James K. Morrow (born March 17, 1947) is an American author, mainly known for his works of religious satire (though he does tackle other topics as well, such as science fiction). His most well-known work is likely the novel Towing Jehovah, in which God dies and his two-mile long body, discovered floating in the Atlantic, is towed to the Arctic by a supertanker to be preserved.
Notable Works by James Morrow
- The "Godhead" trilogy
- Towing Jehovah, mentioned above, is the first in the series. The novel focuses on how the various characters deal with the fact of God's death and what that means for the world and their lives.
- Blameless In Abaddon is the next in the series, featuring different characters. A small town lawyer, after suffering many hardships in life, finally snaps and decides to sue God. The resulting trial, including a defense lawyer for God resembling a parody C.S. Lewis, is an extended discussion of "theodicy" (i.e. the problem of evil), with various biblical figures such as Jesus and the Devil making appearances.
- The Eternal Footman is the conclusion to the series, in which a plague of "Death Awareness" sweeps the globe.
- Bible Stories For Adults, a compilation of short stories.
- This Is the Way the World Ends, a novel set after a nuclear holocaust in which the survivors are put on trial by "the Unadmitted", or those who would have existed had the protagonist never signed away his complicity of the nuclear arms race that lead to the apocalypse.
- Only Begotten Daughter is about the modern-day Second Coming of Christ...but the new messiah turns out to be a woman, among many other inverted stereotypes.
- City of Truth, about a world where no one ever lies. This becomes a problem for the main character when his son contracts a deadly illness and he must lie to give his son hope.
- Shambling Towards Hiroshima, an alternate history that combines World War II history and Godzilla / Kaiju mythology.
