by Natasha Woodcraft
Looking for Biblical fiction set in Genesis, that doesn’t shy away from difficult stories?
Do you sometimes watch the news and feel despair? Our times aren’t unique. Genesis 6:5 tells us there was a time when ‘every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time’– just before Noah’s flood. But what came before that descent into darkness? What was life like in that pre-flood world?
The Wanderer’s Legacy is Biblical fiction exploring Genesis 4 – specifically the mysterious passage where Lamech takes two wives and boasts about killing a man. It’s written poetically in scripture and features the only three women named in Genesis 1-10 besides Eve. But who were these women? And where was God in those chapters between the fall and the flood?
This third book in The Wanderer Series follows Adah, Lamech’s first wife, through fifty years in the pre-flood world. The book opens with her fleeing for her life – it’s not hard to imagine why. We then jump back to walk with her as society slides toward the judgment that will bring the flood, watching a marriage descend from love-filled optimism into something unrecognisable.
But here’s the question: Was there any hope in that darkness? Genesis 4:26 hints at the answer: “At that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord.” Even in humanity’s darkest generation, Yahweh was there – calling hearts back, offering glimmers of light through His faithful people. This is a story about finding those glimmers when all seems lost.
Who is The Wanderer’s Legacy written for?
This Biblical fiction set before Noah’s flood is for readers who want stories that don’t shy away from difficult realities. If you’re drawn to stories like Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love or Lynn Austin’s Chronicles of the Kings series, where faith meets raw reality, this book will resonate deeply. This is Biblical fiction that honours scripture while unflinchingly exploring human brokenness. It’s for anyone who’s wondered where God is when the world seems to be getting worse, or who’s experienced dark valleys and needs to know they’re not alone.
The book contains mature content including domestic abuse, baby loss, and infidelity. It includes a content warning because we take your wellbeing seriously, while also believing these stories need to be told.
How can this biblical fiction help me?
It reveals light in the darkest generation. In the pre-flood world sliding toward judgment, Adah encounters people who reveal God’s presence. Through Chanoch, the city founder faithful to Yahweh, she begins to learn about the Lord her heart has been longing for. Even in humanity’s darkest hour before the flood, God was calling hearts back.
It explores Genesis 4 with nuance and depth. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Through Adah’s eyes in this Biblical fiction, we see gradual decline, complex relationships, and real people navigating impossible situations in a corrupted world, much like our own. This isn’t a story of simple villains and heroes, but of the human capacity for both love and harm.
It offers hope without pretense. There’s a place for escapism – but this isn’t that book. This is for when you need to engage with darkness and ask hard questions. It’s for when you need to know that whatever you’re facing, God is holding you. That He has a plan to make you dwell in safety. That there is always hope in the darkness, even when you can’t see it yet.
Can I read a sample?
Here’s a powerful early moment when Adah meets Lamech’s family and witnesses warning signs she chooses to ignore:
Extract from The Wanderer’s Legacy
Soon a commotion from behind caught Adah’s attention. She turned to witness a man entering the hall. He looked like Lamech, though she could tell he had a smaller stature beneath his excess of grotesque animal skins. Noa rose to greet him, and they kissed in front of everyone. Adah’s face grew hot at the display. This must be Methushael.
After pulling back from his wife, Methushael scanned the room, fixing each of his guests with a stare. When he reached Adah, his eyes narrowed, flickered to her abba, and back to her. Then they burrowed deep inside her, like a worm getting to the thick of the soil. She feared his scrutiny would reach the centre of her soul.
Noa stole her husband’s attention away. ‘My dear, you’re late. Come, sit and eat.’ They reclined together, and Adah caught whispered rebukes about working and Shabbat. She paid them little heed, for she felt sure Methushael had left a gaping hole in her for everyone to see.
Adah remained conscious of Methushael throughout the next course, though each time he looked her way, his persistent wife reclaimed his notice with an anecdote. She longed for the reassuring touch of Lamech’s hand, but he hadn’t returned. He was hovering, trying to approach his father, but Methushael had turned away. Lamech’s younger brothers snickered, then Dinah raised a delicate hand, beckoning her. Should she rise?
As she shuffled in indecision, Abba’s firm hand warmed her arm. ‘Stay with me,’ he murmured.
Just as she was devouring a last sweet mouthful, an upheaval broke out. She glanced to her right. Methushael was no longer with Noa. He had risen, and now pushed a serving girl out of the way in his haste. Heavy footsteps clomped behind her. Then different footsteps. Then the clash.
‘Abba.’ Lamech’s voice spoke behind her. Hushed, but within earshot.
‘I have nothing to say to you. Move aside.’
‘Abba. Will you not greet them?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘But everyone is watching.’ Lamech’s tone changed as he pleaded.
‘Precisely.’
More shuffling. ‘You must acknowledge her. She is our guest. Ima has welcomed her.’
Methushael’s breaths came loud and heavy. ‘Why would I welcome someone I expressly forbade you from entertaining? I am the head of this household, not your ima. Yet you insist on disobeying me. In front of the elders, no less.’
Methushael had forbade her entry?
‘Please, Abba. Come speak with her. I’m sure she will change your mind,’ Lamech quivered.
Methushael raised his voice. ‘I do not want my mind changed!’
Heads turned, lips sneered and more narrowed eyes shot Adah’s way. She stared at the table, trying to resist the urge to crawl beneath it. Might those eyes focus on the argument behind her, without knowing she was the subject?
Abba tried to distract her with some conversation, but she could not hear him. Methushael’s voice dominated all others.
‘Why would you consider marrying a woman whose mother bore no sons and died before she reached a hundred years? What if the daughter bears the same curse?’
Methushael’s words hit Adah in the chest. Lamech swore and drove his fist into the wall. She cowered, squeezing her eyes tight. Why did he have to make a scene?
Lamech approached. She could feel the heat from his body, but she did not turn. He spoke her name. Don’t draw more attention. Just let me disappear.
Abba came to her rescue. ‘My dear, you know, I fancy another look at that garden. What do you say?’ Adah nodded and grasped her abba’s offered hand. He pulled her from the room and Lamech trailed behind them.
‘Please don’t listen to him, Adah,’ said the voice at her shoulder.
She said nothing. When they were safely in the garden, her abba turned to face Lamech, tucking her behind him. ‘What was the meaning of putting my girl through that humiliation? Never in my life have I experienced such disrespect.’
‘I was trying to get him to acknowledge—’
‘I know what you were trying to do, boy. But to bring my daughter here, to parade her around without your father’s permission—’
Adah stifled a cry.
‘See what you have done,’ Abba said, taking her in his arms.
Lamech reached forward. ‘Adah. Forgive me. I thought if he saw you, he would change his mind. Adah, please…’
Abba blocked his way. ‘You will not touch her again. Not until you put this right.’
Excerpt from The Wanderer’s Legacy © Natasha Woodcraft, 2025
Where can I buy the book?
You can buy paperbacks & hardbacks directly from us here. The eBook is exclusive to Amazon and is in the Kindle Unlimited program here.
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