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Hanged for the Few

James T. Carpenter
CreateSpace (2011)
ISBN 9781461040040
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/12)

“Silence swept through the tavern as the five soldiers entered and began passing among the crowd.  A flaming torch thrust through a noose was emblazoned on each soldier’s chest plate.  The mark of Merkvor.  Billor glanced at his dinner companion whose eyes followed the soldiers’ every move and whose face paled as the soldiers stopped in front of their table.” (p.1)

The soldiers were there for Billor, and they proceeded to escort him back to King Merkvor.  Once there, Billor realizes that he is in the company of four others, each of whom brings different backgrounds to the table.  Merkvor reveals to them that the reason that they are all assembled before him, is that he wants them to find Weslin.  Weslin is the major city of Flandism.  Merkvor wants to find the city so that his army can destroy it.  Billor, a former Flandit, is appointed by Merkvor to be the group’s leader for this mission.

From here, Carpenter’s novel takes the reader on an adventurous journey in the exploration of humanity and religion.  The different religion names take some getting used to in the beginning, but once you get further into the book it is easy to keep them straight.  Billor is interchangeably referred to as both Billor and as “a former Flandit”.  At first, I kept wondering why, once we were already introduced to him and his link to Flandism, the author kept referring to him in that manner.  I soon understood that was so much of a part of his identity that it made sense.

One thing that I wanted to point out is that there is a handy glossary at the end of the book, which thoroughly describes all of the different religions, events, and other significant terms used in the book.  I did not come across this reference area until the end of the book, but wished that I had known about it sooner.  It would have come in handy as I was trying to decipher what all of the different groups were in the beginning of the novel.

“Hanged for the Few” is a unique fantasy novel focusing strongly on theology.  Although, a work of fiction, “Hanged for the Few” is a book that will truly make you think, as the rigidity of certain religions is brought to the forefront.  Carpenter looks at the subsequent falling away from these religions as a result of this.  As you watch the struggles of the main character, you can’t help but look at your own beliefs. 

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