Seriously though, as Liftin guided me through the kingdom of Chiveis, I didn't encounter a soul who had another layer of personality underneath the one they presented. Oh, things simply aren't what they seem, you say. Well then, read the book and decide for yourself.
Here is an example of 'perfect' protagonists. The heroine, Anastasia, is almost too good to be true. Honestly I don't believe she had a single flaw in her, especially compared to the other female roles. She's beautiful, smart, strong, agile, knowledgeable, curious, cautious, and faithful. She's the foil to every single other woman I met while reading this book. Lina was bubbly and giggly and a little airheaded. Habiloho was selfish, reckless, and blinded by desire for revenge. The High Priestess was a bitch for absolutely no good reason except it was her job. Succula was a lonely adulteress. Ana's mother may not have been necessarily flawed, but she was just kind of there, not one to take great progressive strides and break molds the way Ana did.
The hero, Teofil, is skilled in just about everything ever. He struggles with faith, and that's supposed to be a character flaw in this book. Therefore, I guess he's not perfect. Or something.
It's obvious that Ana and Teofil are meant for each other. I liked that they had fights and struggles (I hate it when everything just works out perfectly), and yet when it seemed natural for them to finally jump each other's bones, they didn't. I give a point to the author for doing the unexpected in this regard. But why? I have NO IDEA. It didn't seem to make sense. Maybe it had something to do with dedicating themselves to their newfound religion of Christianity.
Yes, it's a religion book. A few hundred years in the future we've all but destroyed ourselves as a race and are now building ourselves back up again. Christianity is lost, until it is found again by our heroes. They current dominant religion is something ridiculous that involves orgies in forests, blowing up innocent people, and making offerings of excrement. Obviously Christianity is the right way to go, when compared to that, right? So why is everyone in the book so damn stupid about it?
Ana is stupid (this is from my perspective) because she dives headfirst into Christianity and suddenly believes it and thinks it's okay to preach in very hostile streets about it. Teo is stupid because he has second thoughts about Christianity and then dives headfirst into it. He didn't actually reason out his second thoughts, it was just more of a feeling he had. Valent (I think that's his name, I don't really remember) is stupid because he cares more about being the leader of the group than the actual message. The High Priestess is stupid because she's blinded by evil. Habiloho is stupid because she's blinded by desire for revenge.
Maybe I just think religion is stupid.
Religion is definitely dangerous. I find it fascinating to study, which is why I picked up The Sword in the first place. Habiloho says it herself; you can scare people with religion, and she wants that power for herself.
There wasn't really any of the discussion that I was looking forward to though, aside from that. I wanted explanations about why people have religion, not why people need Christianity. I should probably be reading a different book for that. I'm not looking for a preachy message here.
This is all personal preference. Obviously I think you'd like The Sword if you're a devout Christian already; I'm just not the target audience.
Here's another thing I disliked- the pages in the beginning that accounted for why we have regressed. I don't need to know that there was a virus and then nuclear winter. Why in the hell does that matter, even a little, to have me know that before I start reading this book? Do I even need to know about it being in the future? Wouldn't it have been more excitingly dramatic to reveal these things through the course of the story instead of handing them out like Halloween candy at the beginning? Maybe that's not what is important. The author's message may be more preachy than excitingly dramatic.
I feel bad writing bad things. Liftin is a PhD and a professor of theology; he's most definitely smarter than I am, and probably put a ton of thought and planning into his story. I have no credentials, but I do have a brain, and I do have preferences; take that as you will.
I did read the whole novel in one day. What does that mean? Either the story was gripping, or easy to read, or I have too much time on my hands. But most importantly: did I come away caring what happens next?... No, not really.
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