The Third Servant by Michael Billington
The Third Servant is based on a story taken from the Book of
Matthew in the New Testament. Based on this story about a servant who fails to
make his master a profit and is therefore cast out into the night, Michael Billington
has created a rich and colourful tale. The book is set during the time of the
Roman emperor Tiberius, The Hebrew king Herod and Jesus. A tumultuous and
interesting time historically, and the author has managed to write with a
language that fits this period perfectly. First and foremost, this is a great
adventure story and the author brings to life vividly the people and the
customs of lands that must have been very alien to our hero. Ezra’s journey
begins as a boy, cast out into the Judean night. We follow his journey North
and East, through the plains into Hindustan. It is as much of a quest for
knowledge and wisdom as Ezra tries to find his place in this world and more important,
to find his inner self in step with his outer self. The tale of Ezra going from a confused and
angry boy, to a wise man is a fascinating one. I enjoyed this book as much as I
enjoyed Voltaire’s Zadig, a journey and gathering of wisdom might be similar,
but the conclusions are very different. I’d also enjoyed Marco Polo’s travels
and I think anyone who enjoys an epic adventure story with a profound message
will enjoy the Third Servant. Very well written and cleverly constructed, I
highly recommend this book. I was provided with a copy for review by the
author.
