Not very plausible, but very entertaining

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	• Blasphemy Douglas Preston Forge Books, 2008 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 150 reviews view larger image
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Not very plausible, but very entertaining

I'm a sucker for a good `science vs. religion' thriller and Preston delivers with Blasphemy. This novel is entertaining (completely implausible...but entertaining).

Detractors of the novel will complain that the characters are superficial. They will point out flaws in the behavior of characters, noting that the scientists are not as skeptical as they should be when their super computer delivers `messages from God' and that, as radical as some fundamentalist Christians can be, it is unlikely that a single email could insight hordes of them to race to the desert and behave in such a violent manner.

These detractors have valid points. Preston's characters aren't fully developed and the plot is more than a little contrived. Surprisingly, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel and to be fair to Preston, the author does provide some rationale for the lack of skepticism among the scientists (although it's pretty weak).

Christian readers will inevitably complain (and by `complain' I mean `be morally outraged') regarding the unflattering portrayal of the faithful in this novel. Most of the Christian characters in Blasphemy are cartoonishly evil. Again, to be fair, Preston does provide a voice of reason in his main character, anthropologist and ex-CIA agent Wyman Ford. Ford is a practicing Catholic who earnestly purports that science and religion can co-exist without negating one another. (This is a popular myth, designed to quell the concerns of the religious right - but still, Ford represents an attitude that is diplomatic, supporting both religious and scientific beliefs)

Despite these valid criticisms, I had a good time reading this novel. The final chapters are fast paced fun. The pages turn quickly as a team of scientists hunker down in the bowels of the Red Mesa talking to God on a supercomputer, while an FBI hostage rescue team and murderous Christians do battle, both determined to shut the project down. I like the fact that Preston is not reluctant to kill off sympathetic characters and is willing to end his novel on a cynical note. While I had no trouble predicting the secret of the Isabella Project (most readers of this type of novel will see the `big twist' coming well in advance) it didn't diminish the novel for me.

If you are willing to `go with the flow' and accept the flawed premise of the novel, Blasphemy is entertaining and worth reading. 3 ½ stars.

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Interesting concept

Child and Preston make a great team, but this solo book is somewhat disappointing.

This concept could have produced a really great book, but this one was just "OK". It seemed like the author was using this a soapbox to get a dig into organized religion, and put forth his ideas. I found the characters to be somewhat shallow and unbelieveable.

The hero of story is Catholic and seems to hold on to his faith, but at the end you have to wonder why. The villians in the story are fundamentalist christians, a safe group to use as stereotypic villians without any outcry by the politically correct crowd. (No, I am far from a member of this group, as you probably see by my ID.) I've read several books where evangelicals are stereotyped as ignorant religious fanatics, why not something more original?

The ending seemed somewhat thrown together, like the author didn't quite know what to do with everyone after all the action was over with.

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Couldn't put it down

An engrossing read that pokes pointy sticks at both religionists and scientists. Just when you think you can predict a character, wham. Good fun.

reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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