"Soulsaver
is a full-length version of Stevens-Arce's prize-winning novella of the
same name ... Reminiscent of Frederick Pohl's Mercanter series, Soulsaver
depicts the effects of religious fervor gone mad and the struggles of one
young man trying to decide who and what to believe in. Stevens-Arce's characters
have a distinct Latino voice, and the action is both fast paced and gripping.
Strongly recommended." -- Laurel Bliss, Yale University Library
Copyright © 2000 Cahners Business Information. All
rights reserved.
"Sharp, often outrageous satire ... Stevens-Arce doesn't
shy away from the more spectacular elements of an alternate Christianity
... but there's compassion here as well ... So, like the work of his influence
and mentor, James
Morrow, Soulsaver
is satire with a human heart." -- Faren Miller
Copyright © 2000 Locus
Magazine. All rights reserved.
"A sharp first novel which stands an excellent chance
of being the best English-language SF novel ever to come out of Puerto
Rico ... Stevens-Arce's main target is the kind of televangelical millennialist
fundamentalism which already clogs the airwaves ... Juan's blithe, comically
annoying narrative voice is one of the novel's most delightful rewards
... Stevens-Arce's pyrotechnic ending ... seems emotionally consistent
with the offbeat, goofy spirit of this spirited (literally), original,
and very promising first novel." -- Gary K. Wolfe
Copyright © 2000 Locus
Magazine. All rights reserved.
"James Stevens-Arce's amazingly fine first novel is
funny, frightening and poignant. His dystopian world is meticulously created
and starkly presented. And his tale has more twists and turns than the
back roads of San Juan." -- Mark Graham
Copyright © 2000 Denver
Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved.
Mark Graham's Best
of 2000 picks of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror from The
Denver Rocky Mountain News Book Review Section, January 14, 2001:
Best Book: Neal Barrett, Jr. for Interstate
Dreams
Best Horror Novel: Richard Laymon for Traveling
Vampire Show
Best Science Fiction Novel: Robert J. Sawyer for
Calculating
God
Best Fantasy Novel: Terry Brooks for Ilse
Witch (Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Bk. 1)
Best Novella: Peter S. Beagle for A
Dance with Emilia
Best Novelette: Stephen King for "Riding the
Bullet" (online)
Best Short Story: Neal Barrett, Jr. for "Ginny
Sweethips' Flying Circus" in Perpetuity
Blues and Other Stories
Best Paperback Original: Mike Baker and Martin Greenberg,
eds. for My
Favorite Horror Story
Best First Novel: James Stevens Arce for Soulsaver
Best Single Author Collection: David Morrell for
Black
Evening
Best Anthology: Edward E. Kramer, ed. for Strange
Attraction
Best Non-fiction Book and Best Illustrator: Martin
Kane (author) and Joe Servello (illustrator) for Heavens
Unearthed in Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales
Copyright © 2001 Denver
Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved.
"A witty and thoughtful debut." -- Michael Berry
Copyright © 2000 The
San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Michael Berry's "Tops of 2000" picks of Science
Fiction from The
San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, November 19, 2000:
Philip Pullman, The
Amber Spyglass (Knopf)
Andy Duncan, Beluthahatchie
and Other Stories (Golden Gryphon)
Ed Brubaker, Deadenders:
Stealing the Sun (DC Comics/Vertigo)
Brenda Clough, Doors
of Death and Life (Tor)
Terry Pratchett, The
Fifth Elephant (HarperCollins)
Greg Costikyan, First
Contract (Tor)
James Stevens Arce, Soulsaver
(Harcourt Brace)
Graham Joyce, Indigo
(Pocket)
Peter Straub, Magic
Terror: Seven Tales (Random House)
Kage Baker, Mendoza
in Hollywood (Harcourt Brace)
Warren Ellis, Planetary:
All Over the World and Other Stories (Wildstorm/DC Comics)
Jan Siegel, Prospero's
Children (Del Rey)
Ursula K. Le Guin, The
Telling (Harcourt Brace)
Copyright © 2000 The
San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved.
"One thing I recall from the days when people tried
to teach me manners is: don't bring up religion or politics at a polite
gathering. Well, Stevens-Arce violates this rule all over the place in
this book, and it is such a fine book because of it. Good SF dealing with
politics and religion is mightly hard to find, and when the characters
and the setting just crackle with life as they do here, you've got a real
treat ... [A] real winner. ." -- Michael H. Payne
Copyright © 2000 Michael
H. Payne. All rights reserved.
"Stevens-Arce's first novel ... reflects his witty
style, which establishes [the protagonist's] character in a few short strokes,
then goes on to build a clever, fast-paced, slightly snide satire out of
a dystopian millennial horror story. Soulsaver
crosses a lot of genre lines ... It's a cautionary tale about a fascist
government that literally controls its citizens' souls, but it's also an
uplifting religious treatise about the nature of faith. It covers a lot
of serious ground in a short space, but ... [also] pauses to devolve into
bizarrely wry comedy." -- Tasha Robinson
Copyright © 2000 SciFi.com.
All rights reserved.
"Reanimated corpses, Twin Messiahs, and religious
terrorists are only part of this wild novel set in Puerto Rico in 2099.
Like James
Morrow, the author skewers religion with a satirical but reverent tone
uncommon in fiction these days." -- Dorman T. Shindler
Copyright © 2000 The
Dallas Morning News. All rights reserved.
"Soulsaver
is an entertaining satire on religious fundamentalism. Its future world
under the heel of a theocratic regime is well-developed and well-described,
and you can almost smell the smog that continuously covers the Puerto Rico
of 2099. Stylistically, the author spices up the English narrative with
occasional Spanish phrases, and endows the book with an agility and a devilish
rhythm ... that propel the reader into consuming it in a single sitting.
"The characters' slang and the ubiquitous advertisements
for religious merchandise go a long way toward setting up the book's satirical-Christian-futuristic
framework. Though a comparison to contemporary cyberpunk could be made
(the use of humor and of characters lost in a delirious future), the novel
feels no obligation to confine itself to purely science fictional territory
and if a miracle should be required, then so be it.
"This is in no way an anti-religious novel, but rather
one that presents a skeptical personal vision of religion. From that point
of view, there are no real villains (well, maybe one), and the author makes
no judgments, only offers warnings. In that regard, the book's ending is
filled with a delicious ambiguity which, while refusing to provide an absolutely
clear resolution, does make crystal clear that dictatorships, religious
or otherwise, are ever on the prowl and that only eternal vigilance can
keep us safe from them." -- Pedro Jorge Romero
Copyright © 2000 El
Archivo de Nessus. All rights reserved.
"The year is 2099, and the United States is a fundamentalist
Christian theocracy. The District of Columbia is now the District of Christ;
the White House is occupied by a charismatic religious leader called the
Shepherdess, who delivers messages to her adoring followers via CACNN --
the Christian American Capsule News Network.
"This is the 21st-century America presented by award-winning
science fiction writer James Stevens-Arce in his newest work, Soulsaver.
"The story unfolds in the San Juan Metroplex of Puerto
Rico, now our 52nd state. The water and air pollution there have met our
most dire nightmares ... Overpopulation has reached a point where a family
of fourteen is considered small ... Many try to take the so-called easy
way out, but this can't be allowed in a society where the right to life
has become an obligation to live and suicide is a wormhole straight to
hell.
"Enter the Suicide Prevention Corps of America, for
whom Juan Bautista is employed ... This suicide prevention group is a fascinating
... idea ... The same is true of other aspects of the author's world of
2099 ... from the intriguing (Finland is now part of something called All
the Russias) to the ridiculous (Elvis recently has been canonized).
"The focus of Soulsaver
is ... on the loyal, optimistic Juan Bautista's crisis of faith, a subversive
cult called the New Christers, the Final Days, the Antichrist, etc. ...
[A] realistic, though bizarre, speculation of the future [and] a religious
fantasy-adventure ... Soulsaver
could be just the ticket for some." -- Debbie Dudley
Copyright © 2000 Amarillo
Globe-News. All rights reserved.
"Soulsaver
is a witty, inventive, disturbing satire set in a vastly deteriorated Puerto
Rico in the Year 2099. It is the story of discovery and redemption as told
by 22-year-old Juan Bautista Lorca. Juan is a neophyte Soulsaver Corpsman,
working for the Suicide Prevention Corps of America, under the tutelage
of one Fabiola Muñoz. The details of this job, and the reasons for
its existence, horrify and captivate the reader.
"A miserable place, this futuristic America, controlled
by a hot-bodied oracle called The Shepherdess, who broadcasts divine revelations
and political commands via television from Washington, District of Christ.
Toxic pollution, over-crowding, and relentless poverty afflict most of
the population -- and should one attempt to escape this ghastly environment
by committing suicide, there are always Soulsavers like Juan and Fabiola,
ready and on call to scoop up the remains, cryogenically freeze them, and
haul the body off to the Saint Francis of Assisi Resurrection Center, where
it will be revived and put on trial for the escape attempt.
"The conditions under which the populace must live
in this dystopia must be read to be fully grasped. And The Shepherdess,
along with her sidekick, the burlesque televangelist Reverend Jimmy Divine,
keep the masses controlled and entertained by their constant presence via
high tech means, although there are reports of a heretical 'New Christer'
cult, which she has outlawed.
"In this climate of intrique and deception, Juan comes
to question his previous understanding of his Religion, and to reevalute
all he has been taught to believe. This superb book has elements in common
with those by Aldous
Huxley and Anthony
Burgess.
"Soulsaver
delivers the goods at its outrageous conclusion -- with a quirky, delirious
Boschian atmosphere so often observed in Philip
K. Dick's work. I delighted in the author's arch humor and his appreciation
for irony and the absurd. The characters are sensitively handled, and the
well-wrought action cuts from scene to scene with a boisterous, giddy energy,
reflecting the main character Juan Bautista's naive enthusiasm and youthful
energy.
"Yet the futuristic sci-fi scenery cannot obscure
the very real, compelling message Soulsaver
seeks to deliver: that we must not allow ideology to prevail over the needs
of the people. That even our, at times, pathetic human condition holds
the potential for miracles. We can rise above negative inheritances from
our parents. That we are all agents of, and conduits for, His power, and
recipients of His grace and love.
"While some persons may be offended by the concept
of Jesus's new manifestation as a pair of young twins, the Children, Emma
And Noel, it is poignantly consonant with His comment that, 'Unless you
become as little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.' And best
of all: 'The only one who can save your soul is you.' Call me Sammi Spellbound."
-- Sammi Rutherford,
HorrorAuthors.net
Copyright © 2001 Sammi
Rutherford. All rights reserved.
"Stevens-Arce has created a strange and scary future
which will give anyone pause who has ever questioned the separation of
church and state. Juan Bautista is a refreshingly naive hero who inspires
both laughter and tears. The non-Western setting and Spanglish make a nice
change from the Western, techno-centered future earths of other writers.
Soulsaver
is well worth reading, but be warned: the vision of the future it provides
may well change the reader's viewpoint about politics, religion, and the
need for environmental protection today." -- Susan McDonough Sánchez
Copyright © 2000 Millennium
Science Fiction & Fantasy. All rights reserved.
"Suddenly, I'm afraid for James Stevens-Arce's life.
His novel Soulsaver
delighted me. It had all the things I look for in good science fiction:
wicked social satire, ingenious speculation on what human beings will do
with new technology, and a setting unlike any I have seen before that connects
with reality in a way that makes it all look different when you close the
book and re-enter your day-to-day routine. It makes the brain buzz better
than any crude chemical -- we're talking true mind expansion here. I wonder
why we don't see more books like this?
"Stevens-Arce has created a fine Latino vision of
the future of religion in the'hot' Latin manner rather than the 'cool'
Anglo approach to spirituality. This is a manner that does not separate
the spirit from blood and guts. Purity is lusted after, but achieved through
means like the Spanish Inquisition, Aztec sacrifices, and Santería
rituals. Enlightenment only comes after the virgins bleed.
"Which makes Stevens-Arce's future Puerto-Rico stranger
and more interesting than most of the so-called 'alien' worlds presented
on sci-fi TV shows. His suicide recovery teams, televangelist masked wrestlers,
and gene-manipulated messiahs are in the grand tradition of Hieronymus
Bosch, Goya, Dalí, Buñel, and Jodorowsky. It may seem surrealistic,
but just flipping through the Spanish-language TV networks will reveal
it's closer to the reality we are already living than a lot of folks would
like to think.
"Which is wonderful, but it's also going to blow some
people's minds ...
"Juan Bautista Lorca, the central character of Soulsaver,
labors under his own brand of fanaticism as the book begins. His encounters
with death and resurrection cause a coming of age that is refreshingly
realistic. He experiences doubt, but also grows, never giving in to cynicism,
opening up to a greater truth -- yet he still never quite becomes fully
aware of the absurdities of his world. Despite a happy ending, life and
absurdity go on. Forces manipulating him (and people's beliefs) continue
with their dirty work.
"Just the way they do in our world.
"So how many people [died] in the Holy Land during
Holiday Season 2000? Looks like the holy wars of the 21st century have
just begun. And I'd like to read more books by James Stevens-Arce. Hope
he's watching his back." -- Ernest
Hogan
Copyright © 2001 SciFiNow.com.
All rights reserved.
"In this debut novel set in the closing year of the
21st century, Miami-born author James Stevens-Arce gives us a darkly satirical
look into the future.
"It is 2099 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Juan Bautista
is a young man who drives a FreezVan for the Suicide Prevention Corps of
America with Fabiola Muñoz as his partner. It's the job of the SPCA
to rush the bodies of suicides to the Saint Francis of Assisi Resurrection
Center, where resuscitation is an agonizing process that discourages further
suicide attempts.
"Juan Bautista loves his work and responsibilities,
but wonders why the self-destruction rate continues to rise, overlooking
such problems as pollution. He also notes that Fabiola has turned sour
all of a sudden and wonders if she's a 'New Christer' heretic who believes
in the Twin Messiahs. Indeed, religion is at the forefront of life in 2099,
with the Avenging Angels of the Christian-American nation hunting for Emma
and Noel, who apparently are able to perform miracles.
"The plot, involving even a televangelist called 'Jimmy
Divine,' becomes far more involved than this but remains compelling throughout.
"Stevens-Arce provides a provocative look into a future
that both Christians and non-believers alike will find disturbing."
-- Larry Lawrence
Copyright © 2000 Reporter-News.com.
All rights reserved.
"Provocative and disturbing, both for readers who
regard themselves as Christians and those who do not."