In The Accountant’s Apprentice III: Apocalypse In Our Time by Dennis M. Clausen, the director of a homeless shelter sees subtle changes in the community around him, changes that are both worrisome and bizarre—portending a change to the world beyond human understanding.
The story of Justin Moore, director of a homeless shelter in San Diego, continues. In the previous books in the series, he has met individuals who seem to be not quite of this world. A.C., a mysterious man in a wheelchair who played an important role earlier in the trilogy, is gone as of the third book, but his wheelchair is now being used by another man— seemingly catatonic and with no name. This man is known only as “Levi” by the staff at the bus depot where he was found, but Justin finds there is something more to him beneath the surface. Levi seems to have certain things in common with A.C., but with unique abilities. Justin is warned by a woman that the man he knows as Levi may be dangerous, but is he? And who is she, anyway?
So many questions are raised, and Justin has few if any answers. In the previous book, he saw a demonic army gathering on the horizon. Was that real? A.C. had given Justin a limited ability to see the future, and a horrifying promise of things to come:
“No one else saw what I saw that day. They only saw the huge, monstrous tsunami wave approaching from the west and engulfing the Mission Beach Pier. They did not see the demonic army forming on the horizon and threatening every living thing on the shore.
“… A. C. did what he said he would do. He used me as his camera to see present events—but also future possibilities. What I saw on the pier was not only a vision of the tidal wave that was approaching from the west. It was a vision of the future and the demonic forces of pure evil that were aligned against all life on the planet Earth.”
Apocalypse in Our Time gives us a peek into the future— or perhaps a peek into our own minds. A story of the world coming of age, so to speak, with menace on the horizon and possible salvation, if such a thing can exist.
As this story continues, the narrative becomes deeply intriguing. The beginning reintroduces readers to the setting and characters, and once this final part of the series begins in earnest it gives us a sense of wonder and mystery, while at the same time the alarming scenario escalates around Justin. The intensifying plot echoes through well-fleshed-out characters like Angelina, a young girl living in the homeless shelter, fascinated by Shakespeare and his works, who explores her own unique abilities—and connection with Levi.
End of the world, or something more? That is left to the reader to decide. Certainly, after the events that the characters see and experience, the world—and they—will never be the same. Dennis Clausen’s third work in his trilogy is both ephemeral and thoughtful, making the reader wonder about the end of the world well after the end of the book.
