Novels by Karen Rae Levine

Set against the historically accurate backdrop of the liberation of the Concentration Camp at Dachau, THE CLAY MESSIAH explores our fragile realities and the power of hope. Converging at the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau are Daniel, an American soldier, Natalie, an Army nurse, Avrum, a survivor, and Vladik, Avrum's golem-like protectior.

Independent Press Award, Book Excellence Award

"An enchanting and lively novel that brings clarity, light and love to the darkness of the Holocaust with great tenderness, warmth and wisdom. If only the return of the actual Messiah could come about with such novelistic panache." — Thane Rosenbaum, The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke

"In The Clay Messiah, the achingly profound story of a young American GI and the Jewish boy he liberates from Dachau, novelist Karen Rae Levine has created a wonderfully original and unique narrative,…imbued intriguingly with Jewish mysticism and the figure of the Golem. Sophisticated and bittersweet from start to finish, Levine’s story refuses sentimentality or easy answers. Instead it provides the reader with something far more rewarding—surprising insights through a spare yet rich interweaving of diverse personalities drawn together by confounding circumstances that transform their lives forever.” — Jud Newborn, PhD, Sophie Scholl and the White Rose

Bound by magic to Old Mother, Beetle Girl lives a lonely life on the fringes of her Native American society. When forced into the role of Keeper of the Ravens, she must break the bonds of her cruel mother, confront a powerful shape-shifter who threatens to destroy the village, and solve the mystery of her past.

National Indie Excellence Award, Independent Book Award

"A powerfully written story mixing old magic and Native American lore, Sister Raven kept our judges captivated page after page."