 This is a story with
heroic theories and villainous characters. It begins with the
discovery and excavation of a tomb, containing three skeletons of
great stature. For reasons not yet specified, these are identified
as the earthly remains of the biblical family Adam, Eve, and Abel.
Representatives from both sides of the evolutionist / creationist
debate are invited to a conference, to see and hear the evidence for
this claim. There to support the creationist cause is televangelist
the Reverend Jack Frye. He sees the discovery as a lever to propel
him into politics, and his sights are set on the Presidency.
Greg Plummer, research scientist,
intellectual, and University Professor, is there on behalf of the
evolutionists. To him, the whole affair is so totally risible that
creationism will be laid to rest for ever. Driven, initially, to
support the evolutionary theory in rebellion against an abusive and
excessively religious upbringing, he has developed a degree of
bigotry fully matched by that of the Reverend Frye.
Greg's friend, Billy, acts as referee
and interpreter of the biblical evidence to support creationist
theories. He is assisted by Bear, an omnipotent and omniscient being
whom Billy describes as an Angel.
The story is very much more cerebral
than erotic, but there is a plug for middle-aged, married lust -
which is a refreshing change from the usual bonking nymphets.
So, the plot is shaping up nicely,
sounds interesting. Well, I'm afraid not. The author has chosen to
write in a long, endless dialogue, which becomes extremely turgid,
very quickly. Add to this characters with a total lack of empathy,
and ploughing through the text becomes something of a penance. This
is a pity, because I found real interest in the discussion of
creationist theories, which are relatively unknown to me, and
probably many others. The ideas are put forward authoritatively, and
I found them fascinating. With Britain's second 'creationist' school
about to be set up the subject is also very topical.
Being very up-to-the-minute does pose
problems in the field of constantly expanding scientific theory. In
the book Greg mocks the creationists by suggesting that their
beliefs would put men and dinosaurs on earth together, "a
proven scientific impossibility", he says. The big new item on
the day I read this was a scientific discovery which now put man's
earliest primate ancestors in just such proximity to dinosaurs.
The book is billed as number one of a
trilogy, but it has the 'to-be-continued', cliff-hanger ending more
usually associated with a serial. This format makes it impossible to
come to any conclusions yet, but so far I can see an emerging battle
between Mammon and the Devil with obnoxious characters essential to
the story. The traditional church is represented by two nuns with a
flair for fisticuffs and more interest in sport than spirituality.
The venal evangelist typifies Mammon and I am unconvinced that the
magical Bear is an Angel. Billy's new look, in Bear's image, is so
radical that Greg, his friend since college, fails to recognise him.
This seems more reminiscent of a pact with the Devil. Many questions
are unanswered as yet: why has Adama, Billy's son, been given a
boy's name with a feminine suffix? Is his computer a modern slant on
the biblical Tree of Knowledge? Will the heroic theories win through
for God and will the flesh and blood villains face the drop? We wait
to see...
~Review by
Patricia A. Turton
Dropping the God
Bomb 2.0 is an e-book available from www.brownbearpress.net
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