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Towing Jehovah
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Wikipedia article
'Towing Jehovah' is a 1994 fantasy novel by American writer James K. Morrow, published by Harcourt Brace.[http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-25/news/ls-19576_1_towing-jehovah BOOK REVIEW / NOVEL : Wild, Witty Yarn About the Death of God], by Michael Harris; published July 25, 1994; retrieved May 27, 2015 The book is about the death of God and the subsequent towing of his body across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1995 it received the World Fantasy Award for best novel, with two additional best novel awards. It was followed by two sequels in 1996 and 1999.
Synopsis
God is dead, and now God's two-mile-long cadaver is floating in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Africa. As a result, the archangel Raphael hires supertanker captain Anthony Van Horne to tow the cadaver into the Arctic, with the intention of having it be preserved by the cold.
Reception
'Towing Jehovah' won the 1995 World Fantasy Award for best novel,[http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/awardslist.html World Fantasy Award: Award Winners & Nominees] , at WorldFantasy.org; last updated November 2014; retrieved May 27, 2015 and was nominated for the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Novel[http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1995-hugo-awards/ 1995 Hugo Awards], at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved May 27, 2015 and the 1995 Nebula Award for Best Novel,[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1995.html The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Nebula Awards] , at 'Locus'; retrieved May 27, 2015 shortlisted for the 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award,[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Clarke1995.html The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award], at 'Locus'; retrieved May 27, 2015 and ranked second for the 1995 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus1995.html The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Locus Awards] at 'Locus'; retrieved May 27, 2015 As well, the French translation, 'Remorquant Jehovah', won the 1996 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for best foreign-language novel.[http://gpi.noosfere.org/1996.php GPI - Palmars 1996], at GPI.noosfere.org; retrieved May 27, 2015
Jo Walton has described it as "brilliant but weird", and "terrific",[http://www.tor.com/2011/08/07/hugo-nominees-1995/ Revisiting the Hugos Hugo Nominees: 1995], by Jo Walton, at Tor.com; published August 7, 2011; retrieved May 27, 2015 while Steven H Silver has called it "interesting" and "intriguing", and commended Morrow's skill as a religious satirist, but criticized him for the quality of his satires of non-religious topics, saying that "[w]hen he turns his attention to satirizing other aspects of society, [Morrow] tends to fling his darts at random."[http://www.stevenhsilver.com/morrow.html James Morrow: Towing Jehovah], by Steven H Silver, at the SF Site; published no later than January 10, 1997 (date of earliest version on archive.org); retrieved May 27, 2015
The 'Chicago Tribune' praised Morrow for his "light-handed sense of satire", and said that "('Towing Jehovah's) title alone is enough to send your imagination racing off into the cosmos."[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-07-31/entertainment/9407310060_1_anthony-van-horne-corpse-atheists-and-humanists Fantasy Meets Theology In James Morrow's 'Towing Jehovah'], by David E. Jones, in the 'Chicago Tribune'; published July 31, 1994; retrieved May 27, 2015 The 'Los Angeles Times' compared it to the works of Kurt Vonnegut, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Shakespeare, and Cecil B. DeMille, but stated that the novel was "buoyant" for the same reason that it is "ultimately, a little disappointing": namely, "Morrow doesn't care as much [as Vonnegut]".
Sequels
A sequel, 'Blameless in Abaddon', was published in 1996,[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/15/books/science-fiction.html Science Fiction], by Gerard Jonas, in 'the New York Times'; published September 15, 1996; retrieved May 27, 2015 and a second sequel, 'The Eternal Footman', was published in 1999.[http://www.stevenhsilver.com/footman.html THE ETERNAL FOOTMAN by James Morrow], , by Steven H Silver, at the SF Site; published no later than January 18, 2000 (date of earliest version on archive.org); retrieved May 27, 2015
References
Category:World Fantasy Award for Best Novel-winning works
Category:Fiction about God
Category:1994 novels
Category:Religion in science fiction
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