Hittite Warrior

by Joanne Williamson

Judea has always been the crossroads and battlefield of contending nations. It is no less so in this biblical time of the Judges. Uriah Tarhund's Hittite home is destroyed by invading Greeks. His dying father tells him to go south to seek a Canaanite named Sisera. "He will help you. For my sake. . . " Uriah is plunged into the tumult of an uneasy Judea. When he saves a young boy from being sacrificed to Moloch, he is given succor for a time by the Hebrews. Later, he finds Sisera and joins him in war against these same people. When the Canaanites are defeated, the young Hittite has the opportunity to come to peace with himself, the Hebrew people and their God.

Judea, 1200 B.C.
RL5.4
Of read-aloud interest ages 9-up

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, School, Christian, Childrens, Historical, Ancient History

237 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Joanne S. Williamson was born on May 13th, 1926, in Arlington, Massachusetts. Though she had interests in both writing and music, and attended Barnard College and Diller Quaile School of Music, it was writing that became the primary focus for her career after college. She was a feature writer for Connecticut newspapers until 1965, when she moved to Kennebunkport, Maine, and began to write historical fiction for young people.

In each of Miss Williamson's eight novels, she explores unusual historical slants of well-known events.

After a decline in American interest in historical fiction, she decided to return to her second calling and take up music again until her retirement in 1990. Now, interest has been rekindled in her books and in those of other writers of historical fiction.

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hittite Warrior tells the story of a teenage Hittite boy named Uriah-Tarhund. He came from a people who ruled the "northern world" and the Egyptians ruled the "southern world." His father was a lord and kinsman of the chief province of Arzawa. One fateful day, in the 13th year of the reign of the king, his father and he embarked to Hattusas to pay tribute. Little did he know that trip would end so tragically. While on his journey, his mother and sister were killed. His entire province was decimated and many were killed. Three years later his father died, but not before making Uriah promise to travel to Canaan and live there. Travelling with a caravan, his decision to save the life of a young trader named Hannibaal took him to Tyre where he made a friend named Jotham, a Hebrew. This friendship set him on a path that would change his life forever.

The book is based during the time of the Judges, which was roughly 1200 B.C. If you have read through the Old Testament book of Judges with your children, they will recognize the two important names of Deborah and Barak. Deborah and Barak are the two judges who defeated the Canaanites in Judges 4. They will also recognize the song of Deborah from Judges 5. They will also learn a bit of geography. There is a tiny map in the front that serves as a basic guide for the region of the book, but they can further their knowledge by having an atlas or world map and track the journeys of Uriah. Your children will also be exposed to different societies, religious practices, and customs of these ancient people. For example, they will learn about an ancient Ammonite god named Moloch who required the sacrifice of a young child to appease him.

This is an A+ historical fiction novel for children 10 and up. I, a 30+ male, had a hard time putting this book down and read it in one weekend. While I would argue that this book is more geared towards a male audience, girls might enjoy it as well. What I really loved about this book is the era and region it was written about. So much historical fiction based in ancient times focuses on Egypt or Rome and that's it. Ms. Williamson chose a neglected but equally important region and delivered a masterpiece. I am very pleased with Bethlehem Books' Living History Library series and cannot wait to dive into another book. Be sure to check out other books from this author, particularly God King.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the worst books ever written. The entire way through, it seemed as if the author was TRYING to confuse the reader, and she did an excellent job at it. Nothing about it was well done...

[Rick Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to bring the period of the Sea Peoples Movement and the biblical book of Judges to life.

[Bethany W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hittite Warrior takes place around the time of the Israelite judges, specifically during the time of Deborah. The reader is introduced to Uriah the Hittite and the book briefly portrays a very thorough description of what it meant to be a Hittite at the time.

Note: THIS Uriah the Hittite has nothing to do with biblical Uriah the Hittite who is Bathsheba‘s husband.

After introducing the reader to Uriah and his Hittite life, the story falls apart. Characters are haphazardly introduced and disappear, only to pop up again. Great detail is spent explaining random side characters who are inconsequential to the storyline, while barely enough detail is given to the main actors. In my opinion, this only serves to confuse the reader, who is left wondering if this new person is someone they really should pay attention to or not.

There is no consequential character growth or development – all characters are static. I wouldn’t even say there’s a clearly identifiable “moral” or “lesson learned” to this story.

There are incredible leaps in plot logic. Uriah crosses paths with a slave who doesn’t kill him. Later this slave saves Uriah's life... because the slave is actually the deposed pharaoh of Egypt and therefore his noble ideals thus compel him to act with nobility??? And Uriah recognizes he is pharaoh because he saw his grandma’s broach which had an Egyptian pharaoh painting on it? There is no explanation or resolution to this bonus Egyptian storyline. The pharaoh is determined to get back his throne and disappears from the plot as quickly as he arrives.

Additionally, the author treats the serious subject of child sacrifice in such PG way that it just feels… odd. At the heart of the book is the narrative of Uriah rescuing a toddler from child sacrifice. And Moloch (the scorned god) is presented in fairly terrifying graphic words. I was not exactly expecting that for the young readers that the book targets.

So is this book worth reading? Eh. Maybe. It pained an interesting picture of the interwoven tribal intricacies of Bronze Age tribal warfare. This is the book’s unique (and perhaps only) strength.

Do I plan to let my kids read this book or read another book by this author? No.

NOTES TO TALK TO STUDENTS ABOUT: child sacrifice, kidnapping, childhood death, starvation, tribal warfare*

*I am not necessarily against these themes in books. I have children who are sensitive to these things and so I make notes so I can remember to discuss with them to help them process.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offered a great “living history” experience for our children of the time period roughly 1400-1200 BC. The reader gets a good sense of the anxiety felt by the inhabitants of Canaan causes by the frequent shifts in political power as the Hittite Empire falls, and the power of Egypt wanes, and others like the Philistines are on the rise. As the narrative also includes details from the book of Judges it was a good companion read for us as we have recently finished Judges in our family Bible study.

[Calvin Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared with other historical fiction this book is not too bad. But as a book I disliked it and found it too fast paced.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story definitely fulfilled the historical requirement of historical fiction. The descriptions, the dialogue, and the attitudes of the characters all wove together to give the impression of being right in the middle of biblical lands and times. I'm not sure how many of the details were real and how many were fabricated for the story, but the impression they gave was very authentic. I found myself lamenting at times that the author had been so apparently accurate with personal names--some of them were a real mouthful!

Not having much knowledge of the history of the times of the judges (beyond the biblical history), I felt a bit confused and overwhelmed at times trying to put the pieces together. I also found myself trying to connect pieces of history that were much too late for the setting or wondering if a character with a familiar name was supposed to be a biblical character of the same name. (As far as I could tell, none of them were beyond the obvious ones--Deborah, Barak, Sisera, Jael, Heber.)

I'm not sure how it could have been done better from this particular point of view, but the thing that bothered me most was how much mixed-up and unclear theology was included. By that, I don't just mean the false gods that the other nations worshiped; of course, I expected that. But, historically accurate as it might have been, it was jolting to have "Adoni" mentioned by a Canaanite as one in a string of the gods they worshipped. Some of the Israelites showed faulty theology at times, too--having calf images that were worshiped in the name of God and talking about human sacrifice as though God condoned it. Also, we were left with the impression that the one god worshiped by the Egyptian Ahmoses, and who he identified as the sun, was basically the same as the God of the Israelites. Because the viewpoint character was also a pagan until the end of the book, these issues were never really addressed, which left it confusing and a bit disturbing to me. There's a lot of truth and falsehood to be sorted out in this book, and I would definitely be reluctant to let a young reader try to sift through it on his or her own.

[Katie Blendermann]

It was quite good, though it was sometimes hard to follow. Also, throughout the whole book, I did not notice things like, "When I was nine" or "3 years later" or "That happened 5 months ago". Overall it was very good and I would recommend it to other readers.

[Bambi Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had only rated this at four stars when I read it nine years ago but the kids and I agree it’s a five star story!

[Bethany Dattolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I was in the right mind space to listen to this audiobook. I found it hard to follow. I’m not a huge one for ancient history, either. But my son loved it. Maybe if I wasn’t so distracted by life I would have been better able to follow and enjoy it. Will try again next time we study this time period. 🤣

[Matthew Caton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read! A great page turner!

[Tara Starr bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this book as a read aloud. Grateful for wonderful historical fiction books such as this!

[Joseph Brink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recall how many times I've read this book, but it's been a lot. This will forever be a favorite. :)

[Titus Stephan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting view of the culture at that time, but with bad characters poorly introduced. Plot was decent, and overall interesting enough. The bland and generic characters really ruined it for me.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite confusing with the protagonist moving between lots of extinct cultures. Also, while the world was certainly smaller back then, I found the regular re-encountering of different characters to be so fortuitous as to be deus ex machina. Some good history and writing, but not an overwhelming success.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book aloud as part of our ancient history studies for homeschool, and we all absolutely loved it - even my 5 and 6 year olds. Somehow I have never even heard of Joanne Williamson’s books before, but I am so glad to have discovered them now. The writing quality is top notch, with solid characters and plenty of action. A must read!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book if you love history and love to connect the dots from the book to the bible

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few chapters went a little slow, but then it picked up. A very enjoyable read set in the time of the Judges. Well written and really makes this time period come alive!

[David Schroeder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Just terrible.

[Toby · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read!!!

[Abi Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good, really fun and I pretty much just binged it so… 🤣

[Matt The Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool book! Shout out to my boi Maxy for lending it to me!!😎😎

[Fatima TheGreat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introductory note: I do rate children’s books on a different scale than adult books.

Set in the biblical time of Judges, Hittite Warrior tells the story of 13-year old Uriah. Orphaned, Uriah is forced to flee his home and attempt to survive among warring peoples.

I was sucked into this book pretty quickly. It is definitely not the writing style that pulled me in (honestly, the writing is not always great. There are choppy sections throughout), but the story itself.
Historically accurate, it creates an engaging depiction of the chaos caused by the strife between the Greeks, Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, etc.
Uriah encounters famous biblical characters such as Barak, Deborah, Sisera, and Jael and realizes that there are good and bad people on both sides of the line. Uriah is young and struggles to between the life he knew and the world he finds himself growing up in. His people admire warriors, yet Uriah comes to realize the beauty of the written word and the worlds that it opens up. He struggles with knowing where his loyalties should lie and struggles with his faith, ultimately realizing there is one great power to whom he can give his allegiance.

Age level: 11+ This book is extremely violent for a children's book. The narrator is forced to fight, kill and engage in warfare to survive. The story of Jael occurs off page, but there is a decent description of the violence and beheading. There is worship of ancient gods and discussions and description of child sacrifice, in fact it is a motivating force for the characters in the story. The book also briefly goes into the histories of Egypt/Tutankhamun and briefly brings up the intermarriage between close family members.

Some additional notes:
An item of interest - In the "About the Author" section it talks about how
Williamson published her last book during a time when there was an " unfortunate decline in America of interest in intelligent historical fiction for children." | find that an apt description of the state of the modern literary world.
There is so much to unfold here but, in brief: I have said it before and I will say it again- I appreciate authors who trust in the intelligence of their readers.
For the sake of avoiding confusion- This is not a story about Uriah the Hittite from the time of David, this historical fiction is set earlier in bible history.
Finally: My pre-teen reader loved this book and because of him this got bumped up to a 4 star review.

[The Radical Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Joanne Williamson

Recommended Age: 12-14

Date Published: 1960

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure

Summary:
Uriah-Tarhund is the son of a Hittite lord, proud of his heritage and of his nation. But when the Acheans overtake his country and murder his family, he makes his way to Tyre in search of Sisera of Harosheth, a friend of his father. As Uriah finds himself trapped between the warring tribes of the Israelites and Canaanites, he meets a woman named Deborah and finds himself questioning his faith in the gods and the strength of Sisera’s armies.


Notes From the Radical Reader:

Noble Characters:
Uriah has always worshipped the pagan gods of the Egyptians, Hittites, and Canaanites, but when he meets a man named Jotham and sees the horrific worship of the pagan god, Moloch, he begins to question the truth of what he has been taught. As the story progresses, we see Uriah’s struggle of believing in a god whose priests demand the torture of children and who only brings darkness and fear. After encountering the prophetess, Deborah, Uriah learns of the one true God and finds his pagan beliefs crumbling beneath him.

Captivating Plots:
Uriah the Hittite had no idea that fleeing to Tyre to protect his life would land him in the middle of the worst sacrilege he has ever heard of. When the sacrifice for Moloch is stolen, Uriah is forced to flee to Kedesh where he meets the rebel Israelites who plan to battle the Canaanites for their freedom. But loyalty to the memory of his father and for his own nation forces Uriah to betray the closest friends his knows, and the outcome of the battle will lie in a woman’s hands.

Elaborate Worlds:
From Hattusas to Tyre to Kedesh and Harosheth, from sailing on ships to Meggido and hearing warnings of scoundrels in Gaza, Joanne Williamson has told the story of Judges 4 & 5 from a completely different point of view. The world of ancient Palestine is beautiful and descriptively woven into a tale of adventure, heroism, and wavering loyalties. This story will not disappoint you!


Noteworthy Elements:

Violence:
Though not overly descriptive, a central piece of the story is the worship of the pagan god, Moloch, whose priests demand the sacrifice of a child to protect their city from danger. Though historically accurate (Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 32:35), this element could potentially frighten younger children.

https://theradicalreader.com/hittite-...

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to the kids. It was really good and one of the best read-out-louds I have done with them in awhile. The titular character (Uriah) is a Hittite adolescent who happens to come of age at the same time as the events in Judges 4. (Deborah, Sisera, battle on the plain, Jael and the peg in the brain, etc.) The book follows Uriah as he travels (or flees as circumstances unfold) from Asia Minor to Tyre to the hill country of Palestine to Tyre (again) and then again back to the hills. The book does *not* attempt to "retell" the biblical story, except for the battle scene (where Uriah fights on behalf of the Canaanites), but Uriah does interact with Sisera, Deborah, Barak, and Heber as the military campaign unfolds. At the book's conclusion, Uriah ends up with nowhere to go (as the Philistines conquer Tyre) and he goes to where the Hebrews are camping in hopes that his one true friend (a Hebrew) will accept him. There, Barak accepts his promise to never take up arms again against the tribes, and Uriah ultimately calls upon Yahweh as the one true God.

The kids really liked it and were able to follow along. It fit well with their ancient history curriculum.

[Prisca Bejjani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading because I am currently looking at a wide variety of historical fiction for some research.

Unusual to find historical fiction in this era. Assuming she did her research well, there were interesting facts about the different cultures of this period interspersed with the story.

I think her strength in this book was writing outside of a modern mindset. Of course we can't say it was exactly the mindset of a Hittite warrior of that time, but it was clear that the mentality was not American.

I think her weakness in this book was a straining of the belief in coincidences. The world was smaller back then, but seriously, what are the chances you run into the same people multiple times, if at all? Unfortunately, her plot depended heavily on theses coincidences.

Of course, for children and youth, which is the book's target audience, I don't think that would pose a problem.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Williams’s God King was one of my favorite books that I read with my kids through the years so I had super high expectations for HW. It didn’t live up to them, but it was still a good book that my son and I enjoyed as a supplement to our studies on ancient cultures. Williams really does have a knack for bringing a confusing era of history into focus. Unfortunately HW didn’t bring a suspenseful action packed story into the history as well as she did with God King, but it still had some twists and turns I didn’t expect and a solid coming of age story with a few good battle scenes thrown in.

This is middle grade and I recommend it for all ages interested in the ancient cultures of the Hittites, Canaanites, Philistines, and Israelites.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok! I freely admit it. I am a lover of history, and if I can make connections to the Bible, I will enjoy it a lot more. That's why I was pleased to discover this book. It brings the time of the judges in Israel to life, particularly Deborah and Barak. It doesn't only discuss the Hebrews but other international players on the world scene during that time period, including the Hittites, Egyptians, the Sea People, Canaanites, and the Philistines. There is a lot of violence and the worship of false gods, which is to be expected in a book of this sort. However, the main character eventually does come to faith in the One True God of the Hebrews.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s good as an ancient history and lit. supplement for 11-12 yr olds. Great effort to intersect various civilizations and cultures during the time of Israel’s judges, and the scenes in the camp of Deborah and Barak I thought were impressive overall. The development and character of the main guy was ok, but something about the last portion of the story— his part in the battle, the Egyptian friend who was suddenly portrayed to have all the answers, and the general spiritual resolution— just didn’t seem to work.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5 star. I wish goodreads did half stars. This is an unusual book following the diaspora of the Hittites (by focusing on one soldier in particular) during the time of the Book of Judges. It’s written for a YA audience, which is an interesting choice to say the least. It’s a mishmash of cultures, complex theologies, and even more complex names. I don’t think the story was particularly well written, but I did enjoy a look at a culture that isn’t particularly well represented in historical fiction. There is zero character development going on here.