Part of Erewhon, book 2
First published 2006
Higgs once fled Erewhon by balloon, leaving behind his lover Yram and their unborn child. Now his son John tells the story of his father's dangerous return. Higgs finds Yram again and meets George, the son he never knew. But the Erewhonians have transformed his dramatic escape into religious myth. They worship him as the Sunchild, a divine figure who ascended to heaven. Professors Hanky and Panky, guardians of this new faith called Sunchildism, see the real Higgs as a threat to their power and influence. They plot against him, determined to preserve their version of his legend. Higgs must navigate this treacherous landscape where his very existence undermines the religion built around him. With George's assistance, he manages to evade the professors' schemes and flee back to England. The story explores what happens when a man confronts his own mythology.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, fantasy, 19th-century, alternate-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, Erewhon
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
168 pages · Paperback · Echo Library