and offering immortality and boundless manna, they are prepared for hostile action. As can be expected, Jesus is accused of being the Antichrist. Such doubts afflict Richard Orme who is the astronaut leading the crewed expedition from Earth. In the penultimate chapter, Orme wavers on his conversion and submission to this Martian Jesus. He then prepares to assassinate the Jesus but throws himself upon a grenade from another assassin so as to save Jesus. In the final chapter, he awakens naked and disoriented to discover that he has been resurrected by Jesus while the world media looked on. Then, Orme reaffirms his commitment and the novel ends abruptly with a sense of the years of impending struggle against the forces of evil. Reception Greg Costikyan reviewed Jesus on Mars in Ares Magazine #1. Costikyan commented that "Jesus on Mars would be brilliant if it were written by a novice; but from Farmer, one expects better things." Reviews Review by Darrell Schweitzer (1979) in Science Fiction Review, November 1979 Review by James Patrick Kelly (1979) in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review, December 1979 Review by George H. Scheetz (1979) in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review, December 1979 Review by Steve Brown (1980) in Heavy Metal, January 1980 Review [French] by Claude Eckerman (1981) in Futurs (2ème série), #3 Review by Joseph Nicholas (1982) in Paperback Inferno, Volume 6, Number 3 Review [German] by Andreas Decker (1984) in Science Fiction Times, November 1984 References Sources Jesus on Mars (paperback, Pinnacle Press, 1979) . This edition is now out of print. Jesus on Mars (paperback, Panther Books, 1982) . It has also been translated in 6 other languages and published abroad. External links 1979 science fiction novels 1979 American novels Novels about ancient astronauts Novels set on Mars Novelistic portrayals of Jesus Novels by Philip José Farmer Religion in science fiction Space exploration novels Fiction about suicide Pinnacle Books books