Advancing on Chaos

by Michael T. Tusa Jr.

A theological clash threatens to mar the yearly Southern Decadence festival in New Orleans.

Reverend Jessie Ray Elder makes a point of annually protesting the LGBT festival. His dogmatic and rigid views have driven his wife, Madeline, away from their Evangelical church. But Elder ignores her advice and remains committed to his cause because he thinks he’s ridding the city of devilish influences.

This year, a rival—the homeless former English professor, Zarathustra the Second—publicly challenges Elder.

As befitting his name, Zarathustra the Second treats Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra as his personal bible. Like his idol, Zarathustra the Second believes God has disappeared and seeks to convince others of this fact.

Elder is outraged when Zarathustra’s antics divert media attention away from his own protest. To add insult to injury, Zarathustra names Elder’s son, Nicholas, as his first apostle. When Zarathustra the Second predicts that New Orleans will be destroyed by a hurricane, both his and Elder’s faith in their beliefs are put to the ultimate test.

In this wickedly funny, thought-provoking novel, no one, religious or secular, is safe from critique.

Genres: Fiction

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2016

Reviews

[Emily]

What an intriguing novel. Advancing on Chaos is filled with theological and philosophical points, with characters that are unique and perfect for representing the New Orleans theme. One of my favorite characters, Rose-maree, was a staple for me throughout the book. She is adventurous and uplifting, especially shown in her ending explaining that when you feel as if you've lost everything and you're about to give up, there's beauty ahead.. You have to keep going. Great read.

[Cathy Brownlee]

Thought-provoking, hilarious and inspirational. Mr. Tusa's well developed characters jump off the page and land in your soul. You can't help but root for Zarathrustra II as he makes his keen observations and unearthly predictions. His understanding of what truly motivates people's behavior is based on his dedication to intense, personal study plus a large helping of humanity. Rose-Maree's character brings levity to balance the heavier philosophical issues Zarathrustra asks the reader to consider. As each character goes through their own self-reflection, the reader can be inspired by their epiphanies. This book was a page turner for me.

[DE Jorgensen]

Philosophic

Advancing on Chaos is well - written. This is not an easy read; it requires thought and attentiveness. It is well worth the effort to read and comprehend. This would be an excellent book to examine for a philosophy class.

[Bonnye Reed]

TheFussyLibrarian

[Barbara]

Fascinating

Just fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know him- or herself better and to know why they believe what they believe.

[Helen Castrucci]

I tried to read this book but gave up after 3 chapters. Not my interest and didn’t draw me into the characters and story.

[Holly]

This is not something I would normally read. It offers interesting & different perspectives of God.

[Carol & Russell]

good book