Deuteronomy revisits the action already portrayed in Leviticus and Numbers, this time from the point of view of Moses. The concept is fine, it just doesn’t work. It has none of the horror, madness or style of the previous books. The books of the Bible franchise seem to be progressively losing their dark amateur edge. It feels like yet another seventies horror film remade with more production and less grit.
It’s possible the author is trying to present the horror of situations, like Moses promoting family murder, in a mundane way to create a clever contrast. Unfortunately, instead of unnerving you, it just bores, even God’s threat to give the Israelis piles and make them eat their own children has no impact, it’s like the author doesn’t care.
The end of the book has an overlong poem, a hideous conceit. This is a pointless retelling of previous classics.
