Louise Erdrich's new novel is a frequently bizarre near-future dystopia that never really comes close to getting off the ground, but it won't dent her reputation as one of the country's best writers.

The Word of God, long cherished by his people, is now present in the flesh and filled with the Spirit. He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures and the key to interpreting them.

But we have seen that their message does not stay in the past nor can it be confined in it: God, in truth, always speaks to the present, and we have heard the Bible in a manner that is full only ...

In Louise Erdrich’s philosophical yet propulsive 16th novel, Future Home of the Living God (Harper, 288 pp., ★★★ out of four), the source of the chaos is harder to pinpoint.

As for “The N-Word of God,” the book is both a labor of love and a greatest-hits collection of Doox’s work. Even so, its provocative themes and images have challenged friends and allies.