My Top 3 Favorite Series: The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers
Welcome back for the second installment in my “Top 3 Favorite Series” series!
The series that holds the second spot on my list of favorite series is The Mark of the Lion series by the incredible queen of Christian fiction (in my opinion), Francine Rivers. This honestly could have taken first place on my list. The only reason why it didn’t was because I’ve read the River of Time series (my top favorite) more times and loved it longer.
WHAT IS “THE MARK OF THE LION SERIES” ABOUT?
If you’ve been reading Christian fiction for a long time, chances are you’ve at least heard of this best-selling series. But if not, allow me to give you some background on it.
The Mark of Lion series follows the life of a young Jewish/Christian woman named Haddasah as she is captured in the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and sold into slavery to a Roman noble family. Haddasah’s gentle spirit touches the lives of all who know her, particularly her master’s children-the spoiled Julia whom she serves and the handsome Marcus-and a German captive turned gladiator, Atretes. Raised on the teachings of Christianity, Haddasah has always been faithful to the practice of her faith, but she quakes in fear at the prospect of being open about her beliefs in the harsh and intolerable climate of Rome. Eventually, Haddasah is faced with a difficult decision: risk everything she’s come to love by remaining true to her Lord Jesus Christ… or take the easy way out and risk losing her soul.
This series is not for the faint of heart. From the opening pages, Francine paints a vivid and often brutal picture of the ancient Roman world. The realities of life back then were so harsh, violent, and, especially in Rome and Ephesus (where the story takes place), deeply perverse. However, all of this darkness surrounding the lives of the other characters only serves to make the character of Haddasah shine like a beacon in the night. Her entire life is a witness to the love of Christ.
WHAT BOOKS ARE IN THIS SERIES?
The Mark of the Lion series consists of three books.
Book 1, A Voice in the Wind, begins the story of Haddasah’s turbulent journey to discovering who she’s meant to be in Christ, and her forbidden romance with her master’s son, Marcus.
It’s hard to talk about Book 2, An Echo in the Darkness, without giving major spoilers… So all I will say is this: it picks up where Book 1 left off and largely examines Marcus’s journey to faith, Julia’s path of destruction, and Atretes’s quest for freedom. This book, of all the ones in the series, is the most heart-rending and yet SO beautiful! **ALL THE TEARS!!!**
Book 3, As Sure as the Dawn, is distinctly different in that it doesn’t have Haddasah, Marcus, or any of the Valerian family. It focuses solely on Atretes and his life after fighting his way to freedom from slavery in the gladitorial arenas. His freedom has come at high prices-the blood of countless men, some even friends-and it haunts his soul. So does the memory of Haddasah.
Atretes’s own journey of spiritual discovery takes him back to his home in the forests of Germania alongside Rizpah, the adoptive mother of his son, whom he just might come to love.
WHY DO YOU LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH?
I have read many books that made me cry or touched my spirit in a profound way. There are many books whose messages still ring in my memory. However, no other novel I have ever read has impacted me in the way this series did.
I read A Voice in the Wind in August of 2015. I was at a very pivotal place in my own faith that year, fighting so much in my mind and really having to decide what I truly believed. I had to decide if I was serving God because that’s what my family had always done, or if I was doing it because I wanted to. Haddasah’s struggle with this same issue spoke straight to my heart, and her courage in the face of those who had the power to kill her because of her beliefs inspired me on a soul-deep level.
Later that year I read An Echo in the Darkness. I had thought that there was no way the series could get any better, but I was proven wrong. While the book is nearly painful to read because you wonder how things could ever turn out good, all the pain is redeemed by one of the most beautiful endings I have ever read! There are few books I’ve read that have made me cry as hard as I did on this one. When I say I cried, I mean I cried. I remember sitting in our family room at home and reading the last couple chapters. I was bawling so hard I had to pause every few paragraphs to sob into a pillow. Maybe that sounds extreme, but… #NoShameHere.
BONUS INFO ON THIS SERIES!
- Though the books were released well over twenty years ago, they remain on Amazon bestsellers lists and are considered firm classics in the world of Christian fiction.
- I actually have, or had, two sets of this series. Prior to reading the series, I had purchased second or third editions (I’m not really sure which they are) of the books, one on Amazon and the others at resale shops. These are the editions that I read, but for Christmas in 2015 my sister gave me a boxed set of the current editions. We saw this set at the bookstore of a large Baptist church in Houston, TX where we were attending a Christmas show. I expressed my desire to have a set like that and somehow my parents and sister managed to purchase it and sneak it out to the car while I wasn’t looking. When I got married and moved out, I let my mom keep my original set so now I just have the new set.
- I always take a book with me everywhere I go, and vacation, of course, is no exception. For my honeymoon in September 2018, I knew I had to bring at least one book with me to read but I also knew with the distraction of my new hubby and our exciting trip to Turks & Caicos, my attention span would probably be slim. I figured a book I had already read would be the best option, so I opted to bring A Voice in the Wind. I’ll never forget revisiting Haddasah’s story while kicked back on a lounge at the edge of the Caribbean.
