Review: The Word Unleashed

Steve Rzasa’s The Word Unleashed is the most rip-roaring, heart-pounding space adventure since, well, since The Word Reclaimed. (Read my review here.) That book ended with the treacherous overthrow of the Realm of Five’s monarchy by Kesek, the Realm’s secret police. The Realm’s finest defenders had been lured away to a distant planet to be ambushed and destroyed even as Kesek orchestrated the kidnapping of the king and the arrest of their every congressional opponent.

But Kesek didn’t count on God, whose existence they do not acknowledge, getting involved—nor could they ever have predicted the people He would choose to accomplish His purposes.

This second volume of “The Face of the Deep” continues the story of moody teenager Baden Haczyk, whose life is increasingly turned upside-down by the illegal Bible he possesses. The Book convicts him, speaks to him in ways he doesn’t understand, and seems determined to use him as a mouthpiece. Not only that, but the Bible is extending its influence on others as well, from the hungry Christians on Bethel to high-ranking members of the Verge family—who, along with their surviving soldiers and every other loyalist in the Realm, are planning an invasion of Earth to find the king and stop Kesek once and for all.

Into the story are woven the fates of many fascinating characters, from the enigmatic, genetically enhanced Jason to Mission-Impossible-style secret agent Najwa to pirate captain Charlotte Ruby Bell, who offers comic relief while still managing to be a believable and even poignant character (gesundheit, Captain Bell).

Rzasa’s love of history shows through in his projection of a future where earth’s distinct cultures and religious traditions are still recognizable and influential and where events are believable because they are so familiar—history repeating itself on an intergalactic scale.

The Word Unleashed combines heart-stopping action, humour, and pathos with a sweeping plot and a masterfully drawn universe. At the heart of it all is an honest look at censorship, “tolerance,” and mankind’s deep need for religious freedom.

I highly recommend this series to anyone. A word of advice: buy both books at once. You’re not going to want to stop at the end of the first volume, and this story deserves the opportunity to carry you away with it.