Reading My Christmas Gifts One at a Time!

     J+M+J

    Yes, my love of reading is well known, and I received several books this Christmas! I am excited about reading them all, and I’m already off to a good start, as I am currently reading books 2 and 3 for the year. I have learned that if I try to read more than two books at once, I don’t finish any of them. But reading a spiritual book and another (self help, fiction, etc) book usually works. The book I dived into right away was a book from my brother called Nikolaos by Taylor Marshall.  

    I read Taylor Marshall’s Sword and Serpent trilogy a few years ago, and had no idea that he was releasing this prequel! When I opened Nikolaos, I was immediately eager to get back into Marshall’s compelling world. The Sword and Serpent trilogy is set during the Diocletian persecutions, and weaves the lives of several early saints together. It paints a riveting picture of the lives of saints George, Catherine, Nicholas, Blaise, Christopher, and others. I found it very similar to Fabiola (by Cardinal Wiseman), but I like that the Sword and Serpent trilogy lasts longer, with a total of 900+ pages 😊! Marshall also incorporated alot of Latin and Greek words into each book, with a Lexicon at the back of each book. And there is a map in the front of every book, which must be consulted as the characters move around the globe. In fact, when I originally read the books, I tried to convince mom to allow us to read Sword and Serpent in place of our Religion, History, and Geography, and Latin homework 😁.(Don’t worry, she said no. 😁)

    Nikolaos specifically looks at the life of St Nicholas, whereas he is merely a side character in the Sword and Serpent trilogy. The focus/story of Nikolaos was different from the theme of Sword and Serpent, but I enjoyed each in their own way. With these early saints, the little we know of them is mostly based on legends, so there are alot of details that are left to one’s (or Taylor Marshall’s!) imagination.

    As a side note, if you are a parent, please read these books before giving them to young children. In Nikolaos, prostitution is suggested throughout, as that is what St Nicholas is working to save the young ladies from, and in the first Sword and Serpent, one character is a priestess who has to be rescued from her satanic cult and rituals.

    But overall, these books are thoroughly Catholic and compelling reads, and have helped to deepen my appreciation for the early saints and their times. Let me know your feedback on Nikolaos and/or Sword and Serpent! And remember to tune in next week for another exciting review of a book I am currently reading!