People, mostly literary agents, ask me, “Hank, how do you claim your novel Echoes isn’t religious when you’ve got thirteen Jesuses right there in the first sentence.”
I answer, “Because the novel is about how people misuse religion (particularly with war, terrorism and general violence) and other institutions due to our (nearly universal) fear of death.
The main “villain” of Echoes is a supernatural entity who arrives on Earth in Ezekiel’s Biblical “spaceship” and falsely claims to be the historical Jesus. I named him Jesus II as if he were a movie sequel. Jesus II, although phony, has impressive powers. He moves historical events and people into the present. He can also raise the dead (which he does in abundance such that a worldwide population crisis ensues).
Because I wish to de-emphasize villainy in my novel’s text, I’ve created several graphics to represent the villains. Jesus II, slave traders and terrorists are represented there.
Throughout the novel, Jesus II choses the novel’s protagonist Audrey. He also duels with actual and historical Jesus of Nazareth who is one of the resurrected. Jesus of Nazareth is represented by just one graphic, the Lord’s Prayer press release.
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