By John Otte
He is numb. Emotion is unknown. Pain is not a problem. He is an assassin for the Ministrix - the best they have until the unthinkable happens - he feels.
But the travesty with Crusader's numbness is that it's not natural. It has been created so that he will do the Ministrix's bidding all in the hope that he can fill the void that is within him. Crusader is a pawn that can be disposed of at the whim of his religion - a religion that is a perversion of the Truth. God and His words have been corrupted by the ruling powers of the Ministrix.
Such technology would be in high-demand in today's world. The ability to erase a person's identity, to hide their soul from them, all in the attempt to create the perfect living, breathing weapon. A weapon that obeys without question and experiences no guilt or remorse at the lives he has taken.
And if the ability to wipe-out pain and remorse was readily available I'm sure there would be people lining up to experience what they would view as freedom. But at what cost would this freedom come? To never experience joy. Happiness would be unknown. We would forever look through the glass darkly, face-to-face would have no meaning to us ever. What a sad world this would be. We would be empty, having within us the same void that haunts Crusader.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Marcher Lord Press in exchange for my honest review and in conjunction with the April CSFF blog tour.
Save the girl...or his soul?
Crusader is numb. He feels neither emotion nor pain, a divine gift that allows him to be the Ministrix's best assassin. Whether it's heretics from within or heathen from without, Crusader is the sword in the True Church's hand. And if he remains obedient to his superiors, he will be able to let go of his guilt.But then he's ordered to kill Isolda Westin. It shouldn't be a problem. A target is a target. When Crusader sees Isolda's image, though, something strange happens. He experiences a moment of panic, a wave of emotions, the first he's felt in as long as he can remember.
In that moment, he realizes he can't fulfill his mission. He can't kill Isolda Westin, even if it means he'll be condemned as an enemy of the Ministrix.
Soon Crusader and Isolda are on the run. Will they be able to learn why the Ministrix wants Isolda dead? Or will they both face the harsh justice of the "True Church"?
Be sure to visit all the tour participants during April's CSFF tour
April 21 - 23, 2014
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