The Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 1: Fishers of Men

I want to thank the writer for writing a book that puts a lot of things into perspective. So many times we read the Bible and yet not have a real connection to those places or times. Writing a fictional story which have characters explain a lot of it has been extremely helpful.

I do have one major criticism however; and it is what has prompted the 3 star down from a 4 star review. There simply were no blue eyed blonde hair people in the Middle East at this time. It is amazing to me that someone with Lund's knowledge would actually provide physical character traits that were so off from reality. It is a reminder of how Euro/Anglo American centered that view is. It is an error that I just don't consider minor. Done in ignorance I'm sure and one that should be examined by the author.

I absolutely LOVE these series. I'm now reading them for the 4th time. I love how Lund breaks down the parables and teachings of Christ to make them easier to understand. I also love the historical accuracy. He brings you into the story as if you really are there. I highly recommend these books!

The writter wants to explain so much in the prologe that it was a bit like a text book and not easy reading. It is necessary but I would suggest reading it after the book because the book is incredible and grabs you from the start and I could hardly stop reading. I wasn't expecting a novel that was suspenseful and by weaving in the stories of the people in the book I learned about customs, geography, how people lived back then within a book about Jesus.

This is a copy/paste from my Goodreads review.
Having just finished reading and summarizing the entire Work and the Glory Series here, my link text http://workandthegloryfan.blogspot.com/2014/06/intoduction-to-this-blog-welcome.html
I decided I might as well re-read Gerald Lund's next historical series which is just OK, will never come close to surpassing Work and the Glory and here's why:
The family of David ben Joseph is the golden investigator family. Everyone immediately accepts the Man from Nazareth. Only the second oldest son, a Robin Hood Zealot complete with a band of trusty merry men, struggles in his testimony which is dragged out far too long in the narration.
The number of times someone exclaims, "He said that?" often referring to a secondhand account in which John the Baptist or Jesus said something so profound it caused another character to "stare with huge eyes and partially open mouth," becomes a really annoying author's device to alert the reader to the EXPLICITLY DEEP TEACHING HERE. Okay, Mr. Lund, we get it. Final count: 4.
Weak plot and characterization. Way too much dialogue explaining and telling for the reader's benefit resulting in flat, two dimensional characters. The main plot device, an elaborate trap to illustrate the Roman/Jew political conflict, feels like a bait and switch since the reader has to slog through 219 pages of exposition before the character we picked up the book to read about, (Jesus) finally appears.
Lund did his best, but the influence of the late Kim Moe is, indeed, greatly missed.

This book has made the scriptures more alive to me. I was hooked the first time I started reading it and have been reading it to my boyfriend because he's gotten hooked too! I understand more fully the significance of all that Christ did and said to the various cultures present at the time. I often find myself refering back to the cultural and historical knowledge I learned from reading this book while learning about the New Testament during Church, it's wonderful to make so many new connections in the scriptures!

As soon as I finished this first volume,I loaned it to the friend that had given it to me because I'd told her how much I loved it and then ordered the second volume.I couldn't wait to get it in the mail, I literally checked my mailbox everyday. And now I sound like I have no life but I just really really enjoyed this book. I'd never read and actually finished a book this long and it was so easy to do...! I'm in the middle of reading the second volume 'Come Unto Me' at the moment and it's been just as enjoyable as this volume!

Love this series that puts you right in the action with a fictious family and historical characters at the time of Jesus Christ. Educational and uplifting!

I was able to gain many insights into the attitudes and culture surrounding the life of Christ.

Great book. I own all three in this series. My husband and girls are now reading them. Hard to put down once you start to read book one.

This book takes you back to the times of Jesus!
If you want to know more about the life of Christ this is a must read!

This is one of the best books/series I have read. It's an amazing story that shows the interactions between the different cultures at the time of Jesus. I enjoyed the story and all the history. The author never put Jesus in any plot, situation, or dialogue that could not be found in the bible, and all story decisions and interactions with Jesus were footnoted at the end of each chapter. The author also brought all the other characters to life, and the fictional plot of this historical novel was incredible. I would recommend this story to anyone who studies the bible, enjoys history, or just enjoys a great book!