Book 3 of the masters reading list is “The Martyred” by Richard Kim. I’ll start with saying that I’m glad I read it. I’ve been looking for some non-Western authors, and Kim’s writing style is solid and his characters relatable. It was also great to read about the Korean War from a Korean perspective.
The story follows a professor turned army intelligence officer, Captain Lee, as he is forced to investigate the Communists’ murder of twelve Christian ministers after the invasion of Pyongyang.
His chief officer, Colonel Chang, wants to use the murders as propaganda to raise the spirits of the devastated city by turning the ministers into martyrs.
Lee embarks on a mission to find out whether the ministers were indeed martyred for their faith or not, and what he uncovers throws him into the tumultuous questions of whether it’s more important to tell the truth, or allow the masses to think as they like, and the power of faith and belief over the power of reality.
I really enjoyed Lee’s war experiences, and the devastating heartbreak of watching what happens to all the people he interacts with and the end of the book. However, the whole plot line of the martyrs, while important, was pretty convoluted, and not the good who-dunnit variety. Kim spends most of the plot dangling the notions of Christianity and faith in the reader’s face without Captain Lee ever coming to any sort of conclusion about it, and as a reader, I found that frustrating.
With that said, “The Martyred” was a good read and if you’re looking for a modern classic, I’d definitely recommend it.
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