DANIEL J. GEISEL
AUTHOR
"[King's Blood] ...turns an epic journey into a fast-paced ride where readers are sure to keep begging for just one more chapter." - Readers Favorite.
"Dan's combat experience bleeds onto each page of King's Blood." - Ken Rotcop, former Hollywood studio executive.
“Biblical stories are often informative, educational, or convicting, but rarely are they experiential. That’s what King’s Blood brings to the table. You taste, smell, see, feel, hear along with the Man After God’s Own Heart. Experience David with a fresh and engaging new perspective: right along side him, on the battlefield and on his ascent to the throne.” Vincent B. Davis II, bestselling author of “The Sertorius Scrolls”
"[King's Blood] quickly establishes its bona fides as an epic." - The Black List.
King’s Blood is a fast-paced retelling of history’s greatest life-threatening journey ever taken to become king. It is the story of David and his unconventional rise to power, but this is not your Sunday-school tale.
To those who know him, he is nothing more than a shepherd. To his family, he is a servant and the youngest of eight, but David has a secret. It is a secret that will propel him into the national spotlight with the slaying of the most notorious giant in history.
Destined to become king, the warrior who once killed a lion, a bear, and a giant, finds himself the target of the kingdom he once served. Now hunted by his father figure, King Saul, David is forced to grow an army of outlaws, find the reason for which he was anointed, and wage war against his true adversary.
Surprisingly, it may not be the king, but a man that history has long overlooked.
Daniel J. Geisel is a former Marine Sgt. who has turned his combat and operational experience into a truly immersive writing style. He has spent years in research to accurately and vividly depict David’s culture and life as the Bible describes. Anyone who reads King’s Blood will not only see the story through the eyes of a warrior, but will also learn a wealth of knowledge about the ancient world and uncover hidden truths about a story so often told.
1 Samuel 26:14-16 2 Samuel 3:24-25
Chapter 114 in the novel.
DAVID'S AGE
David came to the throne of Judah in 1011 BC at the age of 30 (2 Sam. 5:4), was born in 1041, or about 10 years after Saul began to reign. He was old enough to tend to his father's flock alone so an age of 12 or 13 would not be unreasonable. This gives a date in the early 1020s for David's his anointing, Saul's rejection, and the slaying of the Goliath.
DID DAVID KNOW WHY HE WAS ANOINTED?
Although popular belief is that David and his family knew exactly why the prophet Samuel had come, the Scriptures tell a different story. 1 Sam. 16:1-13 details how Samuel requested from God a way to keep the anointing a secret so that King Saul didn't kill him or the boy in response to what was about to happen. If you follow David's life from this point it seems as though nothing changes even when he is summoned to the King and later says that he will fight Goliath. If David's brother's (who David reveals despised him, Psalm 69:21) would have known what he was anointed for they could have told King Saul himself. But they didn't. They continue to revile him as they did before. However, when Saul sets his mission to kill David because he worries that David will come for the throne, David's first instinct is to head to Ramah, the home of Samuel.
KEY HISTORICAL POINTS:
- David was on the run for approximately 8-10 years during Saul's quest for his life. So it was most likely years in between each encounter.
-The sling was one of the most lethal weapons in ancient warfare. It was easily concealed and inexpensive to build, which is why shepherds so readily carried them. An expert with the "shepherd sling" causes an impact with far more power than what is required to deliver a fatal blow.
-Archaeological evidence has revealed that Bronze Age armies used single combat to determine the outcome of battles. The detailed description of Goliath's armor also fits the discoveries of this time period. These details suggest that the battle was recorded much closer to the event than once believed.
-Saul's "palace" wouldn't have been elaborate. In fact, David was living in a separate house when Saul came to kill him.
-Saul became king while Israel was not only divided, but constantly harassed on all sides by invading forces, including the Philistines who had moved within miles of Gibeah. The added stress certainly wouldn't have helped an already insecure leader.
-Jonathan was at a minimum 10 older than David and at most 25 years older.
-Buildings with walls four meters thick made of massive stone boulders have been located in the ancient city of Gath. There aren't any buildings in all of the Levant that compare to the enormous structures found in Gath. Additionally, inscribed on the walls was the name Glyth, (Alwt). The ancient name of the notorious giant that we know today as Goliath.
MORE TO COME...
KING'S BLOOD MAP
