The Light of Truth

Early Christianity Comes to Life: The Apostle John series

Christian - Historical Fiction
330 Pages
Reviewed on 05/26/2016
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Susan Preston brings to her writing a great deal of life experience, emotional wisdom and diverse skills. A registered nursing sister with experience in psychotherapy, a mother, a registered computer trainer and assessor, and graduate of a Bible college in Perth, Australia.

A Christian, Preston takes her faith seriously and treats her research as a combination of treasure hunt and mystery tour. Her work has been described as masterfully blending elements from scripture into a compelling story. Her response to the comment was that the characters are real to her.

Fun fact: Originally from Scotland, she believes she could, with a little practice, correctly pronounce the ‘ch’ sound in the Hebrew names.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

In an interesting and intriguing new work of Christian historical fiction, The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series by author Susan Preston, readers will be treated to a book that will keep them reading obsessively from the very beginning all the way through to the very end. This book tells the story of Elizabeth, a decent Jewish woman who is pushed to the brink by her life's circumstances. Elizabeth's niece's baby son is dying, and she's desperate to help him. When she happens upon an area where the Apostle John is preaching, she impulsively decides to hear him, risking being disowned by her family and her Jewish community. But what she hears changes her and the life of her family forever. What did John say, and what changed for Elizabeth? You'll need to read the book to find out!

I very much enjoyed The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life. Author Susan Preston has done a wonderful job in creating characters that her readers will be able to connect with, relate to, and truly come to care about. If that isn't a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. Her ability to tell stories that are fresh and revealing from biblical times is second to none. Any reader who loves works of Christian fiction should absolutely read this book. I am pleased to be able to recommend it, and look forward to reading more from author Susan Preston in the future!

Ray Simmons

The first stories that I listened to and read as a child were from the Bible. I come from a family of Southern Baptists and that is just the way most of them raise their children. I enjoyed those stories. I have always enjoyed stories about heroes. Later on, when I learned to read the Bible for myself, I was a little disappointed by how short and terse many of the stories are. It was still good to read them, but I wanted a little more. I guess I wanted the stories to be more like a good novel or movie than a scholarly history of the Jewish people and the Christian religion. If you feel like that, if you want the people from your Bible to come alive with all their weaknesses as well as their strengths, then I highly recommend The Light of Truth by Susan M.B. Preston. This is the third book in the Apostle of John series. I read the first two books of the series and they were great. This one is even better.

There are so many things I like about The Light of Truth. First of all is that the characters are real people with real fears and concerns, and they are people I can care about. I also like the tone of Susan M.B. Preston’s writing. I like the way she smoothly weaves Jewish vocabulary and culture into the story. I also like the look into Jewish culture around the time that Jesus lived and died. The closeness of the Jewish community and the fracture within it that the teachings of Jesus caused are displayed very vividly here. The writing is exceptional and the characters well drawn. These things, combined with attention to historical detail, make The Light of Truth a great book.

Tracy Slowiak

The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series by author Susan Preston is a unique and enjoyable read in the genre of Christian fiction. Elizabeth is a woman living in the time of the Apostle John. A member of a traditional Jewish family, she knows that she would be considered a heretic and disowned from her family if she listened to him, or to any Christian man. But when events in her life and the lives of her family members take a dramatic turn, Elizabeth, in desperation, decides to seek him out, especially after she has heard of his healing abilities. What happens next changes her life and her beliefs forever. What happened? Read The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life to find out!

Author Susan Preston has provided her readers with a dynamic, fascinating and quite realistic look into the lives of Jesus' Apostles and those who followed them. The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life is certainly a book that will have readers engaged from the very beginning and will give them pause for thought throughout. Readers with a strong interest in Christian fiction will enjoy this book, and should absolutely give it a read as soon as they possibly can. I am happy to recommend The Light of Truth: Early Christianity Comes to Life and hope that author Susan Preston will continue her writing efforts in this genre!