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A review by jbmorgan86
The Acolyte by Nick Cutter
3.0
Take Montag from Fahrenheit 451, change his name to Murtagh, and drop him into the world of the Handmaid’s Tale and you essentially have The Acolyte.
Murtagh is an Acolyte in the Faith Crimes division of New Bethlehem. Essentially, it is his job to hunt down and eliminate anyone who holds beliefs that are contrary to the One True Faith (a weird mishmash of Levitical laws, snake handling, 19th century revivalism, Catholicism, megachurch evangelicalism, and cultism). His life changes suddenly when terrorists set off bombs throughout the city, killing the daughter of the Prophet of New Bethlehem.
I came into this book with high expectations. A friend had recently praised Cutter (but had not read this book). I was underwhelmed. Maybe it’s just the concept of the novel. After 1984, A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Alas Babylon, The Handmaid’s Tale, V for Vendetta, The Giver, The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc., I’m just over dystopian stories where a singular hero takes on the oppressive government.
Cutter’s writing is interesting. This novel had a very “noir” feel to it. Very gritty. There is some dark humor and some overly graphic scenes (in particular a very graphic description of an involuntary abortion).
It’s hard to pull off a first person limited narrator novel. The perspective in this novel made it just seem like Murtagh was just present as the events of the novel unfolded rather than a participant.
Finally, some of the world-building just seems silly. CSI no longer stands for Crime Scene Investigator but Christian Science Investigation (true science has been rejected because it proves the existence of dinosaurs). All products have now been Christianized . . . including Hallelujah Energy drinks.
Murtagh is an Acolyte in the Faith Crimes division of New Bethlehem. Essentially, it is his job to hunt down and eliminate anyone who holds beliefs that are contrary to the One True Faith (a weird mishmash of Levitical laws, snake handling, 19th century revivalism, Catholicism, megachurch evangelicalism, and cultism). His life changes suddenly when terrorists set off bombs throughout the city, killing the daughter of the Prophet of New Bethlehem.
I came into this book with high expectations. A friend had recently praised Cutter (but had not read this book). I was underwhelmed. Maybe it’s just the concept of the novel. After 1984, A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Alas Babylon, The Handmaid’s Tale, V for Vendetta, The Giver, The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc., I’m just over dystopian stories where a singular hero takes on the oppressive government.
Cutter’s writing is interesting. This novel had a very “noir” feel to it. Very gritty. There is some dark humor and some overly graphic scenes (in particular a very graphic description of an involuntary abortion).
It’s hard to pull off a first person limited narrator novel. The perspective in this novel made it just seem like Murtagh was just present as the events of the novel unfolded rather than a participant.
Finally, some of the world-building just seems silly. CSI no longer stands for Crime Scene Investigator but Christian Science Investigation (true science has been rejected because it proves the existence of dinosaurs). All products have now been Christianized . . . including Hallelujah Energy drinks.