The Testimony

by James Smythe

A global thriller presenting an apocalyptic vision of a world on the brink of despair and destruction.

What would you do if the world was brought to a standstill? If you heard deafening static followed by the words, ‘My children. Do not be afraid’?

Would you turn to God? Subscribe to the conspiracy theories? Or put your faith in science and a rational explanation?

The lives of all twenty-six people in this account are affected by the message. Most because they heard it. Some because they didn’t.

The Testimony – a gripping story of the world brought to its knees and of its people, confused and afraid.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Dystopia

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got more than I bargained for with this. I was drawn in by the initial setup (almost everyone in the world hears deafening static, followed by several proclamations from a voice that seems to have no source) and the storytelling technique (an oral history with lots of different voices, reminding me of The Three and FantasticLand). It actually goes much deeper than I expected, with what becomes known as ‘The Broadcast’ only the jumping-off point for a novel about politics, faith/belief and war, and the interplay between them. For some reason, I thought The Testimony had been published way more recently than it was (2012). It surprises me that it’s pre-2016; the plot feels ahead of its time, even prescient in parts.

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[DanB · Rating 2 out of 5]

**SPOILER REVIEW**

I was so looking forward to this book but it pains me to say it bored me to tears!! For me The Testimony was a mix between World War Z (Max Brooks) and Blindness (Jose Saramago) but lacked the "Global Crisis" excitement of the former and the deeply religious questions raised by the latter.

For the uninformed the book consists of several characters who give their account of the events of the narrative. Again, WWZ surpassed The Testimony in this respect as well as I found the writing style a little annoying and distracting. Furthermore I wasn't attached to any of the characters and simply didn't care how events panned out for them. Also (**SPOILERS**) considering there is a nuclear war in the middle of this book I still had a bit of a "whatever" attitude.

I noticed a fellow reviewer mentioned that the second half is better than the first. I would agree with this. About 200 pages in things start really kicking off and for a while I was quite entertained but this was short lived and it was back to the boring stuff. I feel bad writing a negative review but I have every faith that James Smythe is a talent worth keeping an eye on in the future. At the heart of this book is a great concept but for me the execution left a lot to be desired.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend not to give too much away in reviews but merely a flavour & for those that are intrigued I would recommend this book highly despite me giving it "only" a 4* rating - it would be nigh on impossible to rate it 5* due to it's method of delivery & that Honestly is in no way a flaw or a slur on the writing? Thats got you thinking hasnt it?

For the concept & ambition alone I would rate this book a clear 5*. It's a brave idea basing a plot on such a "small" concept, 3 lines is all :) I'll say that tongue firmly placed as to the hughness of the event.

The intertwining stories & style of writing is mostly very good BUT...... & here's the slight downside i did find myself skipping throu a few of the characters around a 1/3rd of the way in, which i think is fair enough seeing as there's such a castlist & there are some (a particular group!) that I jus dont/couldn't/didn't what to associate/identify with. It's really due to the undertaking/style the author has taken on & as i said at the beginning it's in no way a slur - there's a lot of angles to cover but - early doors - there's a bit of repetitiveness which does ware you a little but then it flows.

There's not much more to say but without giving it away it's all very believable & the major players I would say are true to form in the direction Mr Smythe has given them.

[John Wiltshire · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author has taken the format of World War Z, which is a superb novel, and tried to use it here, but it doesn't work.
Something happens. People hear static, vague voices. They think they hear the voice of God reassuring them.
It's a brilliant premise and as a huge fan of apocalyptic novels I was really looking forward to this one.
Witness after witness, chapter after chapter the same thing, the same story...boring versions of how they heard the voice.
I read this on Kindle, and by the time I was 30% in I was desperate to see if anything actually happens. I skipped to 60%. Nope, still nothing happening. Finally, I went to the end. Nothing happened there either.
Utterly over-hyped and has been done far better by brilliant dystopian novels.

[Tudor Ciocarlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good thinking experiment about "how to make the world divide into three camps over a single hour: make them pick between science, fantasy and religion. Give them a situation, a hypothetical situation, then give them three possible reasons for it happening – could be aliens, could be God, could be something we made ourselves and just haven't worked out yet – and ask them to choose." This novel uses the old Post-Apocalypse theme, but in a new and interesting way. The Testimony was better than The Explorer, and now I really what to read The Machine.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Testimony’ is essentially an incongruous combination of Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Like the former, it concerns the existential crises that erupt in the face of an event totally inexplicable by science, seeming to vindicate religion in general but no religion in particular. Also, there are no speech marks. Like the latter, it is told by a patchwork of different perspectives across the globe (although for some reason only one is given distinctive speech patterns) and a great many people die in a disaster that escalates into an utter catastrophe. When these comparisons occurred to me, quite early in the book, I was inclined to be dismissive of it as not as well written as Saramago’s work and lacking the impressive world-building of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.

I came around to 'The Testimony', though, and it stands up well on its own merits. As the situation deteriorates, the characters come into their own. I was pleased by their variety of perspectives and impressed by how well the story was told through their eyes. Although I initially felt that Middle Eastern politics were being treated in a very simplistic way, in the latter half this was of less import given the momentum of events. The initial thought-experiment of the book is that nearly everyone in the world hears static then the words ‘My children. Do not be afraid’. This cannot be explained scientifically and is taken by many as vindication of Christianity. (One thing I did wonder was whether anyone managed to record The Broadcast, as it comes to be known. Curiously, this isn’t mentioned.) I can’t say much about the subsequent plot for risk of spoilers. Once I got into this novel, though, I really enjoyed it. The conceit is an excellent one and is well explored.

EDIT: Ha! I just glanced at other reviews on this page and noticed that the top one also compared 'The Testimony' to a cross between Saramago and World War Z. I feel vindicated!

[Janette Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Global thriller presenting an apocalyptic vision of a world on the brink of despair and destruction.

What would you do if the world was brought to a standstill? If you heard deafening static followed by the words ‘MY CHILDREN, DO NOT BE AFRAID’?

Would you turn to God? Declare it an act of terrorism? Subscribe to the conspiracy theories? Or put your faith in science and a rational explanation?

The lives of all twenty-six people in this account are affected by the message. Most because they heard it. Some because they didn't.

The Testimony – a gripping story of the world brought to its knees and of its people, confused and afraid.

"How to make the world divide into three camps over a single hour: make them pick between science, fantasy and religion. Give them a situation, a hypothetical situation, then give them three possible reasons for it happening – could be aliens, could be God, could be something we made ourselves and just haven't worked out yet – and ask them to choose."

Frightening premise told World War Z style that pans the globe with eye witness accounts from those in power, such as the White House Chief of Staff, right down to the little people.

Continuously makes you ask yourself the question...What would I believe? Aliens? God? or science we don't understand yet and more to the point what would I do!

I actually had to put the book down at one point and consider what would I think?

Then I had to ring a friend with the scenario and ask them what they would think it was and was shocked to find out their conclusion was completely different to my idea (…you think you know someone)

It is that kind of book…

The professional gamer living in Shanghai made me smile - the world maybe ending but we WILL finish this instance!

Bold speculative fiction - looking forward to reading more of this author

[Angus Mcfarlane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A free ebook. Nearly everyone in the world simultaneously hears a voice saying 'my children, so not fear'. The story follows the lives of 50 or so people as they experience the repercussions of the broadcast, or testimony. As expected, there are a lot of religious implications involved, although the majority of the action is political, albeit as a sideline to the broadcast itself. The plight of the who don't hear is also mentioned.

This is a frustrating story to read. The number of subplots, acknowledged by the author as difficult to write, are difficult to follow. It took neatly 100 pages to find some sense of identity with the various characters, making the early reading a chore. The broadcast's origin and it's implications are all fairly ambiguous. The implications I understand - we all tend to interpret events through our own lens of reality, especially for something as vague as a short transmission. It is the origin that is more frustrating, however. Although the origin might be undisclosed to many within the story, the lack of tangibility to the reader, at some stage (allowing the author to pass magic as something plausible....). As a result, I felt manipulated, promised a journey to resolve a mystery, but forced to listen to others who went nowhere and resolved little. The political and social outcomes also felt overwrought.

This was a lot like the John Birmingham series 'without warning' where an inexplicable event creates an artificial story space without resolving the fundamental tenet. I am grateful that books such as the 'Wool' provide me with more optimism for the prospects of new thriller/scifi.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

First there was static and the whole world freaked out. Then came a voice that said “My Children, Do not be afraid”. People said it was God, others said it was the government and still others believed it was aliens. The whole world was brought to a halt but no one had the answers. The Testimony details the apocalypse from the perspective of twenty six people around the world. James Smythe is a master at writing science fiction that will really make you ponder life and The Testimony is no different.

I was curious to check out James Smythe’s debut novel ever since I discovered his novels. The Machine was my first Smythe and still remains my favourite although many do prefer The Explorer. For me, while The Testimony was a thrilling read, it just was not on the same level as the other books I have read. Dealing with so many different perspectives was a great way to capture the different opinions and question the events. However this novel was not overly impressive, still a great book but if I compare if to James Smythe’s other novels, it falls short. This is proof on just how far Smythe has improved and makes me excited to read something new by this great author.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://www.knowledgelost.org/literatu...

[Steven Pilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be a guilty pleasure but not sure.

It is an account of the world after a voice is heard (or not) that may or may not be god.

It uses first person narration and resembles if anything a documentary with different people from all around the world commenting on affairs in retrospect.

Its a technical marvel, the plot unfolds slowly like a drip drip, there are characters from all strata so you see the changes from multiple perspectives and its an engaging concept.

The only fault is some of the characters dont feel as defined as others and there are moments when they bleed into one another but its a really good novel, that feels origional and fresh.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the style of the book clunky and hard to read. While the premise was interesting, I really struggled to keep reading this.

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF'ed at 34%

[Alice Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is weird. I liked this book. It was an interesting idea. And then at one point I realised it had a big endorsement from The Daily Mail on the front cover and I was put off! I told myself not to be a snob and to give it a fair go. When I came to review it, I was hovering at a 3. Should I mark it down to a 2 for a bit of a slow start? For me not really engaging with any of the characters? Or was I only feeling like that because I'm a big fat snob? So, I googled around a bit. And I realised he's also the author of a fairly recent book that I read and absolutely loved. I was raving over the other book. If I'd realised that half way through rather than the newspaper quote, would I be deliberating over 4 stars? Who knows. Anyway, here's the reminder for future me who reads these reviews to remind themselves what happened...
Everyone on earth hears a message. "Do not be afraid my children. But I'm off now" or something to that effect. And controlled chaos breaks out across the world. Was it God? Was it aliens? Was it some government experiment? People lost their faiths, became suicidal, became zealots. Then terrorists made some threats and some bombs. So the US got bombsy too. Then, people started getting sick. And dying. And the US thought it was terrorists so they started dropping nuclear bombs and it all went a bit mad and then it stopped. And people started to get better and stopped dying. And then right at the end there's the suggestion that the static noise might be back.
I think the interview style snippets from the characters is what prevents me from really getting involved deeply with them. And I really like the static noise idea and how a small number of people didn't hear the broadcast (what could that mean?) and the existential crisis the world seems to have as a result. I found some of it very interesting but I just didn't love it. Ok, I'm now happy and comfortable with my 3. It took a while to get here but we did at last.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Smythe has an original apocalyptic concept: the whole world suddenly hears a mysterious static. Then a male voice emerges from the jumble and speaks a phrase in English, beginning with the words “My Children….”

This is followed by a seeming global decline in many people’s immunity. Is this a pandemic? A message from a deity? The sign of the end times? And where does the world go from here?

From this dramatic opening, we see religious vs scientific reactions to the event, global and local responses, some of which involve, perhaps predictably given, you know, humans, violence and conflict, and people struggling to find their place in this new world.

What we liked:
- Interesting concept
- Lots of action
- Eye witness approach - we see the plot develop from the viewpoints of characters in different (mostly English speaking) countries
- Plot twist

What we didn't like as much:
- Slow start
- With so many characters, it was challenging to keep tabs of everyone at first
- Some of the characters don't have much to do. Maybe cutting them out would have given the others more space

You’ll like this if: you like action-heavy, plot-driven post apocalyptic books with an unusual premise that look at the machinations of world governments (especially that of the United States)

Give this a miss if: you prefer character-driven novels, you want a more traditional 'apocalyse' in your post-apocalyptic world, you want a story with a lot of nuance

Our joint score: 3.5

For a more detailed review (with some mild to moderate spoilers) check out our review of this book on our Post Apocalyptic podcast ‘Bookshelf in the Wasteland: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0T97...

[Kaego Okafor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to give this one star as it’s so boring but the concept is good so it’s a 2.

The book follows a collection of people and their experiences as everyone around the world heard hears a mysterious voice saying ‘my children, do not be afraid’.

The book took me about 2 months to read because I hate to not finish a book, but it was so boring I never wanted to pick it up.

I like the concept of different points of view experiencing the same event but it does get hard to keep track of all the characters. And halfway through the book new points of view are introduced. I could only really remember a few characters.

It is quite tedious hearing the same event retold from multiple points of view. There are also parts of the book that seem completely random and irrelevant. And it’s difficult to tell the timeline of events as the tenses change within a paragraph.

The book was described as a thriller by my library where I got it from and thrill is the last word I would use to describe it.

Things pick up about halfway through the book i still had to force myself to read it. It’s a shame as the blurb gripped me and had such potential but it fell short. And you don’t even find out the origin of the voice!

[KDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story of how the world would react if a mysterious voice was heard by everyone at the same time around the world from no immediately identifiable source.

Whilst a very slow book and by no means a thriller in style - something that will cause this not to appeal to everyone, the different viewpoints of people from various societies, backgrounds and beliefs are what make this such a fascinating read. Expertly handled by Smythe, I was engrossed in how he portrayed the different reactions and how hard hitting the impact was in the few words that the "voice" spoke.

Is it God saying goodbye? Is it aliens? Is it a mass hallucination? Government conspiracy perhaps? Well, that would be telling, but if you like thought provoking sci fi which focuses on how the unknown affect people and society, then this is one of the best conceptually. It may not be for everyone, but 10 years after reading it, the impact has stayed with me and that is mark of something pretty special.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire the concept, ambition, and scale of this book but feel it is let down by its execution - specifically the oral history/documentary-style first-person narrative of almost 30 characters. The multiple voices provide the necessary global perspective of the novel's events but I found it difficult to track (and to care about) so many different characters. The book really plods for the first half or so, with each character's experiences being drip-fed through short snippets. It only really heats up towards the end as near societal breakdown occurs and certain characters' lives intersect. And in a maddening LOST-style conclusion, which feels surprisingly rushed given the pace of the novel up to that point, it transpires that the author was more interested in documenting the characters' journeys and exploring their reactions than providing a satisfying explanatory conclusion.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually rather a scary read as we are currently in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As in this book published several years before the realisation of the current situation, this all started out of nowhere. Some people heard the static and others did not. Then people started to not recover from injuries and long term illnesses. Obviously religion was involved and bombs were dropped and millions more died.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot - I felt it was such a different way to tell a story. Loved all the different perspectives. Now I will grab all his books. Well done. I loved the fact that he didn't have some agenda, or at least I felt he didn't.

[Jd · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/2

[Anna Welch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly i read a third and skimmed the rest. This hit me as a lot of chaos with no purpose. Esoteric

[Sabry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing read!! Please don’t scroll by without adding it to your wish list

[Kim Bloink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked up from around 3.6

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to make the world divide into three camps over a single hour: make them pick between science, fantasy and religion. Give them a situation, a hypothetical situation, then give them three possible reasons for it happening – could be aliens, could be God, could be something we made ourselves and just haven't worked out yet – and ask them to choose.

First there was static, heard in every corner of the world. Some shrugged it off as a malfunction, governments were concerned it was the sign of an attack and, of course, some people were convinced it was aliens. Then there came a voice. “My children. Do not be afraid.” Is it the voice of God or an elaborate hoax? If it is God, then whose God is it? Is it an act of terrorism?

The Testimony tells the story of the world in chaos, through the accounts of twenty-six people, in the style of an oral history. The Broadcast is a global event, effecting all countries and people with wide-ranging beliefs. How many times have you read a disaster/dystopian novel and wondered what the hell is happening in the rest of the world? Well, The Testimony cannot be accused of falling into that trap. Yes there are characters at the centre of the commotion, the White House Chief of Staff, a British MP, a government research scientist, and a reporter at a major TV station. Yet there are also the tales of everyday people, a sales executive in London, a doctor in India, a child old beyond his years in the Congo, a retired woman in New York, a gamer in Shanghai, a nun in Vatican City, a drug dealer in Johannesburg. Then there's the people who didn't hear a thing.

The book starts with a quote: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Well it's actually two quotes, one from Dr Carl Sagan on the existence of deities or aliens and the other from Donald Rumsfeld talking about weapons of mass destruction. It's the ideal quote for the book, which deals with questions of faith and what world powers do when they don't have any answers. The multiple viewpoints allows the story to unfold without being anti-religion or anti-science. In fact it's about faith and the faith that people have in different things and that includes science and a government's ability to protect. Some people lose faith, some people gain it, whatever that faith might be in. Some are so strong in their faith that it never wavers, despite those holding up The Broadcast as evidence. A crisis of faith is enough to bring the world to its knees.

Some might think the divided narration could detract from the pace or the character development but it's a compelling read. The structure somehow makes the characters more real, that it could be journalism and not fiction. They all have their own little stories which are just as important as the big picture and I never wanted to skip past one of them. There are parts which are touching and others even gave me a little chuckle. I mean, if you can't laugh when the world is ending, what else can you do?

There's a whole bunch of stuff I would like to talk about which would involve spoilers so I'll stop now. You should go away and read it and then we can have a little chat. It's thought-provoking stuff with terrorism and politics landing in the middle of religion and science.

[Beverley Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re the kind of person who likes to have all the ends neatly tied up and questions answered at the end of a book then this book probably isn’t for you. You have been warned!

The narrative is a series of first-person accounts piecing together the apocalyptic events following a ‘broadcast’ heard simultaneously by (almost) all the inhabitants of the planet. Chaos ensues as the authorities try to find the source of the broadcast and what it means for humanity – could it be a terrorist attack of some kind? Aliens? Or even the voice of God? It reminded me of Maz Brooks World War Z with its structure of multiple accounts of the ‘breakdown’ from the points of view of the governments, medical establishment and ‘ordinary’ people on the street, each giving a different slant on the mounting crisis.

Generally I don’t really have a problem with open-ended or ‘hinted at’ explanations but what struck a slightly false note for me was ** potential spoiler ** though, not really…as I’ve already said there’s no pat answer to this one ** the way that many countries seem to descend into religious hysteria almost immediately on the basis of some very slim ‘evidence’.

I don’t for one minute doubt that sections of society would indeed find their faith and beliefs questioned in a case like this, and that this would lead to huge cultural upheavals but in a conspiracy theory age of media saturation I’d have expected a little more cynicism to be one show. Though I suppose that could just be me as the whole point of the novel to explore to the ideas of interpretations of an inexplicable event and pit science and rationality against faith. Like the old saying goes – ‘there are no atheists on a sinking ship’ well, not many.

However you respond to the religious aspects the book tackles the aspects of extremism and panic well and it’s never less than engaging and intriguing. The reason I've settled on three stars is that,iIn the end I felt it didn’t quite grip some of the problems it raised or acknowledge the ‘practicalities’ of the otherwise convincingly rendered, breakdown of society. But I'll definitely seek out some of the author's other novels.

[Tejal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Testimony is a striking debut from James Smythe. He encapsulates perfectly the sense of confusion, fear and wonder surrounding an unexplainable global event. The use of 26 narratives is a great style choice and it allows Smythe to explore the many different reactions; from religious figures who begin questioning or reaffirming their faith, to the non-believers, to those who just try to carry on like nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The gradual descent into fear and pandemonium, particularly around the Final Broadcast, is where the novel excels and, on several occasions, I found myself literally gasping out loud in surprise.

The problem, however, with so many narratives is that there some that fall through the cracks. There were times where I forgot that I’d even been introduced to a character before and some that I simply was unable to connect to. In those cases, I found myself struggling to care about their experiences and skimming – or entirely skipping – their narratives.

However, those characters you do connect to? You’re in for a treat. There were about nine or ten characters in particular that I enjoyed following; the White House Chief-of-Staff who has shades of The West Wing’s Josh Lyman, the sales exec tasked with caring for his daughter, and those who did not hear the Broadcast are just some of the most compelling. These are the narratives that hold the novel together and once you begin to learn about the characters, the more their voices seep through the page and come alive.

While the end was ambiguous, which I don’t mind, it ended far too abruptly to be entirely satisfying, and I would have definitely liked a little more substance as I closed the book on these characters. That, along with the less compelling narratives, are really the only quibbles I have with the novel. Overall, The Testimony is a gripping insight into how quickly society crashes and fanaticism spreads when both religion and science struggle to understand something beyond their grasp.

[Duygu · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT***

I don't even know where to start. I only finished this book because I really really wanted to finally get answers to the million questions it raised. Unfortunately, I did not get even one answer. The author seemed to have a resentment toward religion, toward the involvement of the U.S. in the Middle East, etc etc. It was written in a sense that all of the "major" issues were a precursor to something big that was going to happen near the end of the novel however the issues were just issues in themselves. For example, here are many questions that were raised but never answered:

1. Why is the book called The Testimony when all through the book, until the very end, everyone calls it The Broadcast?

2. Why is the terrorist still sick even though everyone else miraculously got better?

3. Who/what was the voice?

4. Why do somme people never hear it?

5. Why does someone who never hears it all through the book, hear it at the end?

6. Why does the TV turn off/on in the end?

7. How does everyone just get better in one day?

8. Why is everyone bombing everyone but Israel just says ok we will forgive you?

9. Why do some people not hear it?

10. Why do some people die suddenly, others have the sickness dragged out and die, while others get sick horribly and recover?

11. Who is this terrorist and how does he keep finding where to send the videos even though everyone keeps moving around?

12. Did they try to make us think that the U.S. accidentally let loose a biological weapon?

13. Does this New Church have anything to do with anything?


I have so many more questions but this is the gist of it. I can understand a few of these being left unanswered but not a single thing was answered. Everything the book was about could have been summed up in one page but it was dragged out just like the sicknesses that never killed.

[Amritha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Testimony is an admirably written dystopian novel reflecting the way the world would respond to hearing a message that could possibly changing the planet forever. Referring to the “static” in the novel, a voice tells the world to not be afraid, causing different societies to question the purpose of life as they move into a state of anarchy.

Incorporating several plot twists, Smythe challenges the audience on their own beliefs and morals by providing them a scenario as they are forced to select their priorities. The novel highlights how the purpose of the strange message could divide the world into three camps over an hour, as they are forced to choose between religion, science and fantasy. The novel and comprises of statements made in the perspective of people around the world, as they give their own recounts and opinions on the events that unfold. The Testimony is a highly recommended novel. Although it is dystopian fiction, the novel reflects contemporary universal issues such as religious fanaticism and extremism, terrorism, alienation and the destroying of the world. The characters range from those dealing with the chaos in the public eye to average citizens going about their day, from the White House Chief of Staff to a nun in Vatican City. Set in an unrecognisable world plagued with curiosity, terror and disorder, the novel takes the audience on a journey that is to a certain degree, relatable.

[Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this in Cambridge while visiting family in the UK (love finding good books unavailable in Canada ). This is a very cleverly constructed novel with 26 narrative voices and a conceit, a voice is heard as if the voice of God throughout the modern world, that is totally engrossing. The reactions of each of the characters is fascinating and the writing is first-class and confident.

I've just finished the novel and realize , I will miss many of these characters. The weakness for me was the last quarter of the novel: I knew the "resolution" would probably not be as simple as a whodunnit and I didn't want that, and Smythe was dealing with big-league ideas (the meaning of religion for example) but at some point the 26 narratives needed to coallese somehow. Smythe almost pulled that off by focusing on a few of the dominant characters but I feel like he could have pushed further with his exploration of what this voice in the wilderness fundamentally meant for each of these characters. I'll watch for other books by Smythe (his newest book is still in hardcover), hopefully in Canada.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this as I'm not sure it really works all that well as a 'dystopian' or 'apocalyptic' novel which was what I was expecting.

It seems to only touch on the real implications of societal breakdown, shying away from the real gritty day to day horrors we expect of this genre. But perhaps that's more to do with our preconceptions than the fault of the novel itself! What it does pretty well is show how fragile our modern culture and concepts of ‘civilisation’ are - how little it takes to separate us from our familiar support networks once TV and radio go off line or are overtaken by extremists and how our safe little cocoons shatter and our communities can spiral out of control.

More a philosophical exploration of faith and belief systems versus media hysteria and spin than an 'end of the world' scenario it is interesting and engaging and I'll probably look for this author's other titles which seem to have similar themes.