Fiction, fantasy, adventure, philosophy, (even mental health)
This is not a book that is likely to be found on a school 'religion' shelf. Far from it. God's Children is a story of romance and adventure, sci-fi and philosophy. And, perhaps surprisingly, it is just as much for those interested in mental health as they might be in fantasy adventure or even romance!
God's Children is packed with great characters, heroism, love, caring, compassion and inspiration. It will have you laughing out loud on one page and reaching for the tissues on the next. You will groan with indignation and then nod at the uncomfortably familiar feeling of political intrigue and hypocrisy. It is a novel that challenges the philosophies of prejudice and society values, turning conventional understanding on its head, but does it in a way that will have a popular appeal to almost everyone.
God's Children is premised on the tried and tested 'alternate universe' theme, Without giving too much away, our hero, Marcus Churchill is a regular guy in his mid-twenties who lives with his sister in a city in NW England which feels familar and yet not familiar. And though Marcus may be a 'regular guy' in HIS world, OUR civilisation would have been a significantly hard place to understand.
But in his own world, Marcus is respected and valued, strong, independent and a natural, though unassuming leader. He is also shy and witty. with a great sense of fair play and justice - qualities that attract the attentions of an otherwise mismatched girl, Holly, who is a bit like a 'Lara Croft' or 'Prudence Fairweather' character. With help from their small, but rather quirky band of friends, Marcus and Holly save the World and fall in love.
God's Children explores the challenging topic of how society treats its minority groups, wrapping issues of race, colour and disability into the storyline in a subtle and totally novel, yet highly entertaining way.