Book Review: The Last Christian
I recently read The Last Christian by David Gregory. It's a Christian science fiction novel and, boy, does it make you think. I didn't know what to expect from this novel because I've never read anything by David Gregory but overall I really enjoyed it. There was just one thing that bugged me: ONE character he writes from the first person point of view.
Before I get into that, let me give you blurb from the back cover:
In the future it's possible to live forever, but at what cost?
2088 A.D.
Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.
But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether-but at what expense?
As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance-the spiritual future of all humanity.
I noticed a couple parallels between Abby and Jesus that made me nervous at first, but it never really went beyond the fact that she was in her earlier thirties and 'pure' in that she had never been inundated by society and the strong secular point of view that clashed with her faith.
Dr. Daniels is the one who is written in the first person. I could see why Mr. Gregory may have done this... to give the reader a deeper look into the emotional state and thought process of a contemporary human in the book who encounters the worst of his fellow Americans, let alone a woman of a faith he has only read about... Despite all that, I don't think it quite achieved those goals (IF that's why he did it).
One of the most impressive aspects of the book was the amazing researching that Mr. Gregory must have put into building a future United States. It feels very realistic. The movement from communication via cell phones and email to virtual reality plants in our brains felt very organic... so much so that I'm really freaked out my kids' kids may do something like that. *shudder*
But in a society whose focus is very much on self and nothing beyond their own sphere of influence, it's an appropriate fit. People have lost touch with 'the bigger picture' although they now have access to more. All forms of religion have been eschewed as society has declared 'self' the most important thing to focus on because religion was just a set of rules and the dogmas of so many religions caused more bad than good (so society said).
Mr. Gregory moves Abby through this world that she is overwhelmed by and as she works with Dr. Daniels, they both learn about their opposing points of view. The compare/contrast was interesting and well written so you absorbed it without realizing it.
Even if you aren't a Christian, this book makes you take stock of what you value and think about how changing part of your anatomy to a mechanical piece (no matter how advanced) would change your perception of the world. I recommend this book for everyone.
(This review is not doing the book justice but for the life of me I cannot find my notes!!!! If you want more, let me know or ask questions and I'll be glad to discuss it with you.)
You can buy the book here.
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.
Before I get into that, let me give you blurb from the back cover:
In the future it's possible to live forever, but at what cost?
2088 A.D.
Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.
But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether-but at what expense?
As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance-the spiritual future of all humanity.
I noticed a couple parallels between Abby and Jesus that made me nervous at first, but it never really went beyond the fact that she was in her earlier thirties and 'pure' in that she had never been inundated by society and the strong secular point of view that clashed with her faith.
Dr. Daniels is the one who is written in the first person. I could see why Mr. Gregory may have done this... to give the reader a deeper look into the emotional state and thought process of a contemporary human in the book who encounters the worst of his fellow Americans, let alone a woman of a faith he has only read about... Despite all that, I don't think it quite achieved those goals (IF that's why he did it).
One of the most impressive aspects of the book was the amazing researching that Mr. Gregory must have put into building a future United States. It feels very realistic. The movement from communication via cell phones and email to virtual reality plants in our brains felt very organic... so much so that I'm really freaked out my kids' kids may do something like that. *shudder*
But in a society whose focus is very much on self and nothing beyond their own sphere of influence, it's an appropriate fit. People have lost touch with 'the bigger picture' although they now have access to more. All forms of religion have been eschewed as society has declared 'self' the most important thing to focus on because religion was just a set of rules and the dogmas of so many religions caused more bad than good (so society said).
Mr. Gregory moves Abby through this world that she is overwhelmed by and as she works with Dr. Daniels, they both learn about their opposing points of view. The compare/contrast was interesting and well written so you absorbed it without realizing it.
Even if you aren't a Christian, this book makes you take stock of what you value and think about how changing part of your anatomy to a mechanical piece (no matter how advanced) would change your perception of the world. I recommend this book for everyone.
(This review is not doing the book justice but for the life of me I cannot find my notes!!!! If you want more, let me know or ask questions and I'll be glad to discuss it with you.)
You can buy the book here.
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.