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Proud to share that one of our own picked up an AML Award this past weekend. The citation:
Mario R. Montani. “Y no preguntes mas . . .” Irreantum 17:2. In Spanish. English translation, “So Ask no More . . .“, translated by Gabriel González.
Mario R. Montani’s “Y no preguntas mas . . .” is an extraordinary work of speculative fiction. Hailing back to C.S. Lewis’s masterpiece, The Screwtape Letters, Montani introduces readers to Amaliel: one of those who followed Lucifer in opposition to the Father’s plan of salvation. As a member of the “punishing brethren” Amaliel is tasked with destroying the marriage of a young couple—Pablo and Eliza—who have recently experienced a miscarriage. To his utter surprise, his attempts fail as he begins to feel the intensity of feeling that these mortals have for one another and the child they have lost, and Amaliel finds himself doubting the master plan of “Brother Lucifer” and aching, instead, to join the cause of Christ.
Montani’s tale of this wavering soul winds itself to an astonishing conclusion, and offers a genuinely fresh take on issues related to the plan of salvation, the fall of Adam and Eve, and the depth and breadth of hope the atonement of Jesus Christ provides even the most sinful of sinners. Through Amaliel’s singular voice, readers will recognize the range of intense emotion that accompanies the requirements of that most common religious experience: repentance. At its core, “Y no preguntas mas . . .” is a contemporary offering of everlasting hope for one sincerely seeking a mighty change of heart. It is glorious.
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