Consecrated

by Angie Lofthouse

Carly Emerson never imagined she would lose her two-year old son to faceless android soldiers, nor did she ever consider that keeping her temple covenants might break her heart. When aliens attack, Carly is asked to bear a child who will be hidden in an underground refuge—without her. The grief stricken mother must make a choice: keep her covenants and die or take a chance at survival on her own.

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2012

About the author

Angie Lofthouse went to college with every intention of becoming a particle physicist, but through a series of misadventures, found herself studying Shakespeare instead. After college she combined her love of science and her love of words into a science fiction writing career.

Her short stories have appeared in such publications as NFG, AlienSkin, Amazing Journeys, The Sword Review, Dragons, Knights and Angels, Irreantum, and Unparalleled Journeys. Her sci-fi adventure novel, Defenders of the Covenant, was released in 2012.

She lives in a little canyon in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains with her family of writers, artists, singers, composers, illustrators and musicians.

Reviews

[Lyndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Consecrated' by Angie Lofthouse is a character-driven novella that serves as a prequel story (one of three, I believe) to the author's end-of-the-world SF thriller, 'Defenders of the Covenant' where humanity is battling android soldiers from another place or time. The concept is a spiritually themed "War of the Worlds" where Latter-day Saint faith and characters play front and center (while the actual origin of the invaders - and the reason for their invasion - isn't, sadly, fully revealed).

Realizing that the LDS religious framework is central to the plot helps the reader understand and empathize with the angst and conflict that Carly, the protagonist, is going through in her decision to give up her baby in order for her Church to build a Refuge community to withstand the alien soldiers. Although, as with the android invasion, I wasn't quite certain as to the motivation and practicality of this move, I assume that may be answered in the later novel which features Carly's teenaged daughter as she faces her own struggles in a world gone to war.

So while there is the "human vs machine" adventure that makes this story a bit of an action piece, the real tension is in the "person vs self" plot that focuses on the inner turmoil of Carly and her relationship to her husband, bishop, and friends. It's a well written story, although somewhat of a slow burn imo, that captures the interiority of Carly's faith, fear, and heart-rending decision making process. If you enjoy (non-proselytizing) religious speculative fiction that balances the outer and inner life of the main character in an overwhelmingly difficult setting, then you'll likely enjoy 'Consecrated.'