The Second Coming

2013 Longlist

God takes a look at the Earth around the time of the Renaissance and everything looks pretty good – so he takes a holiday. In Heaven-time this is just a week’s fishing trip, but on Earth several hundred years go by. When God returns, he finds all hell has broken loose: world wars, holocausts, famine, capitalism and Christians. Everywhere. There’s only one thing for it. They’re sending the kid back.

JC, reborn, is a struggling musician in New York City, trying to teach the one true commandment: Be Nice! His best chance to win hearts and minds is to enter American Pop Star. But the number one show in America is the unholy creation of a record executive who’s more than a match for the Son of God…Steven Stelfox.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

John Niven was born in Irvine, Ayrshire. He has written for The Times, Independent, Word and FHM among other publications. He is also the author of the novella Music from Big Pink and the novel Kill Your Friends.

Librarian’s Comments

This surprisingly compassionate novel works on a number of levels – questioning, faith, religion, popular celebrity culture – and through humour and shock (especially the use of language) it could well be a parable for the 21st century. The Second Coming is quite a discussion piece and thought provoking.