I often don't finish a lot of these types of books, because their character development is shallow, basic, and predictable, as if each person in the kingdom of God is cut from the same cloth. The character portraits of both Solomon and Bilqis are painted with depth and richness not often seen in much of today's Christian fiction. It treats the biblical source with respect and dignity, probably because it comes from a Christian author. I really enjoyed this book, and while it isn't going to go down in history as great, classic literature, it is a very worthy read. This book also seems to take place while Solomon was writing the book of Ecclesiastes, and even touches briefly on the love story between himself and the Shulamite woman, which is forever immortalized in the words of the book of Song of Solomon. It paints a vivid backdrop of historical and political context under which the visit likely took place, drawing on the biblical narrative, as well as many other historical resources from Josephus to Egyptian histories. The Queen of Sheba is the story of the famous queen (christened Bilqis) who visited Solomon during his reign in Israel.
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