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Chargement... The Hidden Saintpar Mark Levenson
Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  ZoharLaor | May 11, 2022 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
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THIS NEW FANTASY NOVEL TAKES READERS TO A WORLD THEY'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED BEFORE, IN WHICH THE VAST SWEEP OF JEWISH MYTH AND MAGIC IS COMPLETELY REAL. The historical horrors of eighteenth-century Eastern Europe are interwoven with fantastic creatures drawn from 3,500 years of Jewish myth and magic. For the first time, THE HIDDEN SAINT conjures up a very human origin story for one of the greatest superheroes of Jewish folklore: Rabbi Adam, famous for battling wizards, witches, and demons. The story opens on a long-awaited family wedding, which turns to horror as Rabbi Adam's children are abducted by an ancient supernatural evil. To save them, the rabbi is joined by a golem, a man of clay pained by the burden of living among, but always apart from, humans. He's goaded and mentored by an elderly, wisecracking housekeeper who is secretly one of the thirty-six hidden saints, or Lamed-Vavniks, upon whom the fate of the world depends. And he's blessed and challenged by his wife, Sarah, who leads him to a garden named Eden. As tidal waves and fires ravage the earth and the very stars above begin to disappear, can Rabbi Adam and his companions succeed in time? Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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The Hidden Saint by Mark Levenson is a fantasy novel steeped in Jewish mysticism. Mr. Levenson is an award-winning writer, journalist, and screenwriter.
Rabbi Adam is anxiously awaiting a family wedding, when Lilith, an ancient evil, abducts his children. To save them, Rabbi Adam must create a golem and find his way to the underworld.
Accompanied by a sarcastic mentor, a hidden saint (lamed-vavnik), Adam realizes that there’s more at stake. Not only the life of his children but the key to the lost memories of his youth, as well as the fate of the world.
This book was certainly an unexpected delight. I had no idea what to expect and found a very creative, inventive book that takes Jewish folklore, old tales, history, as well as theology to combine them into a coherent, creative, and original work.
One of the aspects of Jewish stories that I always enjoy is the sarcastic, self-deprecating humor. My favorite character, a mentor to the protagonist, Rabbi Adam, is just that. Believe you me, for a few chapters I was worried I wouldn’t get that sort of entertainment.
The author wrote of well-known Jewish mystic creatures, Lilith, the lamed-vavs (36 righteous persons living in the world in every generation), and, of course, the golem. However, he also included some that even I haven’t heard of before like imps, a city of immortal Jews, spirits, and other creatures. Moreover, Mr. Levenson included several retellings of Jewish folk tales, from far and wide. While I only recognized a few, I certainly enjoyed the homage.
The Hidden Saint by Mark Levenson had bewildering aspects to it which I found surprising. While I knew about Jewish myths, I didn’t expect the story to go into the fantasy/horror realm. Not that it’s bad, just that I don’t generally associate these genres with Judaism.
Maybe because we lived it out throughout the centuries, we don’t need to invent anything else
The author’s note, in the end, tells a bit about his research. The explanations of where, and when, in Judaism’s lore he got his creatures were as fascinating as the stories themselves. (