The Road - A Review

What an amazing book
Malach just last night finished reading The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. The Road has won numerous accolades, not only from Oprah, but also a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; they are also making a film of it. From the man who penned No Country for Old Men, The Road is about a father and son journeying across a a landscaped blasted by some unnamed implied nuclear cataclysm years before. A Father and Son journey the former United States where civilization has been pretty much destroyed, along with most life. What is left of humanity is rat tag bands of cannibals, and refugees, who attempt to survive this ashen and cold landscape, scavenging what they can from the ruins of society.

Ash covers much of the Earth and obscures the Sun. All plant life and animals seem to be dead or extremely rare. Oceans and rivers seem devoid of any life. Any life even humanity is rare, and one can go for weeks without seeing another person. Life is so bad, some people are eating each other, even to the point of having children to eat them.

The unnamed Father is literate, very knowledgeable and well read, and mechanically inclined, has has passed this on to his 10 year old unnamed son. The Father decides he and the son will not survive another winter where they are, so they head South, in an aim to reach warmer climates, if there are any left in the world; largely following highways. The journey's threats to the duo's survival create an atmosphere of suppressed terror and tension I have never gotten reading another book.

The Father is constantly coughing up blood, and he knows he is dying. He struggles to protect his boy from the elements, attack, starvation, and mental health. He also tries to protect the boy from what he sees as a dangerous desire to help those they meet along the way. They carry one pistol, with two bullets (meant to commit suicide as opposed to being captured as food), the Father struggles keeping them alive, and with his decision to kill his son if need be to prevent him from suffering a more terrible fate - many of these fates they meet and see along the journey.

They face all these obstacles themselves, they have each other. The Man who is the solid rock of truth and logic, the boy who holds real faith, and core ethics of humanity. They repeatedly assure themselves that they "are the good guys" and to that end they will not do some of the things, more of the wild people of the world will do to survive. Not to give away too much of the ending, they head south for months, surviving as best they can, seeking their salvation.

This book absolutely blew me away. I read it in about a week, and had trouble putting it down. It is filled with such tension; tension I have never felt in a book. You are right there feeling the pain, the cold, the ash in the lungs. You genuinely fear for the duo, and cry when awful things happen to them, and scream with joy when good things occur. They book itself lends a lot of symbolic religious allegory, especially to the New Testament, but you can read other reviews for that.

The writing itself is beautifully sparse. It is very hard to describe how it is written. It is written mostly narratively, and most of the book is sparse dialogue between the Father and Son. It is more like a poem that a written narrative. Very easy to read, while still being very deep. It will be very interesting to see how the remake this book for film. I highly recommend this book. If you only read one book, read this one.

I am Malach, and I am very impressed

Watchmen, Book Review

Who Watches the Watchmen

Malach has just finished reading Watchmen, yes, the 1986 groundbreaking comic mini series. While I have the originals in my collection, I wanted to read it again, having not read it since 1986, and being 14 years old. I remember enjoying it immensely, but with the upcoming movie, I wanted to reread it with adult eyes.

Now, yes, this is a very critically acclaimed series, and an influence not only on modern comics, but modern movies and cinematography as well. To date it is also the only comic series to ever win a Hugo Award and was also voted to TIME Magazine's top 100 best English Novels since 1920.

So, I went out and bought the trade paperback. Wow! I quickly remembered reading it back then, but WOW, what an amazing piece of fiction. What an amazing visual feast for the eyes.

Written by Alan Moore, and Illustrated by Dave Gibbons (Colored by John Higgins), Watchmen is set in a alternate reality to our own world. It is 1985, in the midst of the Cold War (how I miss you), costumed vigilantes are real, and the Doomsday Clock moves ever closer to Midnight. It tells a story of a group of costumed heroes, past and present, and a mysterious murder of one of their own.

Superheroes are real, with a slight catch. Unlike most comics, no one has superpowers, save one, the rest are just normal people who decided to fight crime as anonymous costumed vigilantes. These are normal people with the typical issues, neuroses, and the failings of you or I. Superheroes have been around since the 1940's, and as they get older, younger people replace them or even take over their identities; that is until 1977, where the Keene Act made it illegal to be a costumed hero, unless your registered with the government. Most chose to retire, while some became government employees

The only hero with any power is Dr. Jon Osterman AKA Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan was accidentally locked in a nuclear testing device, he was apparently killed, only to reform as a blue skinned being with Godlike powers called Dr. Manhattan (he can manipulte matter down to the smallest atom, teleport instantly whereever he wants to, and sees time all at once). He of course comes to work for the US Government making him the ultimate weapon of the Cold War, giving the US a decisive advantage.

The US and the Soviet Union have edged ever closer to Nuclear War, but the presence of Dr. Manhattan keeps the Russian at bay, though dramatically accelerated the arms race. Richard Nixon has somehow remained in office since the 70's, manipulating the Constitution to give him an unprecedented 5th term. It is into this world that we are thrust, very close to our own.

Edward Blake, is a retired costumed hero known as Comedian (also a government employee, very instrumental to the way this world has developed). He is murdered violently thrown from a upper floor window at the very beginning of the book. This event sets in motion a mysterious far reaching conspiracy, that will eventually effect the entire world order. The last vigilante left operating illegally, Rorschach, begins to uncover this plot which he feels is a conspiracy to kill off costumed adventurers. And the story takes off from there.

Soon, Dr. Manhattan, disillusioned and disinterested by humanity and the world, and said to be causing cancer in the loved ones, abandons the Earth for Mars, which immediately causes the Soviets to invade Afghanistan, and immediately creates real palpable fear of nuclear armageddon. This is where the plots begins to twist, so I won't reveal more.

Character development is as good as any novel I have read, you get a good feel for these characters, their interest, quirks, and feelings. The godliness of Dr. Manhattan, the insanity of Rorschach, the calculating nerdiness Nite Owl, and overt sexuality but lack of self esteem of Silk Spectre . . . The dialogue is rich and realistic.

The comic book itself, it's layout and art, is a work of pure genius. While Dave Gibbons is not the best artist in the comics scene, the way he and John Higgins set up the panels is breathtaking. Done very minimalistic, four colors, slight shadings, and deep blacks, it evokes a mood of paranoia and hopelessness. It is also a homage to 1940's early comics. The repetitive nature of the symbols and icons throughout the work is amazing. Analyze the pages, as images, words, and phrases appear and reappear throughout out the book, the most famous being the bloodstained smiley face. Gibbons also illustrates it like a storyboard, it is more akin to watching a movie, that reading a comic book. He uses no thought balloons throughout the book, and prefers to show thought by character expression and body language. In addition he rarely show wide shots in any panel, instead shrinking the panel upon face, objects, and actions. He uses no actions lines, preferring to show action with a spray of blood, or flying of glass. There are also no onomatopoeic sound effects, very common is comic books.

They also as groups (Moore, Gibbons, and Higgins) do some really unique things. One is the comic within a comic plot device. Throughout the comic Watchmen, and young man is reading a pirate comic called The Black Freighter which as your read along with him, relates directly in sections with what is going on with the comic book, even to the point of trading narration and dialogue. In addition, every chapter (originally issues) is addended with a real few page of something going on the in the story, for example a excerpt from a book about his life as a costumed adventurer from the first Nite Owl, or the psychological evaluation of Rorschach, which helps fill in back story.

If you have never read a comic book, or haven't read one in a long time, pick this up, your will be pleasantly surprised. I honestly cannot wait for the movie, this book will translate well to movie, hopefully they do it right, it will be an AMAZING movie.

I am Malach and who watches me?

Malach's newest internet pal, and a book review

Calling the Buckos Brigade!
Someone has declared war on Chicken Moon and Third Option Media. Youtube user amandalee7747. Evidently she is highly insulted about the Chicken Moon Video Jonestown. And man does this 35 year old woman go off on Malach, and his social status, looks, and weight, even though she has never met me, nor knows what I look like.. Check out the comments in the video, feel free to add you own. Drive the woman mad, or madder than she already is!

Never Give Up.
Malach has just finished reading Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL, By Tedy Bruschi and Michael Holley. Good Book, if you are into inspirational stories, or Tedy and the Patriots; it is a must read.

Now, this is not high literature, it is simply written so even a young reader can read it and get the message, but is was well done, and I flew through the book in like 2 days. In it Bruschi gives his first and only real description of what happened to him 10 days after the 2005 Super Bowl; the stroke he had, how he struggled with it, how it affected him, his marriage, and his possible career. His months of recovery leading up to his surprising return to the NFL in the 2005 - 2006 season. He discusses his early broken home life, his love of the game, and the championship runs.

He even discusses his disappointment in the next two seasons, especially not winning 3 in row. There is a ton on info about strokes, the different type of strokes, and their effect on the stroke sufferer.

Nowadays it is rare for a sports star to provide us with someone to look up to. Bruschi is one of them.

I am Malach and some say love, it is a river that drowns, the tender reed.

The Golden Compass

Wow.
So, many of you know, Malach works for an organization that is based it's funding in part from Catholic Charities. Malach was shocked to find how vehemently, the Catholic Church has come out against Phillip Pullman, and The Golden Compass movie, and his Dark Materials books. There is a very active movement in the Catholic Church (and Christianity for that matter) to ban these books. Pullman, a "devout" atheist (who Malach affectionately calls "Bizarro C.S. Lewis), is very active in his opinions about religion in general, but so are a lot of people.

What surprises Malach . . . the Church itself, while it has made suggestions of "non Catholic" work (Harry Potter and The DaVinci Code come to mind), they have never come right out and banned a book, which they have with these books. The Catholic Schools in the area have sent a memo home stating these books were not allowed in any of the schools, and any teachers found with them would lose their jobs. They haven't openly banned a popular books since the 60's. The Catholic League (a media arm of the Vatican, but they will deny it) has come out against the book as blasphemous and evil.

Malach reprints for you below a interview from Zenit.com another Vatican based Internet media company:

What Every Parent Should Know About "The Golden Compass"

Interview With Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, NOV. 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The film "The Golden Compass" isn't simply about using fairy-tale magic to tell a good story, it corrupts the imagery of Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church, says Catholic author Pete Vere.In this interview with ZENIT, Vere and Sandra Miesel discuss the movie adaptation of the fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman. The film, staring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, will be released in the United States in early December.

Vere and Miesel are co-authors of the booklet "Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy," to be published by Ignatius Press next month on the topic of "The Golden Compass."

Q: The first movie of "The Golden Compass" trilogy is being released at Christmas. For those unfamiliar with the series, what kind of books are these and to whom do they appeal?
Vere: To begin, the books are marketed for 9-12 year olds as children's fantasy literature in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling. "If you're a fan of 'Lord of the Rings,' 'Narnia ' or 'Harry Potter,'" the critics tell us, "you'll love Pullman."

Personally, I just can't see a child picking up these books and reading them. I see them more as books that adults give kids to read.

Having said that, "The Golden Compass" (1995) is the first book in Pullman's trilogy. The second book is titled "The Subtle Knife" (1997) and it is followed by "The Amber Spyglass" (2000).

Collectively, the trilogy is known as "His Dark Materials," a phrase taken from John Milton's "Paradise Lost." This is appropriately titled in my opinion, since each book gets progressively darker -- both in the intensity with which Pullman attacks the Catholic Church and the Judeo-Christian concept of God, as well as the stridency with which he promotes atheism.

For example, one of the main supporting characters, Dr. Mary Malone, is a former Catholic nun who abandoned her vocation to pursue sex and science. The reader does not meet her until the second book, by which time the young reader is already engrossed in the story. By the third book, Dr. Malone is engaging in occult practices to lead the two main characters, a 12-year-old boy and girl, to sleep in the same bed and engage in -- at the very least -- heavy kissing. This is the act through which they renew the multiple universes created by Pullman.

Another example is Pullman's portrayal of the Judeo-Christian God. Pullman refers to him as "The Authority," although a number of passages make clear that this is the God of the Bible. The Authority is a liar and a mere angel, and as we discover in the third book, senile as well. He was locked in some sort of jewel and held prisoner by the patriarch Enoch, who is now called Metatron and who rules in the Authority's name. When the children find the jewel and accidentally release the Authority, he falls apart and dies.

Additionally, Pullman uses the imagery of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" chronicles. "His Dark Materials" opens with the young heroine stuck in a wardrobe belonging to an old academic, conversing with a talking animal, when she discovers multiple worlds. So the young reader is lulled early on with the familiar feel of Lewis.

Nevertheless, Pullman's work isn't simply about using fairy-tale magic to tell a good story. He openly proselytizes for atheism, corrupting the imagery of Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church.

Q: Many Catholics, including William Donohue of the Catholic League, are speaking out against the movie. What should parents know before they let their children watch this film?
Vere: I don't recommend any parent allow their children to view the film. While the movie has reportedly been sanitized of its more anti-Christian and anti-religious elements, it will do nothing but pique children's curiosity about the books. I'm a parent myself. My children would think it hypocritical if I told them it was OK to see the movie, but not to read the books. And they would be right.

It's not OK for children -- impressionable as they are -- to read stories in which the plot revolves around the supreme blasphemy, namely, that God is a liar and a mortal. It is not appropriate for children to read books in which the heroine is the product of adultery and murder; priests act as professional hit men, torturers and authorize occult experimentation on young children; an ex-nun engages in occult practices and promiscuous behavior, and speaks of it openly with a 12-year-old couple; and the angels who rebel against God are good, while those who fight on God's side are evil. This is wrong. And while it's been softened in the movie -- or at least that's what Hollywood is telling us -- it's still there in the books.

Miesel: Furthermore, there's a great deal of cruelty and gore in the books, not just battles but deliberate murder, sadism, mutilation, suicide, euthanasia and even cannibalism. There are also passages of disturbing sensuality and homosexual angels who are "platonic lovers."

I agree with Pete. Avoid both the movie and the books. It would be best if people didn't picket or make a public fuss because that's just free publicity. If the movie fails at the box office, the second and third books won't be filmed.

Q: The author, Philip Pullman, is an outspoken atheist. Does this come across in the books and the movie as a secularist position or more in the form of anti-Catholicism?
Vere: It's not an "either/or" situation. What begins as a rebellion against the Church turns into a rebellion against God. This then leads to the discovery that God -- and Christianity -- are a fraud.

The 12-year-old protagonists -- Lyra and Will -- discover there is no immortal soul, no heaven or hell. All that awaits us in the afterlife is some gloomy Hades-type afterlife where the soul goes to wait until it completely dissolves. Thus Pullman uses anti-Catholicism as the gateway to promoting atheism.

Q: The trilogy is being compared to "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings." Is there a comparison to be made with either?
Vere: On the surface, yes. You've got witches, heroines, strange creatures, alternate worlds, etc. Although for reasons already stated, the real comparison -- by way of inverted imagery -- is to C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" chronicles. Pullman, who has called "The Lord of the Rings" "infantile," has a particular dislike for Lewis and "Narnia." This is reflected in Pullman taking Lewis' literary devices and inverting them to attack Christianity and promote atheism.

As Pullman said in a 1998 article in The Guardian: "[Lewis] didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the 'Narnia' books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up. Susan, who did want to grow up, and who might have been the most interesting character in the whole cycle if she'd been allowed to, is a Cinderella in a story where the ugly sisters win."

Miesel: That nasty quote is factually wrong on both points. Lewis began corresponding with his future wife in 1950, the year the first "Narnia" book came out, and married her in 1956, the year the last one was published. Susan's problem isn't "growing up," but turning silly and conceited. She doesn't even appear -- much less get sent to hell -- in "The Last Battle."

Vere: Thus what we see here is more contrast and corruption than comparison. Also, the work of Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling is primarily driven by the audience. It is the average reader who purchases these works, reads them, and makes them popular.

Pullman's work, on the other hand, appears to be driven by the critics. The only people I know recommending Pullman's work are English majors and university professors. I don't know a single electrician, hairdresser or accountant who recommends Pullman's work by word of mouth. Thus the books haven't resonated with the average person to the same degree as "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia" and "Harry Potter."

Q: Nicole Kidman, a Catholic who stars in the film, has said she wouldn't have taken the role if she thought the movie was anti-Catholic. What do you make of this response?
Vere: The film has not yet been released, so I cannot comment on it. However, Christ asks very pointedly in the Gospels: Can a good tree bear rotten fruit? The movie is the fruit of the books and Pullman's imagination. These are anti-Christian and atheistic at their core. How does one sanitize this from the movie without completely gutting Pullman from his story?

During an interview with Hollywood screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi a couple of months ago, I asked her whether it was possible to tone down the anti-Christian elements for the movie. Nicolosi is the chair of Act One, a training and mentoring organization for Christians starting out in Hollywood.

She had given the question thought. A few years ago one of her friends -- an evangelical Christian -- had been asked by her agent to pitch on the project, that is, propose to write the screenplay adapting "The Golden Compass" to film.

"We read [the book] and there was just no way we could come in on this," Nicolosi told me. "Pullman's fantasy universe is nihilistic and rooted in chaos. You cannot fix that in a rewrite without changing the story Pullman is trying to tell -- which is atheistic, angry and at times polemical."

But let's suppose it is possible. Let's suppose Kidman is right and that the movie has been sanitized of its anti-Catholicism. The books remain saturated with bitter anti-Christian polemic. So why promote a movie that will only generate interest in the books among impressionable young children?

For the Christian parent, the movie cannot be anything but spiritual poison to their children -- for the movie is the fruit of the book.

Wow. These are very strong words from people representing the Christian view, and you can just read this being repeated across the Internet with Christian sites and bloggers.

Here's what bother Malach. Why is the Church so nervous about a book. Are their followers that brain dead that reading this book will turn them into atheistic zombies? I mean The Chronicles of Narnia did not turn me into a Christian.

By the way, I have not read any of the books (surprisingly they sell the whole set at Wal-Mart), but is it on my list of things to read.

I am Malach, your prophet.

The Color of Magic, a Book Review

The Color of Magic
Ok, maybe I am a little slow on the uptake here, but thanks to some prodding from Angryman, Malach has just finished the first book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series, The Color of Magic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. While is has a slight slow begininning, it quickly traps you into Discworld, and you don't want to leave. I am not a huge fan of Pratchett, but the stuff I have read by him, I have enjoyed. If you are at all a fan of high fantasy, Tolkein style, or fantasy based Role Playing Games, these books are for you. They is one way are intended as a spoof, a spoof of Tolkein, a spoof Dungeons and Dragons, Lovecraft, Leiber, Howard, C.S. Lewis, a spoof on everything high fantasy.

The first in series, The Color of Magic is about an inept and cynical wizard named Rincewind. So inept, he never completed wizard training, and can only cast one spell. One of the original spells of power, that he really can't remember how to cast. He comes into employment for as a guide for a out of country visitor named Twoflower and his sentient piece of luggage (Luggage). Rincewind leads him about the huge city of Ankh-Morpork, through a series of unfortunate events, leading to the city burning to the ground, and they then set off on the begininig of a grand adventure across the continent, and further.

Not only is the book funny, it is also throughly entertaining, and I couldn't put it down. It get 4 ass smacks from Malach the Merciless.

Eric Mangini
These are starting to sell well, so here they are, for the WoWees, the game is coming up soon.

BITCH SNITCH ERIC MAN-GINA
by

Malach

Get this custom shirt
at Zazzle

STOP SNITCHIN' MANGENIUS!
by

Malach

Get this custom shirt
at Zazzle

And as requested Sweatshirts will be up today.

And finally some exclusive video of the Angry Piper's ex

I am Malach and I want to rock with you

The Brother's Bulger, a review

Don't kill me Whitey
Malach has just finished reading The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century by Howie Carr. Pretty good book, if you like non-fiction style mafia stuff. First, I must stress, I am not a fan of Howie Carr. The book does suffer from Carr's opinion in a number of places. Carr is a right wing conservative and throughout the book, a number of time he makes the democrat/republican thing too black and white, and often shades the right with the cloak of righteousness. That aside, the book gives you and excellent insight into MA State politics of the 70's, 80's, and 90's under the control of Billy Bulger, and the parallels of James "Whitey" Bulger rise into being the kingpin of Boston crime during the same time period.

Now if you are not familiar with the Bulgers, I will give you a brief on each, with a link to Wikipedia for more in depth. Billy Bulger is a life long Boston Politician who was President of the MA State Senate for more than 25 years. Bulger held unprecedented power in that position, perhaps more than the Governor, and he used it, to line his pockets, line his friends pockets, ruin careers, and possibly commit crimes. You can read a pretty good article about him here.

Now Whitey. Whitey is currently an on the run fugitive, on the Top 10 most wanted FBI list, along with the likes of Osama bin Laden. Whitey became the most powerful person in Boston Organized crime in those 25 years. He used a incredible system of crooked cops, federal agents, and used his status as an FBI informant, to systematically wipe out all his competition, and commit crimes right under the nose of state and federal investigators. He is currently wanted to RICO charges, narcotics charges, and number of murder charges to name a few. Whitey was so good he even won the lottery in a crooked way in the early '90's. There is a good article about him here.

Carr did pretty amazing job getting all sort of true inside dirt on the Bulgers and their associates without getting killed. The book is a excellent read on straight information and how the Bulgers did what they did for as long as they did, without facing prosecution. It details the level of corruption throughout the state government and how even Republican governors bowed to the will of the Bulgers (To give Mitt Romney some credit, being an outsider, he did finally get rid of Bulger).

If you like true crime, you will like this book. If you live in MA, you will like it even more. And Angry Piper, you are more than welcome to republish this review at your website.

I am Malach and I can read . . now.

The Traveller

A Book Review
Malach has just finished reading The Traveller by John Twelve Hawks. It is the first book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy. Dark River the second book of the trilogy was just released. Both books have been best sellers, at least in their genre, and are fairly easy to find.

First I want to talk a bit about Twelve Hawks and the mystery surrounding the author. Very reclusive; supposedly Twelve Hawks and his editor have never met. They communicate via the Internet, and a untraceable satellite phone, using a voice scrambler. No photograph of him has been seen by the public, and the only biographical information on him is based on four sources.

1. A 2005 USA Today article
2. A 2005 interview in SFF World
3. A 2006 interview published in Germany in Titel Magazine
4. A small tidbit in a 2007 Daily Telegraph article

Random House's biography for the longest time only stated Twelve Hawks "lived off the grid" (a term we will explore a bit more in this article), and has recently been replaced by the line "John Twelve Hawks is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Traveler."

Theories abound about who Twelve Hawks really is, some are interesting, Malach has his own. some have been recently discredited. One thing is know, Twelve Hawks is a pseudonym and he is not an American Indian.

Much of the "information" about him has come from interviews. In one, Twelve Hawks made the statement when asked if the situation in Iraq was "Hell", Twelve Hawks relied Hell was more "like Lebanon in the '70's", a remark that suggests he was at least old enough to have some intelligent thought about that, putting him in his 40's or 50's or even older.

Twelve Hawks has also stated he grew up in a sort of commune, learned writing from stealing books from a restricted University Library, drives a 15 year old car, and does not own a television. His road agent has stated Twelve Hawks lives in London, LA, and New York, and by his writing he shows some familiarity with these cities. Twelve Hawks also states he does not plan in going public with his identity.

Some of the more popular rumors and theories about Twelve Hawks. According to someone who knows someone from Random House. Twelve Hawks has a serious physical disability and prefers to remain out of the public eye. This has lead to the theory that he is Stephen Hawking. Interesting thought; Hawking has world travel experience, can write, and would have some thought of some of the science involved in this book. Interesting though, Hawking has never shied away from the public eye, and has never hidden his disability; in fact he is a huge proponent of the rights of the disabled. There are theories that he is another published author, some of the more popular guesses are Michael Cunningham, Craig Strete, Kage Barker, and Dan Brown. The Brown one has recently been denied by Twelve Hawks (personally I don't see it either, Twelve Hawks is a much better writer). Also having not read any of those writers, so I really can't give an opinion.

Malach's theory is that Twelve Hawks is William Gibson. Why? Read something by both of them. Their writing style is very similar. In addition, they explore many of the same concepts.

OK, what about the book?
The Traveller is set in a contemporary alternative reality. Elements of magic and technology interweave with a dystopian modern day 1984. The World and it's population are overseen by a secret organization bent on creating a perfect society, perfectly controlled by technology, the Internet, media, surveillance and a police state. This organization is called the Tabula, and over the centuries have infiltrated much of the world's governments, and businesses, creating a culture of fear and naitivity. This group is opposed by people who have realized what is going on, and have chosen to "live off the grid", the world wide blanket of surveillance and control. The Tabula in bent on destroying these groups, specific certain people called Travellers. Travellers are people who can project their "light" (Souls) into other dimensions and realms. From these realms they bring back information (free will, living off the grid, living off the land) that is against the society created by the Tabula . Travellers over the centuries have become great leaders of men: holy men, prophets, genius, and change society for the better. The Tabula sees them as dangerous subversives and are bent on destroying them, which they have over the centuries. Harlequins and sword protectors of the Travellers, lonely fighting machines, who's only purpose in life in to protect the Traveller.

Both Travellers and Harlequins, being systematically wiped out, only number a few as we come to the modern era. Maya is a Harlequin from birth, abandoning that life to attempt to live a normal citizen. The daughter of a famous German Harlequin, she is thrust into the midst of this war on her father's last wish. She is asked to find and defend the two last remaining known Travellers, and travels to the States to do so. While there, she uncovers a massive plot by the Tabula, to use one of the travellers to contact, and perhaps eventually cross over to the other realms.

The plot is well written, has some really nice twists, and the character development is excellent. And overall feeling of paranoia and mystery is carried through the novel, and several ideas of free will, anti-technology, and religion are also explored in the novel. The book has a very interesting Buddhist cosmology to it, and it a excellent mix of fantasy, sci-fi, magic and cyberpunk.

This will easily translate to the big screen and reportedly the movie rights have already been sold. Can't wait to read the next installment.

I am Malach and I can read.

I recomend this book.

For those who believe in a God without religion, please read this book, is AMAZING.
For those who believe following God is becoming wealthy, this is not the book for you.
Is called "The Heavenly Man" by Paul Hattaway and talks about the experience of "Brother Yun" and all he had to go through for following God in a country like China.