Written in a witty, smartass first person, this is a novel with some depth, but also unrealized potential. The message is occasionally heavy handed, which can be off-putting but there’s enough humor to bring the reader back into the story. The author does a great job of keeping the reader interested but about three quarters of the way through one begins to wonder where the story is going, the answer quite sadly being nowhere. The main character seems to have achieved no growth from the beginning of the book to the end. Certainly things happen to the characters but most conflicts are handled with a hand wave and seem to bring few consequences later in the story. Nonetheless, Ray Cass draws you in and makes the readers ask themselves what they would do in a similar situation.
The character of Jesus is handled rather beautifully. He’s a caricature of himself, but knowingly and with a hint of laughter about it the whole time. The reader is treated to an ideal Jesus, the Jesus you would hope to meet in such a situation, warm and gentle and ineffable.
The concept of COME AGAIN is unique but it lacks in execution. It’s a fun read and worth the time, but don’t expect a typical story that really moves forward.
Reviewed by Deleva Stanley for IndieReader.