Pillar of Light

The Work and the Glory, Vol. 1

De: Gerald N. Lund

Narrado por: Larry A. McKeever

You believe me, don't you, Nathan. It was not a question, but a statement, filled with wonder. It stunned Nathan. "You believe it all. I can see it on your face." For a moment, time seemed suspended as Nathan probed the inward recesses of his soul. There was still the incredulousness, still the sense of hearing something that couldn't possibly be true. And yet he knew it was. He knew without the least shadow of doubt that everything Joseph was telling him was true. And so, finally, with a wonder of his own, he said, "Yes, Joseph, I believe you." Pillar of Light—the first volume in the series The Work and the Glory—begins the epic story of the Benjamin Steed family. In the 1820s they move from Vermont to Palmyra Township in upstate New York in search of better farmland. There they meet a young man named Joseph Smith and are thrown into the maelstrom of conflict and controversy that swirls around him. Did he really see the Father and the Son in a pillar of light? Has he truly been visited by angelic messengers? What is all this talk about gold plates and new scripture? In short, is he a prophet and seer or a monumental fraud? The answers each one gives to these questions—intensely personal, potentially divisive—will dramatically affect the lives of the Steeds forever after.

Author Gerald N. Lund here masterfully weaves together historical reality and high-powered fiction. In his hands this combination seems to make the listener an eyewitness to the early scenes of the Restoration, thus deepening one's understanding and appreciation of those momentous events. The well-drawn plot and fictional characters present a moving, gripping story. Here are Benjamin and Mary Ann Steed, devoted to each other as man and wife, yet at odds over religion; Joshua, their volatile son, who rebels and heads for trouble; the sensitive Nathan, their second son, in whom Joseph Smith's message strikes a responsive chord; the beautiful Lydia McBride, who captures the hearts of both Joshua and Nathan. This book skillfully explores the inmost motivations of Joseph Smith and his early followers and the responses of typical contemporary families to the claims he made. These people come to life in this powerful historical novel, a story that captures both the heartache and the happiness that came in the wake of Joseph's experience with the pillar of light.

©1994 Gerald N. Lund (P)2015 Gerald N. Lund

So Wonderful

This book captures the spirit of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The characters are well written

Fantastic story of the Restoration

Well written book; historically accurate, and a great read for anyone interested in the early days of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saint's.
I am excited to listen to the next 8 books in the series.

I'm Glad Audible finally has this series!

A great series for any one looking at the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! In this first book Lund introduces the Steed family that he weaves into all the major Church events!

The editing of the Audible version isn't the best they used the CDs to make it. (The sound is great so no worries about that) But you will hear this is the end of CD X or the start of CD X a few times.

The good thing is it doesn't distract from the story.

Wonderful Book

Excellent story telling of some great and terrible moments in the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Lund had done a wonderful job of showing the myriad of exposures surrounding these early church history moments! Thank you for the time and patience required to navigate writing this series!

So glad it is on Audible

I remember buying the books in this series the minute they were released back in the 90's. The story remains fresh and fascinating, The audio is straight from the CD's that came out back then, but now in a more usable format. Thank you for releasing this book again!

Liked very much

Liked that the story including historical accounts. Great narration. Interesting read. I highly recommend to all.

Missing Sections

Somebody did a very lazy job of compiling this recording that they ripped from CDs. In some random places it will say things like, "This is the end of CD 4."

Entire sections of the book are skipped.

Fortunately for me, I was able to get a hard copy of the book and read the sections that were missing. But it is inexcusable that I had to do that.

The book itself was fantastic. But I cannot recommend this audible version.

Horrible quality recording!

Horrible quality recording. I couldn’t get through the first chapter. It jumps and skips. Asking for a refund.

poor copy from CD

The audiobook is taken from the CD and no attempt has been made to sync the CD to the next.There are repeats and skips.Love the story but unhappy with the quality