Thanks for reading Isle of Shadows! I hope you enjoyed the story.  Read on, for some background and behind-the-scenes info about the setting and the writing of the book!

MORE ABOUT THAT WONDER, THE COLOSSUS…

The list of the Seven Wonders evolved slowly, from their first mention by the Greek historian Herodotus in 450 BC, to the poet Antipater in the second century BC. Though only the oldest of the seven, the Great Pyramid of Giza, still stands, their mystique has endured, each a wonder of engineering and a testimony to the creativity of ancient peoples.

The Colossus of Rhodes was built by Chares of Lindos, beginning in 290 BC. The statue reportedly took twelve years to build and was erected by creating an iron framework, filling it with stone, and then overlaying it with plates of bronze “skin.” During construction, builders moved piles of dirt to surround the statue, building up the dirt ramps as the statue grew. When the Colossus was complete, the dirt was removed and the statue towered over the harbor. It stood approximately 110 feet high. (The Statue of Liberty, at about 120 feet, was patterned after the Colossus; the New York statue’s base is much higher, however.)

The Colossus remained upright for only fifty-six years, until it was broken at the knees by an earthquake. Though Ptolemy III of Egypt offered funds for its rebuilding, the people of Rhodes declined, believing they had offended Helios by building it. They chose to allow the god’s likeness to remain beside the sea. And there it lay for nine hundred years. Empires rose and fell around the fallen Colossus until, history tells us, a traveling Arab salesman purchased the bronze remains as scrap and had them transported to his home on the backs of nine hundred camels.

THIS BOOK’S PLACE IN HISTORY

Isle of Shadows covers only the briefest glimpse into the history of this magnificent statue. And it takes place in a period between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, a dark time in which the Jewish people fought to retain their land, and many were scattered around the Mediterranean world. It is one of these Jewish families in Rhodes who helps Tessa understand the coming Redeemer, even as they await His birth themselves. The message of redemption was as true before the coming of Christ as it is after.

Regarding this coming Messiah, you may have noticed and wondered about a quick reference to Luke 2:25–33 in the final chapter. Since Isle of Shadows is set in 226 BC, the idea that my Simeon is the same man Mary and Joseph met in the temple is, of course, my own invention. But such things intrigue me. In Luke 2, Simeon tells them of God’s promise that he would not die until he’d seen that day arrive. Who’s to say he was not unnaturally old? 

It is a challenge to create a story involving Jewish culture and practice, staying true to the way they would have spoken of God, while writing in English. The Jewish people of this time period would have refrained from vocalizing the name of God, YHWH, and probably would have used the more common name of Elohim (“the God”), Adonai (“my Lord”), or HaShem (“the Name”). For the sake of simplicity, I have chosen in this story to simply use “the One God” or “God,” much as English translations of the Bible have chosen to do.

JOIN ME!

I have been privileged to visit the island of Rhodes twice, and I invite you to visit my travel photo journal of my visits. You’ll experience the sights, sounds, and people of this beautiful island. You’ll see photos of the Acropolis, the harbor where the statue stood, the sea, and the streets where Tessa fought for freedom and found redemption.

And I hope you’ll join me on another adventure into the Seven Wonders… Perhaps you’d like to visit the pyramids of Egypt?

READ THIS NEXT! 

SECRETS CAN BE DEADLY.

A killer prowls the sands of the unfinished Great Pyramid, and only one man can stop him.

Egypt’s Grand Vizier, Hemi, orders his life with justice, truth, and the precision needed to engineer the pyramid he’s been tasked to build for his cousin and childhood companion, Pharaoh Khufu.

But when Hemi’s overseer and closest friend is found murdered in Khufu’s slaughterhouse, distrust grows between them and chaos threatens the project.

As the body count rises around Khufu’s Great Pyramid, Hemi must confront long-buried secrets…

Secrets of that day, years ago, when seven of them trekked into the Delta marshes—and only six returned.

Will Hemi be able to stop the Scourge of Anubis? Or will the truth destroy them all?