The best way to describe The Sons of God is a peace treaty in the war between science and religion.
The Sons of God
by J.C.C. Brown-
Genesis tells us that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. But how did this actually occur? J.C.C. Brown’s utterly original novel attempts to answer this question with philosophical insight and imagination. Recalling C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra and the great Hero Journey myths, this primeval adventure explores the origins of mankind in fresh and exhilarating ways.
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Truly good novels help us to see moral and practical life with fresh eyes, just by telling a good story. Rarely, a novel achieves a quite different feat: it sheds light on matters more transcendent— but still at the center of human concern— by telling a good story. The Sons of God does precisely this. It is a well-paced, compelling narrative, shaped by a Catholic and philosophically formed imagination. Through the story, your mind’s attention will be turned to the origin of man, and to man’s relationship with God, and come to a deeper and more vivid understanding of these mysteries.
A Long Time Coming
I first came up with the idea for The Sons of God nearly ten years ago, reading an Edward Feser article in the Rome airport on my honeymoon. The story was developed three years later on a road trip with my brother, and it was another three years before the first draft was finished in 2021. It's been a long journey to make this book a reality.
It has been two full generations since authors like Walter M. Miller, Flannery O'Connor, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien were writing intelligent, meaningful fiction steeped in Christian intellectual tradition. A goal of mine has been very much to contribute to this field, updated with modern themes and scientific discoveries. The articles linked on this page discuss some of the themes I have attempted to incorporate into this first novel. Please take a look!
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The Story
In the Paleolithic world, hunting is the measure of a man, and Ruakh is not yet a man. He knows it, his family knows it, and worst of all, his father knows it. But in a desperate attempt to prove himself, Ruakh accidentally kills his own uncle with a misjudged spear throw. Fearing punishment from his elders, he runs away.
In this self-imposed exile, Ruakh meets a strange girl whose behavior seems almost animal. Having been warned about “wild men,” dangerous creatures who seem human but have no minds or souls, he considers killing her, but before the spear leaves his hand, she utters a single word. But was it a word or merely a sound? Ruakh names her “Sparrow” and follows her.
Ruakh and Sparrow are soon captured by monstrous, strange-looking men, and taken to a village called “Henoch.” They are thrown into a cage filled with other creatures who, like Sparrow, seem wild, unable to speak or reason. Ruakh is soon taken before Sar Rasah, the leader of the village. Sar Rasah has a prisoner named Enos, who he claims is guarding the secret to everlasting life. In exchange for his own life, Sar Rasah demands Ruakh visit Enos and pry the secret from him.
Enos is not what Ruakh expected. He tells Ruakh of the “breath of Eyl,” passed down through some human bloodlines, granting the ability to speak and reason. Along with another prisoner named Hili, Enos and Ruakh escape from Henoch. Sar Rasah and his monstrous soldiers are soon in close pursuit. Forced to defend himself and his friends, Ruakh finds his skill as a hunter as Enos leads them down a strange ravine, where they are delivered by forces Ruakh does not understand.
After their escape, the biblical and scientific accounts of human origins come together as Enos’ father Set tells a tale of the “breath of Eyl” spreading throughout the human race for generations, gradually turning wild men into knowing men.
Wiser and humbler than he left, Ruakh returns to his own family to accept judgment.
Related Articles
Rationality
One of the major themes of The Sons of God is the idea of rationality as the defining aspect of humanity.
Neanderthals and Nephilim
I've tried to remain faithful to both the biblical and scientific accounts of human origins. Here's one way I went about it...