Forged In Rage by Sean Young

Forged in Rage by Sean Young is my penultimate book in my alphabet challenge I set myself.  I chose it because the title and book cover looked interesting; I hadn't realised that is was historical fiction.

The blurb says:

For generations, the copper scroll has remained buried, concealing the treasure it protects and the prophecy it contains. Now that secret is about to be unleashed. In the right hands, the scroll could bring about Israel's freedom from Roman occupation, but used improperly, it could destroy her.

Barabbas, a warrior zealot and sworn protector of the scroll, has vowed to overthrow his Roman oppressors. He has raged against an empire and lashed out at its military might. But his greatest enemy remains the pain within.

His quest for vengeance and Roman blood, his love for a peace loving woman, and his commitment to the mysterious scroll pull him in vastly different directions. Death and betrayal loom around every corner as Barabbas searches for a truth that he has yet to fully understand-the force that drives him forward and ultimately requests the ultimate sacrifice to be made by a man.

As a Christian, the name Barabbas is well known as the murderer who was released instead of Jesus at the crucifixion. This novel is an interesting take on who Barabbas was, what he stood for, how he earned the reputation of being a murderer, and the suffering he endured.  Whilst being set in the time period 29-33AD, it is not centred around Jesus at all, but Barabbas and the search for the copper scroll.

This book is full of action.  Barabbas has to pit his wits against Gaius, a Roman Centurion, as they try and outsmart each other and capture/evade capture whilst finding the truth about the scroll.

The chapters in this book are fairly long (~20min/chapter) which meant I only read the book when I had time to read a whole chapter, but it is really good.  It kept me on the edge of my seat, as I was wondering whether the zealots would manage to escape, whether Barabbas could rescue his friends, and throughout the torture, death and loss of family and friends.

In fact, my main disappointment with this book is that Book 2 in the Violent Sands series, When Shadows Scream, isn't available yet!  A good read!