About the book: The strongest steel is forged in the hottest flames. From master storyteller Gerald N. Lund comes a new blockbuster series chronicling the lives of two families who will face some of the most turbulent times in history as they are tried to their very cores. Will they be tempered and strengthened by the hammering blows, will they bend to the point of breaking, or will they completely shatter?
As volume one begins, life could not be more promising for the Eckhardts. They finally have a son, Hans, the male heir they have longed for and a child of such brilliance and promise that his success seems certain. But as youthful Hans’s ambition takes him away from his family and their small Bavarian village, the winds of unrest in Europe are about to erupt into the greatest war the world has ever known.
Kicking off a story that will cross generations—and continents—the Eckhardts must brace themselves to weather the storms and turmoil that lie ahead. Only through sheer determination and fortitude will they be able to pass through the refiner’s fire and come out stronger and more united than ever before.
My Review: I was so excited when I heard that this book would be coming out! Gerald Lund has been one of my very favorite authors since I started reading his The Work and the Glory series when I was 12 years old. He really is a master at writing historical fiction and helping you to "see" what was going on in the time period. I can't even imagine all of the research that something like this would take, I'm so grateful he's willing to do it. This book is set in a small German village and follows the Eckhardts, Hans Sr, his wife Inga and son Hans Jr. Hans is a very smart boy, and his self-esteem is very...healthy. He's been a bit spoiled all of his life and pretty much believes that he can do anything. I really enjoyed reading the history of this specific area of Germany, it's not really stuff I'd heard or read anywhere else. I also loved being drawn into the lives of the Eckhardts, I loved their small-town, dairy farm way of life; it was a much simpler time. I felt sorry for Hans as he made a string of really bad choices and had to live with the consequences. I was completely drawn into his life and times. The ending was a bit of a surprise to me and I can't stop thinking about it and wondering what it will mean for Hans in later volumes. I can't wait for the next volume of this great new series!
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase link: Deseret Book
About the author: Elder Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.Labels: Deseret Book, Fire and Steel series, Gerald Lund
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