Pilgrims

By: M. R. Leonard

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Justin Thomas James, Gary Furlong, Annie Ellicott

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Latin was a dead language—until the aliens arrived.

Out-of-work Latin teacher and borderline alcoholic Austin DeSantis is determined to spend his final days in the arms of a prostitute—that is if the aliens don’t exterminate humanity first.

But when the aliens land at the Vatican, begin speaking Latin, and reveal themselves to be Catholic, the world turns upside down.

Pressed into service as a translator and thrust into the center of humanity's first contact with a cryptic alien race, Austin must uncover their true intentions before religious turmoil rips the planet apart. But with Austin caught between the Catholic Church, the US military, and an enigmatic alien AI, he'll have to decide where his loyalties lie as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

PILGRIMS is a sci-fi retelling of Augustine's Confessions, mixing a high-concept premise à la Children of Time with the ceaseless pacing and rich characterization of Red Rising.

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©2024 Blue Castle Press (P)2024 Soundbooth Theater

Inspiring for Christians

I have been a huge fan of Jeff Hayes for several years, so when he posted this new release I grabbed it immediately. As expected, he was great! In this story he delivers a wider range of emotions that usual, particularly with sadness and crying. Gary Furlong had a longer part than usual and was also terrific. I have had mixed experiences with Justin Thomas James’ work, but he too was terrific. Annie Ellicot is always great too, but this time she had a bit part.

I liked the story but did t love it. The poly is solid, the characters varied. There are moral dilemmas aplenty, and the protagonist goes through the emotional ringer multiple times. The problem for me is that he became annoying about halfway through.

There is a tremendous emphasis on religion, particularly on Catholicism. That should be expected based on the description, but it is even more of a component than I anticipated. Not being the most pious Catholic I liked it but eventually found it to be a bit much. Admittedly, that is on me, but if there are others who are not Christians or who also are not terribly devout practicing folks then be aware that the emphasis of religion is significant in this story. For those who are devout, you may truly live this story.

Excellent character development!

One of the best books I have ever read. The character development is excellent, along with the storytelling. It’s a very interesting story, and worth a read or listen. It will keep your attention the entire time and you will not want to put the book down. It’s clear an enormous amount of time and energy was put into writing this book. Great job MR Leonard.

Great story, Jeff hays and crew nailing it as always

I really enjoyed it, the story was fun, complex yet very engaging. I hope we get the next one soon seems this could be a great one for a series.