Mysterion, June 2024

“The Beacon, the Swamp, and the Sacrifice” by Joshua Lampkins

Reviewed by Seraph

Is faith unchanging and eternal, or just a contemporaneous coincidence of superstition? Regardless of what you or I or anyone else may think the answer is, the question is one that resonates throughout human history. Perhaps even more than that, however, is the question of whether that faith will be rewarded. The former question has shaped significant pieces of history, while the latter question is one of the most pertinent and relevant in any critical approach to faith. The primary voice in the story is a somewhat hapless priest, far into the future when humanity has colonized the stars. Honored with the task of carrying and planting a beacon that will spread the Word to the depths of space, he sets off into the deep swamps to find the exact spot where it needs to be planted. Unsurprisingly, nothing goes quite as planned. It’s hard at points to tell whether the story presents as satire or not, given how badly things go for the priest. The writing is fairly straightforward, and plenty of time is given to develop the primary voice, but the way it is put together leaves you wondering until the end just what point the author is trying to make. Thankfully, just at the end, all is made clear. In some stories, this is undesirable, but if such questions are to be posed in the story, it is good that an answer is given so clearly.