Forcing the Hand of God

Yunnan Province, China, 1943... Two men wage an intellectual war over a timeworn chessboard, a metaphor for the conflict that rages in the skies above. The young, handsome Army pilot seethes against the violent forces of a hostile world, angry that his bombs and bullets cannot vanquish the enemy who threatens all his values. His opponent, the older, world-wise man of the cloth dispatched long ago to this dreary, distant outpost, offers divine guidance: "You can't force the hand of God." Such advice is wasted on Major Rodger Brown, who has never been one to simply accept fate--not since the terrible night of his childhood when another evil penetrated his world, forcing a good man to flee for his life. A helpless boy then, Rodger grew to be a man who vowed to change the course of injustice--even if it meant using the lethal power he learned to wield both above the clouds and in the boxing ring.

Jacquie Ream has taught creative writing and authored a number of books and short stories. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband.