By: Douglas Preston Publisher: Forge Books Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Forge Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 416 Publication Date: January 08, 2008 Release Date: January 08, 2008
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.
A Fantastic Read This book will definitely give you "food for thought". I thoroughly enjoyed it and could hardly put it down between reading. It's suspenseful, intriguing and downright scary. It's makes you fully realize how fanatical one of the most popular religions in our country (USA) can be. It is truly a fantastic read.
Guilty Pleasure for Amateur Science Nerds Blasphemy is a Douglas Preston novel that tells the tale of a group of scientists working on the Isabella, the newest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. Along the way they encounter problems from the local Navajo, some Christian fundamentalists, and a machine that provides a great mystery.
With the excitement surrounding the new particle accelerator at CERN, this book caught my eye. It mixes a lot of up-to-date issues in our world. The constant moral and ideological struggle between science and religion. The politics of Washington from powerful lobbyists to shady backroom dealings. It finds a way to blend these cultural clashes that play out in our headlines everyday.
From a story perspective, I thought the first half was gripping. The characters were well developed (although heavily stereotyped) and the buildup toward the climax was great. Unfortunately, the second half of the book does "jump the shark" at times and gets really outlandish. I can give the book some leniency on the science issues as it is a thriller, but some of the personal relationships develop in a way that will have you rolling your eyes.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. It's an easy read that will keep you in suspense. The science in it isn't too deep and will surely peak the interest of any amateur physics fan. Most importantly though, it tells an interesting story of our cultural conflicts from the extreme perspectives of our society.
I'd also note that this book does not bash religion. I think it portrays scientists, politicians, and lobbyists in just as negative connotations. The book is about the extremes on each side of the ideological fence. It's about egotistical, greedy people poisoning their respected fields of study. But most of all, it's a fictional story with fictional characters. If every character in every book was toned down as to not offend a particular race, religion, ethnicity, etc; reading novels would be a bore.
started well... Then went straight downhill. Ended in tedious boredom. Wish I had that 3 hours back.
Interesting I thought the story was an interesting take on science and religion. The reader on the audiobook was good.
Think this is fantasy? There's more here than meets the eye! I was half-way through this creative tale, and enjoying the fantasy of a super collider being built in the midst of Indian reservations in New Mexico, when a current news story really made it all immediately plausible. Did you know that the large Hadron Collider is being built near Geneva, Switzerland? That it has attracted some of the top scientists in the world, and that the U. S. is participating? Like our scientists in Blasphemy, they are working on simulating the conditions after the Big Bang! Douglas Preston was certainly inspired by this effort in coming up with Blasphemy, and that definitely explains how he managed to come up with such impressive technological descriptions of the equipment and how it works. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and really got into some fast page-turning toward the end. Did the premise cause me to dig deep into my spiritual convictions? Did I spend any time trying to decide whether or not this was an experiment God would want us to mess around with. No, I just enjoyed the "what if" musings coupled with thinking about what must be going on in Switzerland. If you need something to get stirred up about, google "Large Hadron Collider" and read about how far along they are. If you just want to read a good story - one you'll think about for some time after you put the book down, read, Blasphemy!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
