MH - Mr. Blue

Well, speaking as we were a couple of days ago about Catholic literature, this was bound to catch my eye - a post from Bill Cork over at Ut Unum Sint on a book recommendation that he got from Amy Welborn. Nothing like giving credit to two bloggers in one post! Don't feel bad, Bill - I'd never heard of it either.

But doesn't Mr. Blue sound interesting? Especially the story-within-a-story. And prescient, as well. I remarked to Bill that it reminded me, in its structure, of some of the novels of Paul Auster (understanding that the subtext of Auster's books is not religious). But now that I think of it, it also reminds me of the early novels of D. Keith Mano (which all have religious undercurrents and themes of redemption), especially The Bridge. It's out of print now, but here's a blurb from the jacket cover, describing this story of "the last man on earth:"

The year is 2035. For over forty years the Ecologists have had their wayand the killing by man of any living things has been outlawed. Insects, fish, plants, and animals abound, in fact run rampant, revered by all but a few such as Dominick Priest. Priest still believes in the primacy of man. In this adventure story of the future, D. Keith Mano demonstrates once again his concern as a novelist with the situation about to arise, the problem as yet unforeseen, the solution not yet quite arrived at. The Bridge tells the story of Dominick Priest's adventures, in a world that may come to be.

But even this description doesn't do the actual book justice.

What do you think - Amy, Bill?