Brad R. Torgersen is a science fiction and fantasy author who debuted in the 26th volume of Writers of the Future, and has since gone on to publish in some of the genre’s top venues, such as Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and Galaxy’s Edge magazine. In addition to winning the Writers of the Future award, Brad has also won two Analog Magazine ‘AnLab’ readers’ choice awards, is a three-time Hugo award nominee, and has been nominated for both a Nebula and a Campbell award. A full-time healthcare tech geek by day, Brad is a part-time Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Army Reserve.
The Chaplain’s War by Brad R. Torgersen
Harrison Barlow was a chaplain’s assistant in the first of humanity’s wars against a technologically advanced conqueror race. Harrison and thousands of other soldiers were rounded up by the insect-like enemy, who humans call the mantis race (mantes is the plural) and held in a prison camp on a planet called Purgatory. Harrison, carrying out a promise to the chaplain who died, built a chapel that was open to everyone. That action intrigued the scholar class of the mantes and led to a cease-fire. As The Chaplain’s War, Brad Torgersen’s novel based on his original novella, progresses, that cease-fire breaks down. The book questions whether humans and mantes can ever co-exist.
There was a lot to like in this book, and there were definite weaknesses that affected my enjoyment. Ultimately, Harrison, the likeable main character, kept me reading, ... Read More
