Noah makes his (m)ark

Back in his early, funny days, Bill Cosby used to do a pretty good routine about Noah's ark. "You're supposed to see all and know all," Noah tells God. "Well, have you seen the bottom of that ark? Who's going to clean up that mess?"

(Time Magazine)

Noah, it appears, is fast becoming all the rage, as the hero of the latest piece of 'biblical fiction,' The Preservationist by David Maine (St. Martin's Press). He follows hot in the footsteps of Ya'akov's wives and Dinah, Sarah, Avishag, the angel Adiel, Queen Esther, Rachel and Leah again, and Rebecca.
What I don't understand is why, in this explosion of biblical-based fiction, no one has fleshed out what is easily the most powerful and moving story of the lot. And that is, the incredible relationship between Saul and David, whom Saul loves as a son and yet must get rid of in order to save his own kingship. The generally under-rated and under-recognized chapters where Saul is torn between love and hate, and is torn up internally by the conflict, are for me at least, among the most psychologically real and haunting sections in the Tanach. I've always known they would make a brilliant novel (or drama) and wanted to write them up myself, but I'm quite happy for someone to get there before me. I just doubt, in this case at least, anyone can even come close to the original.