There is an entire subgenre of Mormon fiction dedicated to fantastic stories centered around Book of Mormon lands and peoples. While Chris Heimerdinger's Tennis Shoes books are the best known, there are a number of other books in the category. List member Thom Duncan has written at least one in Moroni Smith in the Land of Zarahemla.

The book revolves around an expedition to Central America led by a BYU professor that disappears without a trace after only a few days. The Church Special Projects Division, led by Moroni Smith (no relation) and populated by Orrin Porter Rockwell VII (direct descendent) and tech-wizard Gadget Gunderson, is called in to do a low-profile search and rescue. The original expedition had found evidence that the ancient Book of Mormon city of Zarahemla might still exist somewhere in the jungle, but transmissions were cut off abruptly before the location of the city was pinpointed.

The story follows Moroni Smith and friends as they go to Central America to find the lost expedition. Like Indiana Jones, Moroni Smith and crew deal with those who would either conceal or control the powers granted to men by god. When they are forced to crash land in the jungle by followers of the noted anti-Mormon crusader, Reverend Deil, the chase is on through the ruins of ancient civilizations and into the heart of the city of Zarahemla itself.

The book is a fun, adventurous romp through Book of Mormon landscapes, and was an entertaining read. Each chapter ends on a mini cliff-hanger and the movement is quick, the action non-stop, and the Mormon in-jokes and artifacts in strong abundance. It is written for a young adult audience, but it goes straight at a number of issues, including questions of faith and proof, proper use of power and authority (including the priesthood), and responsibility to the truth. An enjoyable read.

Unlike Chris Heimerdinger's books, Moroni Smith in the Land of Zarahemla did not enjoy widespread success with Mormon YA audiences. There were three things about the book that contributed to that, in my opinion.

First, the cover on this book may be the worst art in the history of publishing (sorry, Thom). The premise is interesting enough, but the cover is absolutely hideous, and I think that may have had more negative effect on sellability than any other factor.

Second, the author has a tendency to talk down to the audience just a bit. Not so much overexplaining simple details or filling in background facts, it's more a matter of tone and useage. I felt like the author was not just poking fun at the characters and situations, but at the reader as well, and that came off as just a bit odd.

Third, the story features a detail that really made me nervous. Moroni Smith and crew are members of the Church Special Projects Division, a super-secret group that goes around doing things that the general membership never hears about -- such as verifying the real existence of Zarahemla. Maybe it's just me, but the idea of a special ops group -- aka dirty tricks division -- of the Church strikes me as eerily close to a secret combination or Danite conspiracy. It also play directly into the propoganda pushed by many opponents of the church -- that there are things going on in the halls of power that we aren't being told about.

It was a small thing intended only to set up the existence of Moroni Smith's intrepid band, but the idea was powerful enough that it overwhelmed a lot of what came after for me. I would far rather have seen a wealthy benefactor or a publically funded organization than a secret group created and maintained by the Church. It just felt strange.

My only real quibble with the book other than these small issues was the way the bad buy was resolved. In the end, the evil Reverend Deil was really just the unwitting pawn of Satan himself, possessed by demon spirits and driven to acts of evil. It made for a nice climactic scene, but it left me feeling a bit cheated. The possession of Reverend Deil seemed almost to suggest that there is no such thing as real evil among people, only the direct or indirect power of Satan. And perhaps that's philosophically defensible. But it always takes a little wind out of the story when we find out it wasn't really his fault. Or at least it does for me.

This is a fun story that deserved better attention than it got. Sure, I have a few quibbles, but I have quibbles with everything I read. And in this particular case, it was quibbles of philosophy, not craft. If you can find a copy, read it. It's a good clean romp with its tongue planted firmly in cheek, but that still manages to raise some real issues of spirituality, proof of the divine, and human nature.

It may be available in electronic form. Contact the author for more information. Hopefully Thom will supply that information for us.

Scott Parkin
sparkin@itsnet.com