Customer Reviews

The God Machine

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

J.G. Sandom's "The God Machine," a contemporary thriller that pinballs between the present and episodes in the lives of historical figures including Leonardo Da Vinci, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Edison, is as relentless in its pace as it is rigorous in its plotting and satisfying in its payoff.

J.G. Sandom has never been one to shy away from big themes or from flaunting his equally outsized ambitions. In "Gospel Truths" he created the template for the "theo-thriller" that Dan Brown would ride to success with the "Da Vinci Code" a decade later. In "The Hunting Club," the story of a bachelor party gone horribly awry, Sandom merged the whodunit with bad-boy lit to form a probing dark tale that tackled two mysteries: Who committed a heinous crime, and who is guilty for a generation's ennui and moral decrepitude? Now in "The God Machine" Sandom has reached up to the heavens and into the past to create a bold, even audacious adventure that takes off from where "Gospel Truths" left off. The mathematical whiz Joseph Koster is back, set on the trail of a fabled religious text last believed to be in the possession of Benjamin Franklin. But unknown to Koster, the object of his search holds secrets that are far more valuable than any religious screed.

Propelled by a gallery of unforgettable supporting characters drawn not so much from imagination as from a twisted parallel universe (a homicidal nun, drug-crazed televangelist and a ruthlessly amoral Vice President of the United States among them), in no time Sandom has set readers on a galloping trans-Atlantic quest. As clues to the secret of this long lost Gospel of Judas are revealed, Sandom also uses his considerable knowledge of theology, metaphysics, microchips and the lives of historical figures to solve a larger, true life mystery: What is the nature and source of the power of religious dogma, and why is organized religion so rattled by questions of the legitimacy of the metaphorical legends that form its foundations?

Yet these bigger themes aren't enough to stop the relentless pace as Koster and his newfound helpmate, a beautiful, Indian born high-tech mogul, draw closer to solving the many angles of the mystery as the powers that seek to stop them close in from all sides. Meanwhile, plot twists more tightly woven than a length of braided hemp keep readers off balance.

In lesser hands the God Machine of the novel's title might be little more than a McGuffin whose only function is to serve as the ignition system for a goose chase (albeit a golden goose). But Sandom has managed to make both the machine and his story as real, palpable, and alternately beautiful and terrifying as what we expect to find at the heart of the eternal battle between good and evil.

J Sandom is a born story-teller. In THE GOD MACHINE, from page one, the reader is eager to further rev up and accelerate into a time-traveling thriller whose chapters criss-cross many centuries, each one conjuring up medieval and early modern European history, arcana of freemasonry, religious fanaticism and a bit of engineering magic -- all animated by great contemporary characters from a laconic, double-dealing Scotland Yard detective to grand historical figures such as Ben Franklin.

This is a well-oiled and humming mystery, whose pages fly by in a flurry of action and suspense.

David Lincoln Ross

Highly recommended.

David L. Ross

I, personally, didn't care much for Sandom's first religious thriller novel, Gospel Truths, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one since it was written 15+ years after Gospel Truths. I kind of figured it would be better based solely on the belief that after 15 years and having written several more novels* Sandom's writing ability would have improved and his ideas for a story would be much fresher than then! Indeed, on both counts!

****UPDATE OF CLARIFICATION FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW: J.G. Sandom has written a couple of other novels under the pseudonym T.K. Welsh. One of them, The Resurrection Men, I've read, and it was quite good. He's also written 2 others, besides Gospel Truths, under the Sandom name. According to his website he has written 9 works of fiction total.****

This is not to say Gospel Truths was a bad book, it wasn't. It was really only average, though. But I read it only in the last year or so and had I read it when it was first published back in 1992 I would have thought it was the penultimate thriller. Fastforward to 2009 and we have The God Machine.

I had actually read The God Machine about a month ago as I purchased an Advanced Reader's Copy of it on eBay. The main difference I noticed between this book and Gospel Truths, other than different storylines, is that there seems to be much more intrigue and mystery and mayhem, which in turn makes it much more interesting. This book reminded somewhat of the movie National Treasure, not in storyline, but in the adventuresome spirit of it . Very thrilling! I read this in 2 sittings, which is rare for me with a book that weighs in at 466 pages.

There is an improvement in writing with The God Machine, but not so much it would be noticed like the difference between night and day. What makes it stand out is the presentation and storyline. This novel can definitely stand on it's own two feet amongst the crowded religious thriller genre and not ownly does it stand, it shines among some of the best in the field. This one's got wheels, not feet!

In The God Machine we have mathematician Joseph Koster returning from Gospel Truths for another outing. This time he's paired up with hottie Savita Sajan to find the coded journal of Ben Franklin that may reveal an earth-shattering secret and must race against the clock to decode it before it falls into the hands of religious zealots. This may sound like another ho hum storyline, but not the way Sandom presents. It is incredibly fast paced with many twists and turns. Again, I keep thinking of National Treasure when thinking of this novel. I won't tell you any more about the storyline because I don't want to let something slip and spoil this great read for you.

If you like religious thrillers with secret discoveries, religious nuts and secret societies, conspiracies, mystery and intrigue, well developed characters and a great storyline all presented to you in vivid form then you need to BUY THIS BOOK! Definitely the best religious thriller I've read in a while(years). As with most thrillers of this ilk it will be compared to Brown's Da Vinci Code, which I think is a disservice not just to DVC, but to TGM as well.

I do like this one better than The Da Vinci Code, but still think it's an excellent novel as well. Don't forget The Da Vinci Code, while still in the same genre, is an entirely different storyline than The God Machine. Thus comparisons really shouldn't be made unless they are specific(i.e. writing ability, development of characters, presentation etc.)

If you like or are a fan of the books of Sam Bourne, Scott Mariani, James Twining, James Rollins, Dan Brown, Douglas Weber, Chris Kuzneski, Gregg Loomis, David Gibbins, Raymond Khoury or David Wood you should definitely enjoy this book throughly and quickly devour it up.

I can't really think of a complaint I have with this book and whole heartedly give it my highest recommendation. I give it 5 stars out of 5 or a 10 out of 10! It's rarity among the word of fiction, especially those of this ilk. Buy it now and prepare to be up for an allnighter!!!

I just finished reading THE GOD MACHINE and I really enjoyed it! It should be made into a movie. I will definitely be reading GOSPEL TRUTHS.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I had read Gospel Truths years ago and remember how it struck me as a better read than the highly popular DaVinci Code, in part, because of the rich historic details and intelligent connections. I like to learn something when I read, and I really felt that I learned a lot after reading both the Gospel Truths and The God Machine. J. Sandom has a good way with developing his characters, too, and Joseph Koster is quirky enough to be interesting, yet very real. It was nice to catch up with him in the God Machine after so many years.

The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons were made possible by Mr Sandom's genre breaking novel "Gospel Truths" published in 1992. Now with "The God Machine" he has set the bar even higher for future religious thrillers.

All of the titles in this genre take liberties with history and technology, blend fact and fiction and whirl up unimgaginable action and intrique, that's why we read them. And in "The God Machine" the reader gets it all: crafty intrique, implausable situation, historical reference all tightly woven and masterfully written.

Before you head to the moveies this summer and spend $12 for a ticket to see another lackluster Hollywood summer bummer like Angels and Demons, order "The God Machine" pull out the beach chair, pop open the umbrella, dig your toes in the sand and have fun with this well crafted thriller. It's well worth the time.

One thing I liked about The God Machine is its historical detail. I spent hours looking up enlightening things from the book. And it's a good read and a great story.

I loved this book! It's not a difficult read, you don't have to get too bogged down in any special knowledge, the author gives you what you need. The characters are likeable and believable. I only took off one star because the prose can be a little cliche at times, but not ever to the point where it's distracting...A fun read for vacation, when you don't want to overinvest!

I loved this book! I'm a huge fan of these kinds of thrillers and I must say this is one of the best out there. This book was fast paced, easy to read and kept me on my toes until the last page. I was already a fan after Gospel Truths but man oh man this one was way more exciting and more of a thrill ride!

I read this book in one weekend and after burning dinner on the first night my husband went out and bought his own copy to see what all the fuss was about. He loves it! Since he's a math teacher and amateur contractor he loved Joseph Koster. It's high time a math nerd gets some excitement he said. I think that the Koster-Sajan combination is fantastic, they make the book even better and it's great to see a girl kick some a** too!

If I had a God Machine I'd wish that J.G. Sandom not take so long between books. I can't wait for this to be made into a movie!! If you like books with action, adventure and really smart plots this is the novel for you!

J. Sandom just keeps getting better. Who else can write in such delicious detail about religion, microchip architecture, Ben Franklin, the Freemasons and the Enlightenment -- all under one cover? And who else can dress it all up in the habit of a disarmingly gorgeous but sociopathic killer nun?

Mr. Sandom clearly has some issues to work through. Fortunately, however, he lets us watch while he goes to work. The God Machine is terrific fun, and a great read. Buy it.