A stunning 5-star journey through a world both eerily familiar and brilliantly reimagined
Peter DeHaan’s The Next High Priest series delivers that rare reading experience where you find yourself constantly pausing to think, “What if our world actually worked this way?” Set in a reality that mirrors our own with crucial, thought-provoking differences, DeHaan crafts a speculative masterpiece that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page.
A mirror-world that makes you question your own
DeHaan presents us with a society that feels immediately recognizable (the same high school struggles, technology, and social structures we know) but with alternative religious and political systems that feel shockingly plausible. What makes this parallel reality so compelling isn’t how fantastical it is, but rather how believable it seems. The differences from our world aren’t rooted in magic or impossible technology, but in divergent theological choices and institutions that make you wonder: could our reality develop this way under different circumstances?
A protagonist worth following
At the heart of this series is our protagonist’s challenging journey. Without spoiling the specifics, I can say that DeHaan doesn’t shy away from putting his main character through genuinely difficult trials that test not just her physical endurance but her moral and spiritual resolve.
Religion thoughtfully reimagined
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the series is its portrayal of religion. DeHaan reimagines religious institutions and practices in ways that are simultaneously familiar and startlingly different. The book’s religion is not window dressing or simplistic good-versus-evil; it’s a complex human institution with profound impacts on individuals and societies.
My only complaint? I wanted more.
My only complaint about the series is that each book feels somewhat brief. While this certainly speaks to DeHaan’s ability to create an addictive reading experience, I would have welcomed longer individual books.
DeHaan has created something special here: a series that entertains while simultaneously challenging readers to question theological assumptions. This series demonstrates how speculative fiction can be one of literature’s most powerful tools for examining our own reality.