The Carpenter

A Retelling of the Story of Joseph of Nazareth

By: S. A. Wilson

Narrated by: Lars Mikaelson

Joseph, a master craftsman and carpenter, stokes the ire of his family when he weds his pregnant (and seemingly unfaithful) betrothed, Mary. Pious, devout, and guided by the dictates of Heaven, Joseph has no issue with taking Mary - who still claims to be a virgin - as his wife and committing himself to the protection of her child, whom he senses is extraordinary.

However, there are others who are also aware of how special the child is, and not all have its best interests at heart. Among these is the despot Herod, whose oppressive rule and wanton cruelty are legendary. Deeply troubled by a prophecy concerning a King to Come, the tyrant is committed to finding - and eliminating - this threat to his reign. (And, having already murdered members of his own family in order to maintain power, Herod has no qualms about killing a baby.) In addition, there are forces beyond the ken of men that also recognize the singular nature of Mary’s child, and which are determined to keep the salvation that the babe represents out of mankind’s reach.

All of these factions and more converge on Mary and Joseph as they trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem in hopes of starting a new life. On a journey fraught with peril, Joseph fights to protect Mary and her unborn child from danger on all sides, including the elements, bandits, and Herod’s legions - as well as an utterly evil and otherworldly demonic force determined to stamp out mankind’s only hope of redemption.

Armed with little more than his wits, his faith, and his carpenter’s hammer, Joseph must face impossible odds to ensure the safety and survival of not only his family, but mankind’s future....

©2019 Panegyric Publishing (P)2020 Panegyric Publishing

Did not hold my interest

Although it took months to read the book just seemed too unbelievable. Most biblical fiction is usually believable through the characters, the narrative etc. this just didn’t mesh for me

A fun, fantastical retelling of Joseph's story

The Carpenter by S.A. Wilson is a fictionalized retelling of the story of Joseph of Nazareth.

I was curious about this book because of the premise. I read Biblical fiction all the time, but I'd never heard of one about Joseph, Jesus' step-father. The cover and the blurb made me think it wasn't going to be historically accurate, and I was right. I'm a stickler about getting the historical details right, especially concerning the Bible. But if I put that behind me for a second, I still thought it was an enjoyable read (or more like, listen, because it was an audiobook).

The setting and characters in this book were the same as in the Bible: Joseph and Mary, betrothed, when they find out Mary's pregnant with Jesus. Understandably, Satan and his demons don't like the Son of God being born as a human and try to kill Him before He was born. Herod, too, like in the Biblical account, isn't happy about another king coming on the scene, and so he sends out troops to capture the newlyweds before they even reach Bethlehem. That part wasn't accurate according to the chronology, since the wise men who tipped Herod off to Jesus' birth wouldn't have arrived until some time (like 1-2 years) had passed.

Neither does the Biblical account mention Joseph and Mary being chased across Israel by demon-possessed soldiers. But that is what happens in this book, and rather fantasy-like, too. Joseph, with his carpenter tools, fights off all the bad guys like an anime character, with some "magical" intervention by God. Mary listens to Joseph, follows along patiently wherever he leads, and helps when she's able. Neither character has very much character development.

But I admire the author's creativity with this story. There are a lot of obstacles for the characters to overcome, and I never would have imagined some of the solutions to them. It made it rather a fun read. I enjoyed it.

The narrator of the audiobook did very well. He was engaging and pleasant to listen to. He voiced the characters well, and I would happily listen to his narration again, if I came across a book of his that I was interested in.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book on the whole because of its lightheartedness and creativity, but it wasn't historically accurate, was very fantastical, and the characters needed a little more development. And the narration was great.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of this book from the author. I received no compensation for posting a review and was not otherwise obligated to write one. Everything I wrote was the truth.

Laugh or Cry?

This was so bad it was funny! The storyline as so unbelievable, it was laughable. I just don't know what else to say...

Entertaining, but takes too many liberties.

I received a free review copy of this book from the author at my request.
First, I would like to mention that I thoroughly enjoyed most of this story.
It was a great story about a godly man set upon by ungodly forces who overcomes
with the help of his faith. What's not to love? My only misgiving is that the
story is thoroughly steeped in tradition not the true story of the first
Christmas.
According to a wide range of biblical scholars there is a large amount of
evidence that the Magi did not find the Christ until he was several months old.
I think this story would have been much better if it had told the story of them fleeing to Egypt after the child was born (what I originally thought the story would be).

The first plot to kill Jesus

This is the story of the birth of Christ the way you've never heard it before. Chases, Centurions killer donkeys, and Joseph being a true hero. Great narration and lots of action.