About the Book
Ayal the Arrow Boy is a retelling of the biblical story of David and Jonathan but with a twist. This story, originally found in the book of 1 Samuel chapters 18-20, is told from the perspective of one of Jonathan’s servants, Ayal.
Ayal is an orphan on the streets of Jerusalem; poor, starving, and homeless. Until, that is, Jonathan finds out about his ability as a runner and gives him a new home and a job in the palace. His job is to do what he does best; run. While running one of his errands, Ayal overhears Abner, King Saul’s top army commander, plotting with a mysterious assassin to kill David, another commander and Jonathan’s best friend.
He enlists the help of his friend, Oren, who is Jonathan’s armor bearer. Together, they tell Jonathan of the plan. Jonathan is now put in the awkward position of choosing between his best friend and his father. He must decided whether to stay loyal to a king who is going mad, or to do what he knows is best for Israel.
Ayal is now finds himself in the middle of a plan to thwart the schemes of the king and restore peace to the Kingdom of Israel. His adventure takes him running through the back alleys of Jerusalem, climbing up and down the mountains surrounding the city, and hanging out palace windows. Along the way, he finds himself the new target of the mysterious assassin and must use all his skills learned from his time on the streets to survive and, turn, save the life of one of Israel’s greatest heroes.
Ayal is the first in a series of books retelling classical Bible stories from a new perspective; those of young, minor characters in the stories. Stay tuned for the Philippian Trilogy, three stories telling the beginning of the Church at Philippi from the three founding members. It all starts out with Emilian the Jailer’s Son, the story of the Philippian Jailer. It all begins with the Battle of Teutoburg forest and it ends with the Apostle Paul and the founding of one of the most successful and diverse churches in the Bible.