Philip Pullman, of the His Dark Materials trilogy, has already made a name for himself among many as anti-religious, whether you think he deserves derision for it or not. And his latest novel, due in stores May 4th, will likely only further cement his religious detractors.
"The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ" tells the story of Jesus and his twin brother, Christ. Pullman, who wanted to comment on "the dual nature of Jesus Christ."
"Parts of it read like a novel, parts like history, and parts like a fairy tale; I wanted it to be like that because it is, among other things, a story about how stories become stories," Pullman explained in a press release.
And if the nature of this book wouldn't get publicity enough, Enhanced Editions and Canongate have released an app for the book, priced at $16.99, that includes the full text of the tale, the audiobook read by Pullman, and more than 20 minutes of interviews with the author. It was released on Palm Sunday, and is available now on iTunes.
Let the controversy, and discussion, begin.