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Sojourner
After his parents divorced and everything he had known had fallen away, it didn't matter if Scott felt he was made for more, he ran. And a terrible purpose pursued him. Now, his only hope is to find connection and community. Can an alcoholic surrogate father, a well-past-his-prime priest, and a brazen humanities professor teach him what it means to be a Scion and give a down-and-out runaway a chance at redemption?
247 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2020
3 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Brian Shotton
12 books8 followersBrian Shotton thought he was going to be an architect, but color-blindness and the sage advice of Dr. Jiménez guided him to a post-graduate literary degree. There, Mr. Shotton specialized in Old English and Middle English literature. His translation of Beowulf and thesis on battle-language remain dear to his heart.
Out of university, he had the great pleasure to work for DK Books and BradyGames when they still had an office in Indianapolis. There he wrote and edited and managed books for World of Warcraft, Diablo, Pokemon, and the UFC.
It was also where he met his good friend Keith Lowe and started a board game company. The dungeon crawling and hobby miniature kind, not the Monopoly and Clue kind. Mr. Shotton was lead designer and primary writer for eight games. Together, Keith and Brian found great success. One of their board games, MYTH, was selected by Popular Mechanics as one of the fifteen best in 2014. Mr. Shotton was nominated but not selected for the BGG Designer Hall of Fame in 2016.
In the realm of board games, Brian has written three massive world-building tomes, fifteen short stories, and many dozens of shorter game-centered quests.
Mr. Shotton still lives in Indianapolis with his wife. They have two grown kids. When he isn't writing, he meets with a group of men, including fellow author and dear friend Greg Kishbaugh, who call themselves The Illiterati. The reading group discuss literature from all of the world and even rip apart some of their own musings.
GRACEWORKS, his first non-fiction book, was written at the same time as SOJOURNER, the first book in the Song of the Sword series. MENDICANT was finished two years later in 2020. Mr. Shotton currently is hunched over his east-facing kitchen table, sun fully on his face, writing book four--Pilgrim.
Out of university, he had the great pleasure to work for DK Books and BradyGames when they still had an office in Indianapolis. There he wrote and edited and managed books for World of Warcraft, Diablo, Pokemon, and the UFC.
It was also where he met his good friend Keith Lowe and started a board game company. The dungeon crawling and hobby miniature kind, not the Monopoly and Clue kind. Mr. Shotton was lead designer and primary writer for eight games. Together, Keith and Brian found great success. One of their board games, MYTH, was selected by Popular Mechanics as one of the fifteen best in 2014. Mr. Shotton was nominated but not selected for the BGG Designer Hall of Fame in 2016.
In the realm of board games, Brian has written three massive world-building tomes, fifteen short stories, and many dozens of shorter game-centered quests.
Mr. Shotton still lives in Indianapolis with his wife. They have two grown kids. When he isn't writing, he meets with a group of men, including fellow author and dear friend Greg Kishbaugh, who call themselves The Illiterati. The reading group discuss literature from all of the world and even rip apart some of their own musings.
GRACEWORKS, his first non-fiction book, was written at the same time as SOJOURNER, the first book in the Song of the Sword series. MENDICANT was finished two years later in 2020. Mr. Shotton currently is hunched over his east-facing kitchen table, sun fully on his face, writing book four--Pilgrim.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 7, 2020
I recently read Sojourner by Brian Shotton, available through Kindle Unlimited.
A tale of Good versus Evil, Sojourner follows Scott, a young man who travels from town to town seeking work and, more importantly, peace. After being baptized as a young adult, Scott begins hearing voices in his head that he does not understand. He comes to realize that his is the Scion, an arm of God. As Scott seeks to understand his powers, he is befriended and aided by a reformed alcoholic, a young man destined for the priesthood, a seasoned priest and a theological professor. Demons are tracking the new Scion and, by extension, his friends. Armed with a sword and the power of God, Scott aims to protect humans from ever increased threats from the demons of Hell.
Sojourner combines action/adventure with some overtly religious themes. While the exploration of the religious themes is important to understand Scott’s powers and mission, the portions of the book where religion is discussed/debated were a bit dense and slowed the action down. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was at its best when the reader is experiencing the world through Scott’s eyes. While some of the secondary characters are interesting, my favorite being Lisa the professor, the sections of the book where a secondary character is serving as the narrator were less effective.
Set in the early 1980’s, the author uses musical references to further our understanding into Scott, his powers and the challenges that face him. (Love that he was using a record player and LP’s to listen to the music. Nice touch.)
This one gets 4 Stars, we’ll be giving the second book in the series a read in the coming weeks as I am interested to see what happens next.
A tale of Good versus Evil, Sojourner follows Scott, a young man who travels from town to town seeking work and, more importantly, peace. After being baptized as a young adult, Scott begins hearing voices in his head that he does not understand. He comes to realize that his is the Scion, an arm of God. As Scott seeks to understand his powers, he is befriended and aided by a reformed alcoholic, a young man destined for the priesthood, a seasoned priest and a theological professor. Demons are tracking the new Scion and, by extension, his friends. Armed with a sword and the power of God, Scott aims to protect humans from ever increased threats from the demons of Hell.
Sojourner combines action/adventure with some overtly religious themes. While the exploration of the religious themes is important to understand Scott’s powers and mission, the portions of the book where religion is discussed/debated were a bit dense and slowed the action down. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was at its best when the reader is experiencing the world through Scott’s eyes. While some of the secondary characters are interesting, my favorite being Lisa the professor, the sections of the book where a secondary character is serving as the narrator were less effective.
Set in the early 1980’s, the author uses musical references to further our understanding into Scott, his powers and the challenges that face him. (Love that he was using a record player and LP’s to listen to the music. Nice touch.)
This one gets 4 Stars, we’ll be giving the second book in the series a read in the coming weeks as I am interested to see what happens next.
September 7, 2020
I liked the premise of this story. The characters are likeable and I came to care for Scott as he struggled to determine and understand his purpose. I felt this very much relates to how many people feel in life today - finding where they belong and what their purpose is.
I did find that the weight of religious content and explanation to be too heavy for me. It slowed the pace and at times I struggled to keep going during those sections. I can understand why the author included it, the reader is taken on a journey with Scott as he discovers who and what he is.
Overall though it was a good book, with likeable characters and well written action scenes.
I did find that the weight of religious content and explanation to be too heavy for me. It slowed the pace and at times I struggled to keep going during those sections. I can understand why the author included it, the reader is taken on a journey with Scott as he discovers who and what he is.
Overall though it was a good book, with likeable characters and well written action scenes.
December 27, 2020
God's warrior.
Scott is different he is God's warrior. Brian Shotton has inner a take of hope and sacrifice. I learned as much as Scott. This is an unusually poignant tale that will drag at your heart.
Scott is different he is God's warrior. Brian Shotton has inner a take of hope and sacrifice. I learned as much as Scott. This is an unusually poignant tale that will drag at your heart.
June 22, 2020
A very enjoyable read. You end up caring about the characters very quickly as they are brought to life so vividly. I found myself copying and pasting many lines so I could go back and re-read them. The story is fantastic, yet relatable, and touches on timeless themes in a fresh way. It has me thinking about my own place on this earth and our purpose both individually and collectively. The author builds enough suspense to keep you wanting to read and it's very hard to put down. Highly recommend, and I eagerly await a sequel!
May 27, 2020
Sojourner is truly an enjoyable read from start to finish. So many fantastic characters which resonate with the reader - my personal favorite being Mack. This book is part of a series called 'Song of the Sword. I cannot wait to read the remainder of the series upon release!
July 26, 2020
Entertaining, built on a flawed premise
This Catholic speculative fiction. It steps outside spiritual reality, yet it shows a good deal of truth. It’s a bit dark, yet fills the bill for entertainment.
This Catholic speculative fiction. It steps outside spiritual reality, yet it shows a good deal of truth. It’s a bit dark, yet fills the bill for entertainment.
June 17, 2020
Sojourner is a fantastic ride thru the main character Scott’s journey into his destiny. You will root for him and many of the other wonderfully written characters. From Mack to Father Stan to Tim to Dr. Lisa (who is one of my personal favorites). I felt as if I was on the journey with him. I highly recommend this book. And I am looking forward to the release of the next book in this series.
September 11, 2020
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great start to a series and an excellent effort for someone’s first published book. At first I thought it started a little slow and choppy but later came to realize that was really a picture of the main character Scott’s life to that point. Once things got going, I had a hard time putting the book down. I have a habit of sometimes starting a new book to just “nibble” at while I’m still reading another (my “main” book). Usually it’s just out of curiosity/impatience to see what the book is about. I started this book that way, and it quickly became my main book. The other (by a well known author of dozens of books) was relegated to the “nibbler”. The vibe I got from this book reminded me of “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti, and that’s high praise for any book. I’m looking forward to reading further in this series and to see what other offerings we’ll see from this new author.
June 15, 2023
As someone that is not religious at all, this book is one of my new favorites. Instantly fell in love with all the characters. If you like Supernatural and/or Hellblazer (Constantine) you will love this story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews