The Word Reclaimed

The Face of the Deep #1

by Steve Rzasa

Baden picked up the wrong book In the far future, the civilized worlds have finally been freed of the curse of religion. Tolerance now rules the five colonies. Thanks to the secret police, no one has been bothered by so much as a hymn in two generations-much less a Torah, Koran, or that most dangerous of books, a Bible. Baden is a teenager with an attitude. He spends his spare time salvaging wrecks in deep space, claiming for himself whatever the pirates leave behind. One day, Baden finds a book. A strange and very old book, preserved carefully against the ravages of deep space. Thinking he'll become rich if only for the value of the paper, he takes it. He counts himself lucky beyond all imagining. Until it begins talking to him. Amidst an interstellar war that threatens to overthrow the monarchy and drive great families to oblivion, Baden must evade the secret police and their attempts to get that book. Baden never had much use for religion. But it seems one has use of him. *** Steve Rzasa was born and raised in South Jersey, and fell in love with books-especially science fi cti on novels and historical volumes-at an early age. He and his wife, Carrie, have two boys and live in Buff alo, Wyoming. Steve's short story, "Rescued," which is set in the universe of The World Reclaimed, won the 2009 G.K. Chesterton Award in the Athanatos Christi an Ministries Writi ng Contest.

Genres: Science Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Steve Rzasa was born and raised in South Jersey, and fell in love with books—especially science fiction novels and historical volumes—at an early age. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University’s College of Communications in 2000, and then spent seven years as a reporter and assistant editor at weekly newspapers in Maine. Steve moved to Wyoming in 2007 to become the editor of a weekly newspaper there, and now works at the local library. He and his wife Carrie have two boys and live in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Reviews

[Ron]

A fun, multi-thread space opera. Set six hundred years into our future, the story relates a time when all religions have been subsumed into a lowest common denominator religion of psychobabble and ritual. Anyone holding any particular faith is persecuted as an enemy of the state. And, of course, the persecutors may have a hidden agenda for their purges.

Well told, especially when the point of view is that of one of the young males. Works less well with the older characters. Too many mature people are thrilled, awed, proud and dread things at a level which makes them appear adolescent. A stupid and obvious conspiracy. Everything involved the king of the five realms comes off stilted, as if the author’s concept of royal behavior is draw from fantasy novels.

Quibbles: A lot of “on the nose” storytelling (as Jerry B. Jenkins labels it in Writing for the Soul: Instruction and Advice from an Extraordinary Writing Life). “A quintet of five…” What other kind is there? “New warships under construction” Yeah… “They were … that were …” Much description by characters which is obviously to inform the reader. Hard to believe the first thing done with the titular text is not to scan it and fire a bajillion copies into the ether. Censorship is better fought with openness than hiding.

A good story, but too predictable. Sophomoric presentation.

[C.J. Darlington]

I can't believe I waited this long to read The Word Reclaimed. Lately I've been reading and enjoying a lot of science fiction, and this novel was one of the better books I've read. As a Star Trek Voyager fan, I felt right at home with the characters as they traversed space. Bonus is the very strong spiritual thread. This is an epic novel that has a huge scope and lots of characters. My only quibble is that all those characters sometimes can make things a little confusing, but overall Rzasa handles it all well. I'm a new fan.

[Bill]

The Word Reclaimed is an excellent Christian military SF novel told from multiple viewpoints. In the distant future, Mankind has spread out across the stars and the majority of humanity is ruled by an imperial family who control a number of star systems in what is called the Realm of Five.

To maintain stability, the royal family has banned religions that claim to have an exclusive grasp of religious truths. A highly efficient secret police enforces the ban ruthlessly, pursuing violators across human-controlled space.

Baden Haczyk, the son of a freighter captain finds a rare book on board a mysteriously destroyed freighter that soon embroils everyone he loves in a far-flung conflict for control of the empire.

Steve Rzasa has written a tightly woven, fast-paced tale of empire, intrigue, belief, and battle that fits in well with classics like Jerry Pournelle's Mercenary , Poul Anderson's Star Fox , and Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers . Space and ground battles and the associated military technologies are well-conceived and exciting without drowning the reader in a mass of detail.

The characters a believable and compelling. Character development is on par for a multiple viewpoint story. I would have liked have seen more character development for some of the story's heavies. Nonetheless, I was thoroughly engaged and rooting for the good guys.

Rzasa handles religious issues well, since they are integral to the story. His even-handed and thought-provoking approach is commendable.

As part of a two-part story arc, the book does lead tightly into the sequel, The Word Unleashed , which I very much look forward to reading. The Word Reclaimed can be read on its own, but if you're like me, you will want to find out what happens to your favorite characters.

[Jill Williamson]

Review by Jill Williamson

Baden assists his father aboard their six-brace vessel the Natalia Zoja, salvaging wrecks in deep space. One day Baden makes a great find: a Bible. Any book is a relic, but this one is banned by Kesek, the secret police. Baden's dad wants him to get rid of it, but it's Baden's salvage and therefore, his rightful property. Before he can decide what to do, pirates come after them. They know Baden has the book and they want it.

Meanwhile, a political and religious war is brewing throughout the Realm of Five and the Natalia Zoja is headed straight for it.

A cross between Firefly and Star Trek, Rzasa pens a story filled with a great cast of characters and some sweet space battles. His Realm of Five is imaginative and well thought out and his space ships are mind boggling. Plus, the story has a deeper thread that I found compelling. A world without the word of God. It intrigued me how Rzasa depicted people trying to hold onto the hope of a creator without his word to guide them. I was totally impressed. This is a clean, exciting read that anyone who loves space epics will enjoy. Looking forward to part two.

[Leah Good]

Counted Worthy meets Ender's Game in this epic intergalactic tale built on a solidly Christian foundation.

If you enjoy meticulously crafted fictional worlds, tactical details, and a strong Christian message, this book will be an immediate favorite.

Read my full review at Leah's Bookshelf.

[Addison S]

This was an extremely slow, poorly written book. There was way too much description of weird tech and places that did not provide a picture but provided a long boring paragraph.

This book was basically Star Wars and Christianity mashed together. I am a Christian and did appreciate the emphasis on the Bible and the gospel and I thought the plot was good but it’s execution was sadly delivered.

[Rachel Thomson]

Here is how I feel about cliffhangers: AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!

It doesn’t help that I am still nursing a feeling of rawness over the lack of resolution in Bryan Davis’s Masters and Slayers. I had to take my raw self wading into Steve Rzasa’s space opera The Word Reclaimed, suspecting more and more that this story was too big for its 460 pages. I was right.

Actually, the first thing to strike me about this book was that it is big. And I was reading a file on a Kobo, so I’m not talking about physical size. The list of significant characters and their ships/home planets/family groups in the book’s front matter was almost overwhelming (to the point where I wonder if it would have been better placed in the back of the book where prospective readers couldn’t see it and faint before they even get into the story). Thankfully, I didn’t faint, and I did get into the story.

The Word Reclaimed is a space opera (think Star Wars with Nazis and fewer aliens) set in the year 2602, when the people of Earth have colonized four other major worlds and united under a kingdom called the Realm of Five. The kingdom has long been benevolent, but Kesek, a secret police force in charge of enforcing a treaty of tolerance across religions, is anything but—and their power with the king is growing.

One of Kesek’s biggest roles is the capture and destruction of religious texts, including the Bible, the Qu’ran, and the Hindu Sutras. So when a surly teenager named Baden, son of an Expatriate merchant and member of the crew of the Natalia Zoja, salvages a Bible from a pirate wreck, it’s bound to change his life—but in ways he can’t imagine. From the moment he comes across the Bible, Baden begins to see visions and hear voices.

At the same time, the Verge family—a family of warriors from the planet Starkweather—are called into action to put down an alleged rebellion on an outlying planet called Bethel, one of the last Christian colonies in the Realm. Cadet Trainee Alec Verge is given the chance to go along with his father, Lt. Colonel James Verge, and other stories relatives, including his aunt, Commander Colleen Verge—who, as it happens, is also dreaming dreams . . .

The crew of the Natalia Zoja and the deployed troops from Starkweather will meet up eventually as treachery brings them into the battle of their lives—and the beginning of a battle for the Realm—and as a God who seems to be seeking them brings them into a battle for their souls.

Marcher Lord Press publisher and editor-in-chief Jeff Gerke gives this background info on the MLP website:

"Steve’s space opera is truly an epic. Though there are dozens of characters, many of whom are superficially similar—space marines, deep space navigators, young cadets, trained assassins—I was somehow never confused who was who. That, in and of itself, is remarkable. Then add a brilliant story of deep treachery, a crumbling monarchy, forbidden faith, and a warrior family’s pride—all set against the recovery of a book so dangerous that the secret police would wipe out a world to obtain—and you’ve got a recipe for incredible speculative fun.
But the thing was very long. Like 170,000 words long. I started looking for a cliffhanger around the midpoint. We ended up finding a great one."

You bet they did. But don’t let that stop you from diving in—Book 2, The Word Unleashed, is already out.

- Rachel Starr Thomson, author of The Seventh World Trilogy, www.worldsunseen.com

[Daryl]

This was a well-written book with a very intriguing story line. In the future, the Bible is unavailable and only vaguely remembered and a copy is found that sets up a great plot. The world-building is excellent and detailed. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the rest.

My only concern (but did not take a star off for this) was the numerous editorial errors (i.e. duplicated words, missing words, etc). I read the ebook of another edition and hopefully many of these have been corrected since.

Overall, definitely worth reading!

[Matt Andersen]

Before I start, let's just get it out there that I am not a hardcore sci-fi reader. I was a bit intimidated when I picked up this book, particularly when I saw the star map at the front. But I had read Mr. Rzasa's short story in Ether Ore (Marcher Lord Press) and was blown away by his ability to write heart-pounding action. I jumped into The Word Reclaimed hoping to find more of it, and I was not disappointed.

I found the space travel/physics/science elements of the story world understandable and internally consistent. That being said, I really have no idea how well any of it compares to actual science. But the laws of science as described in Mr. Rzasa's world made enough sense to me that I was able to move through the novel without constantly thinking, "Can they really do that in space?" Suspended disbelief accomplished.

Now for the story. All religions claiming the exclusive path to salvation are banned by the interstellar government and replaced with a milk-toast, universalist religion that is regulated by the state to avoid conflict (i.e, offense--sound familiar anyone?) Baden, our primary protagonist finds a Bible while salvaging a destroyed space vessel and his heart is changed. The influence of the Bible worms its way through the story's huge caste of characters (seriously enormous) and we get to see how it affects them as well. Plus there is a civil war, space pirates, unscrupulous secret police, a half dozen chase scenes, space battles, infantry battles, mechs battles, air to air combat, hand to hand combat, explosions, and did I mention plenty of action?

The only criticism I had (past tense) for The Word Reclaimed was that the cast of POV characters was so big that I had a hard time bonding with and caring about them as much as I wanted to. There certainly is a lot to keep straight. However, once the story takes its final turn and plunges into its climax in The Word Unleashed (seems like an oxymoron, but I really felt like I was falling as the ending unfolded) I was happy to know all those characters. The ending, which occurs in the sequel (the two books read like one big book), was deeper and richer because I was able to experience it from so many different points of view.

I highly recommend this book and The Word Unleashed.

[Buzz Park]

2.5 stars, rounded up.

An okay and sometimes good story about oppressive empires, space pirates, ancient artifacts, and divine intervention.

The story was decent and there was some well-written action and battle scenes. While I enjoyed this book, I was very distracted by the author's heavy-handed preaching. I totally understand that this story was written for a faith-based audience (I am a Christian). However, there was no subtlety whatsoever with the overt Christian message, and there seemed to be a lack of real depth with many of the characters.

I prefer a more subtle approach, such as that of Stephen R. Lawhead or Tolkien. Even C.S. Lewis wasn't so heavy handed in his allegorical Narnia novels.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

[Alexandra]

Military scifi is not a genre I often read, but I've been reading more of my kindle backlog and discovering some books I might not usually pick up.

Rzasa's "Word Reclaimed" was worth reading, and I want to read the rest of the series. I was surprised at some of the turns the story took.

I think this would have been a stronger book had the two storylines been told concurrently, but each of them were engaging and I do want to read what happens to the characters next.

The editor missed some typos, which was distracting.

[Becky]

Enjoyed this fast-paced science fiction adventure, with a side of Christian intrigue; would make a good movie or comic book too. The story reveals the distortions that can happen to doctrine when the Bible isn’t available. And how the Bible provides encouragement and strength. A cliffhanger ending.

[Thomas J Erdmann]

Intriguingly Christian

Enjoyed the amazing possibilities of a totally lost universe in need of the word of God. Hopefully everything ends well .

[Bob Rivera]

The first of four books in this series, it starts off well and early character development is interesting and well integrated. It should be noted, that it quickly takes a Christian underpinning that was quite overt, not that I objected. I rather enjoyed how that was woven into, and was central to the story. This was particularly interesting since this book is firmly within the Science Fiction Genre.

[C.O. Bonham]

When I first heard about Steve Rzasa'a The Word Reclaimed I instantly thought of Bradbury's classic story of book censorship. Actually to describe this story as Fahrenheit 451 in space would be a good representation.

In a future where not just books but freedom of belief is banned, what should our hero find but that most seditious of all texts--a Bible.

Baden is not a fireman. He's just stuck running freight from one end of the galaxy to the other. But like Montag before him, he feels that there must to be more to life.

This book was amazing, it has elements reminiscent of Firefly and Star Trek and even though it's about finding a Bible it is not heavy handed with the preaching.

[D.M. Dutcher]

Good old-school Christian science fiction that misses being really liked by a few missteps. It had a bit of a nostalgic feel for me.

Baden and his father run a trading ship that happens to stumbled upon the aftermath of a pirate attack on another merchant. They salvage it, and discover a Bible in the wreckage. In this future, all holy texts are proscribed, and only a weak universal church exists, so finding an actual hardcopy Bible is dangerous. Especially since the pirate was bankrolled by this universe's equivalent to the KGB.

Alex, however, is a soldier in an elite military group of armored lancers. When he is sent to the planet Bethel, he finds much more than the minor planet he was supposed to pacify. It looks like the universe is changing, quickly, and both Baden and Alex have parts to play.

It's old school, not just as SF, but as Christian SF. Soft space opera with an open Christian moral focus and earnestness. It's a good, light read and made me kind of nostalgic for Stephen Lawhead's earlier science fiction books. There's some burgeoning intrigue, and a nice array of characters. Some of the good parts I wanted to see more of, like how people are pretty open about smuggling or selling religious texts, while acknowledging it's a risky thing to do. A little more on the robots of the Word's universe too: they all have an animal theme, and the thought of hamsterbots scurrying around a ship in space was well done indeed. The sections dealing with the royal family were a nice touch too.

There's a few missteps though. The big one is that the book really is split down the middle between Alex and Baden, and I think it would be a little better if each had their own book. Both are interesting characters, but the two different plots don't really interweave till the end, so it's like reading two books. One of the reasons it does feel nostalgic is that, well, fighting over an actual physical book is so pre-internet. There's also a couple minor problems with the plot, as the enemy Keseks vary in power between Baden and Alex's stories. A little more explanation why they need to work through others would be nice.

I really did like it though. If you like nostalgic-feeling space opera like King's Sacrifice with a Christian bent, add another star. If you are more into edgy or trangressive SF with a lighter dash of Christianity, knock off a half star.

[Gxianfranko]

It all happened because of a book.
In "Fahrenheit 451" firemen burned all the books, without distinction. In "The Word Reclaimed" the persecuted books are the religious ones, such as the Talmud, the Koran, the Bible... Just a copy of the Bible puts in motion the story, which unfolds in at least three other books.
The story is engaging, with sufficiently compelling characters, and it isn't limited to clashes on planets, space fights and actions, but - realistically - it also includes diplomatic meetings, power plays, political intrigues...
What I was not convinced entirely about is the religious aspect, that seems more like a sprayed paint than a truly incorporated ink (perhaps, however, this aspect will be developed in the next novels).
My thanks to Gilead Publishing and to Netgalley for providing the book for reviewing.

[Katelyn Bolds]

Rzasa excels at science fiction world-building. His action is intense and tightly worded. Merely comparing this to Star Trek or Star Wars would not do justice to the well constructed battle scenes and plot twists. While the book is fast-paced and high intensity, it does not have any bad language or unnecessary violence that most science fiction is known for.
The spiritual thread in the book could be a problem for some readers, but Rzasa handles it very well. The whole concept is based in a universe where religion is banned and Baden finds a copy of the Bible. But the way that the Gospel is woven into the plot is pretty effortless and does not draw away from the story's intensity.
Very good for adult and young adult readers.

[Carol]

Wow - what a Christian syfy. It is authentic in nature - with the atmosphere in todays environment - who knows what the future holds for us - Religion is being stomped on in places - it is dramatic when you have one regime that governs and it governs with an iron fist. It also is fearless when Baden who found a rare book (the Bible), which starts a conflict in the regime. It is intense in how you have to choose your life or your love for GOD. So, what happens? Will Baden and his family and others over throw the regime? will the regime win with the iron grip? does Baden win? Listen ya'll it is so worth the buy. You will love it. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Gina Burgess]

This novel has some great potential, but it fell flat because it had far too many characters. I get it that its part 1 of a series perhaps, or at least it shaped that way in the beginning, but characters need to be developed before jumping from one to another. There was really not point in jumping into the heads of every character. Showing rather than telling is much more complicated than that.

The story is great up to about 1/3 into it, and then it just gets too hard to follow. However, there is one that that is absolutely wonderful about it. It has a strong faith thread that is expertly woven throughout.

[Bobirley Adams]

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. I found the chase scenes involve more twists and turns than the average chase scene and are very creative. The story revolves around a tolerant society that tolerates everything but religion - even attempting to rid the entire solar system of the Torah, Koran and the most hated book: the Bible. I believe this book will appeal to Sci-Fi fans of all ages.

[R.M. Lutz]

Although it takes a while to get going, The Word Reclaimed is a good Sci-Fi/dystopian Christian novel. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, clean sci-fi novel and doesn't mind Christian themes and a cliffhanger ending. (Read more at my blog, thebookhoundchristianspecfic.blogspot.com)

[Lauren]

Wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I am glad I read it. It's not as good as I had hoped though.