"This is the story of my life and it's not a happy one. If you wish to read about me you're welcome to but if you're looking for something to give you hope & joy comfort & inspiration then you had best leave off here straightaway and go find something else. My life has an abundance of frustration and pain plus a fair bit of sex and lots of killing and broken bones but it's got precious little hope & joy comfort & inspiration.
It's got some women in it too plus a wife. Dalila is the one you may have heard of and a rare piece of work she was. You may think you know the story but believe me there's more."
-from The Book of Samson
From the author of the acclaimed and provocative novels Fallen and The Preservationist comes a tale about a man who believes he is touched by the hand of God-then instructed by that God to slaughter his enemies. It is the story of "this worldly existence of men & brutes desire & unkindness" and of the woman, Dalila, who figures at the center of it all. In The Book of Samson, David Maine has created an unforgettable portrait, a unique and astonishing masterpiece that puts a face on a previously faceless icon.
"The combination of archaic language and setting with modern sensibilities again demonstrates Maine's talent for making the familiar intriguing."—Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"Provocative and beautifully told-a breakout novel for Maine."—Kirkus Starred Review
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"I like the way David Maine brings a modern view to the story of Samson adn Delila from the Book of Judges. He gives it a fresh 21st century view. He humanizes these biblical figures What jumps out at me is the violence that is committed by Samson and all the other tribes 'in the name of the LORD'. I guess some things never change."
— Galina (4 out of 5 stars)
Once again Mr. Maine finds a way to defy…expectations.
— Books of the Times" Even though you might know how it all ends, this is a worthwhile read. I never read anything by David Maine, but I like what he did here. He didn't present his character -- his character presented himself. I still can't really decided if I just read the story of a champion or a sociopath. "
— Alyson, 1/11/2014" My disbelief was so suspended and the violence was so cold that I simply had to put this down. I couldn't take it. "
— Kathleen, 12/11/2013" This is a retelling of the Bible story of Sampson, with Sampson as the narator of his own story. It was a good book, dry and full of black humor. If you know the story of Sampson, want to look at it in a whole new way, while enjoying a good read, this is a book you may want to read. "
— Nerissa, 9/20/2013" What can I say, I'm biased. "
— David, 8/30/2013" Another clever twist to a traditional Bible story. In this story, Maine doesn't use punctuation to "punctuate" the primitive nature of his main character. So many things about Samson and the world in which he lived - Maine's version anyway - reminded me of our world today. "
— Marie-clare, 8/5/2013" Unique take on the Bible story. Gripping narrative voice. I'd definitely read more Maine... "
— Rod, 7/27/2013" i remember how easily Samson could carry on with Deliliah back in the day that you woulsd have thought it would be impossib;e to get away with. i also remember the depiction of him being blind felt real, you do get inside his head. "
— Debbie, 5/16/2013" A little better than 3 stars but not quite 4. "
— Sara, 5/8/2013" Not as humourous as The Perservationist but Maine does a good job at making the Biblical characters that we know become more human. "
— Ashley, 12/31/2012" Poorly written. Not even proof read. Filled with tons of grammatical errors. The plotline isn't well thought of and the arrangement of events seemed like fillers. "
— Reez, 9/30/2012" I loved this book from the very minute I picked it up. And there are very few books that I have loved from the get go. The author is irreverent and always catches me off guard. "
— Sediqa, 3/24/2012" I liked it. Lots of violence. A fun read. But I have to admit that some of the stilted language made me feel a little bit like a science-fiction nerd. "
— Andy, 1/30/2011" Good. A little explicit using very little details. "
— Michelle, 8/21/2010" Good. A little explicit using very little details. "
— Michelle, 6/21/2010" I've seen better written pieces of fanfiction written by 13 year old squeeing fangirls on the Twilight section of fanfiction.net, gushing about how murderers aren't evil when they’re, like, sooooo hawt. <br/> <br/>Blech. <br/> "
— Kara, 9/9/2009" Another clever twist to a traditional Bible story. In this story, Maine doesn't use punctuation to "punctuate" the primitive nature of his main character. So many things about Samson and the world in which he lived - Maine's version anyway - reminded me of our world today. "
— Marie-clare, 5/20/2009" i remember how easily Samson could carry on with Deliliah back in the day that you woulsd have thought it would be impossib;e to get away with. i also remember the depiction of him being blind felt real, you do get inside his head. "
— Debbie, 2/1/2009" Even though you might know how it all ends, this is a worthwhile read. I never read anything by David Maine, but I like what he did here. He didn't present his character -- his character presented himself. I still can't really decided if I just read the story of a champion or a sociopath. "
— Alyson, 8/26/2008" I liked it. Lots of violence. A fun read. But I have to admit that some of the stilted language made me feel a little bit like a science-fiction nerd. "
— Andy, 4/16/2008" This is a retelling of the Bible story of Sampson, with Sampson as the narator of his own story. It was a good book, dry and full of black humor. If you know the story of Sampson, want to look at it in a whole new way, while enjoying a good read, this is a book you may want to read. "
— Nerissa, 4/15/2008" I loved this book from the very minute I picked it up. And there are very few books that I have loved from the get go. The author is irreverent and always catches me off guard. "
— Sediqa, 4/10/2008David Maine was born and raised in Connecticut but spent much of his life living in Morocco and Pakistan. His first novel was The Preservationist, a retelling of the Noah story from Genesis. This was followed by Fallen, which re-examined the stories of Eve and Adam and Abel and Cain. His is also the author of The Gamble of the Godless.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.