Blasphemy

By: Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In Douglas Preston's Blasphemy, the world's biggest supercollider, locked in an Arizona mountain, was built to reveal the secrets of the very moment of creation: the Big Bang itself.

The Torus is the most expensive machine ever created by humankind, run by the world's most powerful supercomputer. It is the brainchild of Nobel Laureate William North Hazelius. Will the Torus divulge the mysteries of the creation of the universe? Or will it, as some predict, suck the earth into a mini black hole? Or is the Torus a Satanic attempt, as a powerful televangelist decries, to challenge God Almighty on the very throne of Heaven?

Twelve scientists under the leadership of Hazelius are sent to the remote mountain to turn it on, and what they discover must be hidden from the world at all costs. Wyman Ford, ex-monk and CIA operative, is tapped to wrest their secret, a secret that will either destroy the world…or save it.

The countdown begins…

©2007 Splendide Mendax, Inc. (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Listeners are in exceedingly capable hands - Sowers never lets us down. He weaves together the complex subplots of what happens when science and religion collide.” —AudioFile

“When a talented reader narrates a spellbinding story by a consistently powerful author, great things happen in the audio world. Scott Sowers nails the suspense of Preston's latest novel; listeners will be grabbed from the very first line of this 'ripped from the headlines' story of science and religion clashing, with tragic results...Preston never fails to deliver a first-rate thriller, and with Sowers providing the outstanding narrative, listeners are in for a non-stop - and thought-provoking audio experience.” —Library Journal, starred review

Great suspense & science

I was pleasantly surprised with Blasphemy. The science behind the particle accelerator descriptions and the religious twist behind the discoveries combined to make the perfect mix. An easy listen that was hard to put down.

Meh

The plot is semi interesting. what ruins it for me is the Narrator, Scott Sowers. Man! He must be the worst narrator in the world. His intonation sounds like a bad actor reading a script out loud.

Listen to the sample before buying this.

Can't be more enthusiastic

Would you try another book from Douglas Preston and/or Scott Sowers?

I do not know if I would listen to another book written solely by Preston. This is too bad because I like the Preston/Child duo. Sowers was decent narrator, had good pronuciation on most words I knew.

If you’ve listened to books by Douglas Preston before, how does this one compare?

It was too easy for me to guess the premise of the story and who was responsible for the

Which character – as performed by Scott Sowers – was your favorite?

None of the characters engaged me. As mentioned by previous reviewers, the characters were stereo-typed.There was no real hero, although I suppose there were distinct villians.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I would not bother to see this if it were made into a film.

Outstanding

The best book I've read by Douglas Preston, Religion at it best and worst. An ending never expected and the authors interview at the end gives food for thought

Interesting setup, disappointing finish.

Setting aside the discussion of science vs religion, the story started with some interesting characters, but quickly turned predictable. I'm kind of disappointed.

Science v. Religion

Note: That my title is NOT science v. GOD. If you thrill to physics mysteries: dark matter, string theory, subatomic particles, 'the big bang', quantum mechanics & all huge mysteries on beyond human understanding (like God.)You'll LOVE this book. If a devout (fill in blank) religion, you may hate it. Well enough narrated, excellently edited I couldn't put this one down. WHAT was happening??? The clever interweaving of Navajo creation myths (which on a quick computer search do jibe with the story) an unpredictable plot. And as a previous reviewer said.. "It's only a book" (a FICTIONAL book, I'd add ..so lighten up.) True faith shouldn't be threatened a by mere thriller. Again fifth stars reserved for "required reading." If I could give it 4 1/2 stars I would because it's darn close. Finally the author is expert at relating key physics ideas (a big Stephen Hawking theory) in layman's terms without insulting us. No small feat! That passage alone was worth the credit.

Enjoyable Science Thriller

I enjoyed this book. It is a steady paced story. The main character, familiar to me from a previous book by the same author, is a former CIA agent, a computer expert, and a former Catholic monk who has been hired to investigate a problem at a high energy physics project. Evangelical pastors, politicians, and reservation Navajos complicate the problems of scientists who encounter a strange being who might be God when they fire up their super high energy accelerator in order to investigate the beginnings of the universe. The narrator is adequate, except for the voice he uses for the scientist-leader of the project. Fans of this author won't be disappointed.

A great listen

I found myself looking forward to my commute to listen to this one. It is very entertaining, as good or better than Tyrannosaur Canyon. I definitely recommend it.

God, man's invented control freak

Good story and shows how paths to so called righteousness can and have been created. The hunger for power in men, not a good trait.

Trite characters, boring listen

What did you like best about Blasphemy? What did you like least?

The characters were very stereotypical and predictable without depth. Story was ultimately boring. I had to force myself to finish this which is very unusual for me.

Would you ever listen to anything by Douglas Preston again?

I usually like Preston's work - this one just missed the mark for me.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Scott Sowers?

I really disliked the narration. One of the main characters was supposed to be a charasmatic, suave, educated man but the voice used for him sounded nasal and whiny. I kept picturing a character from the Simpsons which took me out of the stoy completely.

Do you think Blasphemy needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. I finished this one, would NOT go back for a second dose.

Any additional comments?

I would normally recommend Douglas Preston but I do NOT recommend this particular book or narrator. Also be aware that there are some religious themes involved.