You don't expect the conventional from Philip Jose Farmer and you don't very often get it either. Still, despite the title, which is faithful to the theme, there is something conventional (though not ordinary) about Jesus on Mars.

In many ways this is a "utopian novel" and sometimes suffers from the expository tone that seems inherent in the form….

The science-fiction here is real, unlike most utopian works, and it is essential to the book. Still, Jesus is more philosophical in nature than most S.F. The conflict of the Martians vs. the Earth when Jesus and his people return there … is less important to the book than the inner conflicts of the characters.

Since his debut in 1952 with The Lovers Philip Jose Farmer has been a "ferment" in science fiction. From the Father Carmody stories in the fifties to the Riverworld series, first begun at that time...