Raw and powerful, this insightful first book by Mohamed Mughal is a must-read. Yes, it is Kafkaesque in some ways, but the only “metamorphosis“ that will be experienced in reading these pages is the reader’s internal one.

This reviewer found very little conformity or comfortableness in the tale – rather I found many of my childhood beliefs challenged and my adult beliefs under a close lens. Nonetheless, those are good things, right now, when religion, politics and uniformity for the masses are being questioned and examined by discerning readers of all nationalities.

The hidden, underlying sense is that in some ways this “novel” is a way for Mughal to explore his own roots, values and grown-up standards that may be at odds with his African birth of (East) Indian parents, American upbringing, U.S. Army officer experience and personal religious perspectives. The protagonist of the tale is Adam Hueghlomm, raised in both Jewish and Muslim traditions, the result of his parents’ mixed union. The story develops using Hueghlomm’s war experiences in the 21st century, segueing into the future, with Adam as the prosecutor in the newsworthy trial of God for crimes against humanity.

Mughal explores several mediums as he weaves his tales – poetry, emails, the legal-indictment wording of the case against the Lord, and established storytelling narrative. My personal preference is for a more solidified type of structure (i.e. a chaptered novel), yet somehow this variety of vehicles and vignettes works beautifully for Mohamed Mughal - sketching in potent and detailed prose how this 22nd-century case evolves, and how Adam Hueghlomm grows as a character, swept up in the maelstrom of past and future.

Often satirical, frequently laced with black humor, the ongoing tale compels the reader quite quickly to the dénouement(s). It is amazing that a book of this brevity and nature succeeds as a quick read and packs so much essence and substance into its pages.

Although it is sometimes challenging to read, on both a spiritual and political level, the constant beauty of Mughal’s writing drives the reader onward, and when the final page is done, and the book covers closed, the reader begins to wonder to whom they can pass the book. However much the topics covered in this novel are uncomfortable and personally disturbing, the chance to explore this unusual novel and its characters is too good to pass up. Take the time to seek out a copy, visit the author's page on Facebook at https://bit.ly/aP3mph, and open your mind for an intriguing reading experience.