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Blind Faith

Author: Ben Elton
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

34 reviews
Sales Rank: 349

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.2

ISBN: 0552773905
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780552773904
ASIN: 0552773905

Publication Date: May 16, 2008 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: IN STOCK - BRAND NEW - SENT FIRST CLASS - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Blind Faith
•	Audio CD - Blind Faith
•	Audio Cassette - Blind Faith
•	Audio CD - Blind Faith
•	Hardcover - Blind Faith

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Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Very derivative May 11, 2008
This story is simply a rehash of an excellent book; 1984 and an excellent film; Brazil. In each story we have a protagonist standing up against the totalitarian corrupt state. The author has even used Orwells concept of Newspeak in this book albeit by rehashing the street slang used by kids today. The twist in the plot where Trafford falls in love with the spy is all too obvious from the moment the spy is introduced and everyone donning "Ev Love" tee shirts at the end is also very predictable.

This book is very disappointing and doesn't compare with his early works. If you want to read the definitive book of one man standing up against a totalitarian state then read 1984, give this a wide berth.

4 out of 5 stars

An interesting view on where we are headed May 9, 2008
Not Ben's usual side splitting rip-roarer this one. BUT that's not a bad thing. There is some dark humour, and some incredible obervations of life today. Ben has extrapolated our obsessions with fame and ourselves and our seeming need to tell everyone we meet about what we are doing right now, however small and meaningless.

You will enjoy this book, and Ben just seems to be unstoppable. He has so much in his head and seems to be able to manipulate it in so many different ways. From WWI to the unimaginable future in his last two books alone, how many other authors can achieve this?

4 out of 5 stars

"A one-minute rollercoaster ride of terror and fun" April 15, 2008
I can't believe some of you reviewers. So pompous and high-brow! This is black comedy PULP fiction, it's not Shakespeare!

Reading it in one sitting I would equate it to a one-minute rollercoaster ride of terror and fun. Or perhaps "The Life of Brian" derailed for the MyTube generation.

I agree that it is not Ben Elton's best, but it is extremely funny. Sadly funny in places. The characters are meant to be detestable, disgusting, uninteresting. We are not meant to care about them at all. We are meant to care about the fact that they are all so blind and whether Trafford, the hero who we should care a little about, can succeed in his mission.

Even the torture scenes had me laughing, although gloryifyingly graphic (Pulp Fiction style) and made me feel both hateful towards and pitiful of the blind faithful mob screaming "Oh Yeah!" as the blood flowed. People seem to have forgotten that the only 'entertainment' for the masses in medieval Europe was exactly this type of thing - the Church Elders burning heretics and witches.

I think this is a highly visual book, and perhaps Mr Elton would have done better writing it as a film script as he would then more likely have reached the heaving, sweating mass of flesh that it satires - the dumbed-down mob who will likely never read it anyway. They would at least go see the film, but would they get the message...?

Someone said this is like the dumbed-down sequel to Dawkin's "The God Delusion" and I could not agree more. They should be read one after the other to get the full impact!

3 out of 5 stars

Dark look at the future April 10, 2008
I have read quite a lot of Ben Elton's books and this is certainly not his best by a long chalk. There is generally a few good laughs in a Ben Elton book but laughs are not in much evidence here. It is obvious that Ben has no time for reality TV, the interactive world of blogging, FaceBook etc and his vision of the future is a bleak one indeed. A mix of 'reality' and medieval times where you are expected to share your life online all the time. Living real life virtually as it were. Dark and unforgiving. I did see the twist long before we got there which is unusual for me and I was left with a feeling of unfulfilment at the end. Not a patch on some of his earlier work and I look forward to a return to his old cynical but slightly funnier form.

5 out of 5 stars

No 1984 - but that's not what Ben is achieving with it. April 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

That Ben Elton is the grand high master of comic satire, there is no doubt.

Anyone who had the pleasure of attending his 'Get a Grip' stand-up masterpiece can confirm he is a comedian of unparalleled calibre - in both original content and professional delivery.

With almost all of his books he aims to spotlight a different social message, and Blind Faith is no exception here. Whilst there is a direct reference to Orwell's 1984 in the book itself, Blind Faith takes on a more Wyndham-styled approach and structure.

Ben is well aware that his best literary device is his side-spliting satirical wit, and that is the tool he employs to full effect here. As with all of his novels, Ben's strength lies not so much in the main plots but in the humour and thought put behind every sentence and sub-plot along the way. Like all great things in life, the greatest enjoyment is derived from the journey - not from the destination. To this end, the book defintiely achieves one of its main goals.

As for the more serious social commentary, I notice that several readers complain that Blind Faith is contradictory in appearing to aim for the moral high ground in its message yet employs a language and style of the contemporary common man. Here such critics are missing a huge point; the target audience. Sure being high brow in his prose may have won Ben a greater chance of literary acclaim, however for any message to be successful it must cater to the needs and wants of its target audience.

In this day and age of TV, Hollywood, video games and the internet, most of generation Y does not read books any more. To this end also, Blind Faith is right on the money - it is not merely predicting a drop off in book readers, no it is highligting this already evident fact of present western society!

What I find interesting here is Ben's timing for the release of this book. It follows close on the tail of Dawkins' 'The God Delusion', and in my opinion is its sequel. Whereas Dawkins took the high road and one of meticulous detail, it appears that Ben has deliberately aimed to take this very same message to a different, yet equally important, audience of readers.

The book is therefore neither too short, nor badly structured. It all comes down to target audience - if you didn't like the book then you obviously were not a member of this target audience.

I enjoyed the book, its brevity (in the Wyndham vein) rendered it sharp and to the point. There is no sense in drawing out such a straight forward message.

And I remembered to take the salt first!