Born Again

 BORN AGAIN, an historical fantasy combining biographical/cultural fact with character-rich fiction. For history buffs, this presents the real world as it evolves from the thirteenth to the twentieth century; for fans of magical realism, this story teases the idea of a selfish, malevolent spirit traveling through time.

The novel traces the successive reincarnations of a 13th century Scottish bastard son of an innocent girl and her lecherous bishop. The sins of Malcolm Murray's father are visited upon him in the form of physical deformity, making him shunned by his society. Malcolm, although ordained as a priest, becomes an unrepentant sexual predator devoted to the cult of Dionysus. He believes that after his death, he will, like Dionysus, live again. In fact, he "returns" as Diego De Herrera, an Augustinian friar in the 1870s doing missionary work in the Philippines where he becomes convinced that the only way to convert and save the natives is through stern and even cruel self-inflicted punishment. At his death, he expects the reward of heaven, but is instead reborn as Josef Goebbels in 1930s Germany. It is as Goebbels that, through arcane texts, he comes to consciously realize his rebirths, and he uses this knowledge to justify his own excesses.

All three of the characters are historical figures living their experiences in historically accurate places and during true events of their times. For each of them, what they most desire dictates their actions and, ultimately, seals their fates. In addition, each of them bears a physical infirmity which symbolizes/represents their fatal flaw. BORN AGAIN is a tale of how excess, whether good or of bad, has consequences.