"A Star Is Born!"

Welcome to the twenty-second year of the reign of Caesar Augustus or 5 B.C.! The Roman world is at the height of its power and corruption at a time when men of all nationalities hope for a better world. The Romans may control half the world but numerous plots and intrigues threaten their power; Greeks, Celts, and Jews proudly cling to their cultural roots while they serve as slaves and servants to their domineering overlords.

Terentius and Bridicia are the main characters, a bard and fish peddler, whose love endures through multiple perils in this riveting, intriguing novel. "Someone betrayed me," becomes the catch-all phrase for them as well as for the a Druid who has set a debilitating curse on Bridicia; for the young Jewish musician threatened because of jealousy and prejudice; and for the governor who has reached the pinnacle of success but whose every action now seems to create more and more enemies.

In the midst of it all, a wondrous star appears that is brighter than all other stars and which carries a mystical aura touching every observer and laying bare the obvious and hidden motives behind every actor and actress. "What could it mean as it fails to weaken or disappear but only increases in size and strength?"

Join Terentius and Bridicia as they elude the looming disasters threatening them in Tarsus in Cilicia and then as they travel to the land below where the star shines and they meet the characters whose destiny will be forever connected to that initial heavenly appearance!

David James Trapp's writing has evolved gracefully and powerfully since his last novel, Dog Days in Bedlam. The Bard of Bethlehem is a novel you will love and remember forever as the work of a master storyteller capable of fully and accurately portraying the known and unknown players of ancient sacred and secular history!!! Wonderful!!!!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on January 12, 2007

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal
Courtesy Crystal Reviews
Posted February 20, 2007

Summary

It is 5 B.C., a year of turmoil. A brilliant new star shines in the heavens, glorious, stationary and mysterious. And Caesar Augustus now decrees that the Empire be taxed. Terentius and Bridicia are Celts living in Tarsus in Cilicia. Terentius is a gifted harpist who plays songs to the new star. Bridicia is a redheaded fish peddler. They discover love, but their joy is quickly threatened by a Druid's curse and by a governor's cunning. The Celts must flee, but these dangers relentlessly pursue them. The flight of the Celts takes them to Jerusalem in Judea. Yet King Herod's kingdom offers no refuge; rather, it is mired in bloody politics. With just their wits and his music the Celts seem doomed, but salvation can come in amazing ways. The Bard of Bethlehem is a novel of history, intrigue and discovery that will keep you breathless to the last paragraph.