The Second Coming of Joan
- Fiction
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
From the author of The Painter: A Novella Based on True Stories (2022) comes Lopez’s second novella. Nadja is a childhood survivor of the Bosnian War in the 1990s. Her happy life in Sarajevo, with her parents and younger brother, was forever shattered by the invasion of Serbian Forces. The first line, “Nadja didn’t know she was Muslim until the war started,” sets forth the complete destruction of the life she knew as an eight-year-old. Religion and religious books were oppressed under this communist regime. While the family is hiding in their apartment building’s basement, Nadja finds some hidden books, including the Bible and the Qur’an. She is drawn to a book about Joan of Arc, begins to read it, and starts to pray, like Joan. Her prayers are innocent and fueled by pure faith and imagination. In response, God decides to do a new thing and sends Joan to the spiritual realm above earth to engage in spiritual warfare, an occupation previously given to angels in male form. Joan interacts with Nadja, demons, and angels as she guides Nadja and her family on a journey through prison camp, and a refugee odyssey, that takes years and thousands of miles before they arrive in their new home in the Netherlands.
Endorsements (4)
“This well told story of good and evil, anchored in the historical violence of Serbia in the late twentieth century, is nothing short of spellbinding!”
“In his latest novel, The Second Coming of Joan, Ray Lopez delivers a moving portrait of a young girl, Nadja. Through her eyes, the reader experiences the many horrors of war as her family makes their escape from Sarajevo, Bosnia, to a Red Cross refugee camp. As the story unfolds, we find that Nadja and her family do not drudge this perilous road alone. This book is a page turner!”
“Ray Lopez’s novel, The Second Coming of Joan, compellingly invites the reader to witness firsthand the vileness and destruction of war through the eyes of a young Serbian girl as she, her mother, and younger brother flee their home in Sarajevo to a refugee camp in Croatia, and eventually to a better life in the Netherlands. The magic of this tale lies in the author’s ability to interweave Nadja’s innermost thoughts as she experiences unspeakable horrors and struggles to understand her place within the ever-changing landscape of the war with the parallel story of Joan of Arc and the search for spiritual comfort and meaning in this dark and dangerous world. A truly beautiful tale of survival, discovering your light, and ultimately hope. I highly recommend it.”
“Ray Lopez writes with the kind of clarity and conviction that comes from a life genuinely crafted by what he believes. The Second Coming of Joan is rooted in his Christianity, yet it’s also surprisingly accessible and deeply human in its reach. I appreciated how Lopez invites the reader into spiritual reflection without losing the power of the story. His prose expresses strength, purpose, and a moral faith that feels less like being preached at and more like being called toward courage and a belief that will pull you through the storm. Whether you share his faith or simply value writing that aims the heart towards hope and understanding, this is a book worth spending time with. Ray Lopez has a distinctive voice, and The Second Coming of Joan delivers a message that lingers.”
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