Isaac’s Beacon – davidlrobbinsauthor.com

Deeply researched and closely based on actual events, Isaac’s Beacon is the first in a series of Robbins’ novels which will explore the tumultuous, complex history and lasting impact of Israel’s creation.

From the Author

I’ve always held closely to the tenet that if you want to know what characters are made of, have them want something terribly, fear something awfully, or need something desperately. The creation of the State of Israel was an ideal cauldron for my kind of thinking about character exploration. This backdrop gave me the opportunity to look at the moral implications of such grand themes as love, homeland, violence, passion, and the endless battle for a patch of land at the end of the Mediterranean, between friends and enemies across millennia. I believe Isaac’s Beacon stands in my pantheon as among my finest work. I hope you enjoy it and see in the book a great adventure in an eternal place.

David L. Robbins
Richmond, VA

Photo: Robbins in Caesarea, Israel, 2018.

Photo Gallery

Patria

Patria, Haifa Harbor, November 1940

King David Hotel

King David Hotel, destroyed by Irgun bombers, July 1946.

Exodus

Exodus 1947

Buchenwald

Nebi Daniel

Nebi Daniel, the site of a fierce battle, north of Massout Yitzhak/Isaac’s Beacon.

Defenders

Defenders of the Nebi Daniel convoy.

Goldschmitt House

Goldschmitt House, Jerusalem, British Officer’s Club, destroyed by Irgun bombers, March 1947.

Deir Yassin

Deir Yassin, site of a fierce battle at a terrible cost.

Masuot Yitzhak

Masuot Yitzhak/Isaac’s Beacon on the Judean Plain, 1947.

Jewish and Arab land ownership

Jewish and Arab land ownership, Palestine 1947 .

The four settlements of the Etzion Bloc

The four settlements of the Etzion Bloc: Kfar Etzion, Massout Yitzhak, Revadim, and Ein Tsurim.

UN-Proposed Partition Plan

UN-Proposed Partition Plan, November 1947.

Operation Nachshon

Operation Nachshon to open the Jerusalem Road.

Tower and stockade Jewish settlement

Tower and stockade Jewish settlement, established overnight.

eucalyptus grove

Two British sergeants hanged in a eucalyptus grove in reprisal by the Irgun, Netanya, July 1947.

Sergeants Grove

Citrus House

Citrus House, Tel Aviv, target of a thwarted Irgun bombing plot.

Russian Compound prison

Russian Compound prison in Jerusalem where Irgun dissidents were held by the British Mandate police force.

Roadblock buster

Roadblock buster, at the head of the Nebi Daniel convoy.

Sten gun

Sten gun manufactured by underground Irgun weapons fabricators.

Kibbutz Kfar Etzion

Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, 1948.

Praise

Critical acclaim

David L. Robbins takes us from Hitler’s camps through the British Mandate in Palestine, onto a rocky kibbutz, and into the dangerous Irgun. A profound and pivotal novel of the birth of the State of Israel, with all its adventures and tragedies on display. This is Robbins—historian, humanist, and master novelist—at the top of his game. An epic and timeless work.

– William S. CohenFormer U.S. Senator, Congressman, and Sec. of Defense

Isaac’s Beacon stands alongside the great fiction epics of Israel by Leon Uris and Herman Wouk. Robbins has written an instant classic.

– Jeff ShaaraNew York Times Best-selling Historical Novelist

Robbins has written his most ambitious book yet. A beautifully paced and utterly gripping powerhouse of a book. Extremely timely.

– Alex KershawNew York Times Best-selling Author of "The Liberator" and "The Longest Winter"

Isaac’s Beacon is a masterwork by a truly masterful writer.

– Tom RobbinsNew York Times Best-selling Author of "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" and "Still Life With Woodpecker"

The best historical novels not only illuminate the past, they define it. Isaac’s Beacon is one of those novels. Riveting, morally complex, fiercely intelligent, and as empathetic as it is sweeping in scope, Robbins guides readers through war-torn chaos to moments of rare, magnificent beauty. I feel like a better person for having read it.

– Dan MaylandAuthor of "The Doctor of Aleppo"