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Missionary
The Prophet provides everything for the Flock, demanding absolute devotion in return. Before allowing men to wed, they must serve Him, which they do willingly to get their brides. There’s only one little problem. When each man has multiple wives, there’s simply far too many boys.
Knowledge isn’t always power, but ignorance isn’t always bliss…
Jacob Wright’s questioning nature has always gotten him into trouble. The only book he has access to is The Word, but he thinks too deeply about the contents, far more than a devout boy should. When he’s called by the Prophet to serve a mission, Jacob believes his quest for answers has begun, only to discover the more he knows the less he believes.
Kerioth Marshal is an authoritarian, keeper of all knowledge past and present. His duty is to oversee the missionary center library, holding close the secrets of the Prophet. He’s accepted loneliness as part of his job, but then Jacob comes, offering him an escape from isolation. At first, Jacob’s inquisitive nature amuses and enchants him, but how long will it be before Jacob realizes Kerioth has saved him from one horrible fate only to subject him to another?
Knowledge isn’t always power, but ignorance isn’t always bliss…
Jacob Wright’s questioning nature has always gotten him into trouble. The only book he has access to is The Word, but he thinks too deeply about the contents, far more than a devout boy should. When he’s called by the Prophet to serve a mission, Jacob believes his quest for answers has begun, only to discover the more he knows the less he believes.
Kerioth Marshal is an authoritarian, keeper of all knowledge past and present. His duty is to oversee the missionary center library, holding close the secrets of the Prophet. He’s accepted loneliness as part of his job, but then Jacob comes, offering him an escape from isolation. At first, Jacob’s inquisitive nature amuses and enchants him, but how long will it be before Jacob realizes Kerioth has saved him from one horrible fate only to subject him to another?
- GenresM M RomanceDystopia
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2016
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Lehi Renner
1 book8 followersLehi Renner grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. His first book, Missionary, is available on Smashwords, Amazon, and other book retailers.
Blog: http://lehirenner.blogspot.com/
Blog: http://lehirenner.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 16, 2017
Yep. The Full Five, which I've now boosted to six. This is my one and only six-star read of 2017 because it is deeply disturbing, provocative, and very thoughtfully designed to challenge the reader's perceptions of good and evil.
***PLEASE NOTE*** The Gay Science Fiction group has a group read thread for the book which I encourage everyone who reads this review to join. The ideas in this book will, I'm confident, give everyone who reads it A LOT to discuss!
This dystopian vision of North Korea run by Mormons has chewed at me all day. The ending, while exactly as it should be, was a gut punch. I'm going to consider my words carefully before committing them to this space. It's tricky to be frank about why I liked this reading experience so much without lots of palaver about me me me. The reviews I write that piss people off the most are those, followed closely by the ones about the movies based on books; in both cases IDGAF but I want this book to be well served.
My full review will be delayed until the end of the Gay Science Fiction group read for August 2017 is over.
***PLEASE NOTE*** The Gay Science Fiction group has a group read thread for the book which I encourage everyone who reads this review to join. The ideas in this book will, I'm confident, give everyone who reads it A LOT to discuss!
This dystopian vision of North Korea run by Mormons has chewed at me all day. The ending, while exactly as it should be, was a gut punch. I'm going to consider my words carefully before committing them to this space. It's tricky to be frank about why I liked this reading experience so much without lots of palaver about me me me. The reviews I write that piss people off the most are those, followed closely by the ones about the movies based on books; in both cases IDGAF but I want this book to be well served.
My full review will be delayed until the end of the Gay Science Fiction group read for August 2017 is over.
September 18, 2017
I've struggled with writing a review for this book. All readers know that once in awhile you come across a book that hits you in a profound way. It's been several days and a couple of other books since I read Missionary and I am still thinking about it.
We meet Jacob as a boy of 10 I think and he lives in a small town with his father and three mothers. The only thing Jacob wants is to receive The Call to be a Missionary for The Word.
You know the saying Be Careful What you Wish For Because You Might Just Get It? Well, Jacob gets his greatest wish and through Jacob we learn that there was a war and the country has been split. On Jacobs side there is The Word and on the other side are the heathens.
Let me say first off, I do not like organized religion. As a child my mother made sure I attended several different churches over the years. She wanted me to have faith and believe but follow my own path to that. As a teenager my whole family converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. More commonly known as Mormons.
I'm also not known for reading just the assigned text,i.e. Cherry picking. So I read, and read and then read some more. The more I read, the less our Bishop was able to answer my questions. Then, I became aware of the problems with that religion as a whole. Then I met and married a Southern Baptist, whose family treated me as the heathen. Even though JC is in the name of the religion I belonged to apparently it wasn't the correct JC.
Anyway, I gave you that history because in this book, Jacob has been brought up in a world very much like the Mormon religion, but this is a country. Every aspect of life is controlled by The Prophet. Another reviewer Richard called it The Mormon North Korea which is a very good description.
I was very much able to see how our current political climate, with religious views being pushed into our laws and the Freedom Caucus attacking women's health, equality and safety at every turn could start this. Think of the power the Mormon Church would have had if Mitt Romney had won the Presidency. Think about our current VP and his religious views.
Ok, I gotta stop getting ranty and more about the book. Yes, it's a dystopian view of a future where the country has been cut in half after a religious war. We follow Jacob as he receives The Call and leaves his small town and family to begin his training to be a Missionary. We follow him as he grows and learns that all is not as perfect as he thought and the decisions he has to make and live with for 20 years when the book ends in a major bombshell that had me screeching. The author is lucky I don't have her phone number or I'd have gone all ranty on her. I kind of did here on Goodreads on her authors page announcement about the group read in the Gay Science Fiction Group. Lehi Renner
Sorry everyone, I really suck at links or I'd attach the group & the Group Read announcement too.
I want to go on and on about Jacob, the world building, the love, the tragedy, the shocks & horror but that would be spoilers and nobody likes those. Seriously, I recommend this book to everyone who likes dystopian stories. This book is amazing and pulls you in deep. I am honestly amazed at this first time author. For me, it's the Best Book of 2017!
I have to warn you, after that major bomb the author drops on our unsuspecting psyche the book ends in a cliffhanger. I have no idea when the next book is coming but will stalk the author until I can get my grubby hands on it.
Read this book! It is amazing! I intend to read it again & again. It has been several days since I finished it but I'm still struck by it. I cannot get Jacob out of my mind!
We meet Jacob as a boy of 10 I think and he lives in a small town with his father and three mothers. The only thing Jacob wants is to receive The Call to be a Missionary for The Word.
You know the saying Be Careful What you Wish For Because You Might Just Get It? Well, Jacob gets his greatest wish and through Jacob we learn that there was a war and the country has been split. On Jacobs side there is The Word and on the other side are the heathens.
Let me say first off, I do not like organized religion. As a child my mother made sure I attended several different churches over the years. She wanted me to have faith and believe but follow my own path to that. As a teenager my whole family converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. More commonly known as Mormons.
I'm also not known for reading just the assigned text,i.e. Cherry picking. So I read, and read and then read some more. The more I read, the less our Bishop was able to answer my questions. Then, I became aware of the problems with that religion as a whole. Then I met and married a Southern Baptist, whose family treated me as the heathen. Even though JC is in the name of the religion I belonged to apparently it wasn't the correct JC.
Anyway, I gave you that history because in this book, Jacob has been brought up in a world very much like the Mormon religion, but this is a country. Every aspect of life is controlled by The Prophet. Another reviewer Richard called it The Mormon North Korea which is a very good description.
I was very much able to see how our current political climate, with religious views being pushed into our laws and the Freedom Caucus attacking women's health, equality and safety at every turn could start this. Think of the power the Mormon Church would have had if Mitt Romney had won the Presidency. Think about our current VP and his religious views.
Ok, I gotta stop getting ranty and more about the book. Yes, it's a dystopian view of a future where the country has been cut in half after a religious war. We follow Jacob as he receives The Call and leaves his small town and family to begin his training to be a Missionary. We follow him as he grows and learns that all is not as perfect as he thought and the decisions he has to make and live with for 20 years when the book ends in a major bombshell that had me screeching. The author is lucky I don't have her phone number or I'd have gone all ranty on her. I kind of did here on Goodreads on her authors page announcement about the group read in the Gay Science Fiction Group. Lehi Renner
Sorry everyone, I really suck at links or I'd attach the group & the Group Read announcement too.
I want to go on and on about Jacob, the world building, the love, the tragedy, the shocks & horror but that would be spoilers and nobody likes those. Seriously, I recommend this book to everyone who likes dystopian stories. This book is amazing and pulls you in deep. I am honestly amazed at this first time author. For me, it's the Best Book of 2017!
I have to warn you, after that major bomb the author drops on our unsuspecting psyche the book ends in a cliffhanger. I have no idea when the next book is coming but will stalk the author until I can get my grubby hands on it.
Read this book! It is amazing! I intend to read it again & again. It has been several days since I finished it but I'm still struck by it. I cannot get Jacob out of my mind!
August 12, 2017
I feel like I've been sucker punched.
I only hope there will be more.
I only hope there will be more.
Read
January 5, 2018I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Readers interested in this book should avoid the blurb as it hints at a major plot development that is meant- and it should- come as a revelation, a loaded term in religious parlance and thus all the more relevant to Missionary.
First and foremost, Missionary is a brilliant take on religious dystopia, a theme that is surprisingly lacking in literature. It puts in motion what is clearly a Mormon inspired fundamentalism that has overtaken the United States (at the very least, it is unclear precisely how much territory the aptly, and disturbingly, named 'Flock' actually controls) and shaped the whole of society to its image. The ways in which the system operates condition the whole of the narrative, its possibilities and how its cast acts and performs. There is a comprehensive approach to the fictional universe that energizes it when the writing itself is not entirely as inspired. With that said, there are some issues that will be addressed later.
The structuring point of the view is that of Jacob, a young man who yearns to follow the Prophet, the supreme leader atop the cultish power pyramid. As someone full of religious zeal yet equally bursting with curiosity, Jacob is a misfit in his rural town. Totalitarism is no friend of questioning mind, by definition it must stamp these out. The angle of information control and suppression is one that Missionary handles very well and it becomes increasingly more relevant as Jacob is ends up coming under the aegis of Kerioth, a self-proclaimed authoritian (and the semantic weight of such a term is very telling, that it has a positive value in this context is more telling of the horros of the Flock than any detailed description could be), the leader of the Missionary center to which Jacob got assigned after a perilous journey.
Given that the reader only knows as much as Jacob does- which is precious little during the first chapters- makes Missionary a part-thriller. In fact, there is arguably a meta-reading of the novel in which narrative authority is wrestled from this space of ignorance into the knowledge that Jacob accumulates and the price he pays for this switching of genres, so to speak.
Jacob and Kerioth's eventual romance takes a lot of time to develop, both in terms of time within the narrative and actual chapters. This was a wise approach as it limits, as much as possible, the massive power inbalance that cannot help but be in place given that Jacob is virtually at the mercy of a much older, commanding and knowing man. It is also noting that this skew in their relationship is mentioned as such on quite a few occasions, thus doing away with an insular inner logic in which anything goes, as unfortunately happens so much in m/m. Their entire involvement is impacted by the dystopic pressures as it needs be but part of the whole point of Missionary is precisely this clearing of a space for genuine intimacy. It is precisely because the fictional universe is so utterly appaling that Kerioth must go an extra mile to establish boundaries that he then breaks down as Jacob grows up.
While their romance does take frontal stage throughout most of the later portions of the novel, Kerioth is never fully realized as a character. Perhaps because the entirety of the narrative is committed to Jacob's point of view, Kerioth goes through several roles- first benefactor, then tutor/lover- without quite coming unto his own as a person. There is only one scene in which one glimpses at his inner reality exempt from filters and while interesting it is also tantalizing in its briefness.
With all this said, Missionary comes up short in a few regards.
Ultimately, this is a novel that accomplishes more than a lot of m/m even attempts to. It covers gender issues in a dystopia that is truly frightening and occasionally too close to home while portraying what amounts to a coming of age story. The conclusion is extremely rushed and leaves one wondering if this will be the first entry to a series but even it is not, there is enough in Missionary that is provoking and sweet to tempt a reader.
Readers interested in this book should avoid the blurb as it hints at a major plot development that is meant- and it should- come as a revelation, a loaded term in religious parlance and thus all the more relevant to Missionary.
First and foremost, Missionary is a brilliant take on religious dystopia, a theme that is surprisingly lacking in literature. It puts in motion what is clearly a Mormon inspired fundamentalism that has overtaken the United States (at the very least, it is unclear precisely how much territory the aptly, and disturbingly, named 'Flock' actually controls) and shaped the whole of society to its image. The ways in which the system operates condition the whole of the narrative, its possibilities and how its cast acts and performs. There is a comprehensive approach to the fictional universe that energizes it when the writing itself is not entirely as inspired. With that said, there are some issues that will be addressed later.
The structuring point of the view is that of Jacob, a young man who yearns to follow the Prophet, the supreme leader atop the cultish power pyramid. As someone full of religious zeal yet equally bursting with curiosity, Jacob is a misfit in his rural town. Totalitarism is no friend of questioning mind, by definition it must stamp these out. The angle of information control and suppression is one that Missionary handles very well and it becomes increasingly more relevant as Jacob is ends up coming under the aegis of Kerioth, a self-proclaimed authoritian (and the semantic weight of such a term is very telling, that it has a positive value in this context is more telling of the horros of the Flock than any detailed description could be), the leader of the Missionary center to which Jacob got assigned after a perilous journey.
Given that the reader only knows as much as Jacob does- which is precious little during the first chapters- makes Missionary a part-thriller. In fact, there is arguably a meta-reading of the novel in which narrative authority is wrestled from this space of ignorance into the knowledge that Jacob accumulates and the price he pays for this switching of genres, so to speak.
Jacob and Kerioth's eventual romance takes a lot of time to develop, both in terms of time within the narrative and actual chapters. This was a wise approach as it limits, as much as possible, the massive power inbalance that cannot help but be in place given that Jacob is virtually at the mercy of a much older, commanding and knowing man. It is also noting that this skew in their relationship is mentioned as such on quite a few occasions, thus doing away with an insular inner logic in which anything goes, as unfortunately happens so much in m/m. Their entire involvement is impacted by the dystopic pressures as it needs be but part of the whole point of Missionary is precisely this clearing of a space for genuine intimacy. It is precisely because the fictional universe is so utterly appaling that Kerioth must go an extra mile to establish boundaries that he then breaks down as Jacob grows up.
While their romance does take frontal stage throughout most of the later portions of the novel, Kerioth is never fully realized as a character. Perhaps because the entirety of the narrative is committed to Jacob's point of view, Kerioth goes through several roles- first benefactor, then tutor/lover- without quite coming unto his own as a person. There is only one scene in which one glimpses at his inner reality exempt from filters and while interesting it is also tantalizing in its briefness.
With all this said, Missionary comes up short in a few regards.
Ultimately, this is a novel that accomplishes more than a lot of m/m even attempts to. It covers gender issues in a dystopia that is truly frightening and occasionally too close to home while portraying what amounts to a coming of age story. The conclusion is extremely rushed and leaves one wondering if this will be the first entry to a series but even it is not, there is enough in Missionary that is provoking and sweet to tempt a reader.
October 7, 2016
So I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the dystopian/religious slant of the prophet as well as the M/M Romance.
I was however very confused as I was reading it as I didn't know how the M/M was going to be introduced but it was done so well. It made it a natural portion of the booth and not centered around it. While the book has heavy LGBT themes it is not preachy nor is it what drives the plot lines.
I would have enjoyed it just as much had it been a M/F couple. However I did like the fact that it was M/M.
I will warn you however there are a few explicit scenes in the book that are well written and well placed but they are clearly there so be warned!
I was however very confused as I was reading it as I didn't know how the M/M was going to be introduced but it was done so well. It made it a natural portion of the booth and not centered around it. While the book has heavy LGBT themes it is not preachy nor is it what drives the plot lines.
I would have enjoyed it just as much had it been a M/F couple. However I did like the fact that it was M/M.
I will warn you however there are a few explicit scenes in the book that are well written and well placed but they are clearly there so be warned!
August 24, 2017
It kind of felt like I was reading the Mormon boys porn...
March 5, 2020
OK let me get this out of the way i am a gay man who was looking for something with some gay representation and i have no idea how i got this book but i got it sometime ago.
First there are parallels in the book to one person having access to all knowledge most of which is hidden from everyone else. In this case the book is centred on a Fundamentalist Mormon Religion where polygamy is the norm. The first 30% of the book is quite well written the young boys trip to the secret missionary centre. The protagonist at this point is a 10 year old boy.
My issue with the book is how people have called it a MM romance. An older man controls and manipulates a child towards his own ends. The least of which is sexual. The story then take a turn into pages and pages and pages of 15 year old boy masturbating. My issue here is it seems to become the focus of the book how the child fantasies about sex with the older man. The older man is some how supposed to be portrayed as good because he will not have sex with the boy until he is 18 years old. My issue here is that this is not germane to the plot it becomes the whole focus of the book.
I have read many disturbing books that have had profound impacts upon me and i am anything but a prude but an older man manipulating a child like this is not romance even if the child loves the adult this is grooming of a child. If the book focused on this rather than just the as one review called it "Mormon Porn" it might have had some merit and a point but after reading of the next porn book the child was given to masturbate over i really could not take it.
My caveat is i could not finish this book. This is NOT a love story it is a story on the manipulation of a child, again this could have had a point many religion do this, and would have been an interesting premise. Focusing so much on the graphical content was not brave it was disturbing and added NOTHING to the story.
First there are parallels in the book to one person having access to all knowledge most of which is hidden from everyone else. In this case the book is centred on a Fundamentalist Mormon Religion where polygamy is the norm. The first 30% of the book is quite well written the young boys trip to the secret missionary centre. The protagonist at this point is a 10 year old boy.
My issue with the book is how people have called it a MM romance. An older man controls and manipulates a child towards his own ends. The least of which is sexual. The story then take a turn into pages and pages and pages of 15 year old boy masturbating. My issue here is it seems to become the focus of the book how the child fantasies about sex with the older man. The older man is some how supposed to be portrayed as good because he will not have sex with the boy until he is 18 years old. My issue here is that this is not germane to the plot it becomes the whole focus of the book.
I have read many disturbing books that have had profound impacts upon me and i am anything but a prude but an older man manipulating a child like this is not romance even if the child loves the adult this is grooming of a child. If the book focused on this rather than just the as one review called it "Mormon Porn" it might have had some merit and a point but after reading of the next porn book the child was given to masturbate over i really could not take it.
My caveat is i could not finish this book. This is NOT a love story it is a story on the manipulation of a child, again this could have had a point many religion do this, and would have been an interesting premise. Focusing so much on the graphical content was not brave it was disturbing and added NOTHING to the story.
January 6, 2018
I received a free copy of Lehi Renner’s Missionary from the Goodreads DBML program M/M romance group in exchange for an honest review.
In a bleak dystopian future, Salt Lake City’s unusual sexual mores serve as a backdrop for a disturbing May-September M/M romance. Kerioth Marshal, a high-level officer takes pre-adolescent Jacob Wright under his wing. Kerioth teaches Jacob that knowledge is power, and that great power can strip the faith from a man. In the end, Jacob also learns that, in this society, withholding the truth can lead to death.
Missionary uses a high-concept premise as the foundation for a love story that is as enduring and tragic as time. Kerioth and Jacob’s love for each other shine through the pages, even though the prose was, in my opinion, heavy and dense.
Missionary deserves a solid three and a half stars, but since that isn’t an option, I’m giving it four.
In a bleak dystopian future, Salt Lake City’s unusual sexual mores serve as a backdrop for a disturbing May-September M/M romance. Kerioth Marshal, a high-level officer takes pre-adolescent Jacob Wright under his wing. Kerioth teaches Jacob that knowledge is power, and that great power can strip the faith from a man. In the end, Jacob also learns that, in this society, withholding the truth can lead to death.
Missionary uses a high-concept premise as the foundation for a love story that is as enduring and tragic as time. Kerioth and Jacob’s love for each other shine through the pages, even though the prose was, in my opinion, heavy and dense.
Missionary deserves a solid three and a half stars, but since that isn’t an option, I’m giving it four.
November 1, 2017
Disturbing yet intriguing
So... I was first drawn in and then the story takes a turn and I'm concerned because I'm not comfortable. Good writing will do this as well as keep you hooked to keep reading. This is one of those reads.
So... I was first drawn in and then the story takes a turn and I'm concerned because I'm not comfortable. Good writing will do this as well as keep you hooked to keep reading. This is one of those reads.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews