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from Second Coming Monday, October 13, 2003 “Mr. Genet’s theory of everything fits on a T-shirt.” —Physicist mocking Paul Simply by changing his point of view, a famous writer learns how to see all things as one. Should he use this view to save his failing career if it will also end time, destroy free will, and start the Last Judgment? summary | novel Unique Point of View All stories from the beginning until now, whether fiction or nonfiction, assume the world is Many rather than One—except Second Coming. more… What Readers Are Saying “This was one of the most incredible novels I've read in a long time. It was truly hard for me to believe that it was fiction. How can something so evident be fiction? I was so excited about the book, and especially having the opportunity to read it on-line. I've spoken to everyone I know who has a computer. This is a must read.” more… Readers' Special The novel ‘Second Coming’ is based on this short story by Jim Wills Once a week, I go down to the monastery at Qumran to trade grain for pottery jars. I say go down because, although it is only twelve miles from Jerusalem to the shores of the Dead Sea, the road drops 4,000 feet. My trip was routine. I completed my business with the quartermaster and started back to Jerusalem. I stopped for a moment to enjoy the stark beauty of the Dead Sea. The hills of Moab on the opposite shore seemed to dance as heat waves shimmered off the water. Someone shouted my name. I turned. Running toward me was the assistant to the Guardian, spiritual leader of the monastery. more… homepage | read novel online | short story | hidden | symbol | the big idea | feedback In the novel, ‘Second Coming,’ balance is the operating principle of the universe What's the big idea? In a word, balance. Balance is the simplest of all concepts and perhaps the easiest to understand because it is intertwined with every aspect of our lives. We would not exist were it not for balance between the sun's gravitational forces pushing in and its nuclear forces pushing out. We could not walk except for a sense of balance, and if our body fluids get out of balance, we die. We balance our checkbooks, strive to stay on an even keel, and worship the Golden Mean. And, of course, there's Newton's third law: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Is balance everywhere, and in everything, and operating at every level? In the fictional universe of Second Coming, balance is the operating principle. In the real world, science has yet to discover the operating principle. Might the real world and the fictional world of Second Coming be the same? Paul Genet, the main character of the novel, says they are the same. Paul thinks the only difference is point of view: it's all in how you look at it, or, what you look for is what you find. Of course, Paul would be the first to acknowledge that he may be insane.
Approximate Word count = 2082
Approximate Pages = 8.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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