Joab

So you think you know about King David? The question is: Which David? The David of Sunday school--shepherd boy, killer of Goliath, and plucker of harp? But what about the brigand, murderer, rapist, adulterer, poet, and king? David was all these things. Yet his real story has lain quite undisturbed in the Bible and obscured by centuries of legend. Thanks to the quantum universe we inhabit, you can step through the veil of time and death in order to observe David yourself, guided by his nephew, army commander, and ''fix-it man,'' Joab. Go where few people (apart from those who have had near-death experiences) have gone and returned: Sheol, Hades, Paradise, the Land of No Return. By the power and speed of thought, enter the multiverse of ''life continuing'' and let Joab show you firsthand his uncle David. But be warned, you will never again read the Bible as a tired, old text. Rather, it will sparkle with new expression and meaning. Author and Hebrew Bible scholar Jack Lawson opens the world of Hebrew narrative by retelling the David story afresh and placing it within a fictional setting for what simply becomes a compelling story.