About the Book
Author: Kurt Brouwer
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release Date: June 15, 2023
He was the Beloved Disciple…
…and he would be the last.
The burden to tell the whole story now rests on his shoulders.
He was the Beloved Disciple, chosen by Jesus and destined to be the last to carry the divine message. Devastated by the loss of his adopted mother Mary, John has no time to mourn. The streets of Jerusalem teem with danger, as Roman rulers engage in fierce conflict with Jewish rebels, all vying for control.
While his allegiance lies with his people, John is at odds with the rebels’ passion for earthly power. His quest is to preserve and share the legacy of Jesus.
Will he succeed in spreading the gospel?
Or has he waited too long?
As Jerusalem descends into chaos, John escapes to Antioch. He finds rest, renewal, and purpose among the devoted Christians there and begins sharing his account of the life and teachings of Christ.
Yet even within this refuge, the old conflicts descend on Antioch too, and the dangers ignited in Jerusalem draw near.
Set against a backdrop of actual events, The Last Disciple: Escape to Antioch is the second novel in a series woven from the Bible and Christian history.
Join John as he embarks on an extraordinary journey, discovering the true essence of faith, love, and divine purpose.
Your heart will embrace The Last Disciple: Escape to Antioch because John’s story is the story of our hope and promise.
Click here to get your copy!
My Review
Brouwer has done a good job fleshing out an era not recorded in the Bible. He focuses on John and we travel with him when he feels called to Antioch. Brouwer excels in description and we get a good idea of what a journey by ship at the time would be like, for example. We read about rebels and the trouble leading up to the attack on Jerusalem in AD 70.
Woven into the fictional story are historical events, such as the death of Paul. It was interesting to see how John and others responded to it. For me, the most fascinating part of the novel was how the copying of the gospels and the letters from Paul and Peter developed. Imagine! A woman doing it! I liked how John and others made sure the copies were accurate.
This is a good novel exploring the possible actions of John and others in a time not recorded in the Bible.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
This is the second book in a series and you can read my review of the first one, The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem.
About the Author
A few years back, Kurt did a study at his church on the Apostle John. If you’ve ever been obsessed by anything, you’ll understand that Kurt couldn’t stop researching, digging, diving into the life of John and other first century Christians. The result is a series of Christian historical novels.
The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem was published on Amazon in November 2022. It has been in the top five for Inspirational Religious Fiction and Religious Historical Fiction in 2023.
More from Kurt
Right now I’m living in two worlds: writing and researching the first century world of the early Christians while also tackling the technical demands of self-publishing and online book promotion in the 21st century.
Living In Two Different Worlds
Writing a book and publishing it have become almost polar opposites, at least for me. Research and writing require a focus on history, places, people, and then the work of creating a written narrative that brings all these to life. With my books, I focus on the first century Biblical world of John, the disciple of Christ. So I have to study, imagine, and then describe the life of first century Christians like John, Timothy, Priscilla and many more.
But publishing has to be done in the modern world of software, online apps, book cover graphic design, and navigating sites like Amazon.com. I actually enjoy this, but I definitely find it frustrating too.
Graphic Design For Book Two
For example, I had my book cover designer create a graphic I wanted to use as a part of the book detail page on Amazon. But when I go through the step-by-step instructions on Amazon, I get an error message. Eventually, I’ll figure it out, but there’s a steep learning curve in the publishing and promotion side of writing. Here is the design. It may not be on Amazon yet, but you can see it now.
This is the description for book two:
He was the Beloved Disciple…
…and he would be the last.
The burden to tell the whole story now rests on his shoulders.
He was the Beloved Disciple, chosen by Jesus and destined to be the last to carry the divine message. Devastated by the loss of his adopted mother Mary, John has no time to mourn. The streets of Jerusalem teem with danger, as Roman rulers engage in fierce conflict with Jewish rebels, all vying for control.
While his allegiance lies with his people, John is at odds with the rebels’ passion for earthly power. His quest is to preserve and share the legacy of Jesus.
Will he succeed in spreading the gospel?
Or has he waited too long?
As Jerusalem descends into chaos, John escapes to Antioch. He finds rest, renewal, and purpose among the devoted Christians there and begins sharing his account of the life and teachings of Christ.
Yet even within this refuge, the old conflicts descend on Antioch too, and the dangers ignited in Jerusalem draw near.
Set against a backdrop of actual events, The Last Disciple: Escape to Antioch is the second novel in a series woven from the Bible and Christian history.
Join John as he embarks on an extraordinary journey, discovering the true essence of faith, love, and divine purpose.
Your heart will embrace The Last Disciple: Escape to Antioch because John’s story is the story of our hope and promise.
But now I’m heading back to what I really love, writing and research. I’m about half way through with the first draft of book three in the series. The title will be, The Last Disciple: Exile to Ephesus.
Yours in Christ, Kurt
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 22
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 23
Christina’s Corner, September 24
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 25
Texas Book-aholic, September 26
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 27
The Lit Lady, September 27
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 28
Lights in a Dark World, September 29
Cover Lover Book Review, September 30
Lily’s Book Reviews, October 1
Artistic Nobody, October 2 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, October 2
Connie’s History Classroom, October 3
The Book Club Network, October 4
She Lives To Read, October 5
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
4 comments:
Congrats on your book!
What is your favorite space to do your writing?
I'm very excited to read thos book. Thanks for hosting.
I've added to my Amazon wishlist.
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