Into the Fire

I love contemporary military novels. The only problem with writing them is that you can’t help but take a political stance. And therein lays a potentially difficult conundrum. A reader will inevitably try to figure out which end of the political spectrum the author is coming from and discerning that, whether or not the reader can be copasetic with the resulting story.

I’m a huge fan of former JAG attorney and author Don Brown (Treason, Hostage, Defiance, The Black Sea Affair). His stories give an in-depth purview of the military and its legal operations. The bonus is he’s an excellent writer.

In this week’s CFBA’s feature novel, we look at Mark Andrew Olsen’s Ulterior Motives which introduces the reader to an obscure, highly controversial and disregarded proposal known as The Tabula Rasa Protocol hidden in the Pentagon archives, unused and “with prejudice”. When the late December capture and treatment of the top al-Qaeda leader Omar Nirubi fails to yield the desired information regarding a New Year’s Day attack, a former Special Forces soldier by the name of Greg Cahill, who’s now involved in prison ministry, is brought in to see if he can dislodge the Islamic Jihadist’s hatred of America and somehow bring the prisoner into a new faith in Christ under a mission of forgiveness and clemency from the United States government—but more importantly from God—for the number one terrorist.

Within ultra secure locations and using the highest-tech security, we listen in on the conversations between this Muslim terrorist and this Christian man. Greg Cahill only knows a portion of the operation which has brought him together with the terrorist, and his motive is strictly non-political. Through twists, turns, and an unclear political betrayal, the story leads to a last minute sacrifice to halt an act of terrorism in progress.

Ulterior Motives is not covert about the gospel. Although the methodology to liken it to parts of Muslim theology doesn’t resonate well in light of extremism in the faith, there were good points presented in the dialogue between these two strangers. Some of it seemed over emphasized and repetitive, but within the framework of the narrative, I suppose it worked. Parts of the story seemed too contrived—again like there was a strict word count the author was aiming for while needing to fit certain things into the story. With that assumption, there were some plot points left dangling at the end, and I really didn’t follow the political betrayals which erupted suddenly and then just as quickly were subdued.

When I read military/terrorism novels, I don’t necessarily expect sterling writing, knowing that action and military-speak might overshadow any literary quality. This novel presents an interesting premise, but I think it falters a bit with its political vagaries and generic writing.

I only give this warning as an aside. If you’re an animal lover, you’re not going to like Chapter Two. I am, and I didn’t. It makes hatred of the antagonist too easy.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764202758

Father, you can see Mark’s heart and intentions and you desire to bless his efforts to honor you. Keep him steady on the pathways you have designed just for him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.