Changes

==Literary significance & criticism==

==Literary significance & criticism==

'''''The Fifth Man''''' continues the trend in [[Christian novel|Christian fiction]] away from the preachy, tract-like novels of the 1990's and toward novels with "crossover appeal." These are novels that a non-Christian might appreciate nearly as well as does a Christian. Christian science fiction is very rare, primarily because of the inherent restrictions that apply to a Christian novel—in this case, that such a novel may not create a character or a situation for which the Bible holds no warrant. Thus, while the title of this work strongly suggests an [[Extraterrestrial life|extrasolar visitor]] as an agent that assaults the astronauts (and ultimately murders one of them), no Christian novel can possibly accept such a concept. Thus the agent of the mayhem that plagues and pursues the astronauts must be a human agent. The realization of this fact has led some readers to criticize '''''The Fifth Man''''' severely, accusing the authors of the literary equivalent of bait-and-switch.

'''''The Fifth Man''''' continues the trend in [[Christian novel|Christian fiction]] away from the preachy, tract-like novels of the 1990s and toward novels with "crossover appeal." These are novels that a non-Christian might appreciate nearly as well as does a Christian. Christian science fiction is very rare, primarily because of the inherent restrictions that apply to a Christian novel—in this case, that such a novel may not create a character or a situation for which the Bible holds no warrant. Thus, while the title of this work strongly suggests an [[Extraterrestrial life|extrasolar visitor]] as an agent that assaults the astronauts (and ultimately murders one of them), no Christian novel can possibly accept such a concept. Thus the agent of the mayhem that plagues and pursues the astronauts must be a human agent. The realization of this fact has led some readers to criticize '''''The Fifth Man''''' severely, accusing the authors of the literary equivalent of bait-and-switch.

Yet a close read of this novel and its prequel '''''[[Oxygen (novel)|Oxygen]]''''' clearly shows that the same character responsible for killing Astronaut Hampton and almost killing the rest of the crew, was ''also'' responsible for the failed "lifeboat" mission in the earlier novel. More to the point, however, a Fifth Man ''does'' exist on Mars. The surviving astronauts see him very briefly before they make their hurried take-off. They do not recognize him, but anyone who has read {{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=3}} probably will. Thus the Fifth Man ''is'' extraterrestrial, after all, but not in the usual sense in modern popular culture.

Yet a close read of this novel and its prequel '''''[[Oxygen (novel)|Oxygen]]''''' clearly shows that the same character responsible for killing Astronaut Hampton and almost killing the rest of the crew, was ''also'' responsible for the failed "lifeboat" mission in the earlier novel. More to the point, however, a Fifth Man ''does'' exist on Mars. The surviving astronauts see him very briefly before they make their hurried take-off. They do not recognize him, but anyone who has read {{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=3}} probably will. Thus the Fifth Man ''is'' extraterrestrial, after all, but not in the usual sense in modern popular culture.