Though The Grass May Wither

About the Book

Elimelech of Tarichiae, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, seeks blood revenge against a Roman for the death of his parents. He looks to a day of reckoning, a day when a messiah will come, and with flaming sword drive out the tyrant from Galilee. He cannot be as a thorn in the side of the Roman and so endanger the innocent - have them die as shepards had upon the cross. He will slay "the last Roman" of them all.

He would marry his foster sister, but her father, for the sake of righteousness, will not permit it.

As an insurrectionist he will forget her. With the sicarria he risks his life in Beth-Shan ... again in the prison of Machaerus. But he cannot forget, even as an innkeeper's daughter beckons from the stairway.

Then to Jerusalem ... the crucifixion ... his meeting with "the last Roman of them all."

All is not violence, hatred and strife. There are scenes that are gentle, moments of peace, the flowering of Estraelon, the streets of Beth-Shan, the affection of Sarah, her dreams and her faith, the baptism of Jesus at the hands of John.

About the Author

Cliff Shelton, born in Lincolnshire, England, has published numerous short stories, plays, and poetry. A former teacher and school principal in Edmonton, Alberta, he now resides in Victoria, British Columbia. This photo was taken on his ninetieth birthday.

Though The Grass May Wither... is Shelton's second and more ambitious novel. His first book, Hambley's Meadow, is a fictional story that the Canadian Praries during the dirty 30s.