In Edghill's (Queenmaker
) tedious retelling of the story of Samson and Delilah, the beautiful, dark-haired Delilah is given away by her mother to be raised to become a priestess to the Five Cities that rule Canaan. The novel alternates between Delilah's point of view and third-person narratives featuring Derceto, high priestess of the temple of Atargatis, who keeps a watchful eye over Delilah; Aylah, Delilah's best friend and confidante; Sandarin, prince of the city; and finally, the tall, strong warrior, Samson, who catches sight of the beautiful Delilah and is determined to have her. For Samson, who is chosen by the Israelites to lead the rebellion against the restrictive Five Cities, Delilah comes with risk. Yet Samson cannot resist her, despite falling directly into Derceto's trap. Edghill's attempt to give a voice to Delilah is commendable, and the novel is strongest when it focuses on her. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters lack Delilah's depth, and the third-person narration tries too hard to achieve historical accuracy and, as a result, loses the reader. (Dec.)
