One of the biggest fights mankind has faced is the fight to save the planet. More specifically, the fight to preserve the Earth’s atmosphere and prevent the climate change crisis from getting worse than it already is. There are many ways of looking at the climate crisis itself, whether it is approached from a scientific perspective or a survivalist perspective, the goal is preservation. For some however, the fight is more divine, with many people looking to preserve the planet in service to the faith and belief system of their choosing.
That is the fight which drives a faith-driven hero in author Robert McGuiness’s The Attenuating Puritan. The story finds the titular hero on a journey to heal the Earth, using both faith and a unique power to absorb and take on the environmental, chemical, and drug-induced damages that humankind has inflicted upon the earth. The hero finds himself on a journey across the United States, tackling locations such as Flint Michigan, traveling along the California coast all the way to Burning Man, and balancing the mission he has taken upon himself with the struggles of what it means to be human.
The imagery and very artistic approach to the author’s writing style is very engaging to the readers, drawing the readers in further and further as they become absorbed into the protagonist’s mission. The wide cast of characters which the protagonist meets along the way, including Aura and Newday later on in the book, all helped set the protagonist far and apart from the rest of the world, exploring both the believers that came into his life and the skeptics alike. The exploration of the health effects that would impact him as he took on these missions to heal the planet and the physical and mental impact that it would have on him allows the readers to see the parallels between his journey and the impact that humanity has on the world itself.
While the book has elements of paranormal and urban fantasy with some sci-fi, the book really embodied a mixture of Christian Fiction and environmental thriller storytelling. The themes of climate change, chemical use in everything from food to communion and so much more, and of course the impact that faith can have on a person’s mind and body, all shone brightly throughout this narrative and the evolution that the protagonist went through, as well as his first-person perspective, gives readers a more open connection to the story itself. This is a very creative and original story, and can easily be read in one sitting.
