Book Reviews and More: Under the Watchful Sky - Roger Thomas

Under the Watchful Sky
Watchful Sky Series Book 1
Roger Thomas
Tumblar House
ISBN 9781944339104
ASIN B07D32P8GD

I read a lot of books, in fact since I started keeping track, I average will over 100 books a year. And the last few years have been over 300 books a year. This book completely amazed me. I fear it may be prophetic in nature. And with changes in legislation changes the last few years in the European Union, and in Canada that events like those portrayed in this book might be sooner than we think if they are not under way already. In Canada there have been a few cases lately of patients revealing they were offered assisted suicide rather than end of life care. In some ways this book is apocalyptic, and also dystopian. But because of the core believes of a group it also eludes those categorizations. But no matter how you label the story it is an amazing read. And to be honest an important one in this day and age.

In some ways the story reminds me of Noah’s Castle by John Rowe Townsend. Things in this story are not as bad, yet, as Castle. But there is a group working to change society and, in my opinion, not for the better. In an age of perceived Absolute Relativism, and with the rise of secular humanist. Life ceases to have value and worth. I went to university with a friend who was an existentialist. He took it to a logical conclusion, if what we do here does not matter, and there is nothing here after, why continue to be here. And attempted suicide. In this volume a group running a secret pilot project for the government of the United States is slowly weeding out undesirables. The old, the wealthy, the infirmed. And that group is recruiting and working at all levels of the government. On the other side is a group of Christians, many Catholics, who are for the most part now living off the grid. They have formed a community. And they are working to rescue people who have been targeted, and they are working against the XCV and they call themselves The Walker Street Irregulars.

The story begins with a murder. But a murder that is disguised as a suicide. Assistant Medical Director Derek Stevens is the man on the ground, but there are several factors that seem irregular to him. When his boss blows him off, he retaliates by helping out a friend of the deceased. And unbeknownst to him, helps provide the information, to allow a Catholic Burial. Soon he is spending time with this group of people and feels more alive there than he ever has. However, his friend Janice Bond is drawn into the mysterious organization, and through flattery, manipulation, and bribery. They have a lethal plan. And Janice is in their clutches.

This novel is wonderfully written. It keeps you turning the pages. And in my case much later than I should have stayed up. I just kept saying to myself one more page, one more page. The story also left me desperate for the second volume, and even peeking ahead at the third. This is one of the best speculative Christian stories I have read in years. Other than some young adult series I cannot recall the last time a series grabbed me so completely, and I was hooked within the first chapters. It is a great read that I highly recommend!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Roger Thomas:
The Accidental Marriage
From Afar
The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories
The Ghosts of Midgard Manor And Other Stories
The Crown Jewels of Undlar

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