A Creed For The Third Millennium (1986) - Plot & Excerpts
Not many would remember, but in the 70s and 80s, we were being told there was to be a new Ice Age rather than global warming. This novel was published in 1985, and is set in the future – around 2024, by memory, when the climate has become much colder, areas have become uninhabitable, energy use strictly limited and a universal one-child policy is in force. The climate is still getting colder and life is grim.New hope is needed and is found in the person of one man, Joshua Christian. Joshua is loved by all, he has charisma, and he is willing to throw all of himself into the effort to give them some hope - a creed for the new millennium.I took a long time to get into this novel – it seemed slow at the start, and when it was beginning to sound almost like Joshua was to be an evangelist, I nearly abandoned it. But Joshua does not preach in any organised religion, and neither does the book. A more minor irritation was when a Jew is referred to as ‘Christian,’ meaning that he was good. It is perfectly obvious that ‘Christian’ is not a synonym for ‘good,’ and an irritating presumption when religious people think it is.As I read, I found the story pulled me further in, and wound to a dramatic climax. I finished the second half of the book far more quickly that I read the first half. It is memorable. It wound itself into my dreams. This is a very good book, and like many of this author’s works, it is utterly original.
Really disliked this one. Other than the heavy-handed religious fervor, compounded by the dismissal of a God who has a role in human affairs (VERY Presbyterian) she just failed the science test. An ice age in one generation? Why can't I just put on a coat... I mean, I go to Alaska every year and they seem to do OK up there with layers of clothing. We aren't scientifically adept enough to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse? And if the one child thing is by choice what is the big deal about having two? And the bones of his toes are shining through? I just went back and took off another star. The names. The names were really stupid. The theology was stupid. The science was stupid. And the cover photo of the author was pretty stupid, too. I have had this thing on the bookshelf since it came out. What an annoying waste of shelf space.
What do You think about A Creed For The Third Millennium (1986)?
this book was so bad. the writing was so over the top. My claim to fame is that I picked out what I thought was the absolute worst paragrapgh and said I couldn't believe a publisher would let this go to print and that was the exact phrase Newsweek selected to point out how horrible her book was. Sorry Colleen, I've liked others of your work.
—Elisabeth
Essentially there is nothing wrong with this book - in fact it is very compelling and readable and as such deserves a 4 star rating.However, in saying that I wonder what made Colleen write about such a religious event but duplicated in the future? It is not offensive in my mind but others who take the Christian religion seriously may see this book as blasphemy.Others like me who are not so worried will find this an easy and entertaining read that will leave you feeling a trifle sad about the world she has created in this novel.
—Katie Q
I was prepared not to like this book after reading some of the reviews. Some people said it was a "Big Brother" book but I did not find it that way at all. It is a story set in the future and the country is facing the beginnings of an ice age with sections of the population having to be seasonally relocated and facing the fact that soon they may need to be permanently relocated. In order to deal with the strain of increasing population at a time when living space is getting smaller, families are limited to one child, and there is a kind of lottery to be able to have a 2nd child. People are becoming depressed, suicide rates are rampant, and the President has set up a team to find a leader who can "save" the people and bring them out of their doldrums and look positively to the future. Dr. Joshua Christian becomes that man. He becomes engulfed in passion and people flock to hear him speak. The story is biblical. I will not say more so as not to spoil the story.
—Liz
