Blind Faith
Registered by BookGroupMan of Chester, Cheshire United Kingdom on 8/11/2008
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
The latest from Ben Elton, not my favourite author, but I do admire him for being different, testing his skills in different genre, and being a la mode; here's another fine example
'...a post-apocalyptic society where religious intolerance combines with a sex-obsessed, utterly egocentric culture'
(09/09/09) Emergency '999'! If it weren't so heavy-handed this satire would offer a sobering view of our possible future; but nothing this ridiculous could really happen...could it??
Trafford and his wife Chantorria (sp?) live in a post-flood London, reduced to islands of crowded, disease-ridden tenements controlled by a universal faith (a 'blind' faith) and a master class of religious leaders and inquisitors. Through many trials and a depressing turn of events there is a glimmer of hope for mankind to evolve rallied to action by the symbol of backwards 'Ev Love', short for Ev(erlasting) Love.
This isn’t Elton’s first near-future eco-disaster novel (This Other Eden/Stark), but it’s definitely his fullest realisation of the SF genre, although so close to the squawking early C21st Britain to be recognisable as a parody. I loved the extrapolation of the reality TV, the image-obsessed, fast-food, short attention-span generation and the slightly weightier themes of science, reason & individuality (represented by Darwinism, evolution & humanism) vs. religious zealotry & control...faith as the ultimately denial of human responsibility, ouch!
I suppose the future is always going to be the same ingredients of the human condition with a slightly different mix?
Nb. I’ve now read all BE’s novels, missing him already :(
'...a post-apocalyptic society where religious intolerance combines with a sex-obsessed, utterly egocentric culture'
(09/09/09) Emergency '999'! If it weren't so heavy-handed this satire would offer a sobering view of our possible future; but nothing this ridiculous could really happen...could it??
Trafford and his wife Chantorria (sp?) live in a post-flood London, reduced to islands of crowded, disease-ridden tenements controlled by a universal faith (a 'blind' faith) and a master class of religious leaders and inquisitors. Through many trials and a depressing turn of events there is a glimmer of hope for mankind to evolve rallied to action by the symbol of backwards 'Ev Love', short for Ev(erlasting) Love.
This isn’t Elton’s first near-future eco-disaster novel (This Other Eden/Stark), but it’s definitely his fullest realisation of the SF genre, although so close to the squawking early C21st Britain to be recognisable as a parody. I loved the extrapolation of the reality TV, the image-obsessed, fast-food, short attention-span generation and the slightly weightier themes of science, reason & individuality (represented by Darwinism, evolution & humanism) vs. religious zealotry & control...faith as the ultimately denial of human responsibility, ouch!
I suppose the future is always going to be the same ingredients of the human condition with a slightly different mix?
Nb. I’ve now read all BE’s novels, missing him already :(
Journal Entry 2 by BookGroupMan at Caffe Nero IP1 Bookcrossing Zone in Ipswich, Suffolk United Kingdom on Saturday, September 12, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (9/12/2009 UTC) at Caffe Nero IP1 Bookcrossing Zone in Ipswich, Suffolk United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Taking to today's ipswich meet-up.
Congratulations if you are new to bookcrossing...otherwise welcome back :)
Taking to today's ipswich meet-up.
Congratulations if you are new to bookcrossing...otherwise welcome back :)
Journal Entry 3 by candy-is-dandy from Great Bardfield, Essex United Kingdom on Sunday, September 13, 2009
Picked up at yesterday's meet at Cafe Nero Ipswich. Thought this may be interesting, light(??)reading for train journeys. Have only read 1 Ben Elton before and quite enjoyed it.
My son read this on our trip to the USA (NY and Boston) and finished it just in time for me to take as an offering to the Boston Bookcrossers' Meetup.
He seemed to enjoy the book but is being rather teenager-ish and won't give me any comments though he managed to score it 7 out of 10.
He seemed to enjoy the book but is being rather teenager-ish and won't give me any comments though he managed to score it 7 out of 10.
Journal Entry 5 by candy-is-dandy at Panera Bread, 299 Harvard St. in Brookline, Massachusetts USA on Saturday, July 24, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (7/24/2010 UTC) at Panera Bread, 299 Harvard St. in Brookline, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Taking to a meet-up with Boston bookcrossers while on our holiday to the USA.
An offering of a book by a British author/playwright and comedian (though I doubt he does stand-up any more). Ben Elton was a brash, loud comedian of the 1980's, now a very wealthy and more measured author and playwright (he wrote the musical, We Will Rock You, featuring the music of Queen, for example).
An offering of a book by a British author/playwright and comedian (though I doubt he does stand-up any more). Ben Elton was a brash, loud comedian of the 1980's, now a very wealthy and more measured author and playwright (he wrote the musical, We Will Rock You, featuring the music of Queen, for example).
