Most of you will be familiar with Lee Nelson from his many fiction titles, including the Storm Testament series. He has written widely on topics concerning the West and the history of the LDS Church.

A Thousand Souls is a departure for Nelson. In this small book, Nelson relates some of the highlights of his mission call to Germany. Sent to Europe in the 1960's, and given a blessing by Spencer W. Kimball, Nelson begins a two-year journey from uncertainty to a sure testimony of the Gospel.

The title comes from Spencer W. Kimball's blessing, which included a prophecy that he would bring "a thousand souls" to Christ. Given the sparsity of conversions in the German field, this seemed highly unlikely. And with each failure, each slip, Nelson wonders how this vision could possibly come to pass.

After a rocky start, Nelson eventually becomes comfortable with the German language, and finds himself enjoying his mission as he and his various companions explore innovative ways of tracting and presenting the Gospel.

Beneath the text of this book is a surprising ambiguity about the role of deceit in the methods used to open doors. He is taught to begin his conversation by saying he is "taking a survey," when in fact it isn't a survey at all, just a pretext to get in the door. He questions this tactic, but finally pushes his doubts to the background. (Later, when he and a companion engage in a massive program of deceit -- constituting, by the way, a hilarious and highly entertaining narrative of misguided missionary work, in my mind the best part of the book -- he uses as his excuse the idea that deceit was practiced on a smaller scale, why not on a larger scale? Sadly, his Mission President cannot parse this argument, and takes corrective action.)

The characters that populate this story include nuns and a priest, missionaries and their prospects (including some rather distasteful individuals), and mission leaders of all stripes and competencies.

So, does he eventually resolve the "thousand souls" problem? Well, in a way. Frankly, I didn't buy his resolution. Suffice it to say that it sounds a bit as if he tried to fit the facts into his prophetic expectation.

Having never served a mission, I cannot attest to the accuracy of the way Nelson portrays the process. I suspect much of it is accurate. This is tough work, it seems. It requires dedication, stamina and real belief. Falling short on any count can result in a failed mission.

We must get to the end of the book, to the Author's Note, to learn that Nelson isn't at all sure that everything happened exactly as he relates it in the text of the book. He admits that, with the passing of time, sequencing and attribution can be mistaken. But he insists that the broad outline is correct.

As stated, this is a real departure from Nelson's previous works. Thematically, I don't think he's ever done anything like this before. Also, the cosmetic appearance of the book is much better than anything I've ever seen from Council Press (an imprint of CFI). Readers who own any of his previous works will remember the rough appearance of the book covers. "A Thousand Souls" has a slick, thoroughly professional look that previous volumes lacked.

Sadly, one feature of Nelson's writing persists. Homonym confusion is rampant -- "alter" when it should be "altar," "pour" when it should be "pore," etc. Grammatical blunders are also there, including his famous confusion between "I" and "me" that, at least in my own case, causes a jolt whenever I encounter it. And, my most famous rant, the last book of the Bible is "Revelations" on page 111, but he gets it right on page 112.

In previous reviews of Nelson's books, I wondered aloud why a simple editing process isn't performed, to purge the book of such obvious blunders. It seems like such a simple issue. My wonderment remains.

Despite the flaws, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings, laughing out loud in places, scratching my head in others. Nelson terms his work an "autobiographical novel," and should be read as such. It is entertainment, and it works well, although some might feel as if his resolution of the "thousand souls" prophecy is a bit contrived. The price is, I think, a bit steep. Most LDS readers will not be willing to spend nearly 20 bucks for such a book, and will likely wait for the volumes to reach the remainder table.

If you can find a copy, locate a comfortable chair, sit back, and enjoy one of the better missionary tales. I think you'll have a good time with it.

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Jeff Needle
jeff.needle@general.com