NOTE TO THE READER

The story of David has been rehashed many times, but nothing of this length and scope has been done on his warriors, the original “Dirty Dozen” of the Scriptures. That may be because so little is known of them. They barely register in Scripture. There are two chapters (2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11) devoted to their heroic feats. Hence this tale.

Some may take issue with my portrayal of these men. I don’t claim to have completely accurate insight. But I do believe that this portrayal is, at the very least, consistent with Scripture. The Mighty Men were certainly heroic, but they were merely men—disgruntled outcasts emerging from an era in Hebrew history where the worship of Yahweh was almost nonexistent.

This novel is based on careful research and analysis of known facts about the time, but there are so many gaps in the record about timelines and other military and cultural details that I occasionally resorted to my own creative guesses. For this, I beg the forgiveness of the discerning reader. I have used modern terms for some people groups and places in order to avoid confusion. I have written the story in dialog designed less to be true to the voices of the time than to be easily understood by modern ears. I have also shortened or omitted some cultural descriptions, not out of disrespect, but to keep the story taut. Any errors or inconsistencies are my fault alone.

I have taken some liberties with the descriptions of supernatural activity. One would search the Scripture in vain for a few of the specific examples of human/angelic interaction depicted here, but although those may be extrabiblical, they are generally consistent with other recorded events in the Bible.

This is fiction. Please read it as such.

A final note: This book is extremely violent. However, it’s no more violent than Scripture itself—just more violent than many previous novels based on Scripture. It also contains mature themes of sexual temptation and lust that demand that readers be mature enough to understand them. Please exercise caution and discretion when passing this book on to more sensitive readers.

David’s war years were both the best and worst of his life. The Lion of War Series, by painting a picture of David and his men at that time, is an attempt to help us understand these men in their proper context as products of a barbaric and troubled era. In what ways, for instance, might the trauma of those war years have contributed to the destructive decisions David made later in life? In modern times, we label the problems warriors face after battle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Regardless of the name, it is clear that warriors are affected for the rest of their lives by the hellish nature of battlefields. David was no exception.

And yet he was called “the man after God’s heart.” In the Bible, between the episodes of vicious battle, we see glimpses of poignant and profound worship. It is a comfort to know that, regardless of our mistakes, the God who loved, forgave, and empowered David does the same for us.