The Assigned

by A.D. Smith III

I am A. D. Smith, an auth—I’m sorry but I cannot disclose this information. I’ve taken a major chance in just revealing my name. They may be watching. They could be anywhere, even as you read this. But I must tell the story as it was told to me. Now would you believe…

There are those among us who are not as they appear. Demons walk this earth as mortal men. They are persuading many to join their uprising. The Persuaded have infiltrated every sector of society. Doctors, lawyers, politicians. They all wear the Shadow, and they bear the Mark. But every few generations, God chooses Three to assist Him in battle. Some even say Jesus’ inner circle—Peter, James, and John—were the first. The Three are bestowed extraordinary powers beyond belief. The power to See, the power to Hear, the power to Heal, and the power to Fight. They are The Assigned.

Tre Turner, Zeek Myers, and Gloria Torres are three young strangers from completely different walks of life until sickness, death, and family secrets find a way to unite them. Their lives are turned upside down as they deal with personal calamity, burgeoning relationships, as well as their newfound Gifts. Will this new Three of Three rise beyond personal anguish and accept their calling as warriors? Or will doubt and temptation slowly consume them?

This story must be told. We must—shhh, I hear footsteps approaching, possibly two men. I’ve said too much…

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2013

About the author

I am A. D. Smith, author of "The Assigned". NUMBER ONE 'PAID' CHRISTIAN FANTASY ON AMAZON!!! (Feb. 2013) Imagine X-Men meets the Bible. Three young adults are given extraordinary powers from God after each of their lives is shaken by tragedy. They've been 'assigned' these Gifts to battle a demonic faction known as the Persuaded.

I really shouldn't give this type of information over the airwaves. They could be listening. Well, considering my door hasn’t been kicked in yet, I guess I can release a few more details.

I am a Writer/Musician/Songwriter from Memphis, TN. When I'm not being chased by the Persuaded, I enjoy music, movies, and watching ESPN.

My wife and son are—wait...someone's listening. I've done it again...

Reviews

[Mark Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book is intriguing.
However .... I had major issues with how it was written--sorry but I cannot in good conscience give it more than three stars.
First is that there are three main characters and ALL are written in first person. Much of the dialogue was a bit unrealistic and amateurish.
A better way to write this book is to have each character have their own section, tell the story up to the point when their powers are realized and then go from there.
Sorry but I had to stop around the 40% mark. It wasn't getting any better and I really wanted to like this book.
Re-write it and I may reconsider.

[Lynne Modranski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may have been a decent book but it jumps around way too much for me. I was disappointed to see it made it through two rounds of editing and still was hard to follow. I think if the author had better editors this could be a tremendous read. I will look for this author again, but hopefully the next book will live up to his potential.

[Kaitlin Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads Firstreads and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't quite sure in the beginning as I am not a "Christian Fiction" reader. You do NOT have to be religious to like this book. Yes, it has religious undertones, and even like one or two passages from the bible. However, I did not find the religious aspect to be overkill to the actually story. The plot is unique and interesting.

The story begins with three individuals who are all having different struggles in their lives. This leads them to an encounter where they discovers that their fates are intertwined. The story is told from the aspects of all 3 of the main characters, which is usually my BIGGEST pet peeve in a book, but I didn't find this one hard to follow. It was pretty apparent within the first few sentences who was "taking over" with the pov.

Overall, I find the characters likeable, and the story interesting and fun. It is kinda slow, but I feel like the first book (apparently there will be more, but I had originally thought this was a stand alone) was basically to set up the story and introduce you to the characters for the remaining books which will BE the story. I would be interested in reading the rest.

[Adam Collings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Assigned is a quick read and well paced. There are three protagonists, each of which is well-developed with interesting back-story and unique personalities. I really liked these characters and enjoyed the interactions between them.

The plot puts an interesting new twist on the super-hero genre. The mythology of the story, build upon Christian theology, does not feel contrived.

There are some very emotional scenes in this book which moved me. There is a lot of heart behind the action.

This book was told in first-person multiple point-of-view. This was quite a bold move on the part of the author. I'll be honest, I much prefer third-person for multiple POV, but I was usually able to figure out the viewpoint character in each scene without too much effort.

I am certainly looking forward to more of The Assigned.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a very interest concept of good versus evil, which is a battle that continues today. The "Three of Three" seem to be an unlikely trio. But that's how God works. He takes the comman man and does uncommon things through his life. The only thing I found a little hard to follow was how it was written. The book is written mostly in first person. But you aren't sure who is speaking or thinking until you have read a few sentences in each section. Instead of putting "The Assigned" wording before each section, it would have been helpful if each secion was titled after who was doing the thinking or talking. But like I said, that was only a minor irritation, and maybe it was just me. If you enjoy reading books about good overcoming evil, then you'd better read this one.

[Babe Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

5% through the book, I was bored. However, it did improve. It is a good start to what could become a really great series.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

didnt think it would end there what a bummer now i have to get the second book :p