I admit I was a bit late to the party as far as being a fan of Brian Keene. Not that I didn't like him, but until recent years, I'd never read any of his work. I'd heard a lot of good things; I'd just never gotten around to it. When I finally did get a chance to read some of his work, it was a religious-themed novella titled Take the Long Way Home, and it lived up to everything I'd heard about him.
So when I received an email from the guys over at Biting Dog Press about a Brian Keene novella they were putting out in special edition, I was definitely looking forward to it. Ironically enough this novella, The Resurrection and The Life, is also religiously themed, which you might be able to guess from the title. I say "ironically" because while I've read several of his other works and religion seems to often play a part in the story, both of these are very strongly based in the dogma of the Christian religion... and they're both getting reviewed by the pagan girl. Sorry, that just gives me a little chuckle.
But on to important things! The Resurrection and The Life features some pretty recognizable characters, one of which, the demon Ob, Keene fans will remember from The Rising. The main character is probably the most recognizable figure in the world: Jesus Christ. That's right... Keene has taken a well-known story from the Bible, that of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and given it his own horrific twist.
The good news is, though Ob is a recurring character from some of Keene's other works, you don't have to have read them to follow this story. And you don't need to be religious either. In fact, it might be better if you're not. Deeply devout fans may be put off by some of the things that take place in the story. Not that Keene is at all disrespectful of Christianity. Without having met the man, I'd wager he's probably a religious man himself, if not a church-goer. The fact that religion plays such a large role in several of his books, and how knowledgeable he is about it, makes it seem like it's something that's very much a part of his life.
In The Resurrection and The Life Keene tells the story of Jesus and his disciples, who have been chased out of Jerusalem on charges of blasphemy and have set up camp on the banks of the Jordon river just over the border to Judea. While Jesus teaches and spreads the word of God there, a messenger comes to tell him his friend Lazarus has become sick. By the time Jesus reaches the home of Lazarus and his sisters back in Jerusalem, Lazarus has been dead several days.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!