The Wise Man Returns

The Wise Man Returns
by Kenny Kemp
Cedar Fort, 2011. 357 pgs. Fiction

Melchior of Alexandria has just been promoted to a powerful position as chief priest in the temple of Serapis and thinks he has everything he could ever want in life. However, things change when he casts a unique astrological chart that indicates that a new King of the Jews has been born. Melchior travels to Judea and meets the young Jeshua and his parents, and his interactions with them will shape the rest of his life. Three decades after his first trip, Melchior finds himself drawn back to Judea to find out the fate of Jeshua and to determine for himself whether he is the promised Messiah or not.

Despite what you might think, this is not really a Christmas book and it is most certainly not lightweight. The author has clearly done an amazing amount of research into the world of the Roman Empire and brings it to life convincingly without being dry or boring. What I enjoyed most about the book were the characters. Melchior is a complex man who spends his life wrestling with questions of belief and loyalty, and the reader journeys with him as he searches to understand the world and his place in it. While the book is generally uplifting and clean, life in the ancient world could be brutal and there a few scenes that may disturb more sensitive souls.

JC