Towing Jehovah

1994 fantasy novel by James K. Morrow

Towing Jehovah is a 1994 fantasy novel by American writer James K. Morrow, published by Harcourt Brace.[1] The book is about the death of God and the subsequent towing of his body across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1995 it received the World Fantasy Award for best novel, with two additional best novel awards. It was followed by two sequels in 1996 and 1999.

## Synopsis

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God is dead, and now God's two-mile-long cadaver is floating in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Africa. Supertanker captain Anthony Van Horne meet the Archangel Raphael after taking a ritual bath in the Cux Cloister fountain of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Raphael hires Van Horne to tow the cadaver into the Arctic, with the intention of having it be preserved by the cold.

## Reception

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Towing Jehovah won the 1995 World Fantasy Award for best novel,[2] and was nominated for the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Novel[3] and the 1995 Nebula Award for Best Novel,[4] shortlisted for the 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award,[5] and ranked second for the 1995 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[6] As well, the French translation, En remorquant Jehovah, won the 1996 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for best foreign-language novel.[7]

Jo Walton has described it as "brilliant but weird", and "terrific",[8] while Steven H Silver has called it "interesting" and "intriguing", and commended Morrow's skill as a religious satirist, but criticized him for the quality of his satires of non-religious topics, saying that "[w]hen he turns his attention to satirizing other aspects of society, [Morrow] tends to fling his darts at random."[9]

The Chicago Tribune praised Morrow for his "light-handed sense of satire", and said that "(Towing Jehovah's) title alone is enough to send your imagination racing off into the cosmos."[10] The Los Angeles Times compared it to the works of Kurt Vonnegut, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Shakespeare, and Cecil B. DeMille, but stated that the novel was "buoyant" for the same reason that it is "ultimately, a little disappointing": namely, "Morrow doesn't care as much [as Vonnegut]".[1]

## Sequels

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A sequel, Blameless in Abaddon, was published in 1996,[11] and a second sequel, The Eternal Footman, was published in 1999.[12]

## References

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1. ^ a b BOOK REVIEW / NOVEL : Wild, Witty Yarn About the Death of God, by Michael Harris; published July 25, 1994; retrieved May 27, 2015
2. ^ World Fantasy Award: Award Winners & Nominees Archived 2000-08-18 at the Wayback Machine, at WorldFantasy.org; last updated November 2014; retrieved May 27, 2015
3. ^ 1995 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved May 27, 2015
4. ^ The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Nebula Awards Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, at Locus; retrieved May 27, 2015
5. ^ The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award, at Locus; retrieved May 27, 2015
6. ^ The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1995 Locus Awards Archived 2005-11-20 at the Wayback Machine at Locus; retrieved May 27, 2015
7. ^ GPI - Palmarès 1996, at GPI.noosfere.org; retrieved May 27, 2015
8. ^ Revisiting the Hugos — Hugo Nominees: 1995, by Jo Walton, at Tor.com; published August 7, 2011; retrieved May 27, 2015
9. ^ James Morrow: Towing Jehovah, by Steven H Silver, at the SF Site; published no later than January 10, 1997 (date of earliest version on archive.org); retrieved May 27, 2015
10. ^ Fantasy Meets Theology In James Morrow's 'Towing Jehovah', by David E. Jones, in the Chicago Tribune; published July 31, 1994; retrieved May 27, 2015
11. ^ Science Fiction, by Gerard Jonas, in the New York Times; published September 15, 1996; retrieved May 27, 2015
12. ^ THE ETERNAL FOOTMAN by James Morrow, by Steven H Silver, at the SF Site; published no later than January 18, 2000 (date of earliest version on archive.org); retrieved May 27, 2015

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World Fantasy Award—Novel

1970s|

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1980s|

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1990s|

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* Only Begotten Daughter by James K. Morrow / Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner (1991)
* Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon (1992)
* Last Call by Tim Powers (1993)
* Glimpses by Lewis Shiner (1994)
* Towing Jehovah by James K. Morrow (1995)
* The Prestige by Christopher Priest (1996)
* Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack (1997)
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* The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich (1999)

2000s|

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* The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford / Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (2009)

2010s|

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2020s|

* Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender (2020)
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* The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (2024)

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