Ultimate Sin
Ultimum Judicium: The Last Judgment follows a prophet living in a civilization that has fallen who has been chosen by God to lead the survivors on an odyssey to a place of redemption while battling his own inner demons. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The current state of the world is the basis for what prompted me to explore a future doomsday scenario in my novel—a warning, maybe? There is more anger and disagreement than I’ve ever before seen or read, leading to fighting and rioting that could ultimately lead to the end of civilization—or so it did in my book.
Ultimum Judicium is a novel exploring the classic concept of good versus evil. Growing up as a Roman Catholic, and that being the largest formal religion in the world, I adopted that Christian perspective for this book. The basis for most end-of-world stories seems to be rooted in themes of good vs evil, focusing on exorcism and demonic possession governed by Catholicism. The priest I created was ordained by God, the good, and is tempted by Satan, the evil. Here, I gave him a weakness in his attraction and passion for women—an ultimate sin for a priest. The story follows the Christian Bible’s Revelation. It is the journey to Armageddon—the last battle between good and evil.
I find the world you created in this novel is haunting and full of possibilities, with both light and dark elements. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
The future I invented occurred 200 years after all governments of the world had fallen. A reader must try to envision exactly what a world would be like after so many years without laws or any civilization whatsoever. It would likely be a horror show. We can realize this with certainty after reading about the hairline fractures of civilization called wars that history has documented so clearly. In all wars, we saw the extreme brutality of humanity.
Once I committed to embracing that reality—one of extreme brutality—I found I had created a very different place. So, I contrasted the wickedness of such viciousness with love and kindness. Hence, I gave birth to three loving romances to counteract the savagery. Also, most of the characters within the stronghold, including the Manhig, or Leader, are good and caring people, except for the few bad ones.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
My book, Ultimum Judicium: The Last Judgment, explored good vs evil in a broken world. However, it also shows the resilience of men and women in such times. As with war, it shows humanity’s ability to overcome and survive. And ultimately, love will defeat hatred.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
At the end of this book, the characters judged as good went to a place some theologians refer to as the Millennial Kingdom of Saints from the book of Revelation. The evil went to be with Satan, locked in the pits of Hell for the same millennium period.
At the last minute, before this book went to publication, I removed the Aftermath written for the book. It thoroughly explained the actual places each character went and what they planned to give closure to the story.
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Since the dawn of humanity, people had always survived. Cultures fell, but new ones continually emerged and thrived. Humans fought wars, but they kept rebuilding after the destruction. That pattern changed in the future—everything did.
There were predictions and warnings—both spoken and written—but no one paid attention to them. As the ominous signs grew, still, no one obeyed. The unrighteous one kept everyone from seeing what was coming, even though it was obvious; he cast veils over their eyes. Not long after the final recorded year of 2040 AD, humanity faced a worldwide economic disaster of catastrophic proportions following years of street riots. Over time, human moral transgressions led to the collapse of societies worldwide. Countries turned against each other as the world became a wicked and ungodly place. More than two centuries after the last civilization fell, people lost the ability to speak—their capacity to verbalize had ended years earlier. Our future became our past—one marked by brutality and barbarism.
Guided by angels, a prophet chosen by God leads His remaining followers on an odyssey to a place of redemption. Anointed as Manhig, or Leader, he and his armies of male and female warriors are the only hope of preserving some form of civilization, where everyone must obey the laws or be forever banished into the now-wild wastelands of the countryside, overrun with destructive intruders.
Attracted to a feisty woman he cannot have and tempted by the young and beautiful, captivating yet sharp-witted and brilliant General Helen, the manhig wrestles with his inner demons—his inability to resist the lures of Satan regarding women. If he succumbs, the way of life he spent years cultivating will unfold—all will be lost.
The manhig leads his warriors and people from one temporary stronghold to another for defense in an otherwise shattered world—a place now dominated by hordes of unhuman beings: evil cannibalistic beasts, demons, and other mutations—created centuries earlier by the science of that long-ago era. Now living in a surreal culture, while following strange laws, customs, rituals, and practices, and speaking a vernacular of the future, the manhig commands his warriors while battling these creatures alongside many evil humans: thieves, wicked gangs, slave traders, and other nefarious characters who roam the wilderness as the followers journey toward a confrontation between good and evil—the last battle before God’s judgment.
The strongholds—an attempt by the manhig to provide some form of civilization to battle-weary warriors—taverns and bars for his followers to eat, drink, and socialize. They are also a haven of temptation from the evil one. Adultery—forbidden by law by the leader—manifests within those walls of protection as the end draws near.
Posted on September 13, 2025, in Interviews and tagged Action & Adventure Literary Fiction, author, book, book recommendations, book review, Book Reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, David Navarria, ebook, fiction, goodreads, indie author, kindle, kobo, literature, mystery, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, Romance Literary Fiction, story, suspense, thriller, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Ultimum Judicium The Last Judgment, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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