"I will atone."
In Michael Grant's Messenger of Fear, every evil action has a consequence. When Mara wakes up alone in a field, though, stripped of memories and barely clinging to her name, all she can think is that this is a dream. What else could explain the boy in morbid clothes, who calls himself Messenger and claims to hold the key to her past? As it turns out, her imagination could never have conjured up a being like the Messenger of Fear, whose life purpose is to determine guilt and innocence and punish the wicked accordingly. He offers his victims a game and a gamble. If they win, they walk free. Should they lose, they'll face their darkest fear. It's a terrifying job, and as Mara is pulled deeper into Messenger's world, she realizes it's one she's faced before. To uncover the horrifying secrets of her past, Mara will have to accept her role as this strange boy's apprentice--and the next Messenger of Fear.
Mara is a strange mind to delve into. The way she expresses herself is unique, her thought processes thought-provoking. Her voice is a mix of social outcast and popular girl that should feel unbelievable yet isn't. As she strives to figure out how she came to be here, what Messenger wants from her, and what she's going to do about it, she begins a subtle shift in character that leaves her inner self untouched. Mara is Mara, and that is that. Except the Mara we get to know is not the only one she's been, and it is her discovery of this and the subsequent internal struggle that reveals who she has been all along.
Interestingly enough, Mara's journey takes place in a setting that can only be described as a kind of dream world. Messenger possesses the ability to take her between eras, locations, and life stories, revealing the most intimate details or glossing over anything he deems unimportant. His fascination with humans is balanced by his occupation, which leads him and his apprentice to several people in need of judgement. Some of these people know they're there, while others are scraps of history used to teach a lesson. These sudden jumps from one time and place to the next are actually quite handy and fit perfectly with the rest of the story.
One of the things Messenger tries to teach Mara is to examine every side of the story. When he shows her the downfall of a girl named Samantha, there is more to the end of a life than mere bullying. Mental illness is in play, and there is the bully to consider. What about her story? What about her family troubles? This novel plays with questions about morality and justice without losing any grip on its plot or premise, balancing them with ease.
Due to the nature of the Messenger of Fear's job, there are more than a few flag-raisers within these pages. Messenger is known to force those he deems wicked to face the things they fear most, no matter how terrible. Those who lose his game don't always make it out with both life and sanity intact. The scenes detailing these losses are rather graphic, and not recommended for readers with sensitive constitutions. And he is not alone. Two coworkers appear here and there throughout the narrative, one of which is quite proud of her likely magical physical allure. While there's no romance, Mara is easily caught up within her spell. There's surprisingly little cursing, though quite a bit of violence. A girl plagued by bullies takes her own life. Messenger toils in service to a theological heptarchy.
I would recommend this book to teenagers looking for a complex morality tale that considers everything that contributes to evil. From bullies to killers to an author with OCD, Mara gets to know the minds of people from all walks of life. She learns about what they've done, why they've done it, and what kind of impact it will leave on the world. In time, the decision about punishments will be left in her hands, as it is in Messenger's now. Mara's depth of character is drawn out by those around her, and vice versa. The setting suits the piece marvelously. However, the violence and lived-through fears are disturbing in their level of detail. Thus Michael Grant's Messenger of Fear deserves four stars.
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