Review - Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ

Tyndale; 420 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Who hasn't heard of Ben-Hur before?

I recall trying to watch the 1959 classic starring Charlton Heston when I was teenager, but I found it to be boring. I believe I actually fell asleep while watching it. I was well aware that the film was based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ by Lee Wallace, however I never attempted to read it as I thought it would be just as boring as the movie.

If you aren't already aware of it, the remake of Beh-Hur is arriving in theaters today starring Jack Huston in the title role. Despite the obvious CGI overload from the trailers, the movie looks like it might be mildly entertaining.

To tie-in with the remake's release, Tyndale Fiction has recently released a new version of Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, which has been rewritten by Carol Wallace, the great-great granddaughter of Lee Wallace.

The novel centers on Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman who is betrayed by a childhood friend, Messala. He is falsely accused of attempting to kill a Roman governor and  is sentenced to five years on a Roman slave ship. Eventually, he would seek his revenge by entering in the huge chariot race against Messala.

Final Thoughts: Basically this is the same story as the 1880 original, but it has been rewritten for modern readers. Typically, I don't like it when a book is changed from it's original version, but it doesn't bother me all for Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ as the author, Carol Wallace, is the great-great-granddaughter of the Lee Wallace.

The novel features a two-page forward by the author, where she explains why she wanted to rewrite her great-great-grandfather's book. There is also afterward, which is somewhat a biography Lee Wallace with history about the Ben-Hur novel and movie. As an added bonus, there are 8-color photos from the remake film in the middle of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the revised version of Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ. Now I can see why the original novel was so popular (and still is!) as it features drama, action, betrayal and redemption.

*I received this book free of charge for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no compensation for this review and I am not required to give a positive review. I am also not associated with the publisher or author in any way.