The story is about the travails of Jews in parts of Europe during the Spanish Inquisition. Salvador Mendez was forced to take up a new name as Simon to reflect their converso status as Catholics. Simon alongside his parents and siblings, just like other Jews, were at the receiving end of state sponsored oppression against them.
Characters in the book include Salvador Mendez, Diego and Sonia Mendez, Esperanza Mendez, Alma Mendez, Alonxo, Ramon, Pablo, Mr. Ortiz etc.
When Diego was suddenly arrested on trumped up charges and was to face the deadly Spanish Inquisition, Simon realized it was time for him to step up as a man, not just to protect his mother and siblings but also to find a way to rescue his father who has been sentenced to death by burning. Simon knew it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to rescue his father from being set alight. However, he was determined to find a way.
A Time for Vengeance is an interesting book that gave an insight on the sort of persecution Jews and other minorities faced during the Spanish Inquisition as well as how strong family bond can be even in times of grave danger.
BIO: Nathaniel Wyckoff was born and raised in the beautiful San Fernando Valley of Southern California. From an early age, he was profoundly interested in reading, writing, telling, and listening to stories.
Though he works in a technical field, he counts storytelling among his favorite activities. Nathaniel’s storytelling career took flight with the births of his children. His children enjoy all kinds of stories, but most of Nathaniel’s stories for them involve zany adventures and confrontations with wacky bullies. Nathaniel’s first novel, Yaakov the Pirate Hunter, was inspired by his son’s request for a story about robots. It combines elements of science, adventure, and Nathaniel’s beloved Jewish tradition. As the Peretz Family Adventures Series continues, Nathaniel’s children continue to serve as a source of inspiration.
In addition to writing, he also enjoys studying his Jewish traditions, reading, playing the accordion and the piano for his family, playing games and sports with his children, and taking his family on hiking trips, daring explorations of winter snow, and other assorted adventures.
