End of the Magi, The: A Novel

by Patrick W. Carr

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel creates a select group of men who will count down the calendar to the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day nears, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Having grabbed only a few possessions, Myrad escapes the city, and searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, he tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is hiding secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable traveler, an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget and the promise that the world will never be the same.

• ISBN10: 0764234919
• ISBN13: 9780764234910
• Publish Date: 5 November 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Imprint: Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[phyllish]

A fascinating story!

The adventure Myrad embarked on as he fled from the wicked queen who killed the magi to gain her throne was thought-provoking and insightful. I have participated in decades' of Bible studies and read a multitude of fictional works surrounding the life of Jesus. Yet it seemed that every other page I read in The End of the Magi, I was saying "I didn't know that" or "I hadn't thought about that". The approach Patrick W. Carr took to tell the story of the magi and how and why they journeyed is different from any I've seen before and yet completely true to scripture.

I love when I learn from the novels I read! Especially when the information integrates cleanly into the story so it is almost not like learning at all. The End of the Magi was filled with historical information that was new to me and was not forced at all.

The historical facts I learned as I read were fascinating. Yes, I did look up some things because I wanted to know how much was fact and how much was fiction. I now know far more about the Parthians than I had before! And I have a beautiful sense of the terrain the magi would have traveled through and what the journey could have been like. I enjoyed the depictions of the activity of the merchants at the oasis. It was quite a different picture than the image I had in my head and seems to make much more sense.

One of the most touching scenes was where Elias, the merchant, found it possible to obtain a copy of the Torah. The deep emotion he experienced and the reverence he showed for God's word was both tender and convicting! With many versions of the Bible in my house and several more on my phone, it is easy to forget what an incredible gift God's word to us is!

Those familiar with the prophecies in Daniel about the 69 weeks from the time the declaration to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah may be fascinated by the concept of the magi keeping a calendar to watch for these events as I was. I was especially intrigued by the way they were so confused when the star appeared 30 years too early based on their tracking!

The End of the Magi has the best of Biblical fiction. Adventure, history, oodles of research, and a deep reverence for God's word that flows off the pages. If you enjoy reading stories that make the events of the Bible come alive and touch your heart, be sure to pick up a copy.

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.