Rating: 
Summary: The Most Complex Addition to the Trilogy
Review: "The Eternal Footman," the final book in James Morrow's Jehovah Trilogy, serves as an interesting capstone to the series. It's much different from the other books; not so much about psychology or philosophy, it's more a re-telling of the tale outlined in The Book of Revelation, although with an obvious Morrow twist. As such, it might not appeal to the same kinds of readers that the other two books attracted, but "Footman" is in no way a lesser book because of it.Years after the trial at The Hague, God's body disassembled itself piece by piece, His intestines swimming through the ocean like a gigantic snake and His skull sits in geosynchronous orbit over Times Square. The Vatican rents His skull for advertisers, so people are treated to Microsoft and Coca-Cola ads 24/7. But, it causes other problems as well... In Nora's struggle and the development of the Temple in Mexico, Morrow reveals the ultimate philosophical lesson in his Jehovah Trilogy: that human value should not be created by external things, even God. It's what Nietzsche referred to as the "metaphysics of the hangman," and is echoed by those who claim that if there is no God, there is no point in living. That is what the plague victims seem to think, and that is what the Antichrist seeks to capitalize on. It is also what God wants humans to grow beyond. It's the ultimate religious/existential lesson, one that Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and even Heidegger stressed in their works. It is also one of the most complex philosophical concepts to communicate, and Morrow manages to do it in one novel (actually, the setup was there through all the books). Old characters are brought back, and new ones introduced. Like "Blameless," "Footman" is a walk in the forest to read, pleasant and dense without being oppressive. Morrow again finds the correct mix of story and philosophy by which to tell his tale, and by so doing weaves as juicy and delicious a narrative for which one could ask. "Footman" is much heavier than his other works, and is not simply the tongue-in-cheek satire of the first two volumes. ...
Rating:
Summary: The Most Complex Addition to the Trilogy
Review: "The Eternal Footman," the final book in James Morrow's Jehovah Trilogy, serves as an interesting capstone to the series. It's much different from the other books; not so much about psychology or philosophy, it's more a re-telling of the tale outlined in The Book of Revelation, although with an obvious Morrow twist. As such, it might not appeal to the same kinds of readers that the other two books attracted, but "Footman" is in no way a lesser book because of it. Years after the trial at The Hague, God's body disassembled itself piece by piece, His intestines swimming through the ocean like a gigantic snake and His skull sits in geosynchronous orbit over Times Square. The Vatican rents His skull for advertisers, so people are treated to Microsoft and Coca-Cola ads 24/7. But, it causes other problems as well... In Nora's struggle and the development of the Temple in Mexico, Morrow reveals the ultimate philosophical lesson in his Jehovah Trilogy: that human value should not be created by external things, even God. It's what Nietzsche referred to as the "metaphysics of the hangman," and is echoed by those who claim that if there is no God, there is no point in living. That is what the plague victims seem to think, and that is what the Antichrist seeks to capitalize on. It is also what God wants humans to grow beyond. It's the ultimate religious/existential lesson, one that Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and even Heidegger stressed in their works. It is also one of the most complex philosophical concepts to communicate, and Morrow manages to do it in one novel (actually, the setup was there through all the books). Old characters are brought back, and new ones introduced. Like "Blameless," "Footman" is a walk in the forest to read, pleasant and dense without being oppressive. Morrow again finds the correct mix of story and philosophy by which to tell his tale, and by so doing weaves as juicy and delicious a narrative for which one could ask. "Footman" is much heavier than his other works, and is not simply the tongue-in-cheek satire of the first two volumes. ...
Rating: 
Summary: I loved the cover...
Review: After the first two books of this trilogy, The Eternal Footman was somewhat a let down. I think it strayed too far away from the dead body of God, and went to far into this post-apocolypitic-plague plot. I find the idea of a two mile long body of God and it's effect on people made for more interesting stories.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the 3!
Review: As with the other 2 books in this trilogy, I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this last book, which was the most nontheism-in-action. "Abbadon" got a bit bogged down in the philosophical for my tastes, whereas this book had a straightforward narrative with few forays into the philosophy. The Corpus Dei now the malevolent Craneo Dei, hovers over the book like a wraith. The struggles of Gerard and Nora compelled me to find out how it would end. And bringing back Anthony Van Horne and Cassie Fowler caused this reader to smile. There are a couple of "Rowlingesque" touches in this book. Naming Nora's fetch "Goneril" was a wonderful stroke, and the scene with God's Entrails was literate South Park. I howled intermittently through this book (which was a problem as I read it at my cubicle at work). Also the visions of the future were hopeful and refreshing. I liked that there was commentary about today's big issues. One thing that's unfortunate, but I'll mention it. This book was written before 9/11. I wonder how Morrow's future work will alter its course after the disaster. Coming up with a post-organized religion way of life, as well as a postcorporate world is becoming more and more urgent. Possibly even emergent. I couldn't help but think about 9/11 through the trilogy, perhaps inevitably because the towers were prominent in "Towing Jehovah" as the Valparaiso passed them on its way out to sea.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the 3!
Review: As with the other 2 books in this trilogy, I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this last book, which was the most nontheism-in-action. "Abbadon" got a bit bogged down in the philosophical for my tastes, whereas this book had a straightforward narrative with few forays into the philosophy. The Corpus Dei now the malevolent Craneo Dei, hovers over the book like a wraith. The struggles of Gerard and Nora compelled me to find out how it would end. And bringing back Anthony Van Horne and Cassie Fowler caused this reader to smile. There are a couple of "Rowlingesque" touches in this book. Naming Nora's fetch "Goneril" was a wonderful stroke, and the scene with God's Entrails was literate South Park. I howled intermittently through this book (which was a problem as I read it at my cubicle at work). Also the visions of the future were hopeful and refreshing. I liked that there was commentary about today's big issues. One thing that's unfortunate, but I'll mention it. This book was written before 9/11. I wonder how Morrow's future work will alter its course after the disaster. Coming up with a post-organized religion way of life, as well as a postcorporate world is becoming more and more urgent. Possibly even emergent. I couldn't help but think about 9/11 through the trilogy, perhaps inevitably because the towers were prominent in "Towing Jehovah" as the Valparaiso passed them on its way out to sea.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent work from an excellent writer.
Review: For some reason no one would buy me this book. I asked for it for Christmas, my birthday (Jan 16), and my anniversary (Jan 20), and finally had to buy it myself. It was worth the wait. If you haven't figured it out by now, this is book three. You don't have to read the other two books(Towing Jehovah & Blameless in Abaddon), but go ahead, they're very good. Set over a few years in the early 21st century, it tells how Western Civilization learns (or fails to learn) to cope with the death of God, who willed his own death shortly before Towing Jehovah began. As is usual with James Morrow, the characters are well thought out and stay true to themselves. There's a little action and a little sex, and lot's of differing philosophies competing for the top of the list. There is a lot of humor, as well as sadness, and Morrow has never flinched from killing a character. This book is not for everyone. If you like Kurt Vonnegut or that guy who wrote A Canticle for Liebowitz, get this book. But be prepared, the future can look pretty bleak sometimes. What else would you expect from the author of The Wine of Violence, The City of Truth, The Continent of Lies, and This is the Way the World Ends?
Rating: 
Summary: My Profane Comedy
Review: I conceived my Godhead Cycle as a trilogy in the old-fashioned sense: three different takes on the same theme, as opposed to one long story chopped into three volumes. While I did supply an overarching narrative and some continuing characters, each novel tells a self-contained story. I think you can read them out of order without getting lost. Readers laboring under budget and time constraints may wish to start with the volume that sounds the most intriguing... "Towing Jehovah" serves up a meditation on morality. If people knew for a fact that God had absconded, would they turn into hedonists? Or are we a better species than that? "Blameless in Abaddon" is a modern-dress retelling of Job's rant on the ash heap. It's for readers who, like me, are obsessed with the seeming contradiction at the center of our culture. If God is good, why do the innocent suffer? "The Eternal Footman" presents my vision of a "post-theistic" world. I tried to imagine Western civilization coping with God's decision to make us shed our dependence on him. (Therese Littleton, whoever you are, I must salute you. For me, your review really captures the spirit of this book.) I'm told one can map my Profane Comedy onto Dante's Divine Comedy. With its glimpses of a qualified Utopia, "Footman" becomes the "Paradiso." Focusing on issues of sin and punishment, "Towing" is the "Purgatorio." And "Abaddon" is another word for Hell. But, hey, that doesn't exactly sound like an invitation to a party, does it? Let me hasten to add that, in the opinion of many readers, these books are also funny and diverting. Dante is funnier and more diverting, but he doesn't give out his e-mail address.
Rating:
Summary: More serious, less fun
Review: I really had a hard time coming to a rating for this book. On the one hand, of the three books in the series, this is certainly the deepest and the most serious. It's also the least fun of the three. This isn't to say it's a bad book. Quite the contrary, it is a very good book, in the same sense that bran flakes constitute a very good breakfast item. Or, perhaps, that analogy goes too far, as the book does have more than its share of quirky humor. It's just that the humor is almost exclusively in the form of gallows humor and the overarching sense of gloom is not at all abated by it. To be fair, though, it IS a book about the problems of dealing with mortality in a post-theistic world. I don't doubt that it's a rather tall order to ask that Mr. Morrow tackle that issue and make it an enjoyable read at the same time. Certainly, he gave it the old college try. And believe me, I really WANT to like this book more than I did. It's a very smart book and it is also very well written. But, try as I might, I couldn't like it as much as I think that, perhaps, I ought to. I can't shake the feeling that I am the one who failed to rise to the standards of the book and not the other way around. As such, I give it a four. If I were to rate it on my feelings for it, I would give it a three; if I were to rate it in terms of intellectual stimulation, it would merit a five; thus, four seems a reasonable compromise. Now pardon me while I dig out my copy of Blameless again.
Rating:
Summary: The Jehovah Cycle is Complete
Review: In the final installment of the Godhead Trilogy, the corpse of God destroys itself in a spectacular display, hurling the Divine Skull into geosynchronous orbit over the East Coast of the United States. The Western world falls into chaos as the populace is seized by a plague of "death awareness." This horrible disease begins when a person is possessed by his "fetch," a demonic alter ego who causes the unlucky patient to gradually waste away. The young widow Nora Burkhart, desperate to find a cure for her stricken son, travels across America (which now resembles Europe in the Dark Ages) to Mexico, where the Church of Earthly Affirmation is rumored to have a cure for the illness. Once there, she meets Gerard Korty, a renowned sculptor once patronized by the Catholic Church who now creates graven images for the mysterious cult. Does the Church really have a cure? Will humanity survive the plague? Do the fetches have an agenda beyond the murder of their hosts? Although a very good read, The Eternal Footman is perhaps the least of the trilogy. Maybe it's because this book doesn't have quite the "biblical proportion" that its predecessors had. It's hard to compete with the Death of God and the Trial of God. Still, it raises some interesting questions, and speculates about what a world without God might ultimately look like. All in all, I highly recommend this entertaining and educational trilogy. James Morrow is truly a master of satirical fantasy, and I for one look forward to his future offerings. John C. Snider, Editor ...
Rating:
Summary: After great sadness, a sudden stillness comes...
Review: James Morrow has a formidable reputation among fantasists. This is the man who's willing to take on the Old Testament (Bible Stories For Adults), the idea that lying is better than telling the truth (City of Truth), the atom bomb (This is the Way the World Ends), and even God Himself (Towing Jehovah and Blameless in Abaddon). It's my pleasure to report that James Morrow's deepseated grief and anger with how unpleasant people, and philosophy, can be to other people is still alive and well (unlike, of course, God, in this third book of a trilogy). There are a few familiar faces from Morrow's other work that turn up in this book- both friendly and not so friendly. The book is surprising- and at the risk of spoilering slightly, it's unlikely that you will anticipate the ending-- though it is impossible to imagine the book (and the trilogy) ending any other way. A truly wonderful book, from a truly questioning mind. Mark Twain would be proud.
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