A King without a Kingdom

Set in biblical times, this novel binds the ancient past to contemporary Israel in a riveting, intelligent thriller that moves between various parts of the globe. It also offers an alternative history of the Jewish people while leveling criticism at the radical fringes of Israeli society.

Eilam Krieger, an Israeli security agent, follows subversive elements in the academic world. When his father disappears, the day after Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s funeral, Eilam starts receiving information about a Jewish underground identified with the dynasty of King Saul. The members of the group see themselves as descendants of the ancient Jewish king whose kingdom was taken from him and given to David. According to the Saulists, the State of Israel is a direct continuation of the House of David, and the time has come to rebel and return Saul’s heir to the throne. Urged on by curiosity, Eilam slowly discovers that Saul has had a following down the ages: a marginal group filled with false prophets, kabbalists, researchers of Judaism and plain eccentrics. Hartmut Kreutzer, who heads the German branch and views himself as Saul’s rightful heir, even joins Islamic terror groups – he wants to acquire weapons for his struggle for power. In the meantime, there is also unrest among the settlers of the occupied territories as well as among a group of women in Moravia, who have their own tradition. They believe that Saul’s legitimate heir is not a man but a woman, because Saul’s son – by the Witch of Endor – relinquished the throne. Dagan’s intricate story thus also includes a struggle between the sexes, and it leads to Eilam’s colleague, Tai, who helps him solve the historical riddle. After seeking her roots in Estonia, Tai discovers that she is the rightful heir. Eilam, too, makes some surprising discoveries about his parents, his family roots, and his links with the Saulist tradition. But the dream of a kingdom does not attract him. He prefers to live in the real world.

Dagan’s novel is a work of historical and mythical depth, fraught with conspiratorial suspense. This is a unique book that juggles passionately with the burdens of the unresolved Jewish past.