Planet Maccabee

Judah, the son of the Priest Mattathias, and Crown Prince of planet Maccabee, upholds the Law given to his people in the Book. There are others of the Maccabean people who want to learn about the Natural Law which says that the strong must crush the weak, because they wish to become modern like the peoples of other planets. Aaron has invited a Teacher from Old Earth to teach them about the Natural Law and, while Judah is not enthusiastic about it, the invitation has already been extended so he does not oppose it. This is the story of what happens as a result of the conflict of Natural Law and the Law of the Book.

This is an interesting retelling of the story of Hanukkah. This is a very short story – only 25 pages – but it carefully translates the story of the Maccabees and their fight against the Syrian conquerors of Israel into a planet of the future. Although somewhat constrained by the necessity of following the original story, the author is very creative in envisioning how such a situation could play out in a future setting. The actions and emotions depicted in the story are timeless – faith, love, and honor, as well as corruption, greed, and revenge. While I consider this story science fiction, it also contains romance. There are no explicit sex scenes – in fact, the romance is quite innocent and perfectly appropriate for young teens. I found the story intriguing and enjoyed reading it.

Reviewed by: Jean