★★★★★
“Casper’s central idea is compelling: history’s sacred moments were also confusing, physical, noisy events experienced by people who understood only part of what they saw.”
Literary Titan · Witnesses
Read the reviewsREVIEWS OF BOOKS BY MIKE CASPER
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Read what reviewers and readers have said about Mike Casper’s biblical fiction and Christian historical fiction.
★★★★★
Great for Small Groups
Priscilla Bettis · The Well Read Fish · Witnesses
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01 BOOK REVIEWS
Witnesses
Nine Stories from the Margins of the Gospels
Literary Titan Review
Read the complete Literary Titan review
“Witnesses by Mike Casper is a Gospel-inspired short story collection that places ordinary people at the edges of familiar biblical events. This Christian historical fiction moves through nine distinct perspectives, including a mischievous child at Jesus’s baptism, a tilapia enlisted to retrieve the temple-tax coin, a corrupt tax collector, Joseph of Nazareth, the Samaritan woman, the Gerasene demoniac, and an aging Pontius Pilate. Casper’s central idea is compelling: history’s sacred moments were also confusing, physical, noisy events experienced by people who understood only part of what they saw.”
“The variety of narrators gives this biblical fiction much of its personality. “Whatever That Means” captures a child’s irreverent curiosity, while “The Angel and the Fish” turns obedience into playful aquatic comedy. The longer “The Tax Collector’s Gala” offers the collection’s richest social world, filled with guilty luxury, compromised friendships, and grace quietly working through Debra’s prayers and generosity. “Legion” is appropriately claustrophobic, its fractured voice conveying a man overwhelmed by commands that have nearly erased his identity. The closing story, “Death Comes Pretty,” then gives the book its most searching moral question as Pilate considers responsibility, choice, and the crucifixion he authorized.”
“Casper’s Christian short stories are grounded in work, bodies, and sensory detail. Builders assess roofs, bakers calculate provisions, a dying carpenter imagines heaven through flawless joinery, and holiness arrives amid sweat, blood, dust, animal smells, and shared food. That physical attention keeps the collection conversational even when its theology is direct. The emotional resolutions tend to arrive clearly, often through healing, forgiveness, or a decision to follow Jesus, giving the book an earnest devotional character. Its most affecting scenes are quieter ones, such as Silki holding Cyrus’s face, Simon’s wife repeating his forgotten name, and Joseph recognizing the traveler beside him.”
“As a work of biblical historical fiction, Witnesses offers an accessible, compassionate look at faith from the margins of the Gospels. Its humor, sorrow, miracles, and moral reckonings are tied together by the question of what people do after encountering something larger than their understanding. Two discussion guides, suggested readings, and biblical references make it especially well suited to Christian book clubs, church groups, and readers who enjoy faith-based fiction with plenty to discuss. The collection’s lasting impression comes from its witnesses themselves: flawed, practical people who meet the sacred in the middle of the lives they’re already living.”
Great for Small Groups
Read the complete Well Read Fish review
Witnesses is a collection of nine Biblical fiction short stories. The characters and events are from the New Testament, but the protagonists are unusual and range from a child to a fish to a dying man, and others.
For small groups, there are discussion questions at the end. There are tips for leading the discussion too. The stories are accessible, and I think anyone from middle school through adult would enjoy reading and talking about the stories.
My favorite story was “Death Comes Pretty” because the identity of the main character is not revealed until deep into the story, and that adds an extra layer of mystery to drive the story forward.
I also really enjoyed “Legion.” From the title, readers who are familiar with the Bible will know what it’s about. But the story surprised me in that ultimately, it’s a love story.
There are lessons to learn from the story like we will all encounter temptation, up close and personal. We will have to say yes when God asks something of us, but we always have a choice. And we can be certain that miracles really do exist, but that doesn’t mean we won’t experience suffering in this life.
Overall, this is an excellent book of Biblical fiction stories that I’d recommend for small groups to read together and discuss.
“This is a must read that will be a classic and will be in my bookshelf to be reread often and cherished forever.”
Creative stories of nine witnesses to Jesus life
These nine fictional tales offer an intimate peek into the lives of those fortunate enough to witness—and receive—the miraculous. Each story paints a remarkably human portrait of Jesus, capturing the sheer variety of ways our hearts respond when confronted with divine grace: some eagerly follow, some linger in quiet contemplation, and others rush off to spread the glorious news.
One particularly poignant entry sees a man instructed simply to return home to his family after a long absence—a gentle, thoughtful reminder that the Lord knows our true needs far better than we do.
While scripture leaves the intimate details of these ancient healings to our imagination, this collection provides a fresh, delightfully unexpected perspective well worth contemplating.
02 BOOK REVIEWS
Stone Thrower
Fifteen stories of overlooked people in the Bible
Deemed Delightful
The lesser characters of grandeur behind the events in the Bible in a story format. Cleverly interwoven, light-hearted, and heart-strung, this is a wonderful read. So many of these events might have happened. Best wine saved for the last too.
“The book is written with a story line I didn’t expect. They manner that Mike tells the stories makes you think you are there and makes you want to here more.”View original Amazon review
“Thoughtful and Inspiring book. This helps our God Given imagination find new ways to be generous, loving, and helpful to everyone around us today. Thanks Mike for sharing your words.”View original Amazon review
“My husband and I really enjoyed this book! Mike Casper's storytelling skills are creative and pull you into each story. It's educational as well as entertaining with so many biblical references, characters, background information in each story. It gives you a good idea about how people lived around the time of Jesus Chris and in biblical times. It's written with such good descriptions that I really felt like I was there back in time. I hope he writes a bible study to go along with this book. Perfect size book for a weekend read.”View original Amazon review
“This book is reminiscent of Paul Harvey's rest of the story. Very much enjoyed thinking about the what if's may have happened. Makes you aware of your own Jesus moments. Loved the book!”View original Amazon review
“This is the second book written by Mike Casper that I have read. I got through it pretty quickly because I wanted to get to the next story after finishing one. The suble weaving together of the various lives was great. Mike's imagination filled in unwritten parts of Jesus life in an interesting fashion. Obviously not meant to be canonical, but it captures the spirit of God's word well in my opinion. Well done Mr. Casper!”View original Amazon review
This is a remarkable book
I am using this book as a devotional book going back once in a while to savour a story. This is historical fiction at its best based around real characters in the Bible. The author has done a terrific Job and I have been blessed so far in my reading journey in this book.
03 BOOK REVIEWS
The Sing Song Child
A Love Story
Worth Your Time
Maybe its because of the books I've been reading lately, but THE SING SONG CHILD by Mike Casper was a wonderful breath of fresh air.
Set way back in time, a time when children born with physical difficulties were more often than not thrown away,thrown out because their family couldn't afford to care for themselves much less any non-productive offspring,the orphan Andrew was blessed to be chosen by a lovely and loving childless couple. His limitations caused him to need a wheelchair and prevented him from fully pronouncing words,something the author actually wrote out to bring home Andrew's struggles with speech and his resulting “sing-song” vocals. Regardless, his parents recognized that he was a gift from God and thanked Him daily. They made sure Andrew had a full life and Andrew was full of joy. It is during his 12th year, I believe, that the finale takes place and knocks your socks off.
This book was written in a very narrative 3rd person way that sometimes felt a bit too descriptive and bogged down the pace in a few places, yet I would have missed that detail had it been missing. After finishing this book I was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, feeling the love of my God and knowing all is right in my world because of Him; I realized that what I have often perceived as sad is cause for celebration and happiness. I also feel as if the characters in this novel are my personal friends now.
Endearing story of love and life
“The Sing Song Child” is very much a love story. The story beings in 1574, in the country of Tierary (to avoid a charming spoiler, check out the Author’s Notes after you read the book), where we meet Andrew, as he rides in a carriage with an armed escort, and Sophie, a poor girl dressed in rags and working to dig up potatoes.
Later, we meet Alphonse and Chantal, a pair of gun-toting lovers, and from them we learn what true love is as their story unfolds along with Francisco and his lovely (voluptuous) wife, Mirna. Given the timeline, the writer does take artistic license with many of the mannerisms and attire of the time period along with some of the experiments (which the author owns up to), which does take this story out of a more historical context and into something far more imaginable.
I don’t want to say too much and risk spoilers, plus you can always check out other reviews for that, but this is an absolutely lovely story of love and devotion between spouses, parents and their children, wonderful caretakers with a passion to care for others and even young love. “The Sing Song Child” is well thought out and was an absolute pleasurable way to spend the afternoon. If you are looking for a heart-warming, feel good story, then what are you waiting for? Click buy-it now and enjoy. It’s worth it.
Goodreads reader review
As soon as I read the title and saw the cover, I knew my heart would broke instantly, still, every second spent in this book it’s truly worthy.
The story takes place in 1574, here we have Andrew who lives with his adoptive parents who love him deeply, but he has limitations to move and talk, so he moves in a wheelchair, and on the other side we have Sophie a poor girl living with her mother and her violent stepfather.
I love this book especially because of what attach you more to the story is not the plot itself but the characters, they are so full of life and their situations and struggles are perfectly relatable to anyone who has been through the same, and it shows a valuable lesson, that no matter the age or the condition, love is always something you can give