Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
"The Second Coming" by Mr. B.D.H. Son begins in 2003 with Son, a Vietnamese atheist, who is detained in Poland for alleged tax evasion. During his 18-month custody, he experienced a series of intense spiritual and psychological events. Initially enduring harsh prison life, he began hearing voices claiming to be divine—first from the Sun, then from a black Cat—both vying for his devotion. These voices controlled his body and mind, leading to inner conflict, visions, and a dramatic spiritual awakening. Believing the Sun to be God, he died and was resurrected twice, hearing the voice of Jesus Christ. Later, he fought off a former inmate trying to steal from him and married under divine instruction. He then began writing what he believed to be the Fifth Gospel, guided by Christ.
"The Second Coming" by Mr. B.D.H. Son is an unusually bold and feverish work that defies traditional genres, teetering between spiritual odyssey and psychological musings. The author’s writing is intense and surprisingly fluid, even with language jumps and annotations, and we get a truly unfiltered look into the mind of a man experiencing extraordinary, and at times unsettling, events while imprisoned. The voice is raw and fearless, presenting his visions and dialogue in both mind and publicly in a fashion I have not come across before concerning formatting. While the content is certainly unconventional, it is delivered with such a high level of energy and such clear passion that falling into the vibe is organic. The surreal nature of the experiences described pushes the reader into a world where divine intervention and human experience collide unpredictably. It’s not a comfortable read, but it’s undeniably original, and the author’s courage in telling this story is noteworthy. Recommended.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
"The Second Coming" by Mr. B.D.H. Son is an extraordinary autobiographical account that merges spiritual revelation with personal transformation. Beginning with his arrest in Poland for tax evasion in 2003, Son, who is a Vietnamese atheist, encounters a series of supernatural visions, voices, and experiences that he interprets as divine communication. What follows is a surreal and deeply personal spiritual journey, as Son navigates between voices he believes to be God (the Sun) and another deity (a Cat), leading to a battle of faith and identity. With intense visions, claims of resurrection, and interactions he sees as divinely orchestrated, Son’s story culminates in what he believes to be the writing of the ‘Fifth Gospel.’ This unorthodox memoir combines mysticism, theology, and testimony in a passionate quest for meaning and divine truth.
Author B.D.H. Son writes with a great deal of passion about the discoveries he’s made and his emotional journey, and that conviction kept me reading and exploring this bold, surreal, and deeply personal account of spiritual awakening behind prison walls. Very few people have the kind of unique life that Son has had, and this makes the memoir all the more interesting. You can see how it’s shaped and changed his attitudes over time, and how the passion that drives him now is so deeply ingrained into everything he does. This level of conviction is inspiring to see, but there’s also vulnerability and honesty in the psychological processes he explains, offering a style of storytelling that defies all conventions, inviting readers into a mind-bending spiritual journey that you feel every moment with the author. I found it personally very eye-opening, an intense blend of autobiography, prophecy, and mystical theology unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Overall, The Second Coming is a thought-provoking exploration of faith, identity, and revelation that I would recommend to anyone looking for an outside-the-box approach to faith and spiritual awakenings.
