Category: Uncategorized

Tainted

By Morgan L. Busse

Reviewed by Jubilee Anderson

GENRE: Steampunk Sci-Fi

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5)

What happens when your soul dies?

Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of science. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn’t find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely.

After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down.

Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic.

When I first ordered this book from the library, I didn’t realize it was in the steampunk sci-fi sub-genre. It wasn’t until I read the first chapter that I was like, “Wait a minute. This isn’t fantasy. Is it steampunk?” I was surprised to find that I was correct, considering that I barely knew anything about it. Steampunk is an interesting mix between Victorian-era culture and science fiction technology. I think I actually like it.

Today I’m going to deviate from my usual framework for reviews and dive straight into characters and worldview.

Worldview

Morgan L. Busse is a Christian, and her Christian worldview comes out in Tainted in three main ways, which I will get into in the next section.

Realistic Suffering

Sometimes Christians in stories are portrayed as perfect humans who always endure suffering with a happy attitude. In unfair situations, they are unrealistically forgiving. One of the main characters in Tainted, Stephen, seemed like this type of “good person” at the beginning. He’s kind, just, honorable. But then he comes across an extremely unjust situation concerning two people who were good friends, and whom he had done no wrong to.

He was angry. So angry he contemplated killing them. He was rightfully angry. Angry and grieved at the sin they commited. Angry at the unjustness, the unfairness that he could do nothing about. It was realistic.

Well- Guided (and Guarded) Emotions

Guard your emotions

This is a quote that a mentor-figure says to the main character Kat when she is about to set out for college. The idea of guarding one’s emotions was at least a sub-theme of this book.

Both Kat and Stephen struggle with their emotions ruling them. As mentioned in the last section, Stephen is faced with an unfair circumstance. He breaks out in rage over it. They also have to control their emotions for each other during certain parts of the book.

While the author was teaching us to guide our own emotions in real life, she also guided our emotions as we read. I really appreciated the way in which she went about this. She didn’t have us root for anything that was wrong, not even the small wrongs that seem like no big deal. I was always encouraged towards goodness and away from evil.

Most of all, she used sacrificial love over feeling-love. She showed us how Stephen could give up all to save Kat’s life. She showed us true love.

Un-Preachy

Both Kat and Stephen talk to God throughout the story. The author effectively communicated their relationship with Someone bigger than themselves without the preachiness. The words “Christian” or “Bible” aren’t even mentioned, yet it is clear that they will both become Christians by the close of the duology.

The ending is satisfying. Yes, there is a slight cliffhanger (SLIGHT SPOILER: the villain isn’t defeated, and Kat doesn’t wake from her unconsiousness) but they both return to safety. Whew!

To Watch For

• Sexual Content: A protagonist walks in on two people commiting adultery. Their upper bodies are partially uncovered, briefly. A man sees a woman lying on an operating table with only a thin, short hospital gown covering her. Neither instance is described in detail. A kissing scene.
• Substance Use: A woman drinks and deals with side-effects of drunkenness.

PAPERBACK: $17

PUBLISHED: 2016

Amazon Link

The Broken Bridge and the Blind Man: The Choices of Jabarri

By Jubilee Anderson

Jabarri placed his hands on his shaking knees.  His hood hung loosely around his shoulders and streams of water dripped from his dark hair.  He squinted through the sleet as the last strut holding the center of the bridge slid downwards with a creak.  

If he had been a second too late… His heart felt like a speeding train, hammering so fast it rattled his chest.  

A faint boom sounded as the strut shattered on the rocks below and the torrents of water washed the shards away.  The remainder of the bridge clung to the sides of the cliffs, but cracks etched themselves in the rock.  Jabarri backed away.  

The bridge sagged and cracked in two.  Large chunks of the cliffs came loose and crashed into the water, sending tidal waves in every direction.  Jabarri’s knees collapsed.  He sank to the rocky ground and stared into the depths.

When the muddy foam had settled, Jabarri picked himself off the ground and turned away from the drop off.  He walked back to the gravel road on wobbly legs.  The sleet sloshed into the brown puddles and splattered on the road.  Jabarri’s old flooded boots crunched steadily on the gravel and the water in them soaked his socks.  

Jabarri stopped.  He heard the faint sound of feet on gravel and an odd scraping sound through the rain.  Another figure hobbled round the bend in the road.  Jabarri watched as the man moved the cane in his hand from side to side.  

His name was Anker.  He could often be seen hobbling about the outskirts of the village, but no-one looked his way.  The scraping from the cane on the gravel continued as the man neared Jabarri.  

Jabarri’s mind instantly flashed back a few seconds before to the sound of the bridge breaking apart and crashing into the water.  Would Anker know the bridge had fallen?  Maybe blind men could tell when there was nothing before them to step on…  After all that’s what a cane was for. But what if he didn’t? 

No doubt Anker was heading for his home across the bridge.  Jabarri took a deep breath to call out to the blind ma—

What would Anker think of his voice? 

Jabarri’s tongue froze on the bottom of his mouth and he snapped his mouth shut.  People often commented on his voice.  It sounded…well, nasally and high-pitched.  It sounded like an annoying little kid.  A whining annoying little kid throwing a tantrum.  In other words, ridiculous, and it was no wonder that people noticed it.

It was, in fact, so ridiculous, that Jabarri avoided the public as often as possible.  Hence him being out on the bridge alone in the rain.

Anker scraped along with his cane.  A turtle could have beat him in a race.  Jabarri’s heart thumped.  He would tell the man about the bridge when he was a few feet away.  Anker plodded on.  The scraping noise on the gravel was becoming a nuisance.  

He was only ten feet away.

Now two yards.

Jabarri would begin to talk in a few seconds.  He would say, ‘Sir!  The bridge is out!’  A few more steps and then he would say it. 

Anker crept a few more steps until they were only three feet apart.  Now, now he must say the words!  Anker stopped so suddenly Jabarri jumped back, but he managed to hold his tongue.

“Hello?  Is anyone there?”  Anker wheezed in his spindly voice.

Any minute now the words would come out.  Jabarri was a frozen statue, with the sleet pouring onto his wet head and around his feet.  Now!  He should have warned the man long ago.  His tongue would not move.  

Anker took a few tiny steps toward Jaberri, his high-pitched gasps escaping the thin opening between his lips in a white cloud.  A lock of Anker’s gray hair fell over his glazed eyes.  Jabarri was motionless.  

“Hello?  Is someone here?”  

Jabarri held his breath.  Anker stretched his cane out and slid it across the ground.  It went a little too far and hit Jabarri on the side of his old soggy boot.  The old man stumbled and fell at Jabarri’s feet.  His cane toppled and one end landed over his boot.

Jabarri did not move.  What if the man had, instead of hitting Jabarri’s boot, hit a rock and went plummeting down the cliff?  Jabarri opened his mouth to say, ‘Sir!  Pray don’t go any farther!’ but only got as far as, “S–” before silencing his breath.  He thought the sound he made was like the buzzing of an insect.

Anker felt around for his cane.  His hand slid across the gravel, inches from Jaberri’s boot.  He could not feel the cane because it rested on the boot and was a few inches above where he was feeling.  

At last he lifted his arm slightly and the back of his hand brushed the handle of the cane.  He felt around the torn leather and wooden sole of Jabarri’s boot until he wrapped his fingers around the handle.  

“I could have sworn that it was a man’s boot I felt.  I must be getting old indeed.  Not even my fingers recognize what they touch.”

Anker placed his left hand on his knee and held his cane with his right.  He rose slowly until he was standing straight, only inches from touching the only other living soul on the road.  Jabarri did not move. 

The blind man wrinkled his brow.  “I could have sworn I heard someone else, but I suppose I am going deaf in this rain,” he muttered and turned away.  His cane scraped the gravel.  Scriiitch!  Scraaatch!  Back and forth.  Away he went down the path.  Jabarri turned his head.  He opened his mouth to speak one last time.  

And there it remained open until the man disappeared around the final bend before the bridge.  

He could still run up to the man and warn him before he fell.  Jabarri took a step in the direction of the bridge. Was it the sleet filling his worn boots that prevented him from moving?  Rainwater dripped down his nose and his breath came out before him in foggy puffs.  

If a blind man could tell that there was a person even when the person made no sound, then surely he could tell that the bridge was out even if no-one told him so!  Of course!  Why hadn’t Jabarri thought of that before?  

Jabarri nodded smartly to himself.  Then he turned on his heel.  He hurried away as fast as he could walk until he reached his hut.  He swung the door open and slammed it behind him.

Meanwhile, Anker teetered on, swinging his cane before him.  His ears instantly caught the sound of the rushing water.  Ah yes!  He had made it to the bridge.  Only half a mile left and he would be home.  Suddenly, his cane hit a rock.  He gasped and stretched his hands out to catch himself, but alas!  The ground had disappeared!

*****

(A meme for good measure)