Reviews

Goddeloos by Douglas Preston

liberrydude's review against another edition

4.0

My library classified this as sci-fi but I consider it a thriller. It's an interesting take on science and religion set in the American Southwest. A 40 billion dollar particle accelerator buried in a mesa on Navajo land becomes the scene of intrigue and religious like fervor that makes Pakistan's NWF look tame. Inside the government site scientists have fallen behind schedule so the President's Science Advisor sends in a spy under the guise of public relations to see what the delay is. Meanwhile a disgruntled lobbyist gets a sordid tele-evangelist to make waves over the government's attempt to find the God particle from the Big Bang, etc. It's like Michael Crichton meets Tony Hillerman with shades of Stephen King's "The Stand." It's believable at times and other times not so. I had a hard time believing the ease with which a rabble can get the better of trained troops occupying superior positions but, hey it's a novel.

kimminy's review against another edition

3.0

It’s hard to write about religion. He didn’t quite hit the sweet spot. Good characters though.

ramsfan1963's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The 2nd book in the Wyman Ford series. Inside a mountain in Arizona, is the world's largest super collider. They are seeking to find the particles that existed at the moment of The Big Bang. Instead, they find God? This book is as much about faith as it is science, as the two clash, in the form of a crazed preacher who believes Isabella (the super collider) is the work of the Anti-Christ, and the scientist inside the instillation seeking the true nature of the universe
I thought the ending was a little hokey, but I'm not fond of stories with heavy religious overtones.

canadian_booknerd's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the idea of this book and the beginning and end were perfect but the middle dragged so hard...

kitkat_reads93's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

bbboeken's review against another edition

3.0

Goed boek, onderhoudend, maar weinig vernieuwend. Een Belangrijk Boek, in die zin dat het een wijdverspreid boek is (wordt), en dat er bepaalde juiste zaken op goede manier worden aangekaart. Niet betuttelend en al. Voor Scientology wordt de lezer gewaarschuwd, fanatisme wordt afgebroken, een ruimte voor Christendom wordt opengelaten zonder het geloof erin te onderschrijven. Er spreekt een ruime, open visie uit, zonder belerend te zijn, en zonder van het thema van het boek af te wijken: een thriller, geschreven om de menschen te amuseren. Een belangrijk boek dus.

lakecake's review against another edition

2.0

Blasphemy had a really good premise, but lost a bit in the execution. The characters were really underdeveloped stereotypes and their actions were pretty predictable because of it. I wish Preston had taken this in a different direction. I had suspicions about the ending from the first twist (don't want to give anything away) but I was hoping I was wrong and the explanation would be more supernatural.

infi85's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

kblank73's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

meljon's review against another edition

4.0

An interesting story based on the "does God really exist" question. Some of the language leaned towards the technical side, but I enjoyed the story and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I always enjoy Preston's (and his writing partner, Lincoln Child) writing.