theological-exploration

The chapter 'Preamble' serves as a comprehensive collection of critical praise and reviews for James Morrow's body of work, highlighting his unique blend of satire, theological insight, and speculative fiction. It emphasizes Morrow's reputation as a sharp satirist and moralist who tackles complex themes such as violence, religion, technology, and human nature through inventive and often darkly humorous narratives.

In this chapter, humanity encounters mysterious 'angels' at sacred sites, prompting the discovery of an advanced space-drive in the Gobi desert that enables intergalactic travel. A selected crew aboard the spaceship Pilgrim Crusader ventures through a distorted dimension, is captured by alien beings called the Group-ones, and escapes to a planet known as 'God's World,' where an alien civilization exists partially in reality and partially in a 'Heaven.' The protagonist Amy Dove uncovers that the Group-ones may not be hostile and that the heavenly realm conceals a profound danger.