if you hadn’t planned on it.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased opinion.
Don’t let that hold you back. I am not a religious person at all, but I found the stories very interesting and they were written quite well. It is a unique take on the stories of faith and it really gives another perspective on the originals.
I felt the book, whilst written well and rather unique, was something that I enjoyed, but may not read over and over, as I might other books. It is a good first time read though and gives you something to think about, even if you hadn’t planned on it.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased opinion.
November 2, 2016
Read my full review HERE, inclusive of my thoughts on every story from this anthology.
3.5 stars
The fact that In The Beginning is a retelling of Bible verses and stories was what drew me to pick it up, but I was conflicted. What if I don’t recognise any of the stories that are being retold? Thankfully, there are verses included at the start of each chapter that tell readers where the authors drew their inspiration from and give them a rough idea of what the story may be about.
Each retelling was interesting in its own way. There were some set in the Bible itself, but from a different perspective or with a different ending, some contemporaries, and some set in a totally different world. I enjoyed each one, some more than others.
Overall, an interesting read. I wouldn't say they're... “dark” but some do touch on topics like rape and abortion. I'm pretty sure in an anthology there's a story for everyone (or if not, most people), so why not give it a try?
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3.5 stars
The fact that In The Beginning is a retelling of Bible verses and stories was what drew me to pick it up, but I was conflicted. What if I don’t recognise any of the stories that are being retold? Thankfully, there are verses included at the start of each chapter that tell readers where the authors drew their inspiration from and give them a rough idea of what the story may be about.
Each retelling was interesting in its own way. There were some set in the Bible itself, but from a different perspective or with a different ending, some contemporaries, and some set in a totally different world. I enjoyed each one, some more than others.
Overall, an interesting read. I wouldn't say they're... “dark” but some do touch on topics like rape and abortion. I'm pretty sure in an anthology there's a story for everyone (or if not, most people), so why not give it a try?
Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram
January 7, 2017
Overall, I’ll balance this book out at about 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Honestly, it wasn’t quite what I expected; I had thought the entire anthology would be more along the fantasy lines of the first two stories, but still, it was thoroughly thought-provoking to see these Biblical histories explored and examined in different ways.
If you'd like to read what I thought of each individual story, you can find the full review on Verbosity Reviews.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book.
If you'd like to read what I thought of each individual story, you can find the full review on Verbosity Reviews.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book.
October 30, 2016
See my review on my blog.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews