The Shepherd and the King

The Kings of Israel, Book 1

By: Bryan Saye

Narrated by: Shep Pryor

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

David, new shepherd and youngest of eight, doesn’t want to fight. He wants to disappear, to be alone with his sheep. His brothers mock him, his father ignores him, and even the sheep he protects flee him. Yet, he was born for more. Yahweh has called him beyond the fields of little Bethlehem.

He has called him to greatness. Saul is king of Israel. Its first. Chosen by Yahweh and anointed by Samuel the prophet, he leads the fledgling nation as he defends its borders with shaky hands. Chosen and anointed he may be, but he is also a failure. Hounded by fear and anger and doubt, he is quickly losing his tenuous grip on the nation. Yahweh has new plans for Saul. And it does not involve a crown. When God speaks, shepherds and kings will hear. But will they obey?

©2021 Bryan R Saye (P)2022 Bryan R Saye

Praise be to God for he is our strength

Great book that illustrates the closeness David had with God and how he kept David safe and made him powerful

My Musings

The story sticks close to the bible using the author’s spin. The characters’ development could have been deeper. The narrator was not the right one for this book. A mostly satisfied reader and listener!

Good depiction of the biblical account

I enjoyed the fictional depiction of a story I love from the Bible, though the dialogue was sometimes a little awkward.

I did not enjoy the narrator much. When he narrated dialogue he had just two inflections, normal voice and anger. And the anger was about 2/3 of all of his dialogue. There were times when the narration made it difficult to enjoy the story.

Terrible narration

The narrator spoiled the story with a gravelly voice. Obvious breaks and pauses in narration and a complete inability to perform the characters. Like fingernails on the chalkboard, irritating and detracting from the storyline. I want a refund.

Great Listening Experience

I followed along in the book while listening to it on and I certainly enjoyed it. This is certainly a worthwhile read, and I can't wait to begin the second book.

Terrible narrator

This might have been a good listen if the narrator had had a modicum of talent. Plus, you hear his wife or somebody in the background, and sirens in the street -- doesn't really fit a biblical setting.

Excellent book

I love Biblical based fiction, but my husband typically finds it a bit boring. That was not the case with this book. Even my husband found Mr. Saye's book humorous and engaging. I was surprised to find that he was the one that would put Audible on as soon as we got in the vehicle. We both look forward to starting Part 2.

Very Well Written

I was struggling early in the book because I was not a fan of the narrator, but glad I stuck with it. I really got pulled into the story. It really opened my eyes to what it means to be a man after God’s own heart. As for the narrator, he sounds like he would be good for radio. He has a nice, deep voice, too deep for my liking when it comes to listening for so long. The changing of characters was sometimes difficult to follow and the expression of anger in the story (which was often) was raspy and difficult to understand.

Excellent listen

nothing to dislike enjoyed from start to finish . Can't wait to start book two soon.

Fantastic

As an actor and author, I must say this was fantastic. Loved everything about it. Job well done Bryan. 👏
-Cody Bobay