The Shepherd and the King

The Kings of Israel, Book 1

By: Bryan Saye

Narrated by: Shep Pryor

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

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.

Narrator isn’t the best…

Story was great, although the author definitely took some liberties. Still great to listen to and helps to personalize David from the Bible. I found myself re-reading David’s story in the Bible which is great to get back into the Good Book! Only issue I have is with the narration. All the other reviews are true…I feel that a more theatric narrator would have made this much more enjoyable.

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

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.