It seems like in a constant (and oft unsuccessful) search for new science-fiction authors whose work is worthwhile. Granted, I probably have a very different set of standards of judgment, largely because my love for science fiction is really rooted in the way it can wrestle so openly with the deepest philosophical questions of life with its limitless ability to construct alternative worlds. (I suppose no one would be surprised at this point if I admitted that I enjoy Star Trek more than Star Wars, though I can honestly say I like them both.)

There really is nothing new here in the premise of the book. It is set in the 33rd century of human existence, long after a worldwide apocalypse known only as "The Disasters" has given way to a highly-advanced but feudal interstellar civilization. Humanity exists in three distinct classes: the Elite, the Fesh (short for "Professionals"), and the Bond. It is a civilization that is, once again, teetering on the brink of chaos because of unrest amongst the servile Bonds.

All religions have merged into one "super-religion" known as Mezionism (which appears to be a kind of stand-in for Catholicism), which is especially influential amongst the Bond and Fesh classes and is--you guessed it--perceived by the Elite as a means of "controlling the masses" (thank you, Karl Marx). The focus of the book is on two brothers of the Elite class, Alexand and Richard DeKoven Wolf, and their two-part plan to prevent a Bond revolt that would plunge the world into a third "Dark Age," and then to reintroduce democratic systems to replace feudalism. I find it interesting that the story ends with this transformation still future.

The twist here is that it is the principles of Mezionism--the religion that keeps the Bonds pacified--that lead the heroes to their conclusions about the need for new democratic structures that elevate the status of the Bonds. The brothers' initial interactions with Mezionism are rooted in their political interests but slowly over the course of the story both brothers undergo very different kinds of "conversion," essentially becoming Mezion "saints."

It appears to me that Wren has been influenced by some very secular perspectives on the nature and use of religious feeling; however, for all its secular elements, she does still present I think a rather nuanced understanding of religion's role in human society as simultaneously (and paradoxically) a means of oppression and liberation. Given the secular underpinnings, I was surprised to see several truly miraculous elements included within the plot (especially the "soul weft" of Lord Alexand and his love Lady Adrien Carmine Eliseer). They were neither contrived nor forced nor over-wrought; they were simply "there," as miracles usually are in the real world.

These are the first works I've read by this author. I would say it is well-written: the characters are well-drawn, the plot moves at a steady pace largely devoid of rambling, and the descriptions are not terribly overdone (most of the time). Two elements that were a bit awkward were the attempts to "create" new idiomatic terms (e.g., "montector" for "monitor detector" or "imagraph" for "image-graphic"). Place names receive the same hackneyed treatment: the continent of Australia is now Conta Austrail; North America is now Noramerica. It was easy to see that this was an attempt to image how language will morph and memory will change over centuries, but it still felt awkward and wooden (though I must give her high marks for consistency in these matters).

The last element that seemed at odds is the way that Wren chose to provide the "back story" of the book, essentially the history beginning from just after "the Disasters" (a nuclear holocaust at some early point in the 21st century up until the story's action itself). She elected to do this through a series of "lectures" given by Richard that serve as appendices to the chapters). This works in the sense that it gives Wren the space she needs to devote to telling that story, but it failed for me in that I always expected these short "history lessons" to offer some unique insight into the current action...but that never really materialized. It's almost as if Wren might have been better served to take OUT those appendices and create a stand-alone "prequel trilogy." But we all know how well that turned out for the Star Wars movie franchise, so perhaps hers is the wise approach.

I'm not a qualified literary critic by any measure, and my interests in the books I read don't seem to match any other reader's, but I did find this to be largely enjoyable and sometimes thought-provoking, especially about the looming "disasters" that threaten our world and the role that religious faith should play in averting them. ( )