First Second Coming is a farcical fantasy novel that ponders whether or not humanity can ever truly put aside religious divisions enough to achieve peace. A cantankerous and uncouth being, known as NTG, is being forced into retirement from his job as God of Earth. NTG is rendezvousing with his fresh-faced and ambitious replacement at an intergalactic transit center, complete with a cloud-thread couch and a moonrock side table. The new guy has his hands full with a violence-filled Earth and the rampant overuse of its natural resources. So the new God gives the people of Earth an ultimatum. If they can’t stop the violence, they will face complete annihilation.
An original concept indeed, Jeff Pollak manages to ruffle the feathers of more than a few religious groups in this quirky fantasy novel. With a world so attached to technology and eager to follow any celebrity, it’s only a little ironic that God chooses to communicate with people via a TV show. However, the tongue in cheek humor subsides as the story focuses primarily on Bren and Ram, the TV anchors, as they try to guide humanity on a path to religious tolerance and manage to find true love along the way. What actually happens is a whole lot of violent attacks as people defend their cherished beliefs with a terroristic fervor. Humanity certainly proves themselves worthy of wrath as threats, ambushes and gunshots abound in this wry novel. Religion turns into politics while the fate of mankind rests in the hands of a couple of journalists. Innovative, irreverent and ultimately thought-provoking, First Second Coming is a slightly futuristic romance/fantasy imbued with a sense of wit and wonder.
