Replication

November 21, 2011
Christy winner Williamson (By Darkness Hid) disappoints in her newest outing in the small yet vital subcategory of Christian speculative fiction. Abby Goyer’s
father is a new employee of Jason Farms, located at a remote Alaskan site, and 17-year-old Abby is the new kid at Fishhook High, fending off the unwanted attentions of star quarterback J.D. Kane. J.D. bears a confusing and eerie resemblance to Martyr, a boy whom Abby meets after he escapes from Jason Farms, hoping to see the sky before he is scheduled to expire. The dystopian premise of human engineering is familiar (Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go, made into a haunting film, is a recent iteration); in Williamson’s hands, its interpretation becomes overladen with Christian meaning. “Martyr” is one elbow to the ribs clue, a youth pastor is a second-tier hero in the action, and Martyr is immediately drawn to the Bible as a book to read. As a naïve archetype, Martyr is inconsistent; he knows some things from contemporary human culture but not others. Evangelical Christians may like it, but it won’t work outside that audience. Ages 13–up. Agent: Amanda Luedeke. (Jan.)■

December 15, 2011
An imaginative science-fiction premise and a well-drawn, affecting character struggle to overcome heavy-handed religious proselytizing in this uneven suspense tale. A mad, unethical scientist, assisted by sane, unethical scientists, runs a secret underground facility that experiments on boys who are clones of the mad scientist. The boys face death at age 18, believing that they will be fulfilling their "purpose" of saving mankind. The aptly named Martyr would like to see the sky before he dies. When the scientists refuse his last wish, Martyr escapes, eventually teaming up with Abby, the daughter of one of the scientists, to fight the evil Dr. Kane (read "Cain"). Abby, as a committed Christian, tries to save, both religiously and literally, her new friend. In Martyr, Williamson creates a standout character. His complete innocence, perfect sincerity and humorous misunderstandings of the modern world easily endear him to readers. Far less successful, the one-dimensional Abby blends in with standard-issue young heroine types. The author pushes her political views into the story, describing one highly stereotypical character as a "liberal extremist" when he supports embryonic stem-cell research. This complements her portrayal of the scientists, who apparently don't view the matured clones as truly human. Suspense scenes become difficult to follow as she frequently jumps from one scene to another. However, Martyr's final action gives readers an uplifting and important lesson. For committed conservative Christian audiences. (Christian science fiction. 12 & up)

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