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The Chaplain's War
A chaplain serving in Earth's space fleet is trapped behind enemy lines where he struggles for both personal survival and humanity's future.
The mantis insectlike, cruel, and determined to wipe humanity from the face of the galaxy.
The Fleet is humanity’s last a multi-world, multi-national task force assembled to hold the line against the aliens’ overwhelming technology and firepower. Enter Harrison Barlow, who like so many young men of wars past, simply wants to serve his people and partake of the grand adventure of military life. Only, Harrison is not a hot pilot, nor a crack shot with a rifle. What good is a Chaplain’s Assistant in the interstellar battles which will decide the fate of all?
More than he thinks. Because while the mantis insectoids are determined to eliminate the human threat to mantis supremacy, they remember the errors of their past. Is there the slightest chance that humans might have value? Especially since humans seem to have the one thing the mantes explicitly do an innate ability to believe in what cannot be proven nor seen. God. Captured and stranded behind enemy lines, Barlow must come to grips with the fact that he is not only bargaining for his own life, but the lives of everyone he knows and loves. And so he embarks upon an improbable gambit, determined to alter the course of the entire war.
About Chaplain's War :
"Torgersen mixes the spiritual aspects of the book with subtlety, integrating questions about God and faith into the story organically. The result is thought provoking questions arising as part of an entertaining story . . . Torgersen [also] doesn't shy away from conflict, violence, or space battles."— Futures Past and Present
"Solid hard SF with the frisson of well thought through action. Much to enjoy!"—Gregory Benford, multiple Nebula award-winning creator of the Galactic Center saga
About Brad
"Brad Torgersen can write something technical and complex, yet still give it real emotional depth. He's one of the most talented authors I've ever read."—Larry Correia
"Brad R. Torgersen shows why he's going to be a power in this field for years to come."—Mike Resnick
"Brad Torgersen is a writer who's done a lot and come up the hard way... and the depth of his writing shows it, especially in understanding the nuts and bolts of technology and the souls of those who use it." —L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The mantis insectlike, cruel, and determined to wipe humanity from the face of the galaxy.
The Fleet is humanity’s last a multi-world, multi-national task force assembled to hold the line against the aliens’ overwhelming technology and firepower. Enter Harrison Barlow, who like so many young men of wars past, simply wants to serve his people and partake of the grand adventure of military life. Only, Harrison is not a hot pilot, nor a crack shot with a rifle. What good is a Chaplain’s Assistant in the interstellar battles which will decide the fate of all?
More than he thinks. Because while the mantis insectoids are determined to eliminate the human threat to mantis supremacy, they remember the errors of their past. Is there the slightest chance that humans might have value? Especially since humans seem to have the one thing the mantes explicitly do an innate ability to believe in what cannot be proven nor seen. God. Captured and stranded behind enemy lines, Barlow must come to grips with the fact that he is not only bargaining for his own life, but the lives of everyone he knows and loves. And so he embarks upon an improbable gambit, determined to alter the course of the entire war.
About Chaplain's War :
"Torgersen mixes the spiritual aspects of the book with subtlety, integrating questions about God and faith into the story organically. The result is thought provoking questions arising as part of an entertaining story . . . Torgersen [also] doesn't shy away from conflict, violence, or space battles."— Futures Past and Present
"Solid hard SF with the frisson of well thought through action. Much to enjoy!"—Gregory Benford, multiple Nebula award-winning creator of the Galactic Center saga
About Brad
"Brad Torgersen can write something technical and complex, yet still give it real emotional depth. He's one of the most talented authors I've ever read."—Larry Correia
"Brad R. Torgersen shows why he's going to be a power in this field for years to come."—Mike Resnick
"Brad Torgersen is a writer who's done a lot and come up the hard way... and the depth of his writing shows it, especially in understanding the nuts and bolts of technology and the souls of those who use it." —L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
496 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 15, 2014
15 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Brad R. Torgersen
80 books74 followersWho is Brad?
Brad R. Torgersen is a full-time healthcare tech geek by day, and United States Army Reserve Warrant Officer on weekends. He is a Writers of the Future winner, as well as a contributing author for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine—the latter awarding him the “AnLab” readers’ choice prize for best novelette, 2010. Presently, Torgersen is a Campbell nominee for Best New Science Fiction writer, Hugo nominee, for his novelette, “Ray of Light,” and also a Nebula nominee, for the same novelette. Married, with one daughter, Brad is back home in the Rocky Mountain West, after spending fourteen years living and working in various places around the Puget Sound.
Brad R. Torgersen is a full-time healthcare tech geek by day, and United States Army Reserve Warrant Officer on weekends. He is a Writers of the Future winner, as well as a contributing author for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine—the latter awarding him the “AnLab” readers’ choice prize for best novelette, 2010. Presently, Torgersen is a Campbell nominee for Best New Science Fiction writer, Hugo nominee, for his novelette, “Ray of Light,” and also a Nebula nominee, for the same novelette. Married, with one daughter, Brad is back home in the Rocky Mountain West, after spending fourteen years living and working in various places around the Puget Sound.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
August 24, 2014
So I loved this book.
It tells the story of a chaplain's assistant, and his time as a POW of a race of killer mantis aliens. Awesome, bad-ass, cyborg killer mantis aliens.
It also tells, via flashybacky, about his time before serving. A bit of childhood, his hellish journey through basic training, all the good "life in the (futuristic) military" tropes. Meanwhile, in alternating-chapter format, it tells his story going forward from where we meet him, as a humble keeper of a humble chapel on a shitball planet in alien-occupied space.
But, oh, the things this book examines. Spirituality, religion, faith, and how those three may or may not be combined; how the sum is not necessarily greater than its parts. Also, dependence on technology, the ideology of hate, the understanding of differences.
This is a story about mankind's war against bug-monsters. You can read it for that. This is a story about a man, a good man, trying to do right. You can read it for that. This is hard military sci-fi. You can read it for that. This is a study in faith and moralism. You can read it for that.
Or you can do yourself a favor, and just read it, and appreciate all the varied...."flavors."
It tells the story of a chaplain's assistant, and his time as a POW of a race of killer mantis aliens. Awesome, bad-ass, cyborg killer mantis aliens.
It also tells, via flashybacky, about his time before serving. A bit of childhood, his hellish journey through basic training, all the good "life in the (futuristic) military" tropes. Meanwhile, in alternating-chapter format, it tells his story going forward from where we meet him, as a humble keeper of a humble chapel on a shitball planet in alien-occupied space.
But, oh, the things this book examines. Spirituality, religion, faith, and how those three may or may not be combined; how the sum is not necessarily greater than its parts. Also, dependence on technology, the ideology of hate, the understanding of differences.
This is a story about mankind's war against bug-monsters. You can read it for that. This is a story about a man, a good man, trying to do right. You can read it for that. This is hard military sci-fi. You can read it for that. This is a study in faith and moralism. You can read it for that.
Or you can do yourself a favor, and just read it, and appreciate all the varied...."flavors."
March 14, 2024
Chaplain’s War showcases excellent story-telling by Brad R. Torgerson that feels overall like good old SF in the style of Heinlein’s Starship troopers.
Despite the title there is little about faith and spiritualism, it certainly does not drive the story. It does, however, give it a bit of extra flavor.
As my prior comparison with starship troopers already hints at, this is about an all out war between humans and a species that - how else could it be - of bug like creatures.
The plot contains two narratives of the protagonist that are frequently shifted in time between past and present. The flow of both narratives feels natural and kept me interested throughout.
One minor complaint I have is with a few anachronisms. I mean in 2150 soldiers are still wearing digital watches? First I thought this must have been written in the 70s or 80s but it was, in fact, written in 2014 - the age of the smartphone. So, there is little excuse for that unless the author equipped future space marines with such obsolete gadgets to mimic Golden Age SF on purpose.
Another letdown I found with the leader of the enemy species hidden plan to instigate a war with the humans; it did not make that much sense. (The part that describes the conference about midpoint of the book - check for yourself)
Other than that Chaplain’s War does it all right and is very worthwhile the read.
Despite the title there is little about faith and spiritualism, it certainly does not drive the story. It does, however, give it a bit of extra flavor.
As my prior comparison with starship troopers already hints at, this is about an all out war between humans and a species that - how else could it be - of bug like creatures.
The plot contains two narratives of the protagonist that are frequently shifted in time between past and present. The flow of both narratives feels natural and kept me interested throughout.
One minor complaint I have is with a few anachronisms. I mean in 2150 soldiers are still wearing digital watches? First I thought this must have been written in the 70s or 80s but it was, in fact, written in 2014 - the age of the smartphone. So, there is little excuse for that unless the author equipped future space marines with such obsolete gadgets to mimic Golden Age SF on purpose.
Another letdown I found with the leader of the enemy species hidden plan to instigate a war with the humans; it did not make that much sense. (The part that describes the conference about midpoint of the book - check for yourself)
Other than that Chaplain’s War does it all right and is very worthwhile the read.
November 5, 2014
The Chaplain's War is military science fiction, but it's not jingoistic. The Chaplain's War is spiritual in places, but it's not preachy. This is a book that takes a great idea, and really runs with it.
Torgersen gives the reader everything that's good about military SF, but he does so with resonance and meaning. I found the Chaplain's War to be a solid bildungsroman - we follow a new recruit through basic training, discovering the horror of war, and all of that stuff, but this is where any similarity to Starship Troopers ends.
Humanity has lost the alien war before it began. All the hoo-ha and chest-thumping doesn't make any difference. Defeated and captured, the only thing left for the somewhat agnostic protagonist is to build a chapel for the other survivors - a promise to his dying superior, the Chaplain.
All of this spirituality gets the alien's attention, and the Chaplain's assistant finds himself on a new battle-front. How to explain the notions of god and faith to an alien, more so when you are struggling with these questions yourself?
A great read that will stay in your mind long after finishing it - "The Chaplain's War" is highly recommended.
Torgersen gives the reader everything that's good about military SF, but he does so with resonance and meaning. I found the Chaplain's War to be a solid bildungsroman - we follow a new recruit through basic training, discovering the horror of war, and all of that stuff, but this is where any similarity to Starship Troopers ends.
Humanity has lost the alien war before it began. All the hoo-ha and chest-thumping doesn't make any difference. Defeated and captured, the only thing left for the somewhat agnostic protagonist is to build a chapel for the other survivors - a promise to his dying superior, the Chaplain.
All of this spirituality gets the alien's attention, and the Chaplain's assistant finds himself on a new battle-front. How to explain the notions of god and faith to an alien, more so when you are struggling with these questions yourself?
A great read that will stay in your mind long after finishing it - "The Chaplain's War" is highly recommended.
June 5, 2017
A few days ago I finally go around to reading Brad Torgersen’s first book, The Chaplain’s War, published by Baen Books. I had a lot of expectations going into this one because it was recommended on a lot of the blogs I follow and besides being a military SciFi it promised to address religion in an interesting way. Overall I found the book a pleasant read, with a very interesting premise, but fundamentally flawed in it’s overall execution.
The Chaplain’s War starts with our main character Harrison Barlow, a Chaplain’s Assistant(a MOS in the Army, the equal of Navy’s RP) imprisoned in an alien POW camp, along with many other humans, located on a barren alien planet called Purgatory. Barlow and the rest of the humans are the last survivors of a Earth military counterattack on the Mantes, a violent alien species bent on exterminating human life. Accepting his fate he devotes his time to maintaining a non denominational chapel open to all who wish to use it for prayer or self reflection. His chapel attracts the attention of a Mante overseer, a Professor, who wishes to study the concept of faith and religion, ideas alien to the Mantes. Barlow and the Professor become friends, and their relationship eventually spurs on a temporary truce between the two species. Unfortunately both sides have militant sides that sabotage the peace potentially leading to the extermination of Humankind and it’s up to Barlow to fix the situation and restore peace.
The book bounces between the present where Barlow is interacting with the Mantes and both sides are on the brink of total war and the past, where you get a detailed history of Barlow joining the Fleet, going through bootcamp, training, becoming a Chaplain’s Assistant, and ending up a prisoner on Purgatory. The first major flaw of the novel lie in these flashback chapters. They are detailed boring cliché bootcamp chapters. We get the typical join the military against his parents wishes, the scary bootcamp drill sergeants, the rivalry with the street smart kid, showing leadership and emotional potential. The military fiction equivalent of the farmboy in his village. The main problem is not the narrative but the fact that it drags on for several repetitive chapters, as an active duty service member I found real bootcamp dull so I don’t need to read five chapters of standing in formation. Sadly these useless chapters take you away from the interesting happenings on Purgatory and make the whole novel choppy and uneven.
Putting the bootcamp adventures aside, the real failure of the novel lies in its main topic, religion. The Chaplain’s War takes place 190 years in the future yet Barlow’s version of Christianity remains identical to early 21st century moderate conservatism. Not only is the portrayal of Christianity uninspired but Mormonism, Islam, and the other religions mentioned are static and unchanged from what they are in our present world. SciFi is all about speculation yet Barlow’s future culture and religion is identical to ours. A lot changes in 190 years. 190 years ago the United States was a new country, Mormonism was first created, and slavery was going strong. Religions drastically change throughout the centuries. A modern day Christian used to prayer groups and acoustic guitar camps would not understand or even comprehend the religious fervor of the Reformation or the world of the Medieval Christian. To portray religion unchanging in a future where Earth has FTL capabilities and has made contact with alien life is just absurd and the greatest disappointment in this book. I came in expecting a fascinating look at religion and faith in a SciFi setting, instead I got chapters of boring bootcamp imitating Starship Troopers.
The Chaplain’s War starts with our main character Harrison Barlow, a Chaplain’s Assistant(a MOS in the Army, the equal of Navy’s RP) imprisoned in an alien POW camp, along with many other humans, located on a barren alien planet called Purgatory. Barlow and the rest of the humans are the last survivors of a Earth military counterattack on the Mantes, a violent alien species bent on exterminating human life. Accepting his fate he devotes his time to maintaining a non denominational chapel open to all who wish to use it for prayer or self reflection. His chapel attracts the attention of a Mante overseer, a Professor, who wishes to study the concept of faith and religion, ideas alien to the Mantes. Barlow and the Professor become friends, and their relationship eventually spurs on a temporary truce between the two species. Unfortunately both sides have militant sides that sabotage the peace potentially leading to the extermination of Humankind and it’s up to Barlow to fix the situation and restore peace.
The book bounces between the present where Barlow is interacting with the Mantes and both sides are on the brink of total war and the past, where you get a detailed history of Barlow joining the Fleet, going through bootcamp, training, becoming a Chaplain’s Assistant, and ending up a prisoner on Purgatory. The first major flaw of the novel lie in these flashback chapters. They are detailed boring cliché bootcamp chapters. We get the typical join the military against his parents wishes, the scary bootcamp drill sergeants, the rivalry with the street smart kid, showing leadership and emotional potential. The military fiction equivalent of the farmboy in his village. The main problem is not the narrative but the fact that it drags on for several repetitive chapters, as an active duty service member I found real bootcamp dull so I don’t need to read five chapters of standing in formation. Sadly these useless chapters take you away from the interesting happenings on Purgatory and make the whole novel choppy and uneven.
Putting the bootcamp adventures aside, the real failure of the novel lies in its main topic, religion. The Chaplain’s War takes place 190 years in the future yet Barlow’s version of Christianity remains identical to early 21st century moderate conservatism. Not only is the portrayal of Christianity uninspired but Mormonism, Islam, and the other religions mentioned are static and unchanged from what they are in our present world. SciFi is all about speculation yet Barlow’s future culture and religion is identical to ours. A lot changes in 190 years. 190 years ago the United States was a new country, Mormonism was first created, and slavery was going strong. Religions drastically change throughout the centuries. A modern day Christian used to prayer groups and acoustic guitar camps would not understand or even comprehend the religious fervor of the Reformation or the world of the Medieval Christian. To portray religion unchanging in a future where Earth has FTL capabilities and has made contact with alien life is just absurd and the greatest disappointment in this book. I came in expecting a fascinating look at religion and faith in a SciFi setting, instead I got chapters of boring bootcamp imitating Starship Troopers.
August 16, 2014
I received an early copy of this book through NetGalley.
The Chaplain's War is based on Torgerson's short story "The Chaplain's Assistant" that was published in Analog in September 2011. It's an excellent story, and one that I remember well years later. The book uses that story at the start and builds it from there, creating a frightening scenario where humanity is in danger of annihilation by aliens. That sounds like a stale trope, but Torgersen makes it bright and fascinating by utilizing the viewpoint of an enlisted chaplain's assistant--an agnostic at that--as he copes with curious alien bugs who have no concept of religion, god, or soul. I think the best mash-up I can think of for comparison's sake is Scalzi's Old Man's War crossed with Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. It's not as deep (or devastating) as The Sparrow, but it definitely has the fast pace and readability of Old Man's War as it explores religion and faith.
The author's experience as a United States Army Reserve Warrant Officer grants the book a lot of military realism, too. It made me laugh out loud more than once--my husband was in the Navy--and the scenes of boot camp and a holding unit rang as so very true.
It's a fast, strong read. I became incredibly fond of a regal character who plays a major role through the book--something I would never have expected. The very end even brought a tear to my eye as a tribute was paid to a character that didn't make it.
The Chaplain's War is based on Torgerson's short story "The Chaplain's Assistant" that was published in Analog in September 2011. It's an excellent story, and one that I remember well years later. The book uses that story at the start and builds it from there, creating a frightening scenario where humanity is in danger of annihilation by aliens. That sounds like a stale trope, but Torgersen makes it bright and fascinating by utilizing the viewpoint of an enlisted chaplain's assistant--an agnostic at that--as he copes with curious alien bugs who have no concept of religion, god, or soul. I think the best mash-up I can think of for comparison's sake is Scalzi's Old Man's War crossed with Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. It's not as deep (or devastating) as The Sparrow, but it definitely has the fast pace and readability of Old Man's War as it explores religion and faith.
The author's experience as a United States Army Reserve Warrant Officer grants the book a lot of military realism, too. It made me laugh out loud more than once--my husband was in the Navy--and the scenes of boot camp and a holding unit rang as so very true.
It's a fast, strong read. I became incredibly fond of a regal character who plays a major role through the book--something I would never have expected. The very end even brought a tear to my eye as a tribute was paid to a character that didn't make it.
October 6, 2014
4-4.5 stars
I previously read parts of this as short stories or novellas (one of which was nominated for a Hugo last year and got my enthusiastic vote). This novel fills in the gaps in Chaplain's Assistant Harry Barlow's past and a few important bits of his future.
Read the rest of my review here at my blog.
I previously read parts of this as short stories or novellas (one of which was nominated for a Hugo last year and got my enthusiastic vote). This novel fills in the gaps in Chaplain's Assistant Harry Barlow's past and a few important bits of his future.
Read the rest of my review here at my blog.
July 29, 2020
Superficially this book is an expansion of a short story from Torgersen’s Lights in the Deep Collection. But there’s nothing superficial about this story.
Modern science fiction suffers a surfeit of super-heroic protagonists who are smarter, faster and luckier than everyone else. Torgersen’s Harrison Barlow isn’t. In fact, he thinks he’s a coward, a loser and unqualified to be a Chaplain’s Assistant because he doesn’t believe God exists or cares what happens to him.
After an opening section straight out of “The Chaplain’s 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 didn’t seem to contribute. Then, as they converge, both stories come alive as Barlow’s and Earth’s friends, forces and future seem lost. Finally Barlow makes an existential leap, after which … nothing happens. Perhaps that’s the point.
Torgersen writes with sympathy and understanding of the individuals who don’t have all the answers, can’t climb all the hills, don’t think they have anything to contribute. But they’re wrong, too.
Yeah, the ending’s 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 2014. If I hand out fives like candy at Halloween, how will you know when I really, really like something (other than lining up adjectives)?
Modern science fiction suffers a surfeit of super-heroic protagonists who are smarter, faster and luckier than everyone else. Torgersen’s Harrison Barlow isn’t. In fact, he thinks he’s a coward, a loser and unqualified to be a Chaplain’s Assistant because he doesn’t believe God exists or cares what happens to him.
After an opening section straight out of “The Chaplain’s 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 didn’t seem to contribute. Then, as they converge, both stories come alive as Barlow’s and Earth’s friends, forces and future seem lost. Finally Barlow makes an existential leap, after which … nothing happens. Perhaps that’s the point.
Torgersen writes with sympathy and understanding of the individuals who don’t have all the answers, can’t climb all the hills, don’t think they have anything to contribute. But they’re wrong, too.
Yeah, the ending’s 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 2014. If I hand out fives like candy at Halloween, how will you know when I really, really like something (other than lining up adjectives)?
July 22, 2014
Wow. Upon first glance this, somewhat inevitably, reminded me of Starship Troopers, mainly because of the enemy and Basic Training, but there the similarity ends.
This is a reality which SF doesn't normally cover, one where humans are weak, and one where we're losing. It opens on a planet called Purgatory, where Harry Barlow, a humble chaplain's assistant, maintains a multidenominational chapel. He doesn't have any faith of his own, never preaches a sermon, just creates a quiet space where people can come to reflect and seek their own answers. His short chaplain training, which involved comforting the wounded and the dying during drills, hasn't prepared him for this, but then nothing could.
A line of communication suddenly opens up, and his life and future change in unfathomable ways as he begins a last ditch effort to save humanity.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a reality which SF doesn't normally cover, one where humans are weak, and one where we're losing. It opens on a planet called Purgatory, where Harry Barlow, a humble chaplain's assistant, maintains a multidenominational chapel. He doesn't have any faith of his own, never preaches a sermon, just creates a quiet space where people can come to reflect and seek their own answers. His short chaplain training, which involved comforting the wounded and the dying during drills, hasn't prepared him for this, but then nothing could.
A line of communication suddenly opens up, and his life and future change in unfathomable ways as he begins a last ditch effort to save humanity.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2023
What a terrific book! This book popped on my radar as I found Brad R. Torgersen's social media fascinating and I wanted to see what his prose was like. It was highly enjoyable to say the least!
This book is from the perspective of a Chaplain's Assistant, Harrison Barlow, who is keeping up the Chapel on the planet Purgatory as it is controlled by earth's enemies, the Mantes. Barlow is unsure about his faith, which creates an interesting connundrum when the Mantes start asking him questions about the various human religions and faiths. Barlow ends up embarking on a remarkable journey to stop the Mantes and Humans from fighting, and to ensure the survival of both species.
This book is incredibly military focused, and there are many flashbacks to Barlow's past that show him moving up through the military ranks before becoming a Chaplain's Assistant. I expected this to be a difficult part of the book, and to be not fun to read. And to an extent, this was the less interesting portion of the book for me. That being said, I actually found myself enjoying it and being fascinated with military life, especially as it adapts to space warfare. The backstory also actually ends up being important to the main story later on.
My favorite parts of the book were the quieter moments of discussion about religion and faith between Barlow and the Mantes. Torgersen really dives deep into these themes, and tries to get at the heart of them and why they are important to society. It is so refreshing to see a pro-traditional faith/pro-religion book like this. And Torgersen writes the book from the perspective of a different faith than his own, which is really difficult to do and even more impressive.
I also loved the interpersonal relationships and dynamics present in the book. Barlow has friendships, rivalries, and even potential love interests in the book that Torgersen writes well. I was very happy with the way Torgersen ended the book with these relationships.
This book may be a debut novel, but Torgersen really writes it well! I will point out that it is a "fix-up" novel, being pulled from a short story and novella that were combined and expanded for the book. I can easily pinpoint the short story and what it was, what exactly the novella was and what is entirely new to this book is actually a little difficult, which shows how well it works as a novel and not reading like a series of shorter stories.
The one complaint I have about the novel is the language, which is not as bad as some novels I have read, but is prevelant nonetheless. Obviously, I am not naive and know that bad language is common, especially in the military, but I would have preferred the book have refrained from such bad language. But again, this is a minor complaint.
Overall, a terrific book by Brad R. Torgersen. I found myself wanting to continue reading it and not wanting it to be done. I will definitely read more of his books. But for now, 9.5 out of 10! Way to go Torgersen!
This book is from the perspective of a Chaplain's Assistant, Harrison Barlow, who is keeping up the Chapel on the planet Purgatory as it is controlled by earth's enemies, the Mantes. Barlow is unsure about his faith, which creates an interesting connundrum when the Mantes start asking him questions about the various human religions and faiths. Barlow ends up embarking on a remarkable journey to stop the Mantes and Humans from fighting, and to ensure the survival of both species.
This book is incredibly military focused, and there are many flashbacks to Barlow's past that show him moving up through the military ranks before becoming a Chaplain's Assistant. I expected this to be a difficult part of the book, and to be not fun to read. And to an extent, this was the less interesting portion of the book for me. That being said, I actually found myself enjoying it and being fascinated with military life, especially as it adapts to space warfare. The backstory also actually ends up being important to the main story later on.
My favorite parts of the book were the quieter moments of discussion about religion and faith between Barlow and the Mantes. Torgersen really dives deep into these themes, and tries to get at the heart of them and why they are important to society. It is so refreshing to see a pro-traditional faith/pro-religion book like this. And Torgersen writes the book from the perspective of a different faith than his own, which is really difficult to do and even more impressive.
I also loved the interpersonal relationships and dynamics present in the book. Barlow has friendships, rivalries, and even potential love interests in the book that Torgersen writes well. I was very happy with the way Torgersen ended the book with these relationships.
This book may be a debut novel, but Torgersen really writes it well! I will point out that it is a "fix-up" novel, being pulled from a short story and novella that were combined and expanded for the book. I can easily pinpoint the short story and what it was, what exactly the novella was and what is entirely new to this book is actually a little difficult, which shows how well it works as a novel and not reading like a series of shorter stories.
The one complaint I have about the novel is the language, which is not as bad as some novels I have read, but is prevelant nonetheless. Obviously, I am not naive and know that bad language is common, especially in the military, but I would have preferred the book have refrained from such bad language. But again, this is a minor complaint.
Overall, a terrific book by Brad R. Torgersen. I found myself wanting to continue reading it and not wanting it to be done. I will definitely read more of his books. But for now, 9.5 out of 10! Way to go Torgersen!
August 20, 2014
Author Doris Lessing once noted that "That function of a writer is to raise questions not find answers."
A Nobel Prize winner, Lessing famously responded to a critic of her Canopus in Argos series--a work of science fiction, in contrast to what critics considered her more serious literature--by saying: "What they didn't realize was that in science fiction is some of the best social fiction of our time."
That was thirty years ago. Today, Brad Torgersen (a Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell award nominee in 2013) carries 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 Chaplain’s 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 the 2013 Salt 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 present--where Barlow is sequestered with other humans as POWs--and 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 thought-provoking, 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 story--that one man for peace can be as powerful as a whole armada of space going warships--may 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 cyborg-insect 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 message--if there is one--is 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 note--at cons, on his blog, and in social media--that 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.
A Nobel Prize winner, Lessing famously responded to a critic of her Canopus in Argos series--a work of science fiction, in contrast to what critics considered her more serious literature--by saying: "What they didn't realize was that in science fiction is some of the best social fiction of our time."
That was thirty years ago. Today, Brad Torgersen (a Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell award nominee in 2013) carries 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 Chaplain’s 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 the 2013 Salt 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 present--where Barlow is sequestered with other humans as POWs--and 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 thought-provoking, 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 story--that one man for peace can be as powerful as a whole armada of space going warships--may 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 cyborg-insect 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 message--if there is one--is 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 note--at cons, on his blog, and in social media--that 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.
April 2, 2015
Holy 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 places--and 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.
*Unless it has the name "Vorkosigan" associated with it, that is.
December 27, 2019
(This review is a little oblique so as to avoid spoilers.) I give this more like 3.5 stars - I love the overall idea but it was a slow burn and the execution was a little shaky. What happens when humanity meets an alien species (the insect-like 'mantis') utterly devoid of spirituality or a concept of God?
The author has the protagonist, Henry Barlow, as a spiritual 'none' - you might call him agnostic but he has not given enough thought to spirituality to even qualify as that. He's neither hostile nor, at first, really open to religion. The book touches lightly on his spiritual journey, but I think he serves as a foil for the bigger idea and thus it is useful for him to be unencumbered by religious ideology.
The book does take us through a journey, though. Barlow's spiritual development is eclipsed by his complicated relationship with the mantis. While he is motivated by a desire to save humanity, he forms genuine bonds of friendship with several of the species and, in a sense, wants to 'save' them. In turn, a few of the mantes go through their own journey of metaphysical awakening. In this regard, the book challenges our views of ethnic and religious 'other'. How different are we from each other, really?
Beyond the story of galactic interspecies conflict, the story asks about our relationship with, and reliance on technology. The mantes are cyborgs, harnessed to electronic carriages at birth. The book asks how this affects, not only our spirituality, but our humanity?
As stated, the book was a slow burn and I almost put it down at first. I'm glad I persisted. It asks an interesting question and doesn't treat its subject matter in a heavy handed way. That said, I found the writing style a little stilted at time. Barlow speaks more like a technician than a relaxed guy who isn't afraid to thumb his nose at authority. The chapters flip between the present and his early days in boot camp. While it did come together, I spent the first half of the book wondering if the boot camp scenes were just filler.
All that said, by the last half of the book I didn't want to put it down.
The author has the protagonist, Henry Barlow, as a spiritual 'none' - you might call him agnostic but he has not given enough thought to spirituality to even qualify as that. He's neither hostile nor, at first, really open to religion. The book touches lightly on his spiritual journey, but I think he serves as a foil for the bigger idea and thus it is useful for him to be unencumbered by religious ideology.
The book does take us through a journey, though. Barlow's spiritual development is eclipsed by his complicated relationship with the mantis. While he is motivated by a desire to save humanity, he forms genuine bonds of friendship with several of the species and, in a sense, wants to 'save' them. In turn, a few of the mantes go through their own journey of metaphysical awakening. In this regard, the book challenges our views of ethnic and religious 'other'. How different are we from each other, really?
Beyond the story of galactic interspecies conflict, the story asks about our relationship with, and reliance on technology. The mantes are cyborgs, harnessed to electronic carriages at birth. The book asks how this affects, not only our spirituality, but our humanity?
As stated, the book was a slow burn and I almost put it down at first. I'm glad I persisted. It asks an interesting question and doesn't treat its subject matter in a heavy handed way. That said, I found the writing style a little stilted at time. Barlow speaks more like a technician than a relaxed guy who isn't afraid to thumb his nose at authority. The chapters flip between the present and his early days in boot camp. While it did come together, I spent the first half of the book wondering if the boot camp scenes were just filler.
All that said, by the last half of the book I didn't want to put it down.
November 29, 2022
A thought-provoking and subtly powerful story about a chaplain's assistant and his role in an existential war between humanity and an alien race. Interspersed between present events are his memories of basic training; at first it seemed to me like those chapters were very incongruent with the main thread of the story, but as those flashbacks got closer and closer to the present the two threads begin to weave together wonderfully.
The main character is by no means a perfect soldier, nor even a perfect chaplain's assistant, but that's what makes the events of the story so interesting. As are the other main characters in the story, including several of the aliens (mantes). Add to it realistic military science fiction and big philosophical themes handled tactfully, and you get a unique and compelling experience.
The main character is by no means a perfect soldier, nor even a perfect chaplain's assistant, but that's what makes the events of the story so interesting. As are the other main characters in the story, including several of the aliens (mantes). Add to it realistic military science fiction and big philosophical themes handled tactfully, and you get a unique and compelling experience.
March 9, 2015
A century or so from now, Earth has achieved interstellar spaceflight and is beginning to colonize its galactic environs. Then it encounters the Mantis Empire, and first contact does not go at all well. The military fleet sent to defend our colonies gets a thorough shellacking, and there’s every indication the Mantes plan to continue their offensive until every human being is obliterated.
Specialist Harrison Barlow is a Chaplain’s Assistant, one of the few survivors of the strike force sent to planet Purgatory and now imprisoned there in a mountain valley within a lethal force barrier. It’s a miracle he’s alive at all—the Mantes don’t usually take prisoners, and the chaplain he was assigned to support and defend is dead. Barlow, along with the rest of the survivors, scratches out a living on Purgatory day-to-day, expecting their captors to swoop back in at any moment and finish them. He builds a small stone chapel in accordance with his chaplain’s dying request, and silently tends it for anyone who comes looking for a quiet moment of reflection. He often wonders why he persists in this memorial duty—and why people insist on coming to him for spiritual guidance. He’s not a pastor, a guru, a prophet, a real chaplain, or even a particularly good soldier. He’s just an ordinary guy trying to do the right thing.
Then one day, a Mantis comes to the chapel with questions of its own, and Harry Barlow discovers he may be humanity’s last chance for survival.
Chaplains don’t come up much in classic military space opera—sometimes they’re a side character, a Jiminy Cricket-ish conscience for the commander or somebody to deliver the requisite toss-off prayer before battle: Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition! Being a retired military guy myself, and having known a few chaplains in my time, I found it refreshing to read a story that not only takes the chaplain’s role seriously, but ponders how it works in practice and what it means in the context of military community, present or future.
Torgerson also does something you don’t see much in conventional military space opera…he opens by presenting us an utterly defeated member of an utterly defeated Earth fleet, going through the motions of a passive task that seems meaningless at first glance—a man marking time as he waits for death. Where’s the space battle? Where’s the power-suited infantry? Where’s the Earth-shattering kaboom?
It does arrive eventually, and it’s worth the wait, because this is a story that aims for something more than bang-zoom. Yes, it’s a tale about how a war might be resolved by means other than force of arms, but it’s mostly about that man in the little handmade chapel, lighting lamps and dusting pews in the service of a God he can’t comprehend, on behalf of people who are clinging to their last shred of hope. He’s not a chrome-plated hero, or a spiritual paragon. He cares about the people around him and is trying his best to do the right thing as he sees it, moment to moment.
As it turns out, that’s enough.
The Chaplain’s War pulled me in immediately, and it held my interest well enough to motivate me to chew through it in a couple of sessions of steady reading, which is always a good sign. It didn’t quite hit all the right notes with me—by way of plumbing Harry Barlow’s character and backstory, Torgerson intersperses flashbacks from a familiar basic training program, in agonizing** detail, complete with a bullying nemesis and a couple of insightful mentors who immediately recognize Barlow’s potential and help him find his military vocation. Torgerson is a Warrant Officer in the US Army Reserve, so he hits the experience and the jargon spot-on, but I found myself wishing for less time in backstory and more focus on Barlow’s immediate crisis. The aliens, while interesting, seemed to grasp humanity a little too easily, and considering the amount of planetary-scale carnage leading up to the final resolution, I would have expected it to be more difficult for the two sides to come to terms. Still, it’s a good story, and an absorbing read, and I liked it very much.
What I found most interesting were the faith issues Barlow wrestles with. In short, though I wasn’t entirely satisfied with that element of the story, it’s remarkable to find it playing such an important role in this sub-genre of science fiction. and I thought Torgerson handled it with sensitivity and intelligence.
From Baen Books, 368 pages. Battlefield violence, coarse language (military guys swear a lot—it is what it is), and a couple of non-explicit sexual situations (which actually display a high moral standard in situations where it would be easy to take the low road). Older teens and up.
**Maybe it only seemed agonizing because it brought back so many lovely memories of my own time in basic training. Ack.
Specialist Harrison Barlow is a Chaplain’s Assistant, one of the few survivors of the strike force sent to planet Purgatory and now imprisoned there in a mountain valley within a lethal force barrier. It’s a miracle he’s alive at all—the Mantes don’t usually take prisoners, and the chaplain he was assigned to support and defend is dead. Barlow, along with the rest of the survivors, scratches out a living on Purgatory day-to-day, expecting their captors to swoop back in at any moment and finish them. He builds a small stone chapel in accordance with his chaplain’s dying request, and silently tends it for anyone who comes looking for a quiet moment of reflection. He often wonders why he persists in this memorial duty—and why people insist on coming to him for spiritual guidance. He’s not a pastor, a guru, a prophet, a real chaplain, or even a particularly good soldier. He’s just an ordinary guy trying to do the right thing.
Then one day, a Mantis comes to the chapel with questions of its own, and Harry Barlow discovers he may be humanity’s last chance for survival.
Chaplains don’t come up much in classic military space opera—sometimes they’re a side character, a Jiminy Cricket-ish conscience for the commander or somebody to deliver the requisite toss-off prayer before battle: Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition! Being a retired military guy myself, and having known a few chaplains in my time, I found it refreshing to read a story that not only takes the chaplain’s role seriously, but ponders how it works in practice and what it means in the context of military community, present or future.
Torgerson also does something you don’t see much in conventional military space opera…he opens by presenting us an utterly defeated member of an utterly defeated Earth fleet, going through the motions of a passive task that seems meaningless at first glance—a man marking time as he waits for death. Where’s the space battle? Where’s the power-suited infantry? Where’s the Earth-shattering kaboom?
It does arrive eventually, and it’s worth the wait, because this is a story that aims for something more than bang-zoom. Yes, it’s a tale about how a war might be resolved by means other than force of arms, but it’s mostly about that man in the little handmade chapel, lighting lamps and dusting pews in the service of a God he can’t comprehend, on behalf of people who are clinging to their last shred of hope. He’s not a chrome-plated hero, or a spiritual paragon. He cares about the people around him and is trying his best to do the right thing as he sees it, moment to moment.
As it turns out, that’s enough.
The Chaplain’s War pulled me in immediately, and it held my interest well enough to motivate me to chew through it in a couple of sessions of steady reading, which is always a good sign. It didn’t quite hit all the right notes with me—by way of plumbing Harry Barlow’s character and backstory, Torgerson intersperses flashbacks from a familiar basic training program, in agonizing** detail, complete with a bullying nemesis and a couple of insightful mentors who immediately recognize Barlow’s potential and help him find his military vocation. Torgerson is a Warrant Officer in the US Army Reserve, so he hits the experience and the jargon spot-on, but I found myself wishing for less time in backstory and more focus on Barlow’s immediate crisis. The aliens, while interesting, seemed to grasp humanity a little too easily, and considering the amount of planetary-scale carnage leading up to the final resolution, I would have expected it to be more difficult for the two sides to come to terms. Still, it’s a good story, and an absorbing read, and I liked it very much.
What I found most interesting were the faith issues Barlow wrestles with. In short, though I wasn’t entirely satisfied with that element of the story, it’s remarkable to find it playing such an important role in this sub-genre of science fiction. and I thought Torgerson handled it with sensitivity and intelligence.
From Baen Books, 368 pages. Battlefield violence, coarse language (military guys swear a lot—it is what it is), and a couple of non-explicit sexual situations (which actually display a high moral standard in situations where it would be easy to take the low road). Older teens and up.
**Maybe it only seemed agonizing because it brought back so many lovely memories of my own time in basic training. Ack.
August 1, 2014
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 51”. Brad Torgersen has simply taken the subject and made it the driving force of his soon-to-be-released fictional piece, “The Chaplain’s War.” This 352 page trade paperback lifts off immediately with Harry Barlow, Chaplain Assistant, stranded on Purgatory after the fleet’s 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 Chaplain’s War” is a multi-layered chronicle that moves back and forth in Harry Barlow’s 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 non-religious, 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 Harry’s days in Fleet training, and the unnamed planet where the four fight for survival.
The final section of “The Chaplain’s 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 Chaplain’s War” is a fun read that flows along several parallel stream beds that all head in the same direction. The author keeps the reader’s 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 “Bully-pulpit” way. It’s a tale of a spiritual and space journey all wrapped together.
“The Chaplain’s War” is a multi-layered chronicle that moves back and forth in Harry Barlow’s 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 non-religious, 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 Harry’s days in Fleet training, and the unnamed planet where the four fight for survival.
The final section of “The Chaplain’s 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 Chaplain’s War” is a fun read that flows along several parallel stream beds that all head in the same direction. The author keeps the reader’s 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 “Bully-pulpit” way. It’s a tale of a spiritual and space journey all wrapped together.
February 12, 2016
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 non-denominational 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 non-military Mantis shows up to talk to Barlow. No one's ever seen a non-military 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 their 4th 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 non-believer, 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 Old Man's War.
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 non-believer, 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 Old Man's War.
October 16, 2015
Great book. Exciting, philosophical, and theological.
Not many sci-fi 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?
Not many sci-fi 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?
October 23, 2014
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 hit-you-over-the-head theistic novel, but one that uses this as a background.
The Chaplain's assistant boot camp interweaving storyline is straight-forward 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.
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 hit-you-over-the-head theistic novel, but one that uses this as a background.
The Chaplain's assistant boot camp interweaving storyline is straight-forward 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.
July 11, 2014
I received an advanced copy from Net Galley for purposed of review. The opinions (often jaded) expressed are my own.
One of the best surprises in a book I've had all year. I went in expecting to be moderately amused. I left a die-hard fan. Torgersen writes in a style reminiscent of Orson Scott Card at times. At other times, there is a ‘pulp’ feeling to it that thrills. The writing is easy without being turgid or pretentious. Loved it! Well done!
One of the best surprises in a book I've had all year. I went in expecting to be moderately amused. I left a die-hard fan. Torgersen writes in a style reminiscent of Orson Scott Card at times. At other times, there is a ‘pulp’ feeling to it that thrills. The writing is easy without being turgid or pretentious. Loved it! Well done!
November 18, 2014
In the interest of avoiding spoilers I'll keep this short. The Chaplain's War is an amazing book in the tradition of the classics of sci-fi - big ideas and amazing stories, but ones that just present the evidence and let us decide for ourselves. It touches on a lot of interesting topics, from cyborg theory, the nature of worship and faith, to the ethics of force and war. It also has one of the best depictions of boot camp I've seen since Starship Troopers. Read this book.
December 4, 2014
Torgersen's 'The Chaplain War' plays with an old SF trope, but manages to turn it around to make it a fascinating read. I had not read the original short story, and somewhat glad that I didn't, as I got to experience this story in this form first.
Very much enjoying this, and will be looking for more of Brad's works.
Very much enjoying this, and will be looking for more of Brad's works.
April 13, 2015
Decent mil sci-fi
Torgesen's Chaplain's War is a good example of the military science fiction genre, half covering Barlows journey through space boot camp, and the other half follows the chaplain after the outbreak of the war. Nothing special; if you're a big fan of the genre is not bad, though the boot camp sequence was very paint by numbers.
Torgesen's Chaplain's War is a good example of the military science fiction genre, half covering Barlows journey through space boot camp, and the other half follows the chaplain after the outbreak of the war. Nothing special; if you're a big fan of the genre is not bad, though the boot camp sequence was very paint by numbers.
April 4, 2015
Although the context is different but with the stakes just as high, this lyric rings true: 'was blind but now I see'. Thanks Brad.
July 21, 2024
I was absolutely taken in by the blurb for this book. An alien invasion stopped by their curiosity about humanity's idea of religion. This pretty much has all the elements you need for me to pick up the book. Yet, sadly, there isn't much in the way of addressing that main story element and it turns into a standard sci-fi story.
The first interaction with the main character, Harrison Barlow, establishes him as a weak character. He's an assistant to the chaplain who died but has nothing of real value to offer. Even when he is confronted by a curious Mantis professor that essentially puts a halt to destroying humanity for the benefit of studying the religious values of humanity, Barlow is feckless and dour. Characterization of him being a stalwart maintainer of the chapel for anyone of any religion to find some quiet respite being trapped on a prison colony as POWs is lost in just how much he doesn't offer to anything.
Barlow's backstory of joining the military and coming to the place where we start out story does offer some character building as to why we should care but it just reveals more of how little he offers and how little religion, any religion, plays a part in the story. The jarring flashback isn't earned at first and it was only the hope that the story would actually fulfill anything promised in the synopsis forced me to continue.
The alien professor seems to create an armistice after conducting some minor investigation with Barlow and a few Mormons but we see nothing at all that would be convincing in this matter. There is no great testing of any real religious values not even in the general. There is no great or even minor philosophical discussion. Barlow barely understands anything of any religion and even with the armistice does nothing to figure out anything - the one area where the alien enemies stops from wiping out all of humanity and he doesn't even pick up a few pamphlets.
The military battles and sci-fi are fine and even the story, if was just a simple sci-fi story would have been fine. The meeting of a queen alien and an attempt to survive with the alien professor and another soldier puts Barlow in the middle of the story that could use that time to unpack anything that could eventually lead to peace. What happens? Any motivation to not wipe out all humanity happens to the queen just by happenstance. There is nothing here that should convince this alien threat to change or embrace general religious values. There is nothing that Barlow adds or any other character. He falls into success and falls into peace. He doesn't change and he has no character growth. He the same, "I'm just an assistant to the chaplain" that he is at the end of the story that he was at the beginning. It's only when he's able to be pushed by almost literally the entire universe does he think the thing that saved the human race (and the story doesn't say why) is important. The concept that "humanity is different from us mantis aliens" offers the same explanation value that is actually seen in the story over anything remotely religious.
I can't make this point clear enough. There is nothing that the idea of religion (specific or general) adds to the events of the story. The main character is weak and boring. While the sci-fi and military aspects are fine the loss of potential available to such a great concept is almost a bait-and-switch of the author. If it isn't then it's an abject failure to provide what was claimed. Such a waste of a good concept. Final Grade - D
The first interaction with the main character, Harrison Barlow, establishes him as a weak character. He's an assistant to the chaplain who died but has nothing of real value to offer. Even when he is confronted by a curious Mantis professor that essentially puts a halt to destroying humanity for the benefit of studying the religious values of humanity, Barlow is feckless and dour. Characterization of him being a stalwart maintainer of the chapel for anyone of any religion to find some quiet respite being trapped on a prison colony as POWs is lost in just how much he doesn't offer to anything.
Barlow's backstory of joining the military and coming to the place where we start out story does offer some character building as to why we should care but it just reveals more of how little he offers and how little religion, any religion, plays a part in the story. The jarring flashback isn't earned at first and it was only the hope that the story would actually fulfill anything promised in the synopsis forced me to continue.
The alien professor seems to create an armistice after conducting some minor investigation with Barlow and a few Mormons but we see nothing at all that would be convincing in this matter. There is no great testing of any real religious values not even in the general. There is no great or even minor philosophical discussion. Barlow barely understands anything of any religion and even with the armistice does nothing to figure out anything - the one area where the alien enemies stops from wiping out all of humanity and he doesn't even pick up a few pamphlets.
The military battles and sci-fi are fine and even the story, if was just a simple sci-fi story would have been fine. The meeting of a queen alien and an attempt to survive with the alien professor and another soldier puts Barlow in the middle of the story that could use that time to unpack anything that could eventually lead to peace. What happens? Any motivation to not wipe out all humanity happens to the queen just by happenstance. There is nothing here that should convince this alien threat to change or embrace general religious values. There is nothing that Barlow adds or any other character. He falls into success and falls into peace. He doesn't change and he has no character growth. He the same, "I'm just an assistant to the chaplain" that he is at the end of the story that he was at the beginning. It's only when he's able to be pushed by almost literally the entire universe does he think the thing that saved the human race (and the story doesn't say why) is important. The concept that "humanity is different from us mantis aliens" offers the same explanation value that is actually seen in the story over anything remotely religious.
I can't make this point clear enough. There is nothing that the idea of religion (specific or general) adds to the events of the story. The main character is weak and boring. While the sci-fi and military aspects are fine the loss of potential available to such a great concept is almost a bait-and-switch of the author. If it isn't then it's an abject failure to provide what was claimed. Such a waste of a good concept. Final Grade - D
March 27, 2021
I recently listened to The Chaplain's War written by Brad R. Torgersen and narrated by George Newbern.
The Chaplain's War is a scifi story set in a universe where we encounter another alien species. The species in question appear to somewhat resemble our insects known as mantis'. It also seems they have developed some sort of mental interface with higher technology machines. These technologies power impervious shields and personal transportation and communication devices that are saucer shaped. These saucers also seem to serve as weapon platforms.
Humans enter a war with the manties, the favored slang term for their enemies, and lose badly. On one of the planets the humans invaded, a delightful vacation spot known as purgatory, some of the humans in the prison camp continue to believe in a higher power. Harrison Barlow, a Chaplain's assistant, builds a chapel to honor the request of the dead chaplain he served.
One day the unexpected occurs. A 'Mantie' comes to the chapel. He imparts two pieces of necessary information. The first is that humanity will be exterminated in the near future. The second is that, at least partially due to previous alien contact, the mantie's have a scientific and scholarly interest in God.
This is the tale of Barlow trying to leverage this interest in a higher power. He has no reasonable hope he will succeed, but he trudges forth on unreasonable hope. That hope is small and simple. Can he interest the mantie's enough in God that they will delay or, ideally, forego humanities execution?
The narrator, George Newbern, does an excellent job with the material. He really sells the emotional bits and delves into the story with a voice that forms itself to the book in a way that makes you question if anyone else could do the reading as well.
Conclusion: This book is an unusual book for a scifi tale, but despite that it's a really good book. It does something that all good scifi should do. It makes the reader think and ask questions, both of the world at large and of themselves as well.
The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the constant change in the story between past and present. It wasn't wholly clear through most of the book how one affected the other in the central plotline. I am happy, however, to inform you that it does eventually matter. While not a favorite writing convention of mine, it was handled extremely well in this case.
I personally found this book a delight. It's scifi from a wholly different perspective than normal. If you can abide the switch between present and past with patience, I think you will find that this is a great read.
The Chaplain's War is a scifi story set in a universe where we encounter another alien species. The species in question appear to somewhat resemble our insects known as mantis'. It also seems they have developed some sort of mental interface with higher technology machines. These technologies power impervious shields and personal transportation and communication devices that are saucer shaped. These saucers also seem to serve as weapon platforms.
Humans enter a war with the manties, the favored slang term for their enemies, and lose badly. On one of the planets the humans invaded, a delightful vacation spot known as purgatory, some of the humans in the prison camp continue to believe in a higher power. Harrison Barlow, a Chaplain's assistant, builds a chapel to honor the request of the dead chaplain he served.
One day the unexpected occurs. A 'Mantie' comes to the chapel. He imparts two pieces of necessary information. The first is that humanity will be exterminated in the near future. The second is that, at least partially due to previous alien contact, the mantie's have a scientific and scholarly interest in God.
This is the tale of Barlow trying to leverage this interest in a higher power. He has no reasonable hope he will succeed, but he trudges forth on unreasonable hope. That hope is small and simple. Can he interest the mantie's enough in God that they will delay or, ideally, forego humanities execution?
The narrator, George Newbern, does an excellent job with the material. He really sells the emotional bits and delves into the story with a voice that forms itself to the book in a way that makes you question if anyone else could do the reading as well.
Conclusion: This book is an unusual book for a scifi tale, but despite that it's a really good book. It does something that all good scifi should do. It makes the reader think and ask questions, both of the world at large and of themselves as well.
The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the constant change in the story between past and present. It wasn't wholly clear through most of the book how one affected the other in the central plotline. I am happy, however, to inform you that it does eventually matter. While not a favorite writing convention of mine, it was handled extremely well in this case.
I personally found this book a delight. It's scifi from a wholly different perspective than normal. If you can abide the switch between present and past with patience, I think you will find that this is a great read.
May 5, 2021
I actually read the novella "The Chaplain's Legacy," which was reworked into this book.
I had a bit of a hard time suspending my disbelief with this story. Part of it is the character of the narrator, a non-com named Barlow, a non-believing Chaplain's Assistant whose rather demeanor somehow sets him up as the most enlightened human in the eyes of the aliens, not once but twice. This had the sense of being a kind of wish-fulfillment story on the part of the author who seems to identify with him. Part of my trouble is the actions of the bad guy militarists on both the human and alien sides with all their bluster. When things go badly in the parley he (implausibly) is attending, Barlow is thrown in by a tough captain and the two most significant alien representatives on the surface of the planet. The captain is a woman of color who is seen as an object of desire at one point, a critical link with the aliens on some level beyond language somehow, only to pay a heavy price when shooting erupts towards the end. The Queen of the aliens has her views on humans turned a hundred eighty degrees by what she sees of the two humans and decides to change the course of the epic struggle. Although the characters are in a nasty situation they are not given much to do to ensure their survival. There is a plot point about the dangers of immersive virtual reality environments which gets introduced pretty late in the story and used to explain the problems the aliens are having, pretty much without any way the human characters could have known about that. It didn't feel as though they really earned the relatively happy ending themselves but just happened into it.
I understand this novella grew out of a short story, and was expanded into a novel, neither of which I have read. I wouldn't say that it was unenjoyable, but just that those features I noticed in the plot took away from my enthusiasm for the work.
I had a bit of a hard time suspending my disbelief with this story. Part of it is the character of the narrator, a non-com named Barlow, a non-believing Chaplain's Assistant whose rather demeanor somehow sets him up as the most enlightened human in the eyes of the aliens, not once but twice. This had the sense of being a kind of wish-fulfillment story on the part of the author who seems to identify with him. Part of my trouble is the actions of the bad guy militarists on both the human and alien sides with all their bluster. When things go badly in the parley he (implausibly) is attending, Barlow is thrown in by a tough captain and the two most significant alien representatives on the surface of the planet. The captain is a woman of color who is seen as an object of desire at one point, a critical link with the aliens on some level beyond language somehow, only to pay a heavy price when shooting erupts towards the end. The Queen of the aliens has her views on humans turned a hundred eighty degrees by what she sees of the two humans and decides to change the course of the epic struggle. Although the characters are in a nasty situation they are not given much to do to ensure their survival. There is a plot point about the dangers of immersive virtual reality environments which gets introduced pretty late in the story and used to explain the problems the aliens are having, pretty much without any way the human characters could have known about that. It didn't feel as though they really earned the relatively happy ending themselves but just happened into it.
I understand this novella grew out of a short story, and was expanded into a novel, neither of which I have read. I wouldn't say that it was unenjoyable, but just that those features I noticed in the plot took away from my enthusiasm for the work.
June 9, 2022
This was really interesting and not quite like anything I've read before (although I don't read a whole lot of sci-fi). I appreciated the emphasis on character and more cerebral things over a bunch of action and space battles.
When I read the other reviews that mention how tacked-on the romance felt, I was dubious. But no, it is super duper just tacked on there out of nowhere right at the very end, with a character who'd barely appeared prior. It really feels like the author thinks romantic relationships are just things that happen to people in their lives and wanted to round off the MC's story by giving him a wife. Which is ... fine, I guess, but not how I prefer it.
I was also a little disappointed that the 'chaplain' wasn't actually a chaplain. It's one of those books that examines religion/faith from the POV of someone who's basically a nonbeliever. He holds a certain position in society through what seems to pretty much be chance, not because he actually even has any religious faith of his own. So it's not, as I think the title implies, a story about a man of faith working through an alien war, but more about someone who explicitly is not a man of faith semi-grappling with the topic while in the midst of an alien war (though the question of faith does play a large role in the story, but he treats it mostly as an intellectual question for most of the book). Which is ... also fine, but not quite what the title and cover image led me to believe.
Still a very interesting story, though, and worth the read, I thought.
When I read the other reviews that mention how tacked-on the romance felt, I was dubious. But no, it is super duper just tacked on there out of nowhere right at the very end, with a character who'd barely appeared prior. It really feels like the author thinks romantic relationships are just things that happen to people in their lives and wanted to round off the MC's story by giving him a wife. Which is ... fine, I guess, but not how I prefer it.
I was also a little disappointed that the 'chaplain' wasn't actually a chaplain. It's one of those books that examines religion/faith from the POV of someone who's basically a nonbeliever. He holds a certain position in society through what seems to pretty much be chance, not because he actually even has any religious faith of his own. So it's not, as I think the title implies, a story about a man of faith working through an alien war, but more about someone who explicitly is not a man of faith semi-grappling with the topic while in the midst of an alien war (though the question of faith does play a large role in the story, but he treats it mostly as an intellectual question for most of the book). Which is ... also fine, but not quite what the title and cover image led me to believe.
Still a very interesting story, though, and worth the read, I thought.
October 13, 2015
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
A year or two ago I sent Brad Torgersen a message telling him that I thought he was one of the best new writers of sci-fi writing in the field today. I had read a number of his works that were up for consideration for the Hugo Award and felt that they were really outstanding (and yes, I voted for him). So it was that I was really thrilled to see a new book available for review by Mr. Torgersen.
But I am conflicted by this book.
Torgerson understands the military and writes about it very well. I am reminded of authors such as Joe Haldeman and Gordon Dickson and Fred Saberhagen (good company to be among) when I read Torgersen. But this book, while doing a marvelous job of bringing the reader into the military through both boot-camp and war, does so almost to the exclusion of the story itself. In fact, we spend nearly half the book, via alternating chapters, following Harrison Barlow as he trains in the ways of modern warfare. Why? Well, that's a good question. For the purposes of the story it introduces us to a character or two who will play some part of the action later - though I'd say that this set up is definitely not worth the trouble. But it reads as though this was something that Torgersen was comfortable writing...something that came easy to him and managed to fill enough space to make it a novel. But remove the boot-camp scenes and we still have a complete storyline and the connection to one character could have been accomplished with one chapter, rather than half a books' worth. But then we would have had a novella. A little harder for a publisher to sell.
When we weren't in boot camp, we were part of a war with a race that look incredibly like over-sized praying mantises which are referred to by the humans as the mantes. The humans haven't fared well and are on the verge of being completely annihilated. In fact we open the book on a planet called Purgatory in which a host of humans, once soldiers, are now prisoners of the mantes ... mostly left alone but without avenue to escape.
Barlow, who has been the Chaplain's Assistant since boot camp, continues on with the Chaplain's wishes, building a church to be a sanctuary for ALL who enter. And when a mante enters and inquires about human spirituality, Barlow begins a relationship with a mante he refers to as "The Professor," and he may be humanity's only hope for survival.
Something that is made abundantly clear ... Harrison Barlow is not a religious man. He is not a believer. His post as the Chaplain's Assistant comes about as an appointment, and at the chaplain's request continues with it. And because the chaplain himself was well-regarded by the men of the platoon, Barlow's continuing of the chaplain's wishes earns him the respect of the men (by association).
In addition to writing well about the military, Torgersen creates real people. But in this case, while all the people appear real, they are also all nice. Yes...you read that correctly ... all the characters here are nice. Even most of the mantes we meet are nice. And this is kind of a problem. How do you create conflict, especially an inter-galactic war, when everyone is nice? I understand that there's a point being made here about mis-understandings and the failure to tolerate other cultures or beliefs, but this idea isn't developed well. We spend too much time getting background on Barlow in military and making sure we understand how he isn't religious, despite his title as the Chaplain's Assistant, to make the payoff.
In a book with the word 'chaplain' in the title, it certainly would be expected that there might be some religion here. I'm definitely not opposed to religion in my fiction, but I don't want to be preached to. For the most part Torgersen does a fine job of keeping religion and preaching out of the book (and remember, a point is strongly made that Barlow is not religious). But he (Torgersen) does manage to 1) get in some jabs at Catholicism and 2) publicly reflect on that fact that he thinks Mormons are some of the most fervent and ardent supporters of their faith compared to all the Western religions. I am neither Catholic nor Mormon, nor have I ever been either, but I found this small bit of preaching to be annoying and unnecessary and I nearly put the book down at this point. This felt very much like Brad Torgersen and not Harrison Barlow.
There is also a romance here that feels SO tossed in at the last moment, likely the request of an editor rather than a part of the story. It's all part of the 'nice' attribute - as if it was desired to wrap everything up so nicely and that even the solitary Barlow should feel good in the end.
The change in the mante behavior toward the humans also comes about much too easily, though Torgersen tries valiantly to show us that this is a difficult change for the Queen of the mante. And though we aren't really privy to the behavior of this race, the fact that they completely obliterated two other sentient races before meeting the humans, and could easily accomplish the task against the earth colonies, any stay would be hard to come by. Except here.
But despite all these little things that nagged at me, there was some really great concepts and interesting developments and characters along the way. I did like the fact that despite all the military descriptions the fate of humanity came down to a couple of individuals talking and learning about one another.
This is not, in my opinion, Torgersen's best work, and I hope he will focus on story-telling in the future, rather than simply being nice. This one balances out very well. For everything that I didn't like about the book, there was something that I did like that kept me reading. This one is a clear two and half stars.
Looking for a good book? The Chaplain's War by Brad R. Torgersen is a military sci-fi adventure with the fate of humanity in the balance, but everything about the book, including the way it wraps up, is simply too nice to be truly engaging.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
A year or two ago I sent Brad Torgersen a message telling him that I thought he was one of the best new writers of sci-fi writing in the field today. I had read a number of his works that were up for consideration for the Hugo Award and felt that they were really outstanding (and yes, I voted for him). So it was that I was really thrilled to see a new book available for review by Mr. Torgersen.
But I am conflicted by this book.
Torgerson understands the military and writes about it very well. I am reminded of authors such as Joe Haldeman and Gordon Dickson and Fred Saberhagen (good company to be among) when I read Torgersen. But this book, while doing a marvelous job of bringing the reader into the military through both boot-camp and war, does so almost to the exclusion of the story itself. In fact, we spend nearly half the book, via alternating chapters, following Harrison Barlow as he trains in the ways of modern warfare. Why? Well, that's a good question. For the purposes of the story it introduces us to a character or two who will play some part of the action later - though I'd say that this set up is definitely not worth the trouble. But it reads as though this was something that Torgersen was comfortable writing...something that came easy to him and managed to fill enough space to make it a novel. But remove the boot-camp scenes and we still have a complete storyline and the connection to one character could have been accomplished with one chapter, rather than half a books' worth. But then we would have had a novella. A little harder for a publisher to sell.
When we weren't in boot camp, we were part of a war with a race that look incredibly like over-sized praying mantises which are referred to by the humans as the mantes. The humans haven't fared well and are on the verge of being completely annihilated. In fact we open the book on a planet called Purgatory in which a host of humans, once soldiers, are now prisoners of the mantes ... mostly left alone but without avenue to escape.
Barlow, who has been the Chaplain's Assistant since boot camp, continues on with the Chaplain's wishes, building a church to be a sanctuary for ALL who enter. And when a mante enters and inquires about human spirituality, Barlow begins a relationship with a mante he refers to as "The Professor," and he may be humanity's only hope for survival.
Something that is made abundantly clear ... Harrison Barlow is not a religious man. He is not a believer. His post as the Chaplain's Assistant comes about as an appointment, and at the chaplain's request continues with it. And because the chaplain himself was well-regarded by the men of the platoon, Barlow's continuing of the chaplain's wishes earns him the respect of the men (by association).
In addition to writing well about the military, Torgersen creates real people. But in this case, while all the people appear real, they are also all nice. Yes...you read that correctly ... all the characters here are nice. Even most of the mantes we meet are nice. And this is kind of a problem. How do you create conflict, especially an inter-galactic war, when everyone is nice? I understand that there's a point being made here about mis-understandings and the failure to tolerate other cultures or beliefs, but this idea isn't developed well. We spend too much time getting background on Barlow in military and making sure we understand how he isn't religious, despite his title as the Chaplain's Assistant, to make the payoff.
In a book with the word 'chaplain' in the title, it certainly would be expected that there might be some religion here. I'm definitely not opposed to religion in my fiction, but I don't want to be preached to. For the most part Torgersen does a fine job of keeping religion and preaching out of the book (and remember, a point is strongly made that Barlow is not religious). But he (Torgersen) does manage to 1) get in some jabs at Catholicism and 2) publicly reflect on that fact that he thinks Mormons are some of the most fervent and ardent supporters of their faith compared to all the Western religions. I am neither Catholic nor Mormon, nor have I ever been either, but I found this small bit of preaching to be annoying and unnecessary and I nearly put the book down at this point. This felt very much like Brad Torgersen and not Harrison Barlow.
There is also a romance here that feels SO tossed in at the last moment, likely the request of an editor rather than a part of the story. It's all part of the 'nice' attribute - as if it was desired to wrap everything up so nicely and that even the solitary Barlow should feel good in the end.
The change in the mante behavior toward the humans also comes about much too easily, though Torgersen tries valiantly to show us that this is a difficult change for the Queen of the mante. And though we aren't really privy to the behavior of this race, the fact that they completely obliterated two other sentient races before meeting the humans, and could easily accomplish the task against the earth colonies, any stay would be hard to come by. Except here.
But despite all these little things that nagged at me, there was some really great concepts and interesting developments and characters along the way. I did like the fact that despite all the military descriptions the fate of humanity came down to a couple of individuals talking and learning about one another.
This is not, in my opinion, Torgersen's best work, and I hope he will focus on story-telling in the future, rather than simply being nice. This one balances out very well. For everything that I didn't like about the book, there was something that I did like that kept me reading. This one is a clear two and half stars.
Looking for a good book? The Chaplain's War by Brad R. Torgersen is a military sci-fi adventure with the fate of humanity in the balance, but everything about the book, including the way it wraps up, is simply too nice to be truly engaging.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2018
Pros: The protagonist. Relatable, gentle, smart, likable, just wanting to do well by others not by force or by words but by actions. In short, a protagonist is just a good person, and because of that, he saves peoples and heads off another interstellar war. I wish more military sci-fi had characters like this that didn't use the gun or the fleet to defeat their enemies but rather made peace and did well by others.
Cons: Again, the protagonist. He wasn't religious but through his good nature and noncommitted spirituality, he did miracles. That gave me hope because more often than no a person who does that tended to choose their religious side already. But then... the protagonist finds god in the end and undermines all that. Dammit!
Overall: Gets a bad rap for being one of the Sad Puppies and a conservative person with a religious bent (Mormon). Been following this guy since his days preserving FASA Star Trek material on his website. He's a geek made good! He's incredibly talented and a down-to-earth kind of guy that is nobody's bogeyman or enemy. He's incredibly talented and he's written an excellent novel.
Cons: Again, the protagonist. He wasn't religious but through his good nature and noncommitted spirituality, he did miracles. That gave me hope because more often than no a person who does that tended to choose their religious side already. But then... the protagonist finds god in the end and undermines all that. Dammit!
Overall: Gets a bad rap for being one of the Sad Puppies and a conservative person with a religious bent (Mormon). Been following this guy since his days preserving FASA Star Trek material on his website. He's a geek made good! He's incredibly talented and a down-to-earth kind of guy that is nobody's bogeyman or enemy. He's incredibly talented and he's written an excellent novel.
January 6, 2019
A surprisingly good military sci-fi novel with a variation on the "alien learns to be human" theme. The book's protagonist is a chaplains assistant in some unmanned denomination of Christianity, attached to a human expeditionary force in the desperate struggle against intelligent insect-like aliens.
There's a cease-fire as the insect aliens seek to study human religions, and the concept of belief, something foreign to their culture. Although simplistic, the book goes quick and is paced very well. Events never lag, and they lead comfortably in the progression. Although the religious themes are present, they are subtle, and never reaches the level of proselytizing.
The book alternates between two-time frames, one the present, and the other in the protagonist past, describing he became enrolled in "fleet". Hints of world building, unfortunately not much in that department. Conditional recommend for fans of mild military sci-fi
There's a cease-fire as the insect aliens seek to study human religions, and the concept of belief, something foreign to their culture. Although simplistic, the book goes quick and is paced very well. Events never lag, and they lead comfortably in the progression. Although the religious themes are present, they are subtle, and never reaches the level of proselytizing.
The book alternates between two-time frames, one the present, and the other in the protagonist past, describing he became enrolled in "fleet". Hints of world building, unfortunately not much in that department. Conditional recommend for fans of mild military sci-fi
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