Judge (The Books of the Infinite series, Book 2) by R.J. Larson

The story continues! 

Judge is the second book in the Books of the Infinite 3-book series (or trilogy), and picks up where the last book leaves off, with the exception of time having passed by. We follow Kien, a character from the last book, as he embarks on a journey to a disobedient people, led by the Infinite. His mission is merely to warn the people to turn from their wicked ways and seek repentance from the Creator.

Kien does not deem himself worthy of such a command, as such a mission could only be accomplished by the Infinite’s chosen prophet, such as Ela of Parne. Or so it would seem, as the Infinite finds every one of His servants worthy to carry out His message.

Ela is also sent on a similar mission. However, her travels bring her back to her home of origin. Parne has been found unfaithful to their creator, and is to suffer judgment. She must warn her family of the coming siege, and help them escape. However, along the way, Ela must also continue to deliver the Infinite’s messages, as well expecting to die soon.

“A silver-haired prophet has failed.” Ela knows that all of Parne’s truest prophets died young, very young. Every time Ela is within reach of the darkest hour, she believes it is her time to leave the world. And yet, her time is not yet complete, for Kien continuously appears to rescue her.

This book allows a bit more romance to blossom, and the way the author brings it to play is great. However, how could it possibly be the Infinite’s will for Ela to fall in love (or marry) if she is soon to die? Ela’s feelings for Kien do not diminish. As a matter of fact, they grow more intense. Of course, Kien can never stop thinking about Ela. She did turn down his proposal in the previous book (aka, spoiler alert).

Like the previous book, the author brings in several Biblical points that can be related. For instance, Kien’s obedience to the Infinite can be equated to Jonah’s rebellion towards God when sent to Nineveh. And we can equate Ela’s sister dying, and her not mourning, to Ezekiel’s wife dying, and him not being allowed to mourn. This sends a message to the people, showing/telling them how the Infinite feels about their unfaithfulness.

My mother seems to think that this book had too much fighting in it, but that was the best part, I think. Aside of sitting on the edge of my seat because there was a romance budding, I was engrossed in the battle scenes. The author brought these parts to life, and this helped quicken the slow starting pace.

Judge is the second book in the Books of the Infinite series, which means the story is coming to a close. R.J. Larson knows how to bring Biblical elements to fiction. Reading this book definitely opened my eyes during a rough time in my life, so I happily say that it is a must read.