I have always been a fan of literature that transports the reader into past. I grew up listening to Chris Heimerdinger on family road trips and liked the idea of having modern characters put in ancient settings and vice versa. It is simply fun to see how the characters react to their strange surroundings. “The Fourth Nephite” takes the reader back to Palmyra, New York in the early 1800s around some of the events that happened to Joseph Smith and his family.
The author did several things that made this especially enjoyable. First, he included a number of historical instances, places, names, people, etc, which are probably much more than the average reader would have come knowing about. Secondly, he includes a reader’s guide at the end so that the reader can enjoy and learn from these historical elements.
I also appreciate that the historical figures were portrayed tastefully. In the case of Joseph Smith, much of his dialogue was taken from actual accounts of words that he spoke, sprinkled in with enough artistic license to keep it from sounding wooden.
The author manages to tell an inspiring tale, without getting too preachy and the characters are likeable and the plot quick. The author leaves quite a bit unexplained, pointing to the fact that he is going to draw the story out into a series. If they are put together like the first one, it should be an adventure to look forward to.
Books by Michael D. Young 