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A review by jasoncjoyner
Numb by John W. Otte
4.0
I would rather give this book 4.5 stars. Numb is an inventive science fiction book that doesn't have a similar comparison to any book I know of.
Crusader is an assassin, but he is the instrument of the Ministrix, the religious institution that controls Earth and splits territory in space with the godless Praesidium. Crusader carries out God's will as directed by the Reverand Hand to execute divine judgment in establishing God's Kingdom. He does so with his divine gift, that makes him Numb to emotions and feeling pain.
However, when he is tasked with killing Isolda Westin, his gift fails and he can't complete the mission. Now he has failed and won't be able to rid his guilt, unless he can figure out the mystery behind Isolda and return to the good graces of the Ministrix. But other forces are intervening as well, and it will take all his skills to survive the space between two colliding worlds.
I can't think of another story that attempts such a set-up. And Otte pulls it off with thought-provoking ideas, an explosive plot, and twists that keep coming until the final chapter. It's a great read and establishes Otte as a daring voice in science fiction.
Crusader is an assassin, but he is the instrument of the Ministrix, the religious institution that controls Earth and splits territory in space with the godless Praesidium. Crusader carries out God's will as directed by the Reverand Hand to execute divine judgment in establishing God's Kingdom. He does so with his divine gift, that makes him Numb to emotions and feeling pain.
However, when he is tasked with killing Isolda Westin, his gift fails and he can't complete the mission. Now he has failed and won't be able to rid his guilt, unless he can figure out the mystery behind Isolda and return to the good graces of the Ministrix. But other forces are intervening as well, and it will take all his skills to survive the space between two colliding worlds.
I can't think of another story that attempts such a set-up. And Otte pulls it off with thought-provoking ideas, an explosive plot, and twists that keep coming until the final chapter. It's a great read and establishes Otte as a daring voice in science fiction.