Douglas Preston is probably best known for the series of highly
successful novels he has co-authored with Lincoln Child, the most
recent of which was the bestseller THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS. Preston
also has found success as a solo author of both fiction and
nonfiction books, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical
Society. With his latest effort, BLASPHEMY, he may be taking on the
most controversial topic he has ever written about: science vs.
religion.

I always look forward to anything Preston is involved with writing
because I know the topics will be diverse and intricately
researched, and I usually come away learning something in the
process. BLASPHEMY is no exception. Its plot revolves around the
controversy created by the most expensive machine ever assembled
--- Isabella, a supercollider hidden deep in Red Mesa, Arizona,
that is probing the causes of the Big Bang. Great concern has
arisen over Isabella, both from the U.S. government and several
religious groups. Wyman Ford, ex-monk and CIA operative, has been
sent undercover to join the team of scientists in Red Mesa in an
effort to report on what is going on there and learn about any
issues that the team may be covering up.

The leader of the Isabella scientific team is former Nobel
Laureate, and self-proclaimed “world’s smartest
man,” William North Hazelius. Directly opposing Hazelius is
powerful television evangelist Reverend Don T. Spates, who claims
that Hazelius and the Isabella team is involved in a satanic
attempt at disproving Genesis and challenging God Almighty.
Assisting Reverend Spates is a fanatical follower, Reverend Eddy,
who is housed just outside of Red Mesa and working on uncovering
the secrets that the Isabella team is hiding. Members of the U.S.
religious right fear that the Isabella scientists are promoting an
anti-Christian agenda that they feel pervades the entire
nation.

Wyman is thrown right into the middle of this storm. As a former
monk he has deeply rooted religious beliefs of his own while also
maintaining a scientific perspective for the work that the Isabella
team is doing. To further complicate things for Ford, his ex-lover,
Kate Mercer, is the Assistant Deputy Director to Hazelius, and
Wyman finds himself falling for her again.

As things begin to heat up on the religious front, the Isabella
team comes across what they feel is a “hacker” who has
broken into their system and is beginning to communicate with the
team under the guise of being “God.” Once Reverend Eddy
uncovers some of the Isabella team’s secrets and reports them
to Reverend Spate, in addition to posting them on every religious
website he can, an uprising begins that draws thousands of angry
people to Red Mesa in an attempt to thwart what they see as
“Armageddon.”

To tell more would give away too much. Suffice it to say that, as
the Isabella team is distracted by their dialogue with
“God,” the conflagration that is building outside of
their deeply hidden encampment is reaching epic proportions that
will bring about tragic results. Overall, BLASPHEMY is a fast and
thrilling read that tackles deep scientific reasoning while
displaying some of the prevailing religious sentiments in the
nation today. It is quite contrary to novels like the Left
Behind series and goes to great lengths to show that
scientific discoveries in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing.
Hazelius sums up the scientific perspective best when he states:
“Perhaps no rational, intelligent person can ever be
absolutely sure of his faith. Or in my case, sure of my lack of
faith.”

I truly enjoyed BLASPHEMY and turned the pages in great
anticipation of the inevitable tragic confrontation when science
and religion, polar opposites, meet head on. My only criticism is
that I would have liked to have seen more direct debate between
Hazelius and Reverend Eddy, and I felt that some of the characters
in the conflagration were dispatched of too quickly. Even though
the subject matter is quite sensitive, Preston does a great job
showing all sides and has put together a compelling and intriguing
read.