Martin Gardner has written an essay for The New Criterion about G.K. Chesterton's The Flying Inn. You must be a subscriber to the magazine to read the whole thing (and, alas, I'm not), but I'm told by Chestertonians that it's excellent. Here's an excerpt from the introduction that gives a good overview of the novel:
Lord Phillip Ivywood, the novel's main character, is England's handsome, golden-voiced Prime Minister. He has come under the influence of a Turkish fanatic, Misyara Ammon, a large-nosed, black-bearded Muslim popularly known as the Prophet of the Moon. He has convinced Lord Ivywood that the Muslim faith is superior to Christianity. It is a progressive force destined to dominate the world. Ivywood has decided that Christianity and Islam should merge, with the Muslim crescent placed alongside the cross on top of London's St. Paul's Cathedral. Better yet, the cross should be abandoned for a new symbol that combines cross and crescent, perhaps called the “crosslam.”
