The Footprints of God (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "My name is David Tennant, M.D. I'm professor of ethics at the University of Virginia Medical School, and if you're watching this tape, I'm dead..." (more)
Key Phrases: alpha coma, General Bauer, Peter Godin, Ravi Nara (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The shoot-'em-up potential of spiritual subject matter has recently been profitably exploited by a number of writers (most notably James BeauSeigneur in his Christ Clone trilogy). In this compelling, science-based entry, Iles (Sleep No More; 24 Hours; The Quiet Game) gives his own particular spin on biblical mayhem. "My name is David Tennant, M.D. I'm professor of ethics at the University of Virginia Medical School, and if you're watching this tape, I'm dead." Tennant works for Project Trinity, a secret government organization attempting to build a quantum-level supercomputer. Using advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, Tennant and five other top scientists have supplied Trinity, the experimental computer, with molecular copies of themselves as models for a neurological operating system. As Trinity comes to life, the men who control the experiment begin to split into competing factions, each determined to use the computer for his own ends. When Tennant tries to shut the project down because of ethical considerations, he is marked for death by the beautiful but physically and psychologically scarred Geli Bauer, head of security. Iles writes himself onto a high wire that stretches over a dangerous fictional chasm as Tennant begins to have narcoleptic seizures and see life through the eyes of Jesus Christ. That this talented author makes it to the other side without falling is testament to his ingenuity and intelligence. Armageddon looms as nuclear missiles streak toward the United States, and the fate of mankind rests on Tennant's ability to reason with the omnipotent Trinity. Readers interested in the exploration of religious themes without the usual New Age blather or window-dressed dogma will snap up this novel of cutting-edge science.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Iles, author of eight best-sellers, takes the standard paranoid thriller starring an endangered man and the woman who believes he's delusional until a series of shocks forces her to accept the too-strange-to-believe truth--and makes it run like Mussolini's trains. Everything arrives on time, as expected: boy is involved in scientific experiment; boy loses parts of mind; boy meets girl; boy runs away with girl after coworkers sniff out his suspicions and decide to snuff out his life. In this case, physician and ethicist Dr. David Tennant has spent the last few years of his life working on government-funded, hush-hush Project Trinity, which strives to build a supercomputer by liberating human intelligence from the human body. As the project progresses, Tennant's ethical concerns increase, especially when Trinity team members begin to develop neurological disorders. Once Tennant has sought psychiatric help, his psychiatrist (naturally, a beautiful woman) is drawn into the guessing game of whether Tennant is paranoid or insightful. With the murder of Tennant's closest colleague, and Tennant's inability to cover his disillusionment with the project, the game is afoot, as the government bears down on our hero and his psychiatrist friend. Cardboard characters and a mostly predictable plot, but Iles, a consummate storyteller, keeps suspense and blood pressure high. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (February 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743454146
• ISBN-13: 978-0743454148
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #514,039 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars thriller/sci-fi/techgeek book. , August 19, 2004

By	L. Tite "www.silverberry.org" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My dad and I have fairly common tastes in reading material, so when he loaned me The Footprints of God with this recommendation, "Just keep an open mind. This one makes you think", I figured I would enjoy the book. Keep an open mind, indeed. The premise of the book is the creation of a quantum super-computer ... taking AI to the next level - perhaps a level we shouldn't be considering. While I didn't agree with much of the theological-speak in the book ... I don't have to agree with everything in a book to enjoy the story. That's what fiction is all about, right?

The powers behind the Trinity Project (the name of the research project developing the quantum super computers) force the main character, Dr. David Tennant, to flee for his life when he becomes aware of what Trinity might eventually accomplish - and the realization of what that might mean for the world. A computer who could think faster than the human brain .... decipher codes instantaneously .... if this computer was hooked up to the internet ... what could it be capable of?

All in all, a good book. At times the pace drags a bit, but I still read it in two sittings ..... it was a gripping thriller/sci-fi/techgeek book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very well done, June 7, 2004

By	John Howard "jrh1972" (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had read and enjoyed several other book by Iles before this one, so I expected it to be good, however, I wasn't sure how well he would do with the subject matter which seemed quite a bit different from his previous novels. The story had the fast-paced feel of a thriller, with the in-depth subject matter of a good science fiction sotry, and I thought Iles handled this very well.

I was most impressed with how well Iles defined and explained the concept of God as it relates to the story. In most similar stories that I've read, this kind of thing usually comes off sounding pretty silly, but Iles handled it very well, without getting too incredibly abstract. I also really liked the concept that the Trinity computer when done would have to be something elegant and simple, rather than a complicated mess of machinery. I enjoyed the book all the way through for the interestig subject and the fast-paced storyline, but at the end, I was left a little unsatisfied by the conclusion. Not to say that it was bad, but I was hoping for something more spectacular considering events leading up to it.

I would recommend this book for any fans of Iles' or anyone who likes a good fast-paced story. I have read most of his previous novels and am very interested to see what he comes up with next.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is not Iles best novel......., October 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Footprints of God : A Novel (Hardcover)

While I applaud Greg Iles for consistently delving into areas of fiction that are new to him, "The Footprints of God" just doesn't pan out.

Iles starts off with the potential for a real pot boiler and the opportunity to explore both the nature of intelligence and the existence of God.

Sounds great....however he gives us one dimensional characters in both the protagonists and the villains. And frankly, the idea that a psychiatrist would become romantically involved with a patient she suspects is mentally ill -- stretches credulity too far.

The novel does build some genuine momentum -- but fails to deliver in the final act.

If this is the first book of Iles you've read -- I encourage you to give another one of his books -- "24 Hours", "Sleep No More", "Dead Sleep", or the brilliant, "Quiet Game" a read before you make a decision about this author.

I enjoyed the turn he took in "Sleep No More" with the paranormal twist incorporated into the thriller/mystery genre. Hopefully he'll get back to that and leave the questions about God, the Universe and Everything to Douglas Adams.