Messiah
Gore Vidal
Penguin Classics (1998)
In Collection
#748
0*
Satire, Science Fiction
Cults - Fiction, Cults/ Fiction, Satire, Science Fiction, Suicide/ Religious Aspects/ Fiction
Paperback 9780141180397
English
When John Cave, a mortician by trade, appears on television to declare that death is infinitely preferable to life, he sparks a religious movement that quickly leaves Christianity and most of Islam in the dust. Aided by a relentless public-relations campaign and supported by a "theology" whipped into existence by a historian besotted with love for one of Cave's alluring disciples, Cave's message proves irresistible. Things really start to get out of hand, however, when the notion of "voluntary death" creeps into the doctrine and the world's population is invited to depart from life in "pleasant establishments". A deft and daring blend of satire and prophecy first published in 1954, Messiah eerily anticipates the excesses of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and "Do", the guru of Heaven's Gate.
Product Details
LoC Classification PS3543.I26 .M47 1998
LoC Control Number 98215970
Dewey 813.54
Cover Price $15.00
No. of Pages 256
Height x Width 7.9 x 5.0  inch
Personal Details
Read It Yes
Links Library of Congress