I had my children read this book, Hittite Warrior, several years ago, and they really enjoyed it. So I figured I should read this story for myself and see if it’s as good as they said. And to my delight, it was!

Uriah

In the beginning of the story, a detailed description of the life of a 13 year old boy began. He was wealthy and a Hittite, from the province of Arzawa. The boy, Uriah, had a close relationship with his father and loved horses. Especially his horse, Labarnash. However, to his great dismay, his father forced him to give up Labarnash as a tribute to the reign of their king. It was their duty, and through tears, he obeyed. Uriah thought he would never see his beloved horse again.

The Sea People

It was at that time that his father told him about the threat of the Sea People. Everyone was scared of the Sea People who seemed to be destroying everyone and anyone in their path. Although Uriah was from a family of some wealth, it didn’t matter. He too would be caught up in the deadly net of the destructive and violent Sea People. When Uriah was 16, a captain of the sea people came and commanded to be given all of their harvest. There was initially a slight hesitation from Uriah’s father, but then he straightened up and defiantly answered the man, “No.”

For that, he was brutally beaten and later died from his injuries. Uriah was also beaten, but not to the extent of his father. Before he died, Uriah’s father told him he must leave his homeland and go south to the town of Harosheth. There he was to find a man called Sisera (Chapter 1).

Great lessons

From there, the book follows the adventures of this young boy. I loved how the author, Joanne Williamson, was able to weave into the story not only historical places and people, but also many of their customs. As well as how wicked some of the practices of the people of that time were.

Although the loss of Uriah’s father was devastating, I think because of it, Uriah never forgot who he was and where he came from. Even when he was put into situations where he could compromise or not be quite so brave. He knew he needed to straighten his back and stand firm, no matter the consequences. It was a beautiful display of how a father’s example helped to guide and strengthen his son, even when he was not there.

God’s guidance

It was clear throughout the book that the LORD’s hand was on Uriah. However, this was not so clear to Uriah himself. He struggled with knowing which god was real, and which to worship. Should he worship his town god? Or the town’s god he was living in? Or another god, perhaps?

However, he was certain that the god of Tyre, Moloch, was a wicked and demonic “god” (Chapter 5). They would take young children, the oldest child of each of the greatest families of Canaan, and dedicate that child to Moloch in case a time of trouble should come upon the city (page 48). As you can imagine, that was exactly what happened in the story due to the Sea People taking over that entire area.

I loved how not only Uriah, but a young Hebrew man, Jotham, were the ones to save the latest child chosen to be dedicated to Moloch. The boy had no idea what was happening, since he was treated so well initially. The people had been giving him everything he wanted just days before the ceremony was supposed to happen. That was obviously done to appease their guilt for the impending sacrifice of that child’s life. But again, thankfully his life was spared because of the courageous actions of both Jotham and Uriah as they escaped the city of Tyre with the young child.

The Hebrews

Towards the end of the book, after several twists and turns to the story, the now young man, Uriah, ends up going to live with the Hebrews, the people of Jotham. These were the same people who miraculously were able to fight off all of their enemies, including the leader of several of the towns in that area of Canaan, the great lord Sisera. This was the same Sisera who Uriah was told to find by his father at the beginning of the book. And this man Sisera happened to also be in the possession of a beautiful, strong horse named Labernash. Surprisingly, Uriah was briefly reunited with his faithful and beloved horse.

I found it fascinating that the story of Uriah was able to bring so many historical facts into this interesting story, while even tying it back to Biblical history. The author barely touches on the fact that Uriah finally decided to follow the God of the Hebrews, although we could all guess that eventually, that was what would happen to Uriah. We just had no idea how that would happen!

Highly recommend!

I definitely think that kids from Middle through High School would really enjoy this story. Fair warning, there were indeed a few longer and unfamiliar names (of both cities and people) that made it a little difficult to get through. But please know that within the first couple pages of the book, there is a map that shows where Uriah goes (including some of the city names). It would help tremendously to have a better idea of which way Uriah was traveling. It makes more sense to see how everything is connected rather than just reading about random city names. I only wished I had seen it before I finished the book. I just discovered it as I was reviewing the book for this post! Haha! Oh well.

Also, for those children who may be more sensitive, there was definitely violence written about in the book. However, it wasn’t egregious. The violent scenes were there to make clear what was happening at that time in history.

Check out Hittite Warrior as well as God King, both written by Joanne Williamson! Either title can really enhance your child’s historical knowledge! Or just have you or your child read Hittite Warrior because it is a really good read! I highly recommend it!