Tales of sainthood

Johnny Townsend writes about the inner lives of members (and ex-members) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with both a wicked sense of irony and a deep well of compassion. Of course, he’s also quick to find the funny in some of the predicaments that are stepped into by some of the true believers, which leads us to Mormon Fairy Tales, a collection of stories with their roots in the particular doctrine of the LDS church. For instance, what happens to the immortal Three Nephites when they get tired of outliving their mortal wives? It’s in “The Three Nephites Get Syphilis.” And in “The Messiah of Tau Ceti,” complications ensue when aliens visit Earth and inform us that God really does live on a planet named Kolob—but he’s got more than one messianic son. Townsend takes on these and other, more mundane scenarios, tongue planted firmly in cheek and heart wide open.