Book Review: The Chaplain's War by Brad R. Torgersen

  Brad R. Torgersen is an author who has made quite a name for

himself in a very short  time.  He has written a few short stories for  Analog Science Fiction &
Fact magazine.  He has also been published in such leading webzines as 
Galaxy's  Edge and Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show .
In 2015, Torgersen gained a great deal of notoriety as the creator of a
slate of science fiction works that succeeded, in conjunction with a slate created by his good
friend and collaborator Theodore Beale aka Vox Day, in sweeping the nominations for the 2015
Hugo Awards awarded by the World Science Fiction Convention.  

       Subsequent to this feat, Torgersen has gained notoriety for other 
actions.  For instance, he has likened himself to Theodore Roosevelt.  
He also created the smear term "Cliquish, Holier-than-thou, Obnoxious,
Reactionary, Fanatics" or CHORF for short.  He and his friends have 
used this term to trash anyone who disagrees with them or with their
tactics.

     Now that we know who Torgersen is and the kind of people he
associates with, what does he bring to the table of science fiction?  Previously, he
brought out two collections of short fiction, Lights in the Deep and Racers in the
Night.  Both of these are generally very good.  That being the case, you would think that a
novel by him would also be a good read.  

     However, such is not the case.

     The single most disappointing aspect of this novel is the way that
the author handles religion.  The treats the Christianity of 190 years in the
future just as if it is the exact same thing as the Christianity of the present day.  This
shows a lack of historical awareness by Brad Torgersen.  Over the years, the level of
religious fervor combined with how much of the population embraced Christianity has ebbed
and flowed.  Religions and religious devotion can change drastically.Some periods such as the Dark Ages and the Reformation saw notable for the level of  popular devotion to the discipline and teachings of organized religion. Other times, such as the present day, not so much.

     According to Torgersen,space is going to be an exciting place with
the invention of Faster Than Light (FTL) travel.  Yet religion is going to
remain the exact same thing.  The same is true not only of Christianity, but of all
the other  major religions  as well.  Nor are there any new religions that have
come into being during the intervening 190 years.  Science fiction is supposed to be all
about speculation about the future, but in this novel, there is none.

     Essentially, The Chaplain's War is a lame attempt at a Starship
Troopers type novel with the differences being that the main character is a
chaplain and that you do have some alien characters.  One gets the feeling that what
you have here is something that could have been a really good novelette surrounded by
an awful lot of padding.  Either Torgersen should get his act together and come up with
a story that is truly worthy of novel length or he  should stick to short fiction.