Douglas Bond

The Betrayal is told from the perspective of a lifelong sworn enemy of Calvin-a boy who grows up in the same town and who, as a man, remains involved with Calvin's life to the very end. As the publisher says, "This fast-paced biographical novel is a tale of envy that escalates to violent intrigue and shameless betrayal."(adapted from Tim Challies' review of the first edition)The Betrayal offers a faithful and memorable overview of Calvin's life, and one could profitably read it without any prior knowledge of Calvin. It is easy for people today to forget that Calvin lived in a tumultuous, dangerous context in which politics and theology were intertwined, and The Betrayal portrays this vividly. The novel is filled with insights into Calvin's life that will enhance anyone's understanding of the man and his times. It is a welcome tribute to him in the year of his 500th birthday. (adapted from TGC review of first edition)Those who have written endorsements for The Betrayal help describe the book.

The Church has a rich history of music and hymns. But many mainstream congregations have thrown out the older hymns. Why?Archaic. Antiquated. Obsolete. The wording in the old hymns is deemed too out-of-date to be worthwhile to the modern Church. To which Hidden in the Hymns says, "Hogwash." It's true that phrases like "raise my Ebenezer" and "round it has cast, like a mantle, the sea" are fuzzy to modern ears. But what isn't archaic is the subject matter of these old hymns. And the plain fact is that many older hymns dive deeper into comforting truths than most Christian pop songs do. These old hymns are full of Scripture and rich insights. What better music could your children have stuck in their heads? But in order for children-and adults-to love these old hymns as they deserve, they'll need to know what the hymns are talking about.Enter Hidden in the Hymns. In order to help children see why the old hymns are worth holding on to, Rivers Houseal has paraphrased eighty classic hymns into words that a middle-grader can understand. The paraphrase is presented stanza by stanza-first, a vocabulary "translation" is given, immediately followed by the original hymn lyrics. This allows children to grasp the meaning in the hymn stanza they are about to read, then see that meaning in its original wording. The result: children realize what powerful teaching and beauty is hidden in these hymns.

The Hobgoblins is a historical novel on the life and times of John Bunyan, best-selling author of The Pilgrim's Progress. Readers of war stories, accounts of those who suffer under poverty and oppression, books about heroes of history, will find this book fascinating. The story unfolds as written in the persona of Harry Wylie, companion of the rebel John Bunyan, corrupted by the village blasphemer in their youth. Harry gives his unvarnished, eyewitness version of the life of Bunyan, including their youthful pranks in and around 11th century Elstow Abbey, their military service as enlisted teens in the English Civil War, narrow escapes in battle, the great plague and Great Fire of London in 1666, Bunyan's principled stand against civil tyranny, the various trials Bunyan endured before magistrates for unlicensed preaching, his wife Elizabeth's intrepid defense of her husband before the House of Lords, and Bunyan's long imprisonment. Harry in his adulthood has become the county jailer and recounts Bunyan's aversion to restraint of any kind and the twelve long years he spent behind bars in prison. Harry believes people never change, and Bunyan's stand against tyranny he long dismisses as yet another expression of his friend's youthful rebellion. The author creates Bunyan's 17th century voice from The Pilgrim's Progress and other books written by the unlettered village tinker, who remains the best-selling author of all time.

Lt. Eli Evans, B-17 bomber pilot, is shot down over enemy-occupied France in 1944. Surrounded by Resistance fighters, a licensed-to-kill SOE British agent, and Marxist sympathizers, Evans and his navigator must evade a ruthless Nazi manhunt if they are to survive. Resistance sympathizer Aim e hates war but is forced to act with courage, risking her life for others. Engaged in ambush and sabotage, the combatants will debate broadcast talks by C. S. Lewis, heard as they listen to the BBC for coded messages from London. Full Review True to form, Douglas Bond delivers yet another historical novel sure to capture the hearts and imaginations of both the young and the old. Readers will thrill at the high-stakes, fast-paced cat and mouse game that ensues among downed Army Air Corps pilot Eli Evans, navigator Charlie Tucker, and the Waffen SS. The timing of events and diversity among the characters kept the tension hovering at or above an 8 on a 0-10 scale. From the moment the B-17 crashes, until the invasion of Normandy; time (and pages) seemed to fly by. I've read a number of books recounting the events leading up to D-Day, but this one provided a unique perspective. The cast of American aircrew, French Resistance, Communist sympathizers, along with the SOE operative, lent to a wide range of viewpoints on politics, religion, and the best plan of action for the team. One of the reasons that navigator Charlie "Chuckles" Tucker was my favorite character is because he could be counted on to break the tension of any given circumstance. Chock-full of historical facts, this novel will make another wonderful addition to our homeschool library. Not only this, but our son has already read War in the Wasteland, where he was introduced to a young atheist, Clive Staples Lewis. When he picks up this novel he will be able to recognize the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in the life of C.S. Lewis through his BBC radio transmissions.

Luther in Love opens on a frigid night at the Augustinian cloister in Wittenberg, Katharina von Bora Luther bent over her candle writing something, trying to keep it from her husband's eyes. The story unfolds memoir-esque from Katie's perspective, breaking into clusters of chapters in third person, then back to Katie from time to time throughout the biographical novel. How does an apostate nun live with an apostate monk, and such a monk? There is a giant in the land, and the giant is Luther: bold, bombastic, fearless, vitriolic to his opponents, given to dark bouts of depression and self-doubt, unwashed, unkempt, plagued by a painful and reoccurring bowel disorder, and nothing short of brilliant. How does a young woman (Katie was 26 when she married 42 year-old Luther) who had not been around men since she was 5 years old, how does she live with such a man? LUTHER IN LOVE will explore these questions in the context of the dynamic unfolding story of Luther and the Reformation in Germany, and will focus particular attention, as Luther does, on the sanctifying influence of Christian marriage, "the school of character." Including downloadable study guide for pastors to use in premarital counseling with young couples about to wed.

A knife-edge adventure in the Highlands, in Guns of the Lion Gavin Crookshank finds himself an unwilling conscript of King George II military service. It is the story of a maturing faith emerging out of conflicted loyalties in battles, within and without, wherein the protagonist is forced to kill or be killed in bloody conflict during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 in Scotland. Uncertain who is friend and who is foe, Gavin must learn courage and duty, and how to pitch his hopes on the God alone who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth.

The M Kethe clan finds itself in pre-Revolutionary War Connecticut weathering a storm of religious and political upheaval. Ian M Kethe is forced to make a choice against enormous odds in the face of rising conflict between the Colonists and the French with their Indian allies. Ian makes an unlikely friendship with Watookoog, an Indian, and risks everything but gains something he thought he had lost forever."

A Latin student delves into the story of Rusticus, a centurion saved from massacre by Caedmon, a Celt who has witnessed Christians being martyred in Rome.

In Scotland in 1679, the beleagured Covenanters continue to endure religious persecution at the hands of King Charles II, and Angus M'Kethe and his family begin to think of leaving their country.

Angus, Duncan's younger brother, comes of age, physically and spiritually, as Scottish Covenanters face Highlanders at Drumclog. Covenanters wrestle with Christ's command to love their enemies.

(Juvenile fiction) Young Duncan M'Kethe finds himself caught in the web of Sir James Turner, the former Covenanter turned military leader of the persecutors. Duncan is torn by his hatred of Turner's Dragoons, who have treated his friends cruelly, and his father's instructions to love them. He must be true to Jesus Christ while attempting to rescue his father from enemy hands.