Critique on "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

Want a novel that will make you think? Than Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach, (C) 1977, is the one to pick up. It's basically already summarized for you in the title: this story is about the adventures of a reluctant messiah.

However, this doesn't explain the wondrous implications of the intriguing thought processes this novel will inspire. Questioning reality as fact is a central theme; but not in a negative or evil way. Illusions hopes you'll allow yourself to affect the way you view reality and therefore how its effect is permitted to interact with your perception and emotions about life. It's inspiring, to say the least.

Having an open mind is critical while reading this book. If you have strong religious beliefs (especially about the Messiah), Illusions probably isn't the book for you. In this story, there are two men who come across each other in a field. They fly airplanes for a living. What we discover (on the first page actually) is that one of them is a knowing Messiah who is reluctant to leave this world (or rather plain of existence) until he has learned what he came to learn. However, the man he comes across is also a Messiah, one who has forgotten the way to ascension, as it were. He is even more reluctant to understand that he is a Messiah, whereby creating a larger theme that everyman is the Messiah.

I feel there are larger social implications written in the subtext of Illusions that speak to our materialistic desires of mankind. There is also a very prominent homosexual theme which doesn't take too much digging to understand. Near the conclusion of the book, we are permitted to witness the message without any covering or protection. It is blatantly explained to us about our reality and our beliefs being a matter of choice, which is the central theme. The book explains how choice has truly affected our world, and that we have lost the ability to see this.

The writing style is wonderful as well. Little poems appear through the book, teaching the main character (and ourselves) important life lessons about how to become the Messiah. It's final lesson is truly inspirational (and I'm sorry, but I won't ruin that lesson for you...). I do recommend this book for everyone. It's an easy read, short and simple without complex sentences and ideas (unless you feel your faith is being questioned of course).