Book excerpt: Why do we read? We read to be entertained, challenged, informed, and as The Shadowlands declares, “we read to know we are not alone.” Why do Christians read? We need to learn more about God, ourselves, our journey. The Babylonian Quartet is a collection of three stories that retell the timeless and timely struggle of four adolescents forcibly removed from their homes and transported to another culture. It tells of their bonding together, their commitments to God and one another that enables them to stand firmly against forces that threaten their lives and seek to push them into compromise. The Furnace tells the story of the exile of four Hebrew youths arriving in Babylon and committing themselves to excellence. It tells of the revelation of God to Daniel regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and interpretation. It culminates in the other three youths standing firm and finding God’s power and warmth in the Babylonian monarch’s furnace. The Restoration picks up after The Furnace, bringing some romance into the lives of the youths, their elevation in the Chaldean realm, the interpretation of the second dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and their work to assure his reclaiming of his throne following his debacle. It culminates in the profession of faith by the great Chaldean monarch. The Den begins with the handwriting on the wall, the collapse of the Chaldean regime, and the division of the quartet. Azariah (Abed-nego) the narrator of all three books, ends up in Susa with Daniel, whereas Hananiah (Shadrach) and Mishael (Meshack) stay in Babylon. The story recounts the rise of Daniel to the position of greatest authority, the treachery of his “colleagues,” culminating in his night with the lions.