Catch The Chaplains War Translated By Brad R. Torgersen Presented As File
crap, but this was a good book, As in, couldn't put it down, kept me up waaaay past my bedtime, wandered around the house with my nose buried in the book or rather, my ereader.
It even made me tear up at a couple of placesand that almost never happens to me, I don't, as a rule, consider myself a big fan of the MilSF genre though I have nothing against it, it's just not usually my cup of tea, but this novel was absolutely amazing.
Unless it has the name "Vorkosigan" associated with it, that is, Got this on sale at Audible a daily deal and glad I did, The narrator is good and, more importantly, so is the story, The book opens with a scene on a planet called Purgatory where those left alive when the Mantis beat the crap out of the Earth forces are kept as prisoners of war.
They have been there awhile, Assistant Chaplain Barlow has fulfilled the command of the Chaplain and build a nondenominational chapel, It is basically used as a meditation spot for those wishing to commune with their God or just to contemplate their fate.
Then a nonmilitary Mantis shows up to talk to Barlow, No one's ever seen a nonmilitary Mantis, Turns out that this Mantis is a professor who wants to learn about Earth's religion, The Professor discloses to Barlow known as "Padre" that the Mantis had previously destroyed two sentient species before realizing that it might be useful to study them, so the humans were kept a POWs for the purpose of "study.
" But, the Professor tells the Padre, time for study is running out because the Mantis are about destroy the humans in preparation for theirth expansion.
The Professor wants to learn about religion something the other two sentient species had as well but that the Mantis had not learned anything about because of the "cleansing" occurred immediately before that occurs.
The Chaplain's Assistant tells the Professor that none of the religious leaders will tell him anything unless the termination is canceled.
That's the opening, You'll need to read the book to find out what happens, But, in addition to the story going forward, we also learn, through flashbacks, about Barlow's journey to Purgatory why he joined the space force, what his training was like, and how , a nonbeliever, became a Chaplain's Assistant.
There is a lot of action and excitement but also an undercurrent of morality how to treat your fellow man and alien.
There is also a religious conversion or two but no "in your face" religiousity,
I enjoyed Barlow's story, The story has far more depth than the publisher's descripion indicates, There are a few somewhat unrealistic/awkward at least to me interpersonal relationship situations but overall, this was an enjoyable read.
I noticed that this book has reminded readers of other sci fi tales, For me it was sitelinkOld Man's War, Spirituality can be a thorny subject, but it can never be avoided, Even when telling a tale, sooner or later the storyteller will make some metaphysical claim or denial and stumble into that particular “Area”.
Brad Torgersen has simply taken the subject and made it the driving force of his soontobereleased fictional piece, “The Chaplains War.
” Thispage trade paperback lifts off immediately with Harry Barlow, Chaplain Assistant, stranded on Purgatory after the fleets devastating defeat by the alien Mantis aggressors.
The narrative moves along with Harry, both on his spiritual journey as well as his unlikely extraterrestrial voyage that takes him to places and positions he never expected.
“The Chaplains War” is a multilayered chronicle that moves back and forth in Harry Barlows life, The first section of the book revolves around the meeting between Harry and the Mantis “Professor” on Purgatory, where the defeated service members of the Fleet are held in something of a prisoner of war camp.
The Mantes are utterly nonreligious, and religion wholly baffles them, Therefore the Professor comes to do research, Out of this research something of a friendship, between a human and a Mantis, surfaces that has surprising, though temporary, consequences for the rest of the humans, earth, and the Fleet.
The second portion of the book comes about after the reprieve fails, Here the plot gels and intensifies, War is desired by both sides and Harry, the Professor, the Mantes Queen Mother and a Fleet Intel Officer, are caught in the middle and thrust into a survival situation that changes the face of the story.
The chapters bounce back and forth from Harrys days in Fleet training, and the unnamed planet where the four fight for survival.
The final section of “The Chaplains War” wraps up the story in mildly surprising ways, There is the inauguration of a spiritual journey for the Queen Mother the conclusion of a similar journey for Harry reconciliation between two human enemies and a new future for humans and Mantes.
The last bit limps almost adolescently to its final page,
“The Chaplains War” is a fun read that flows along several parallel stream beds that all head in the same direction.
The author keeps the readers attention and rouses a desire to take the book straight through to the end.
In funny and subtle ways, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gets favorable press throughout the story, but not in any kind of “Bullypulpit” way.
Its a tale of a spiritual and space journey all wrapped together,
Author Doris Lessing once noted that "That function of a writer is to raise questions not find answers.
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A Nobel Prize winner, Lessing famously responded to a critic of her Canopus in Argos seriesa work of science fiction, in contrast to what critics considered her more serious literatureby saying: "What they didn't realize was that in science fiction is some of the best social fiction of our time.
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That was thirty years ago, Today, Brad Torgersen a Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell award nominee incarries on that tradition, raising and addressing questions in his science fiction.
His first novel, The Chaplain's War, is as much an examination of society, belief, and technology as it is of aliens, spaceships, and interstellar war.
Whether you're looking for military scifi or existential introspection, you'll find it here, And, because Torgersen is a military man himself, his description of life in a boot camp in a near future war against alien species feels authentic and accurate.
Torgerson's The Chaplain's War began as the short story "The Chaplains Assistant," which he later expanded into the novella "The Chaplain's Legacy" before filling it out
into a full novel.
I discovered him for the first time at theSalt Lake Comic Con, where he was sitting on several panels on writing and science fiction.
The Chaplain's War follows Harrison Barlow, a young soldier who is to become the pivotal figure in humanity's war against a fearsome half cyborg, half insect alien race that is bent on humanity's eradication from the universe.
Alternating between the presentwhere Barlow is sequestered with other humans as POWsand the past, Barlow is a Chaplain's Assistant, becoming so almost by accident.
It's a story of the path less traveled making all the difference, and Torgersen executes it with a deft and sensitive touch.
It makes for a tale that is both exciting and thoughtprovoking, fresh even while harking back to a time when science fiction was less about the political agendas and more about the fantastic possibility and wonder that the future holds.
He aims for broad appeal, not the narrow "diversity" crowd of science fiction literati struggling to find readers among the average Joes just looking for a good story.
This isn't to say that Torgersen shies away from the controversial, Indeed, his storythat one man for peace can be as powerful as a whole armada of space going warshipsmay be controversial in itself.
This is especially notable when you consider that movie audiences are flocking to see superhumans and lovable scoundrels think Man of Steel, Thor, Captain America, or Guardians of the Galaxy duke it out with the enemies of liberty, justice, and the American way, saving humanity by violence and destruction writ large.
Torgersen's implicit question, never directly addressed, but clearly central to the solution, is whether violence is necessary.
But he doesn't leave it at that, Torgersen weaves in themes on faith and technology, using the cyborginsect alien menace to raise questions about the existence of deity, providence, and a divine guiding hand, both in the universe and in the individual lives of all sentient beings.
At the same time, it's impossible to miss Torgersen's reticence to fully embrace technological innovation without thought for the consequences.
Could acceptance and use of technology with humanity come at the cost of our humanity and our ability to connect to the natural and transcendent
Even though his title character is a chaplain, he is by no means a believer.
Belief in God is a bridge too far for him, and yet, it is his role as the Chaplain's assistant that thrusts him into his place as a mediator between two enemy races.
There are scenes that seem reminiscent of Enemy Mine take your pick: the novella by Barry Longyear or the movie starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.
, but Torgersen takes a more existential and transcendent approach and walks his readers through the process of how an unbeliever might begin to believe, even while trying to survive to live through another day.
Meanwhile, the bullets are flying and the action is intense, It's cliche to say that there are no atheists in foxholes, and Torgersen seems willing to test that proposition.
And yet, his messageif there is oneis not a heavy handed paean to religion, Rather, his approach seems to be a new spin on an oft addressed question: are we alone in the universe
Torgersen's perspective may just be that perhaps our existence alone, as that of any sentient race, is evidence that we are not alone, but that there is in nature a force greater than us with an interest in our happiness and progress.
But it is a journey that every man, or woman, must walk on their own terms,
As I finished The Chaplain's War, it was clear to me that Torgersen had raised as many questions as he had intimated answers.
Rather than sewing confusion with his inquiries, though, his aim is towards hope and possibility, encouraging the reader to look out from himself rather than in.
I've often heard Torgersen noteat cons, on his blog, and in social mediathat his aim is to entertain, reach a broad audience, and regain some of the footing that the science fiction genre lost when it became obsessed with pet ideological projects.
The Chaplain's War is a step in that direction and one is tempted to make comparisons to Heinlein, entertaining and thoughtful at the same time, without forgetting what made science fiction great during its golden age.
It bodes well for Torgersen's career, and I look forward to what he crafts next,
Great book. Exciting, philosophical, and theological.
Not many scifi books take faith seriously, as if in the future we will all "come to our senses" and dismiss faith as unreasonable since it is unscientific.
But this book takes a different tact: A conquering cyborg alien race is fascinated about the human propensity to believe in a God.
An alien professor sets out to study this strange phenomenon all the while the race at large wants to just wipe out the humans, especially the queen of the alien race.
But when the cyborg queen is forced to dislodge from the floating machine that she has been connected with all her life as is each alien with his or her own machine, she begins to become more open to feelings and intuitions that allow her to reassess religion.
Will religion actually be the salvation of the human race from destruction Very enjoyable,
Interesting how matters of faith are addressed in the novel when a Chaplain's assistant interacts with a genocidal race of aliens who have no belief in God at all.
Although this is not a hityouoverthehead theistic novel, but one that uses this as a background,
The Chaplain's assistant boot camp interweaving storyline is straightforward as boot camp experiences go, but it does setup certain plot points.
The novel pretty much kept me interested throughout and kept me on my toes wondering how things would play out.
Superficially this book is an expansion of a short story from Torgersens Lights in the Deep Collection, But theres nothing superficial about this story,
Modern science fiction suffers a surfeit of superheroic protagonists who are smarter, faster and luckier than everyone else.
Torgersens Harrison Barlow isnt. In fact, he thinks hes a coward, a loser and unqualified to be a Chaplains Assistant because he doesnt believe God exists or cares what happens to him.
After an opening section straight out of “The Chaplains Legacy” short story, the story advances and retreats to fill in back story and continue the original story line.
Because the back story starts as a typical Boot Camp hell, this didnt seem to contribute, Then, as they converge, both stories come alive as Barlows and Earths friends, forces and future seem lost, Finally Barlow makes an existential leap, after which nothing happens, Perhaps thats the point.
Torgersen writes with sympathy and understanding of the individuals who dont have all the answers, cant climb all the hills, dont think they have anything to contribute.
But theyre wrong, too.
Yeah, the endings a little sappy, but give the guy a break: Barlow earned it,
Nice cover art, though it down sizes the Mantes three meter wide disc,
Friends, this is why I have tightened my ratings in, If I hand out fives like candy at Halloween, how will you know when I really, really like something other than lining up adjectives.