Review: The Sin Collector: Thomas by Jessica Fortunato

Releasing July 20th, 2012!

This is the first time I've been given the privilege of reviewing something before it is released. So, I am really excited about this one. To put this review in context, some time ago, I was given the distinct pleasure to meet a fantastic writer named Jessica Fortunato. She gave me the opportunity to read her new release "The Sin  Collector"  I was blown away! Literally absorbed into the story of Liliana, a sin collector from birth. Sin Collectors spend their long lives absorbing the sins of the recently departed so that they can rest in peace in death. That book was fantastic and I became a fan.


One of the characters in that book is Thomas. When Jessica Fortunato took votes on her website as to which character from "The Sin Collector" her fans would most like to see in the next piece, Thomas won hands down. 601 votes baby! I voted for him. 


So today, I get to tell you about the the newest installment in "The Sin Collector" saga, a short story about Thomas called "The Sin Collector: Thomas." I feel kind of gushy about this story because I loved it a lot!
Here is a description of the story from Ms.Fortunato's website

"Thomas has taken vows.  As an immortal, he is impervious to harm on the battlefield.  As a Collector, he alone can take away the sins of the fallen and allow them to move peacefully into the next life.    
    But valor never comes without sacrifice. 
  
Far away from combat is his home, and her name is Lucy. Lucy is a human and frail from the explosion that nearly took her life, but Thomas’s duty pulls him from her before she can recover. His letters are his only connection to her, and to her caretaker, Thomas’s best friend Emmilina. 

Thomas has gone to War for his God and for honor but there is an even more personal mission that drives him.  
    He will find other Collectors, and tell them the secrets he has learned. "


I love stories that will carry me away and get me so wrapped up in what is going on that I forget that I am reading a story. Fortunato has done this for me. "The Sin Collector" was a fantastic book, but I feel that in "Thomas" she has created a depth of character that made me feel deeply for the situations portrayed. Thomas is a a much fuller person in my mind now, with a fascinating story all his own. 


Setting the story during a war was a stroke of brilliance on Fortunato's part. The backdrop of a war created many themes in this story that resonated for me. Especially the theme of being self-serving versus being self-sacrificing. 


I am trying to be very careful not to talk about anything that is not apparent from reading the description. I don't want to give away this brilliant story. I will say that I would, without anyone twisting my arm, give this story 5 stars. It is brilliant and shows a skill in short story writing that amazes me. Novel writing and short story writing are not the same. They are both equally as difficult to do. I have done both. Sometimes, novel writing is easier. But Jessica Fortunato has succeeded in writing a short story that I am still thinking about. It's ending was magnificent. I'm still thinking about it!

If you have not read "The Sin Collector" , I would suggest that you pick that up, then on July 20th, 2012, I would pick up "The Sin Collector: Thomas" These are a great set of stories from a fabulous writer. When you read them, you will know what I'm talking about. Thanks Jessica for a great story that  I will be thinking about and rereading for some time. 

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