The Empty Hands

by Jean Kilczer

In the year 2054, the ruling fundamentalist Christian Church does not encourage its great artists, it mind-wipes them. Living in Rome, young August T. McGarrett, the talented son of an alcoholic father, wants desperately to gain love and recognition through his art. But his paintings of "Michelangelo style" nudes are strictly forbidden by the repressive Church. When Church Minister Simon Di Luca threatens to have him mindwiped, a frightened August tries to stop painting. Instead, he finds that art is his life and soul. He continues to paint and is mindwiped. Seven years later, August meets and falls in love with a beautiful, young revolutionary woman who wants him to paint propaganda posters that condemn the Church. August agrees, but fate has other twists in store for the young artist.

286 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2012

Reviews

[Berk Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a number of this author's works and this is definitely one of her best. I see that one reviewer trolled her over editing issues.Strange I did not encounter anything like the troll mentioned. Every book, whether by the Patterson factory, or by an Indie author has some editing errors. No one is perfect in terms of grammatical usage. With that said I enjoyed the notions presented in the story a great deal. It is a story of a young artist living in a world gone mad with religiosity. Then a group of rebels surfaces and frees him from a mindwarping experience in which he was reduced to being a monk. He fights for the right to be free from the tyranny of the church. He loves a woman who also fights the tyranny of the church. I will not take you to the end of the story. You must discover that for yourself. Suffice it to say it has a big surprise.
There is real depth in this story. The depth lies in its philosophical treatment of war and why men create war. It is a good book, well written and well worth the time for reading.

[mountainmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometime in the future, a young artist, August McGarrett, goes against Church doctrine and is ‘mindwiped’ for continuing to practice his forbidden art. When revolutionaries free him years later, he joins the cause and falls in love. As his memory slowly returns, he discovers the horrors of war, and questions his participation.

Ms. Kilczer has a beautifully descriptive voice. Her writing contains deep messages and gives the reader lots to think about. She has a great deal of raw talent, and her story-telling is impressive. She easily depicts emotions, and draws her characters and settings with great detail. There were some editing issues, but it is thought-provoking and stimulating. Well worth a read.