"Beneath the Silent Heavens" by Brian Christopher Moore

I occasionally read fantasy stories, but it’s not my favorite genre. But I would gladly read more stories like Beneath the Silent Heavens.  

Noe is a boy who considers the animals his friends. When an evil presence arises in the woods, it is Noe who figures out a way to combat it and destroy it. Even as a boy, he becomes something of a legend among the animals. 

 

The years pass. A young female tiger living in a distant land feels the call to find Noe. Her parents know the legend, but gently try to dissuade her from pursuing the notion of finding him. But the call proves too strong, and the tiger begins her quest. Other animals have heard of Noe, and a few describe how she’s to find him. But not everyone welcomes her with open arms; she is a tiger, and they all know what tigers like to eat – animals like themselves.

 

Noe had grown up and grown old. He and his family, which were still among the very wealthiest in the region, are now the objects of increasing ridicule and, occasionally, violence. For Noe had heard a voice, and he heeded what the voice told him to do – but a great boat on the side of a mountain. A bad time is coming. 

 

Noe lives in a society that’s wealthy and decadent. The old ways, and the old virtues, are increasingly ignored. Noe becomes an object of persecution because he rather stubbornly clings to the old virtues – a reminder to others of the evil they do.

 

The tiger meets Noe, and he sends her on a mission, helped by an ox and a deer. And the mission is to tell the animals that the bad time is coming. They’re largely ignored and even attacked. But they do what they were told to do – and that was to speak of finding the refuge.

 

Beneath the Silent Heavens by Brian Christopher Moore is the story of Noe, his family, and the tiger. It’s more than a fantasy story for children; I suspect it’s aimed squarely at adults rather than a younger audience. And it’s more than a retelling of the story of Noah and the ark; it is a rich re-imagining of the story, and it suggests that the times of Noe (or Noah) were not unlike our own times.

 

Moore received s Ph.D. in literature degree from the University of Dallas. He is a member of the blogging team at Eclectic Orthodoxy, a site focused on the Gospel, the church fathers, and orthodox faith. (And if you can find any more information about him, please share it.)

 

Beneath the Silent Heavens is a Gospel story, a prodigious feat of imagination, and, perhaps most of all, a story of hope and refuge in dark times.

 

Some Monday Readings

 

Culture Wars 2023 – As it turns out, traditional Muslims have children, too – Terry Mattingly at Get Religion.

 

Amazon’s ebook charts are full of AI-generated spam – Gavia Baker-Whitelaw at Daily Dot.

 

When Ideology Corrupts Medicine – and How One Reporter Exposed It – Bari Weiss at The Free Press. 

July 17, 1775: The Start of the Beeline March – Kevin Pawlak at Emerging Revolutionary War Era.