Tyndale; 420 pages; $15.99; Amazon |
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.