http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1608610209&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThough this is the third book in Moore’s series of historical fiction based on the events of the Book of Mormon and the first one that I’ve picked up. (It is nice that you can read the books in any order)
I have read The Book of Mormon many times and I think sometimes, it is easy to get into a rut where you start to forget that they were real people will real lives, which were much more complex than was recorded in the record that we have. The author does a wonderful job of bringing these well-known characters to life and giving them a plausible life story, all while hitting the major points from the original record.
She also mixes in aspects of culture extrapolated from Central American and Mayan culture. On top of this, she cites her sources, which made me feel like she had done considerable research before writing this novel so that the facts would be plausible. I think this added a nice flavor to the novel and gave me food for thought outside the main story.
The story is so interesting that I think that this book can be understood and enjoyed even by those who have not read the Book of Mormon. The themes of broken and reunited families, class inequalities, abuses of power, fall and redemption, love lost and gained are those which can be enjoyed by all readers, LDS or not. Now that I have enjoyed this volume, I intend to go back and search out the other ones. I will go ahead and list them below if you are also interested.
Books by Michael D. Young 