The Religion War by Julie Mannino is another installment of the Alternate Earth series. It is based on the premise of religious supremacy, specifically Catholicism. What happens when it dominates other faiths?
The Religion War, A Novel of Alternate Earth is set in the continent of Gramoa in modern times. When King Gregory the Second takes the throne of Camaday after his father’s death, he and the rulers of Emaray and Gredoria make Catholicism the only permissible religion. All others are banned and citizens are told they have a certain amount of time to convert. Those that do, or are already Catholic must have a certificate proving this. All places devoted to worship of other religions must be closed down immediately. Artwork, books, or anything related to a different religion, must be given up and destroyed.
Many refuse at first and stubbornly try to continue as normal, thinking the new laws won’t remain in place. This quickly leads to a crackdown and arrests by the Catholic Police. Books are burned. Social media pages are closed down. Children are taken from their parents. The continent slides into famine with farms left unattended and imports halted. Some try to escape entirely, but the borders are closed and travel is greatly restricted. The small country of Eado becomes a refuge for some, since they haven’t enacted any barbaric laws at all, but they are quickly overrun by the other three countries and their King is imprisoned.
Anybody caught breaking the law, which includes Catholics helping non-Catholics, can be arrested and sent to the camps, where they are given the chance to convert. If they don’t, they are eventually worked to death or exterminated in the gas chambers and then burned in crematoriums. Children in the camps are given an option to join the Catholic scouts aimed at molding the youth into what’s now deemed acceptable. If they refuse, they meet the same fate as the adults. No one is spared.
The novel is set from the point of view of three girls during this time. Isadora suffers from an eating disorder and lives in Camaday with her Aunt and Uncle. Worn down and defeated from her own problems that lead to a fight with her family, she is taken to the camps. She has no idea if her Aunt and Uncle, who she never made up with, are still alive or will make it to the end.
Sarah and Maggie live in Emaray as part of a homeless gang where daily survival is already a struggle. They have nobody but themselves and their tiny group of kids trying to get by on the streets. Other gangs are a problem and once the CP are in the city, it only becomes harder to beg or get food, all while trying to avoid arrest. The entire gang is finally taken one night and split up.
All three girls must now try to cope with the dreadful conditions of the camp. They must fight to survive along with their loved ones and keep their faith. Not all will make it. Despite the giant rift between Catholics and non-Catholics, not everyone working in the camps truly believes in the new ways and some try to help the non-Catholics. Isadora, Sarah, and Maggie meet one such man who pays a price in an attempt to save them from certain death, even facing it himself.
This novel is aimed at adult readers of any age. It was inspired from various holocaust books I’ve read, plus the Inquisition and the Crusades, a time when the Catholic Church did rule a great part of world. It’s a tale of people finding the strength to live against impossible odds despite everything they’ve been through already. Holocaust books always inspired me, because even with the terrible events suffered, many still somehow found the strength to live and tell their story, in the hopes that such a thing would never happen again.
Currently, I’m working on a series in the same universe, but set in 1682, called Jack’s Reign. It is not specifically related to The Religion War but King Jack is referenced by a couple of people.
I’d like to thank Authors’ Lounge for the chance to write and publish this article on their site.
The Religion War, A Novel of Alternate Earth is available on Amazon.
Learn more about Julie Mannino’s books on her Goodreads page.
This is a great book. Different than my usual reads. I am glad I took the chance and bought it.