In this riveting pressure cooker of a novel, a man of faith and the city he loves face a force of destruction cloaked in religious righteousness. Through vivid scenes of battle and quiet moments of reflection, the book brings us to the heart of these internal and external struggles and, ultimately, suggests a way toward redemption.
The novel is set in a future that feels like a return to the pre-industrial age, much of the technology that we now take for granted–from electric lighting to airplanes–having been destroyed in the distant past. Another relic of the past: the United States. In the world of the novel, it has fragmented into a collection of principalities, all of them ruled by a fundamentalist Christian theocracy known as the Bright Crusade.
As Lord of Order for the New Orleans principality, the novel’s protagonist, Gabriel Troy, is charged with protecting his territory and with upholding the Bright Crusade’s rule there. That means engaging in regular skirmishes with guerillas known as the Troublers, who violently oppose the Bright Crusade and its religious absolutism.
For Troy and his deputies, things take a disturbing turn after they capture the local leader of the Troublers, Lynn Stransky, who shares an unsettling bit of intelligence: the Washington, D.C.-based leader of the Bright Crusade, Matthew Rook, is planning to turn New Orleans into a city-sized prison for everyone but his most dedicated followers: Troublers and non-Troublers alike. According to Stransky, once the captives are assembled in New Orleans, Rook’s followers will destroy them and the city through a catastrophic act known as a Purge. (As soon becomes clear, this will involve building a wall around New Orleans and then blowing up the levees, deluging the city and killing everyone in it.)
Already, Stransky claims, prisoners are being rounded up and marched toward New Orleans. Arriving in advance of them, she says, will be an emissary of Rook who will give Troy a new mission that makes it sound like he’s being done a favor. But, Stransky says, he’ll soon learn that quite the opposite is in store.
She proves to be correct. And to confront the threat posed by the Bright Crusade, Troy and his allies, with the aid of Stransky, assemble a ragtag army of one-time enemies united by an adeptness in bloodshed and a passion to stand–and save–their ground. Yet not all alliances seem trustworthy or certain, and as the danger from without draws closer, dangers from within appear to heighten as well. So do the tests of faith faced by Troy and his associates, as they prepare to counter the Bright Crusade in ways they once would have regarded as heresy or treason. Troy in particular must constantly weigh whether his actions are in keeping with his dedication to the city and people he’s pledged to protect, and with his dedication to God. Riley portrays these inner and outer conflicts with nuance and feeling, and his combat scenes immerse us in the action and have us rooting for outcomes that never feel certain.
Yet to its great credit, the novel also conveys the dark side of participating in violent acts, showing the toll they take on perpetrators as well as victims. The experiences of a one-time ally of Troy, Gordon Boudreaux, paint a vivid picture of this dark side. Unable to turn against the Bright Crusade, Boudreaux is nonetheless troubled by the actions of its followers and by the conditions under which they hold prisoners in New Orleans. At one point, he is given a horrible choice between taking part in the torture of certain prisoners (one of whom has admitted to stealing food and water for his starving wife and daughter) or being killed himself. The decision he makes sets him on course that seems to strip away his faith in God, in humanity, and in himself. As Boudreaux observes:
As later events reveal, redemption–or at least the hope of it–may be possible for Boudreaux, and for other characters who, however flawed, keep up the struggle against malevolent forces, whether internal or external. Later events also suggest that this novel may have a sequel. If there is one, I very much look forward to reading it.
Would My Pick be Your Pick?
If you're interested in ________, the answer may be "Yes":￭ Dystopian/fantasy fiction
￭ Stories about tests of faith
￭ Stories of redemption
