Apostle Islands

by Tommy Zurhellen

Fiction. It's not easy for a messiah to grow up in the Badlands of North Dakota. And it's even harder for him to share his message when radical ideas and so-called "miracles" are the surest way to get the FBI breathing down your neck. The sequel to NAZARETH, NORTH DAKOTA, APOSTLE ISLANDS follows Sam Davidson and his group of roughneck followers as they save wedding receptions, cure cancer patients, and boost a flagging fishing season, all while breaking bread and laws and making peace and enemies.

On a mission to change one botched up world, Sam knows he will one day be called to make the ultimate sacrifice, and indeed he sees the writing on the shores of Lake Superior when one of his inner circle betrays him. A playful and delightfully irreverent take on the New Testament, APOSTLE ISLANDS reveals what it takes to shake up the status quo while paying the price to save the ones you love.

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2012

About the author

Tommy Zurhellen is the author of The Low Road: Walking the Walk for Veterans (2021) which chronicles his walk across America during the summer of 2019. He is also the award-winning Messiah Trilogy of novels, which re-imagine the life of Christ set in rural North Dakota. The three books in the trilogy are Nazareth, North Dakota (2011), Apostle Islands (2012) and Armageddon, Texas (2014), all from Atticus Books.

Tommy's short fiction and essays have appeared widely in journals such as Quarterly West, Carolina Quarterly, Slate (UK), Passages North, and elsewhere. He is also co-host of the popular writing podcast FICTION SCHOOL. He teaches writing in New York. For more on Tommy, check out his website at:

https://www.veteranzero.org/

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was used as a choice in a contest my friend was in. It is NOT about the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. I found it very hard to follow.........though I could see the Bible stories that the book was trying to refer to. I did NOT like it and only gave a star because I finished it. I should get the 5 stars for finishing.

[Sam Slaughter · Rating 3 out of 5]

With such a strong first book, it would be tough to top NAZARETH, NORTH DAKOTA. While this sequel is good, it falters a little in the delivery of a much more varied storyline. I understand what is going on and why, but I don't think it quite gets across. Also, this is informed by the fact that I really, really, enjoyed the first book. Still, a good read worth the time.

[Lori]

from publisher

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird switch in perspective, but fantastic ending! Great follow up to Nazereth, ND. I'm going to recommend these books to everyone I know.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really struggling with the dialect in this one. I don't know exactly where it is from - maybe Missouri? the south? - but it is definitely not Wisconsin (says the life-long Wisconsinite).

[Ken Lumberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. It is set where I grew up and it does an O.K. job of describing the area. I'm going to read the other two as well. I've found a new author that I like.

[Janderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the other... A bit too sporadic and complicated as far as plot lines and characters. Still looking forward to the third in the trilogy though!