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Now and at the Hour of Our Death
"The choice to believe is yours. It's the only thing that truly is."
Mary Credence wants to be a modern day Joan of Arc battling the skeptical world around her. But when the ardent virgin finds herself pregnant, she’s thrust into a much bigger fight than she ever imagined. Is Mary hiding a romantic tryst in an effort to protect her father’s political career, or is her baby a true modern miracle? With the help of a talented writer and a surprising medical finding, Mary attempts to convince the world of her gift and to convert a nation of cynics into believers.
'Now and at the Hour of Our Death' challenges our notions of faith and science, all while asking the eternal question: What do you believe?
Mary Credence wants to be a modern day Joan of Arc battling the skeptical world around her. But when the ardent virgin finds herself pregnant, she’s thrust into a much bigger fight than she ever imagined. Is Mary hiding a romantic tryst in an effort to protect her father’s political career, or is her baby a true modern miracle? With the help of a talented writer and a surprising medical finding, Mary attempts to convince the world of her gift and to convert a nation of cynics into believers.
'Now and at the Hour of Our Death' challenges our notions of faith and science, all while asking the eternal question: What do you believe?
423 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2013
3 people are currently reading
1101 people want to read
About the author
J.S.B. Morse
20 books25 followersJSB Morse is a husband and father and an author, entrepreneur, and philosopher. His latest project is Paleo Family, which he co-authored with his wife. He has written several critically acclaimed novels including the political thriller "Gods of Ruin" and the spiritual fiction "Now and at the Hour of Our Death" and the "Take Advantage" non-fiction series. He paints, creates web applications, and writes/produces music under the name Whacktus. He lives in New Orleans with his lovely wife Gina Maria and their family.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 10, 2014
In the provocative and captivating novel " Now And At the Hour of Our Death" which I won from Goodreads Giveaways the reader is taken on a journey of self-exploration and asked to challenge preconceived notions about faith and science and to reflect on their personal beliefs. It's a unique story, a page turner with several shocking twists and turns.
When the story opens Mary Credence, a devote and virtuous seventeen year old, the daughter of a candidate for the U.S. Senate, harbours a desire to bring an unbelieving world back to faith like a modern day Joan of Arc. What she doesn't expect as a zealous virgin is that she's pregnant. When her family finds out she holds fast to her belief in her virginity and to her conviction that the conception is a God-given miracle. What she unleashes as her discovery becomes a sensational high-profile news flash is a fight against cynicism and scorn, and to be stalked by a psychopath who believes she's carrying the anti-Christ. This is the story about a faith that doesn't spring from a miracle, but a miracle that springs from faith when faced with the impossible.
Into the heart of this plot is woven messages about love, charity, faith, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. The storyline progresses smoothly and quickly as events and tension heat up.
The characters are realistic and complex as they deal with the chaos of events that surge around them. Mary Cadence is very pious, a teen with a pure heart who seems mature beyond her years, the opposite of her jealous, promiscuous sister Hannah. Her father Benjamin is honest, truthful, compassionate and supportive while her mother Madeleine (Maddie) is an egotistical social climber with a Machiavellian personality. Mildred Hawthorne is Mary's delightful grandmother with her frank honesty, humour and wit. She's tough around the edges but has a good heart. Will Vernick a broken-hearted writer is an unmotivated dreamer who believes in the impossible. When influenced in unexpected ways he will become determined and inspired. In stark contrast Christopher Austin III is an arrogant, charming, self-engrossed cad who's changed by love and finds deliverance from his mistakes through self-sacrifice. Aliyah Touma, the obstetrician is a perfectionist, ambitious and self-oriented, her faith in science and medicine uncompromising. But the evil in this story is prevalent in two men; Dugan Singer who's disturbed and antisocial and Ethan Cooper, an immoral teen, both weak and easily influenced. All the characters in "Now and at the Hour of our Death" add depth and dimension to a story that will grip your emotions and challenge your beliefs.
I enjoyed this novel immensely and highly recommend it.
When the story opens Mary Credence, a devote and virtuous seventeen year old, the daughter of a candidate for the U.S. Senate, harbours a desire to bring an unbelieving world back to faith like a modern day Joan of Arc. What she doesn't expect as a zealous virgin is that she's pregnant. When her family finds out she holds fast to her belief in her virginity and to her conviction that the conception is a God-given miracle. What she unleashes as her discovery becomes a sensational high-profile news flash is a fight against cynicism and scorn, and to be stalked by a psychopath who believes she's carrying the anti-Christ. This is the story about a faith that doesn't spring from a miracle, but a miracle that springs from faith when faced with the impossible.
Into the heart of this plot is woven messages about love, charity, faith, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. The storyline progresses smoothly and quickly as events and tension heat up.
The characters are realistic and complex as they deal with the chaos of events that surge around them. Mary Cadence is very pious, a teen with a pure heart who seems mature beyond her years, the opposite of her jealous, promiscuous sister Hannah. Her father Benjamin is honest, truthful, compassionate and supportive while her mother Madeleine (Maddie) is an egotistical social climber with a Machiavellian personality. Mildred Hawthorne is Mary's delightful grandmother with her frank honesty, humour and wit. She's tough around the edges but has a good heart. Will Vernick a broken-hearted writer is an unmotivated dreamer who believes in the impossible. When influenced in unexpected ways he will become determined and inspired. In stark contrast Christopher Austin III is an arrogant, charming, self-engrossed cad who's changed by love and finds deliverance from his mistakes through self-sacrifice. Aliyah Touma, the obstetrician is a perfectionist, ambitious and self-oriented, her faith in science and medicine uncompromising. But the evil in this story is prevalent in two men; Dugan Singer who's disturbed and antisocial and Ethan Cooper, an immoral teen, both weak and easily influenced. All the characters in "Now and at the Hour of our Death" add depth and dimension to a story that will grip your emotions and challenge your beliefs.
I enjoyed this novel immensely and highly recommend it.
January 3, 2014
This book is unlike anything you'll read.
It has a solid plot with some interesting twists but it's not just your typical novel. It has thought-proving ideas throughout, whether you are a believer or an atheist. It doesn't hit you over the head with ideas either and presents them quite evenly. And though it looks like chick-lit, it has a lot I can relate to as a manly man. I loved the stuff about the psychoactive drugs.
I think there should be more humor and comic relief but it's a fast, entertaining and compelling read.
It has a solid plot with some interesting twists but it's not just your typical novel. It has thought-proving ideas throughout, whether you are a believer or an atheist. It doesn't hit you over the head with ideas either and presents them quite evenly. And though it looks like chick-lit, it has a lot I can relate to as a manly man. I loved the stuff about the psychoactive drugs.
I think there should be more humor and comic relief but it's a fast, entertaining and compelling read.
December 14, 2013
Absolutely phenomenal, a real page-turner. In a postmodern world where truth is subjective and belief is open to interpretation, "Now and at the Hour of our Death" offers a rare discussion on the subjects of truth and belief through fictitious characters on their own faith journeys. 17-year-old Mary Credence patiently awaits the day of her consecration, eager to devote her entire life to the Lord, and when she miraculously becomes pregnant, she believes this is what God is calling her into. What she wasn't expecting was to find herself questioning the very fabric of her identity: her faith. Morse paints a gripping tale of a rare gem in a world of evil and confusion, where everything can be explained and the simple moments in life are forgotten. Morse takes the reader on their own journey to question what they believe in, what is truly Truth, and to learn that the real miracle is clinging to your faith when everything else is falling apart. A spectacular read!
(This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads).
(This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads).
December 30, 2013
This book offers an interesting look at faith, science, and human perceptions through the eyes of endearing characters. The intersection of biology and religion is a fascinating topic, and this book covers everything from the placebo effect of medications to the organized investigation of miraculous claims. I was impressed by the author’s ability to entwine light, snappy dialogue and pop-culture among the unexpected, philosophically deep themes and ideas which played out among the somewhat caricature-like personalities of the novel. It made for a very interesting read. Although it took me several pages to get drawn into the book as I don’t usually read fiction, II ended up reading it in about two days (I really didn’t want to put it down). So, if you’re looking for a quick read that will entertain but will also provide you with depth and ideas, JSB Morse delivers just that in this novel.
December 21, 2013
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway so I was excited to read it anyway, but it really exceeded my expectations. “Now and at the Hour of Our Death” is a tale of faith and science, beauty and reality, simplicity and heroism. At every twist and turn I was captivated and truly engrossed in Mary’s story. It is incredibly refreshing to read a piece of fiction that is so faith-filled, and yet is balanced by practical science. At times the dialogue was a bit cheesy, but there was a distinct authenticity to the characters; these are people you know, people you have encountered in your own life. “Now and at the Hour of Our Death” challenges each of us to find what it is that WE believe and to let that guide us. I highly recommend this.
February 20, 2014
A surprisingly thought provoking read concerning faith in the right ideas, positive thinking and miracles. A young woman named Mary wants to be a new Joan of Arc. Mary suddenly finds herself pregnant while she believes herself a virgin. This book kept me enthralled thru out my read.
July 26, 2016
I just finished a book written by my friend JSB Morse called Now and at the Hour of Our Death. The premise of the book is striking: How would the modern world react if the miracle of a virgin birth happened today?
The Plot
The story is told through the eyes of Mary, a young woman in high school, a devout Catholic, and the recipient of a miracle. Mary's father is running for the US Senate so news of his daughter's illegitimate pregnancy causes a scandal that impacts countless lives in unexpected ways.
Time and again we get to see how various paradigms react when confronted with this surprising claim. Tensions rise as opinions clash and, before long, many have staked their reputation on whether this girl is telling the truth.
All the while, Mary is dealing with a teen pregnancy and struggling to use this miracle for the conversion and hearts, minds and souls. But how can she possibly do that if she can't even convince her own family?
As the book climaxes many lives are changed permanently because they stood up for their varied and conflicting beliefs and refused to back down. When the book ends you are left breathless and wondering, how would I react to same thing?
The Good
There are a lot of good points about the book, but the most important is its incredible treatment of the characters. JSB Morse did three amazing things:
He created a large and diverse cast of characters, representing vastly different paradigms
He made each of these personalities feel real, with touching stories and sound logic for their opinions
He was fair in his treatment, revealing that all positions have good guys and bad guys
The result was very believable dialogues and highly entertaining interactions. You feel what the characters feel and understand their anger, joy, and sadness.
The Bad
Which leads me to my next point. This book is visceral. And it might be too much so for some readers.
The vivid descriptions of societal decay in the book left me wincing. It was hard to finish some of his paragraphs that fully indulged the materialistic, misogynistic elements of our culture. It was sickening to read the hate-filled thoughts of a bigot. He did a brutally good job of making you feel your disgust for the parts of our lives we try to ignore.
Why You Should Read It
That being said, it was a page-turner. I had a hard time putting it down...and once I did my wife couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to everyone for two reasons.
First, this novel is written from a point of view that, I feel, has not been captured in fiction in the past decade. How refreshing to read a book that is not written from the point of view of a disenchanted skeptic but, rather, a well-formed believer. For anyone who champions the value of diversity, this books represents a voice that is rarely heard and a face that is rarely seen.
Second, this book is provocative. It forces you to feel. It causes you to think. And it makes you wonder. It confronts you about your personal beliefs and the beliefs of others. And it presents problems there may not be answers to.
Long story short, I can’t give a better summary than this: this visceral story made me wince, made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, and made me pray. When was the last time you read a book that did that?
The Plot
The story is told through the eyes of Mary, a young woman in high school, a devout Catholic, and the recipient of a miracle. Mary's father is running for the US Senate so news of his daughter's illegitimate pregnancy causes a scandal that impacts countless lives in unexpected ways.
Time and again we get to see how various paradigms react when confronted with this surprising claim. Tensions rise as opinions clash and, before long, many have staked their reputation on whether this girl is telling the truth.
All the while, Mary is dealing with a teen pregnancy and struggling to use this miracle for the conversion and hearts, minds and souls. But how can she possibly do that if she can't even convince her own family?
As the book climaxes many lives are changed permanently because they stood up for their varied and conflicting beliefs and refused to back down. When the book ends you are left breathless and wondering, how would I react to same thing?
The Good
There are a lot of good points about the book, but the most important is its incredible treatment of the characters. JSB Morse did three amazing things:
He created a large and diverse cast of characters, representing vastly different paradigms
He made each of these personalities feel real, with touching stories and sound logic for their opinions
He was fair in his treatment, revealing that all positions have good guys and bad guys
The result was very believable dialogues and highly entertaining interactions. You feel what the characters feel and understand their anger, joy, and sadness.
The Bad
Which leads me to my next point. This book is visceral. And it might be too much so for some readers.
The vivid descriptions of societal decay in the book left me wincing. It was hard to finish some of his paragraphs that fully indulged the materialistic, misogynistic elements of our culture. It was sickening to read the hate-filled thoughts of a bigot. He did a brutally good job of making you feel your disgust for the parts of our lives we try to ignore.
Why You Should Read It
That being said, it was a page-turner. I had a hard time putting it down...and once I did my wife couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to everyone for two reasons.
First, this novel is written from a point of view that, I feel, has not been captured in fiction in the past decade. How refreshing to read a book that is not written from the point of view of a disenchanted skeptic but, rather, a well-formed believer. For anyone who champions the value of diversity, this books represents a voice that is rarely heard and a face that is rarely seen.
Second, this book is provocative. It forces you to feel. It causes you to think. And it makes you wonder. It confronts you about your personal beliefs and the beliefs of others. And it presents problems there may not be answers to.
Long story short, I can’t give a better summary than this: this visceral story made me wince, made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, and made me pray. When was the last time you read a book that did that?
April 10, 2014
Mediocre at best. This book tried soooo hard to MAKE ME THINK ABOUT MIRACLES, that I felt I was being forced into the next page. Characters are very predictable and one dimensional, that I found it hard to care about any one of them. This felt like a book written by a Bible study book club. Sorry, I didn't find this book very thought provoking at all.
July 26, 2016
The good:
First off, the cover art, size of the book, and physical material were all fantastic.
I sped through this book in about 2 days - the writing was good (despite the multitude of typos and grammatical errors that I hope are all addressed in the final version) and the characters were interesting, if a little off-the-shelf.
The meh:
The "twists" at the end of the book were not what I was expecting...but I came away from them feeling like they were a little too slick, too neat, too gimmicky.
There were a few times where the author's voice came through in ways that made me think that we would definitely not agree on some pretty basic levels (which is of course not a problem). The issue I had was that those times pulled me out of the narrative and into the author's voice, which I don't think was intended.
The bad:
The interjections of very specific scientific language and descriptions were off-putting. They felt forced and a little out of place. I get what the author is trying to do by pairing faith based and scientific based reasoning, but it took me out of the narrative.
I got this through a goodreads giveaway.
First off, the cover art, size of the book, and physical material were all fantastic.
I sped through this book in about 2 days - the writing was good (despite the multitude of typos and grammatical errors that I hope are all addressed in the final version) and the characters were interesting, if a little off-the-shelf.
The meh:
The "twists" at the end of the book were not what I was expecting...but I came away from them feeling like they were a little too slick, too neat, too gimmicky.
There were a few times where the author's voice came through in ways that made me think that we would definitely not agree on some pretty basic levels (which is of course not a problem). The issue I had was that those times pulled me out of the narrative and into the author's voice, which I don't think was intended.
The bad:
The interjections of very specific scientific language and descriptions were off-putting. They felt forced and a little out of place. I get what the author is trying to do by pairing faith based and scientific based reasoning, but it took me out of the narrative.
I got this through a goodreads giveaway.
January 16, 2015
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but it took me a while to get it off the shelf for a read. Once I picked it up, I really enjoyed the narrative and the character development. There were several typos and inconsistencies that threw off the pace of the read for me, but hopefully those will be addressed in final editing. Overall I really enjoyed the premise of how the world would react to a modern-day miracle, but specifically how it would impact the lives of the "miracle bringer" and those in her circle.
There was one negative that stood out to me ... and that was the juxtaposition of labor pains with medical terminology describing what the body is experiencing chemically during birth. It took away from the immediate drama of birth! And I found myself thinking, this was obviously written by a man. The medical interpretation pulled me out of the story, in a critical part that should have pulled me in.
There was one negative that stood out to me ... and that was the juxtaposition of labor pains with medical terminology describing what the body is experiencing chemically during birth. It took away from the immediate drama of birth! And I found myself thinking, this was obviously written by a man. The medical interpretation pulled me out of the story, in a critical part that should have pulled me in.
February 2, 2022
I actually listened to this book which isn't my favorite way to 'read' a book. But I think it was a really good book. The story was different and interesting and at the end I was still thinking about it rather than just flying on to the next book.
*I received this audiobook for free through the Good Reads First Reads program.
*I received this audiobook for free through the Good Reads First Reads program.
March 10, 2016
jane the virgin without the humor
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews