Gather Now The Mighty

Gather Now The Mighty is a novel by American writer Trevor Gerra. Published in June of 2009, this is the first novel to center around King David's Mighty Men, mentioned in the Biblical Old Testament books of II Samuel as well as I Chronicles. The book was written in five parts.

As mentioned in the book's preface, it took Gerra over four years to research and write the novel.
Plot Introduction
The book uses scripture from the Old testament as the basis of its plot; it chronicles the tale of the mighty men of David while placing biblical events in the back drop of the storyline. Set in ancient Israel, circa 1000 B.C., the main Character is Adino, the same man mentioned in the Bible as the mightiest amongst King David's "mighty men": (Citation from the back cover) "These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains: The same was Adino the Eznite: He lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time..." (2 Samuel 23:8).
Besides the main plot, there are various other historical aspects of ancient Israel and short narratives of a variety of biblical characters that stretch back to the time of Noah.
Plot Summary
Part One - This part of the book introduces the main character, Josheb Basshebeth as it chronicles significant events in his life during his early twenties, including how he goes about gaining such a renowned reputation as a mighty warrior as he fights against the Philistines. The end of part one culminates with Josheb-Basshebeth defeating 800 of his Philistine enemies on the battlefield.
Part Two - After gaining a reputation as a mighty man of war throughout the nation of Israel, Josheb Basshebeth (now known as Adino), is recruited by the judge, Samuel, to enlist the help of a group of men who can provide protection for the future king of Israel--David son of Jesse. At the same time, their is political unrest going on throughout the nation of Israel as King Saul attempts to build his army in order to lead the nation in all out war against the Philistines.
Part Three - The story of Benaiah (another one of the recognized "mighty men" of the future King David) is mixed in with a thorough narrative of his childhood hero, Samson. In this part of the book, Benaiah grows from being a child to a prodigious young man known for his own feats of strength.
Part Four - As Adino (Josheb Basshebeth) continues his efforts to gather the mighty men of Israel, he eventually teams up with Benaiah in order to stop a coup and possible civil war in Israel.
Part Five - The final part of the book culminates with the story of David fighting Goliath on the floor of the Elah Valley. He is subsequently joined in battle by the mighty men of Israel whom Adino (Josheb Basshebeth) has gathered for David's protection. These mighty men swear their allegiance to David and promise to always remain loyal to his house. The book ends with Adino receiving apparent revalation over a recurrent dream that he has had since his early twenties, a driving element of the storyline that was introduced in Part One of the book.

=Characters in "Gather Now the Mighty"=
All of the major characters from the book are mentioned in the Bible. The following is a list of some of the novels major characters along with their biblical reference:
Adino - "The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time..." (2 Samuel 23:8)
Benaiah - "The son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear..." (2 Samuel 23:20-21)

Eleazar - "The son of Dodo the Ahohite, of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away. He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil..." (2 Samuel 23:9-10)
Shammah - "The son of Agee the Hararite...he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory..." (2 Samuel 23:10-11)
Abishai - "The brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, slew , and had the name among three..." (2 Samuel 23:
Other familiar characters from the Bible include King Saul, Samuel, David, and others...

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