Matt Kelly fell in love with Anna Damiani from almost the first time he saw her but her stepfather, real estate mogul Carl Barrett thought he wasn't good for her. He forced Anna to break up with Matt in high school but when they met up in Princeton they started seeing each other again until her alcoholism drove them apart. He went on to become a teacher in Harlem and she drank her way around the world until she joined the Imperium Luminis, dried out and turned her life around.
Anna visits Matt to ask him to join a sect that is a part of the Catholic Church. The order actively recruits wealthy members and helps the poor and the sick. Carl contacts David because he believes that the Imperium Luminis is a cult that he wants to free Anna from them and get her deprogrammed. From his own research, David agrees with Anna's stepfather and pretends to join the organization in order to spirit Anna away from them. It is when Matt sees what good the order does for people he begins to have doubts about his role in Anna's life.
EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a powerful, compelling and illuminating tale about real people searching for answers in an indifferent, at times, dangerous world. The author questions, through the actions of his protagonist, whether the end justifies the means. Readers start to wonder what is the difference between a cult and an organized religious sect. Neither question is answered in this novel but by raising them it makes this work of psychological suspense an outstanding reading experience.
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- kidnap/rescue
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Religious overtones?
Yes
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- cult
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
