Review by Booklist Review
Zora Neale Hurston aficionados are in for a surprise, a historical novel inspired by Herod the Great. Though widely known as the evil king who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents at the time of Jesus' birth, Hurston explains in her lengthy preface that Herod was actually a popular and extremely capable ruler. Having fictionalized the Exodus story in Moses, Man of the Mountain, Hurston planned her Herod novel as a sequel. But it was rejected by her publishers, and her original manuscript was badly damaged in a fire. Recovered and edited by scholar Plant, Hurston's tale of the Judean king emphasizes the conflict between East and West, "palace and priesthood," modernity and resistance to change, conflicts she believed had risen anew in the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Her villains are not the conquering Romans and the westernized, assimilated Judeans, but the sly, devious Hasmoneans, descendants of the Maccabees, who are determined to remain in power. Herod, his noble father Antipater, and his brother Phasaelus are continually beset and threatened by the cravenly high priest Hyrcanus and his scheming relatives; even after Herod marries into the family, he is not safe from their schemes. Full of adventure, glamour, and historical figures, including Herod's close friends Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, this is a fascinating addition to the Hurston canon.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Another resurrected Hurston work, this portrait reframing a ruler of old is sure to inspire requests and discussion.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this unfinished novel, Hurston (1891--1960) attempts a biblical retelling similar to her novel Moses, Man of the Mountain, unspooling a stimulating if rushed revisionist narrative of Herod the Great. It opens with a 25-year-old Herod appointed as governor of Galilee by his father. The young leader quickly rids Galilee of bandit Hezekiah and his followers. The killings earn Herod adoration from Galilee's residents but ire in Jerusalem, where some see his actions as reckless. Jealous Judean king Hyrcanus puts Herod on trial for the murders, but his powerful presence in court strikes his accusers silent and he's set free. His strained relationship with Hyrcanus continues as Herod battles new enemies, grieves his father's death by poisoning, gains the trust of Mark Antony, and becomes co-governor of Judea. After Hyrcanus is captured by an invading Parthian army, Herod saves hundreds of women from danger and then travels to Rome, where he demands to be named king of Judea. Because Hurston left the manuscript incomplete, chunks of the plot are missing, particularly toward the conclusion. Still, she delivers an intriguing counterpoint to the biblical "massacre of the innocents" story, framing Herod as a strong and complex protagonist, one who balances his political ambitions with his loyalty to his people. Hurston completists ought to snatch this up. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Built from the fragments of an unfinished novel that was, in part, salvaged after a fire and missing significant narrative sections, this rescued work, edited and with commentary by Deborah G. Plant (an independent scholar of African American and Africana studies), demonstrates Hurston's (1891--1960) profound ability to shape from the past a version of her present and society's future. It showcases both her training in cultural anthropology and her storytelling brilliance. Her writing style presents historical accuracy, with voices that bring to mind the stylized cadences of a chorus. She uses the biblical story of Herod the Great as a mechanism for exploring concepts of power in ways that are as relevant now as they were when she last worked on a draft of this title in 1958. Familiar as the story of Herod may be, Hurston puts her authorial signature on it. The missing sections invite readers to think about what other changes she might have made through her linguistic choices, images, and emphases. VERDICT A valuable edition to Hurston's canon that will appeal both to her fans and to new readers of her work. Pair with Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mother's Gardens.--Emily Bowles
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