Lead is a preacher on the hunt for a mark. He's never told why he has to find this mark-- no preacher is ever told-- Lead only has to know the mark offended the church with his sins. When he finally tracks down his mark, Lead does the unexpected. He listens to the Terence, a former preacher himself, and begins to question his own actions. Lead comes to realize the church's will is not God's and letting that heresy into his heart makes Lead an enemy of the church to be pursued by Crusaders. Their only chance to outrun the Crusaders is to find New Pueblo, an almost mythical place where the old ways are practiced and the Church has no sway.
My Recommendation
The Zona by Nathan Yocum is a dark, and often disturbing, post apocalyptic world. The imagery is eerie and desolate, painting a desperate world ruled over by a harsh religion. Lead's journey from a brainwashed killer to a sympathetic person makes a big statement about organized religion on both a personal and a universal level. I did feel there were a few too many technical mistakes (spelling, punctuation, etc) but the merits of the story are strong. If you like post apocalypse stories I recommend this one.
The Zona by Nathan Yocum
Published by Curiosity Quills Press
252 pages
The Zona by Nathan Yocum is available at Amazon.com
My free review copy of The Zona was provided by the publisher.