The Doomsday Factor

This is a small story trying to be a big one. A man and boy try to fight the ultimate evil residing in a monkey that has traveled into deep space and back. On the surface it is similar to other sci-fi/horror stories like the movies Event Horizon or The Abyss. Instead of lots of death and horror, the two main characters receive visions that warn them of impending doom.

In this story the author chose to incorporate LDS (Mormon) theology into a sci-fi story. It is an interesting concept, but has difficulty in execution. If the reader is unfamiliar with Mormonism, they have to read through boring pages explaining it. If you are familiar with Mormonism, you have to read through boring pages explaining it. In other words, the author falls into the same trap as Tim LaHaye's Left Behind Series, where there are pages of preaching or doctrinal dissertation. The multiple transitions between the preaching and the story loses the reader and makes the story choppy and difficult.

I am all for using LDS/Mormon or religious characters in a sci-fi story. I even think using doctrinal concepts to explain sci-fi events is interesting. Few writers are able to do it well. One good example is Search for Fierra (Empyrion series) by Stephen R. Lawhead (not Mormon), although it has been a few years since I read it. I liked his incorporation of religious ideas.

Book Rating: 1 star for effort. I never did finish this book.