Six hundred years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, ruthless pagan kings lust after the land and resources of the wayward people of Judah. In the obscure Judean village of Anathoth, a shy, lonely boy is growing up, feared and shunned by all because of the voice he hears in his head. But whose voice is he hearing? Is he being called by the God of his forefathers to save Judah from destruction? Or is he destined only to destroy himself? As he struggles to distinguish divine inspiration from madness, his fate becomes inextricably interwoven with that of the people who revile him. J. Francis Hudson read Classics and Theology at Cambridge University and now lives in the English Lake District. Hudson won widespread acclaim for Rabshakeh, Zoheleth and Hadassah, three novels exploring the history of the House of Saul, which have been translated into eight languages. 'Hudson is a first-rate story-teller. The characters come alive. The situations are real. The result is nothing less than a thriller.' (The Jerusalem Post)