BAZO: A Saga Novel

by D. Randall Faro

Bazo is not a book for the squeamish. It is a marathon tale that starts in the 1930s and winds its way through the last seven decades of American history. It is a novel that finds the protagonist Jedidiah Bazo surviving a disrupted childhood in Africa, a war in Southeast Asia, and plotting a course through the social unrest of the 1960s. The story concludes on the seedy streets of Seattle where Bazo is confronted by evil he knows he can stop – if he makes certain choices. Some are more difficult than others. Bazo is not just an action novel. It explores philosophical questions that pit good and evil against each other on the basest of levels. When is it okay to be a vigilante? When is it okay to use violence as a means to stop bad things from happening? Does a strong man have a responsibility to help the weak? To make matters even more complicated, and without giving anything away, Faro’s main character considers himself a man of God. This, and a lifetime of being trained for violent action, creates a contrast that Bazo navigates throughout the entirety of the book.

771 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2016

About the author

D. Randall Faro was born in Wisconsin in 1945. Although the formal name is used on official forms, he is "Randy" to everyone who knows him.

Randy has lived in ten U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. He resided for twenty-seven years in Canada and is a bona fide dual U.S.-Canadian citizen who can legitimately be considered a Canuck. One of his missions in life is to enhance American knowledge of the great neighbor to the north.

He attended Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) on a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, followed by three years of active duty as a United States Marine engineer officer. The late ’60s found him commanding a heavy equipment platoon in Vietnam. Although he completed a full 13-month tour of duty there, the first week in Phu Bai nixed any idea he had about possibly making the military a career.

Following his honorable discharge he spent several years trying to figure out what to do with his life. After working as a glasscutter for a family glass business, riding herd fulltime on teenagers as a lay youth minister, and helping manage the largest YMCA camp in the country, he decided to give the Lutheran ministry a try. Graduating from Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul in 1976, he spent the next thirty-seven years as a parish pastor in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Washington State. Randy would say that he was born for congregational ministry, and that the ups far surpassed the downs. If you asked him how his theological understandings have evolved since completing seminary, he would say that a tall pot of coffee would be needed for the ensuing discussion.

For Randy, family is precious and preeminent. He and Betsy have been married since 1966, and their two children and eight grandchildren keep their lives joyfully jumping. A mountain climbing accident took a daughter in 2006, but the family will always be enlivened by her spirit.

The line between vocation and avocation has always been a bit fuzzy for him. Activities that keep Randy’s heart thumping vigorously are fervent physical fitness, hiking, climbing, fishing, motorcycling, and chasing grandchildren. Along with joy, consequences of these pursuits have been operations on knees, elbow, and shoulder . . . which subsequently enable his continuation of said activities. In addition, he reads incessantly.

Reviews

[Judy Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This more than just a "good read." I found it fascinating, compelling, gripping and entertaining. The many tangents are all pulled together beautifully and contribute to it being a great page turner. All your emotions are brought into play. I heartily recommend!