Act 1: Basilio
Part 1Afterword
Part 2
Part 3
The story above was written as proof-of-concept for a much bigger idea. It was inspired by my review of Orson Scott Card's Homecoming series, which successfully integrated plot elements from the Book of Mormon in a distinctly science-fiction fantasy setting. I realized that it would be a similar creative leap for Christians to adapt content from the Bible into existing literary genres.
There have been a few modern adaptations -- see, for instance, Bill Myers' Eli. But such cases almost always revolve around the Gospel narrative. There are far fewer adaptations, if any exist at all, from the Old Testament. Yet it is a treasure trove for story-tellers.
I can envision the story of Abraham as a road movie like The Odyssey, the story of Joseph as a Tarantino-esque revenge drama with a twist, and the story of Moses as a political thriller. I envision Numbers and Joshua as an extended homecoming narrative, Ruth as a romantic comedy, 1 Samuel as a "Lord of the Rings"-style fantasy epic, and 1 Maccabees as a post-apocalyptic war movie. Surely there are more gems than these in Scripture. Perhaps Elijah or Daniel deserve to have their stories told as well.
Thus I present an 8-page short story I whipped out as proof of concept. I enjoyed writing it immensely, and after it was done, I realized that it could be readily expanded as a novella.
This excerpt above is merely one chapter, the first act in a five-act drama. I imagine the rest of the story will be posted eventually, but for now, I hope you enjoy the hors d'œuvre.
