A Book Review: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn #4)

Most fantasy novels are set in pseudo medieval worlds, where the level of technology remains static for thousands of years. In a conventional fantasy novel, despite its world being inhibited by intelligent people, but the warriors never progress beyond fighting with swords and arrows, and its people never illuminate their homes with anything other than candles. Why is that? Is it because having supernatural powers, such as magic, makes everyday life too easy, thereby dissolving the spirit of scientific progress and technological innovation?

The fantasy genre, however, has been evolving in the recent years. Modern fantasy novelists are beginning to challenge the genre's trope, and depicting the interlock between magic and technology as a dynamic relationship. For example, in Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories, the advancing technology often led to major changes to Discworld's culture and tradition.

Inevitably, the attempt to revolutionize the fantasy genre brings some interesting questions to the surface:

1. In a fantasy world, how would supernatural powers, such as magic, interact with the laws of physics?
2. How would supernatural powers, such as magic, impact the technological progress in a fantasy world?

Best-selling novelist Brandon Sanderson does not believe the fantasy world should remain static. In The Alloy of Law, the 4^th novel in the famous Mistborn series, Sanderson told a ground-breaking story, of a fantasy world at the onset of a 19^th century styled, Industrial Revolution.

Synopsis:

Three hundred years has disappeared in the river of time since the Age of Heroes. Scadrial is stepping into a new era; a time of railroads, electricity, street lights and towering skyscrapers. In Elendal, the capital city, under the flourishing city hubs and buzzing streets lies a social tension, strut tight by the increasing disparity between the classes, the rich and the poor.

Here enters Lord Waxillum, AKA Wax, a law keeper and an allomancer, from the dusty Roughs, who returned to his noble heritage in Elendel after a personal tragedy. Instead of finding a peaceful retirement from policing works, however, Wax discovered a wisdom - always keep his gun and allomancy powers ready in the hostler...

My thoughts on this book:

Bradon Sanderson intended The Alloy of Law to serve as a bridge, connecting the original Mistborn trilogy (set in a medieval world) to his new trilogy (set in a world resembling the 19^th century). Two books from his new trilogy, book 5 and 6, respectively titled, Shadows of Self and The Bands of Mourning, have already been published.

What does this mean? I am reading this series out of its chronological order! I have already read Shadows of Self and The Bands of Mourning, and now I am returning to The Alloy of Law (book 4). Yep, I am jumping back and forth in this series, but has it impacted my perception for The Alloy of Law? To be honest, not much impact at all. This is because The Alloy of Law meant to tell a stand alone story. While this book's ending did leave room for the next book, but at its conclusion, this book also resolved most of its plots. However, if you have an interest in reading Sanderson's new Mistborn series, then I would strongly recommend that you start from The Alloy of Law. Do not read the series out of its chronological order like I did. Why? Because the latter books are extensions from the central plot in this book. If you read The Alloy of Law first, then it will help you at better appreciating book 5 and 6.

Now the question about chronology is out of the way, let me start to discuss the quality of this book. Is The Alloy of Law any good? In short, I like this book more than the original Mistborn trilogy, but I also think the original Misborn trilogy did something better than this book.

The Alloy of Law attracted me with its fascinating world. This is a fantasy world where technology thrives alongside magic. Make no mistake, the theme of this book is NOT pitting technology against magic. No, The Alloy of Law draws a reader with its wonderful worldbuilding. Especially, Sanderon's interesting magic system, one that integrates magic with the laws of physics. For example, the protagonist in this book, Wax, has the magical power to push all types of metals except aluminum. But when he pushes on metals, a reactionary force pushes back at him (Newton's 3^rd law applies here). In other words, although Wax's magical power makes him a superhuman, but his power is still abiding to the laws of physics. Sanderson's magic system eliminates the damning trope in most fantasy novels, where magic solves everything. Instead, in Sanderson's books, when a character uses magic without considering the laws of physics, it could backfire on him/her. 

Other than offering an interesting magic system, The Alloy of Law also features a dynamic, vividly portrayed world. The story is set in a time and place bearing resemblance to the 19^th century, where technology's rapid progress also introduced social problems, such as class distinctions and the disparity between the rich and the poor. In fact, class distinction and social tension, set the main theme in this book. Sanderson used this this theme to drive the book's narratives, in the style of a detective fiction. That is right! The Alloy of Law is a hybrid between high fantasy and detective fictions. If you like both of these genres, then you will probably enjoy this book immensely.

So the worldbuilding in The Alloy of Law is superb, but what about its character developments? When it comes to characters, I think The Alloy of Law shows some minor signs of weakness. Ok, look, the characters in this book are memorable and likable. From the protagonist, supporting characters, to the villain, each character is unique and interesting enough to leave an impression on your mind. However, I couldn't help but feeling that the book could be even better, if the story had gone an extra mile by exploring the characters a bit more. Having said this, The Alloy of Law is a short book, so it has a limited space for exploring the characters. Perhaps Sanderson intentionally kept this book short because it was an experiment, a novel bridging the old trilogy to the new one. Having read the latter installments in the series, I can say the sequels did explore the characters in greater depth.

I also shared a slight dissatisfaction with this book's pace. This story beats with thrills and wonders, but it beats at an uneven rhythm. The first act in the book flowed very nicely; it established Sanderson's wonderful vision for Elendel, and it also mounted the suspense for the story. When the stage for the second act unveiled, the story dipped in its momentum. In the third and final act, the adventure finally picked up its pace, and Sanderson thundered the story with actions, left, right and centre. In other words, the explosive actions in the third act was the climax of the story, and it was fun and entertaining. But towards the end of it, I felt a bit... burnt out, from reading too many action scenes. Why? Because Sanderson's action scenes, while masterfully written, but it is often too drawn out.

The Alloy of Law provides an excellent transition from the original Mistborn trilogy to the new one. This book might have a few weaknesses here and there, but its worldbuilding, its concept, are revolutionary and admirable. Personally, I prefer the new Mistborn trilogy to the original one, and I believe The Alloy of Law is a fine entry point to Sanderson's wonderful adventures. If you want to read a fantasy novel that challenges the genre's convention, then you might want to check out this book.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A Book Review: How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman

Here is a series of questions to consider:

Who wrote the 4 Gospels in the New Testament? How do you know the Bible recorded the words of Jesus accurately? Has Jesus always being God? Finally, what did early Christians mean when they said Jesus was God?

You might think, you can easily answer these questions, but let me tell you my story.

Back in the days when I was still a Christian and at the height of my faith, I thought the 4 Gospels were written by the 4 followers of Jesus; Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

Or so I thought...

Then one day I read a book written by Professor Bart Ehrman, a distinguished and leading scholar in the field of Religious Studies, who has studied and taught the Bible in mainstream scholarship for more than 30 years. It is a book called, "Did Jesus Exist?" (click here to read my review, written in 2012 when I was still a Christian). In that book, Professor Ehrman provided historical evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical character, who lived approximately 2000 years ago. It suffices to say, I was impressed by Professor Ehrman's depth of knowledge, and I also admired his impeccable deductions. But that is not all, that book was very important to me, because it opened my eyes to the world of textual criticism, New Testament authentication, and historical Jesus. These things, as I discovered later, are the prevalent works in mainstream scholarship.

But none of these things were ever taught to me at church!

Furthermore, much to my shock, I also discovered, that mainstream historians often talk about the sources to the Gospels as L, M, and Q. What is this? Basically, the 4 Gospels were written decades after Jesus died. Out of the 4 Gospels, the Gospel of Mark is the earliest written Gospel, with the Gospel of John being written last. John was written more than 60 years after the death of Jesus. John differs greatly from the first 3 Gospels. Historians often refer to the first 3 Gospels; Mark, Luke, and Matthew, as Synoptic Gospels (synoptic means "seen together").

However, the sources for Synoptics went even further back. Mark, Luke, and Matthew sometimes tell the same stories, in the same sequences and the same words. Historians agreed, this is because Luke and Matthew copied from the earlier Mark. However, there are also parts in Luke that are unique to Luke, but cannot be found in Matthew and Mark, and vice versa for Matthew to Luke and Mark. Therefore, scholars attribute the source for the unique stories in Luke, to a source called L, and similarly Matthew to the source M. Finally, both Luke and Matthew sometimes tell stories that are not found in Mark, stories that are made up of sayings, so scholars attribute these sayings to a source called Q (Quelle, the German word for "source").

After I discovered how mainstream scholarship really thinks of the Gospels' authorship, I approached the minister at the church and dropped the question; I asked, "What is the significance of Q, L, and M hypothesis to Christianity's belief about the Bible? Furthermore, when compared to the church, why do mainstream scholars have such a different view on the authorship of the Gospels?"

The minister's answer took me by surprise. The summary of his response - believing the 4 Gospels were written by Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John, has been the church tradition, and such beliefs in the tradition should not be questioned or one may be risking the danger of heresy.

The day when I heard that answer, I knew there was an elephant in the room.

My discovery about Q,L, and M hypothesis made me realize that I was overconfident about Christianity, but it did not lead me to deconvert from Christianity, not immediately. You see, I am a very stubborn person, it is very difficult to convince me to change my belief, especially at the time Christianity was my deeply held belief. It suffices to say, it took A LOT, I mean, A LOT, of powerful reasons and compelling evidence, to finally drag my bull-headed self out of Christianity.

So why am I writing all of this? This is because I am going to review another book written by Professor Bart Ehrman, it is titled "How Jesus became God – The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee". In this book, Professor Ehrman provided an analysis, based on the historical context, and evidence from both the scriptures and early Christianity, to demonstrate how Jesus went from a Jewish preacher who taught radical ideas, to become God of the universe. And the things I mentioned above, that is just to give you a small taste of this book.

Now I am going to give you a little bit more taste of this book, by continuing my story.

Let's fast forward the clock. It was sometime in the year 2014, and 15 months had passed since the day I dropped the question about Q, L, and M hypothesis.

I was discussing Christianity with a friend, who was a Christian turned agnostic. The discussion was 3 ways, it included a Christian minister. The topic revolved around failed Bible prophecies. It wasn't long before my agnostic friend mentioned the verses in Mark 9:1, and Mark 13:30. In both verses, Jesus clearly indicated that he believed the apocalypse was going to arrive before his disciples died. The three of us, we went through an intensive debate.

Equipped with a hermeneutic method called histo-grammatic method, we (the Christians) desperately tried to provide alternative interpretations to those verses, in the hope of resolving the obvious problem – that is, the disciples have all died 2000 years ago, but the apocalypse didn't come as Jesus predicted. My Christian-turned-agnostic friend successfully refuted all alternative interpretations for those 2 verses. I was impressed by my agnostic friend's refutations, his logic was sound. Eventually, I too, changed the side, and joined the fray to challenge the Bible. I still wonder, how the Christian minister must have felt at the time, because he probably didn't expect a Christian (me) would join an agnostic person and challenge the Bible together. Either Way, in the end, when the Christian minister finally ran out of plausible explanations for the verses in Mark, he asked me, "Daniel, so what do you think those verses mean?

His question stunned me, because I unintentionally collapsed the wall of Christian defense, and I was still a Christian at that time! I was stunned because I didn't want to accept the reality, that Jesus' apocalyptic prophecy in Mark failed. So what was my answer to the minister? I replied: "I am not sure what Jesus was really trying to teach in Mark 9 and Mark 13". Then afterward I tried very hard to forget about the disturbing outcome from that discussion. Meanwhile, in the private, I couldn't help but recalled in one of Bart Ehrman's books, he suggested that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet. At that time, I tried to turn my back to all those anomalies about Christianity. In those days I thought, all I needed to do was believing that Jesus came back from the dead, and all other anomalies about Christianity were not important concerns; this way, I could continue to believing in Christianity.

Alas, but the paper cannot blanket over a fire!

The skeleton in the closet would eventually return to haunt me, dragged me into non-belief. From a recollection of my memory, at that time, the failed prophecies in Mark weren't enough to convince me to leave Christianity. Just like if you are a Christian now, you would also come up with some alternative interpretations to explain this problem away, and this problem also wouldn't be enough to convince you to deconvert too. But let me ask you this question:

With the way you are defending and reinterpreting the Bible, if the Bible is wrong, then can you know it is wrong?

 I was once a Christian too, the gears in my head used to turn all the time to justify my belief in the Bible, that it was the infallible word of God. Until one day I finally realized, with the way I was defending and reinterpreting the Bible, even if the scripture is wrong I still wouldn't know it is wrong. When this realization finally dawned on me, I was thunderstruck by it! It was the turning point for my exodus from Christianity. 

From there, it took even more powerful reasons and evidence to eventually deconvert me from Christianity. Some of those reasons and evidence that led to my deconversion, can be found in How Jesus Became God; where Professor Ehrman demonstrated, how the Bible was changed and altered by its believers through the ages for the purpose of promoting Christianity.

I will give you one of many such examples.

Mainstream scholars have consented, the last 12 verses in Mark - That is, the verses about the resurrection, were added by later Christians at around the 10th century. How do they know? Because those 12 verses did not appear in copies of Mark until the 10th century. This means, the original narratives in Mark stopped at the empty tomb. With this discovery, we lay out the resurrection narratives from 4 Gospels, side by side, by the dates of its compositions - Other than observing the inconsistencies between these 4 narratives, what else can we observe? The stories, about the aftermath of Jesus' death, became more and more fabulous as the time went by, and this pattern has a similar look to legendary development. However, this is also not the sole reason that led me to deconvert from Christianity. As I mentioned earlier, I am a very stubborn person, and it took more powerful reasons and evidence to finally convince me, that Christianity is improbable.

Some of my agnostic and atheist friends can bear testimonies to my long, and exhaustive journey to deconversion, which took as long as 18 months! Looking back, I really should have stopped believing in Christianity long before that point. The only reason my exodus from Christianity took 18 months, was because I desperately wanted to believe in Christianity and I did not want to let go, of what was literally, my everything.

But sadly I am going to end my story here, because from this point and onward, my own journey to deconversion deviates from the contents of the book under review. So now let me come back to talk about this book, How Jesus Became God.

At this point, if you find the above information interesting, and you feel comfortable about reading a book that may challenge your own belief, then as a continuation from the topics about: 1) Q, L, M hypothesis, 2) Jesus' apocalyptic teachings, and 3) how to authenticate the words of Jesus in the Bible; I recommend you read page 94-109 in How Jesus Became God. You will see how Professor Ehrman digs deeply into the verses in Mark 9:10 and Mark 13:30, and explaining why these verses play an important role in our understanding of who Jesus really was. Let me tease you by mentioning this: We can be quite sure, those 2 verses from Mark really were Jesus' own words. How? The criterion of dissimilarity. What is this? I would encourage you to read this book and find out for yourself. If you have heard about the criterion of dissimilarity from Christian apologists, then please read Professor Erhman's book, and see for yourself how mainstream scholarship is using this criterion differently to the way church uses it. Having said this, if you are going to pick up this book to read those 15 pages, then I think you might just as well read the whole book. Why? I think you would be doing yourself a disservice by reading only 15 pages of this book but missing out on the rest of the good stuff.

I deeply enjoyed reading How Jesus Became God. Reading this book was albeit like being in a time traveling, detective story. Where Professor Ehrman invited me to be seated on his time machine. We travelled back to the days of early Christianity when Jesus still walked the earth, where Professor Ehrman explained to me, the meaning of Jesus' words in its historical contexts. In the next phase of our journey, we walked alongside the early Christians, where we witnessed how they battled each other for "orthodoxy", a battle that increased the sophistication of Christianity's doctrine, making it more paradoxical. Until Christianity reached a turning point with the arrival of Emperor Constantine and after, where Christian theology became even more sophisticated and paradoxical due to rising problems from Christian's new belief about who Jesus was. Along our expedition, Professor Ehrman presented good evidence, and analysis based on historical context and powerful deductions, to shed light into a story that changed the world, a story of how a Jewish preacher from Galilee was exalted by early Christians into a being of equal status with the creator of the universe.

Some people might accuse Professor Ehrman for intentionally trying to "discredit" Christianity. But that is not true, I do not think this is the work of an anti-theist trying to discredit a religion. No, I see a distinguished scholar with a deep love for history, who carefully and wonderfully reconstructed a piece of history from a bygone era. These are the histories that led to the formation of the world's largest religion. Of course Professor Ehrman's book will not please some Christians, but this is because he is speaking as a historian, not a Christ worshiping theologian. 

A historian's job is to reconstruct the most probable history, not confirming a religious belief.

I highly recommend How Jesus Became God. This is a wonderful book to read at Christmas time! Even if you disagree with Professor Ehrman's conclusion, you will still find this book intriguing and challenging. No matter what your existing belief about who Jesus was, I think How Jesus Became God will still inspire you to take another look at this Jewish preacher from Galilee, who lived 2000 years ago, and his story of life and death started a religion that continues to attracting billions of followers today.

A Book Review: The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly (Jack West Jr #4)

If you like Indiana Jones movies and you also like reading books, then run, quickly, to your local bookstore or a library and get Matthew Reilly's Jack West Jr books. Seriously, those books will not disappoint you.

“But I have already read all 3 books in the series”, you said. Well, do you know Matthew Reilly wrote a 4^th book, and it was published last month? Indeed, Matthew Reilly's sweeping tale continues in The Four Legendary Kingdoms, where our beloved hero, Jack West Jr, is once again battling against insurmountable odds to save the world.

Synopsis:

Jack West Jr, call-sign Huntsman, opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by the walls of a brooding dungeon. Before Jack can recollect his memories, out of the darkness, a bull headed man suddenly appeared, who sprang and slashed at Jack with a knife in hand.

Jack managed to survive the mad assault in the dungeon. He examined the mortal remain of his assailant and was puzzled by it. Who and what is this... man? Is this even a man? Could it be, a minotaur? But surely minotaurs are creatures of mythology and they don't exist, right?

Jack did not have long to contemplate on the identity of his mysterious attacker. Shortly after the assault, Jack was introduced to a man who referred to himself as Hades.

Hades? As, the mythological Greek god and the ruler of the underworld? Jack's mind screamed for an explanation of his ordeal. But time was not his ally, not on that day. Hades summoned more bull headed warriors, and they forcefully escorted Jack to his next destination. Before long, Jack found himself fighting a series of gladiatorial challenges. And he quickly learned that in Hades' arena, you either win the fight or you die, painfully.

Hades, minotaurs, and the underworld; as Jack fought in the arena for his life, he was sure of one thing – he was still in the 21^th century. Where was he? Jack didn't know. But the man who called himself Hades told Jack and his fellow champions, that they were fighting for a great purpose. What purpose? All will be revealed, as the four legendary kingdoms peel back its curtains and unveiling an ancient secret about the omega...

My thoughts on this book:

Woohoo, I am now the proud owner of a signed copy for The Four Legendary Kingdoms! Matthew Reilly visited my local library last Tuesday night, where a group of readers and I had the chance to meet and interact with him. The event was lovely, and Matthew was a good and interesting bloke. I came home with a signed copy of the book and finished reading it on the evening that followed.

Reading this book was a blast! This expansive, subterranean adventure is devoid of subtext, but this is exactly what this book was designed to be, an entertaining read, and I love this book for it. From sword fights, fist fights, warriors in exotic armors, gun fights, car chases, combat helicopters, to explosions, this book has it all. As Jack West's new quest dashes through the sequences of impossible, octane-driven actions, so would a reader flip through the pages furiously, utterly absorbed by the high adventures coming to life in the written texts. Indeed, if it is a thrilling adventure you are after, then look no further, The Four Legendary Kingdoms comes knocking at your door with a tale of blood and thunder.

In this book, Jack West faced a series of challenges where he stared at death in the face. These challenges were very creative, and I was very impressed by Matthew Reilly's imagination and creativity. It suffices to say, the challenges in this book are massive in scale. I love how Matthew Reilly cleverly blended Greek mythology into the design of these challenges. With Greek mythologies as the background, Matthew Reilly created an action packed story that felt familiar yet refreshing. Moreover, these challenges are lethal, and Matthew Reilly successfully tricked his readers into feeling a sense of real danger for Jack West, even though at the back of our minds we knew that our beloved hero was not likely to die in this book. This is the work of a master storyteller.

An ingredient for making a successful action thriller, is telling a story that gallops at a lightning fast pace. The Four Legendary Kingdoms is an exemplary novel in the genre. This book, some 417 pages in length, shoots through its story as a Formula One car racing down the track at 180 miles per hour. Before you know it, this book is over and you will be wishing there is more of it. Speaking of the story's ending, The Four Legendary Kingdoms won't leave you hanging on a cliff at its last page. This book does, however, make you hope, quite eagerly, to read the next installment. If this is you, then do not worry. Matthew Reilly has revealed, Jack West's adventure will resume in The Three “something something”, then followed by The Two “something something”, until the story reaches The One “Something something”. So, gentle readers, sit back and relax; expect many thrilling adventures waiting for you in the years ahead.

I admire Matthew Reilly because he is forthright. During the event, I asked Matthew if he would consider writing a book of a different genre. Matthew answered my question sincerely, and it revealed his deep love for the genre of action-packed thrillers. Matthew Reilly loves what he writes, he wants to write stories that entertain his readers and he is very, very good at it. I highly recommend The Four Legendary Kingdoms to veterans of Matthew Reilly's books. Otherwise, if you are a fan of action adventure thrillers but you have not heard of Matthew Reilly, then it is high time to hook yourself up with the thrilling adventures of Jack West, starting with a book called Seven Deadly Wonders.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A book review: The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #1-3)

I was sprawling on a couch, relaxed and enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon, when an idea suddenly lit up on my mind: “Life is too short, why not read something different, something I never imagined myself reading?” My quest, to adventure outside of my reading comfort zone, took me to Goodreads, the hub of all bookish adventures. I browsed at its “recommended book” section, and there on the cyberspace, The Infernal Devices greeted me.

What is The Infernal Devices? Authored by Cassandra Clare, this is a trilogy of YA fantasy/romance novels. The Infernal Devices has conquered the hearts of millions of young readers, and it also has a huge following from the female readership.

“Great!”, I thought. YA fantasy is a minority in my reading domain, and I don't usually read romance novels. Everything about The Infernal Devices smells of chick-lit, and this is exactly what I was looking for on this occasion.

I trekked to the local library, walked (gingerly) to the YA isles, and loaned the entire trilogy. I came home with all 3 books: Clockwork Angel, Clock Prince, and Clockwork Princess. I stared at the covers of these novels. Other than the author's name, Cassandra Clare, those covers betrayed no information about the story. I did not know what to expect inside those pages. But hey, I already borrowed the books. So I opened Clockwork Angel, the first installment in the series, and dived headfirst into the story. In the next 2 weeks that followed, The Infernal Devices occupied most of my spare time. 3 weeks later, I am sitting down on the same couch, writing a review for this trilogy and sharing my thoughts on it.

How should I begin my review? Let me start it by telling you a story about a young girl named Tessa Gray.

Synopsis:

Since a time immemorial, the forces of light and darkness clashed in battles. These struggles shaped the course of history, and its echoes can be heard and felt by all creatures of this world; including a 17 years old girl called Tess Gray.

The year was 1878. Under the gray and misty sky of London stood Tessa, who came to England from America. In her heart, Tessa bore the hope to be united with her brother. Instead of finding a warm family reunion, Tessa discovered her brother was missing. But that was not all, upon her arrival on the English shore, Tessa was kidnapped and forced into London's underworld. A world of supernatural reality, a world where a group of semi-angelic beings, known as Shadowhunters, waged wars against the dark creatures of the night.

It suffices to say, this new experience opened Tessa's eyes to a world she didn't know existed. It also marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, where she was attracted to two mysterious boys, Jem and Will, both were Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Having her heart split in two, however, is not the only problem for Tessa. For she possessed unusual abilities, and Tessa did not know who, or what she was. The only person who held the key to solve this mystery, was also Tessa's mortal enemy.

This is how Tessa Gray's story began, but how will it end?

My thoughts on this book:

Firstly, I am reviewing the entire trilogy. This is because I believe these books should be read back to back, as one story. If you are toying with the idea of reading this trilogy, then I strongly recommend that you pick up all 3 books and read them sequentially.

Now that's out of the way, the short summary for my thoughts on The Infernal Devices is - I like these books.

However, if you want to know why I like these books, then please feel free to read on.

The first thing that struck me about The Infernal Devices, was its well-written characters. The portrayals for all characters, from the 3 protagonists, the supporting characters, to the villain, they will leave lasting impressions on your mind. Each character has a distinct personality, and none of them feel like cookie cutters. Furthermore, these characters didn't remain static, they grew and change as the story unfolded. On a few occasions, some characters in these books developed in ways that took me by pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, readers followed the journey of the story's central character, Tessa Gray, whose tale is weaved by both joys and sorrows. Cassandra Clare did an excellent job at depicting, how Tessa's experiences lead to the subtle, but gradual transformation of her character. I also want to applaud Cassandra Clare for a non-sexualized depiction of Tessa Gray, where the spotlight was often shined on Tessa's personal qualities. I think the depiction for Tessa is both welcoming and refreshing, especially because in the world of fantasy fictions, the depictions of women are often sexualized and objectified.

The Infernal Devices has werewolves, vampires, demons, angels, and lots of sword fights. At the story's centre stage, however, IS a love triangle. Indeed, it seems to me, the supernatural elements and the sword fights are just vehicles for exploring the love triangle between the 3 protagonists; Tessa, Will, and Jem. All right, so you are about to roll your eyes at the mentioning of a love triangle, but hold on a second and hear me out! Ok, look, these books definitely smell cheese on quite a few occasions, but I enjoyed reading about the love triangle here nevertheless. Why? A story about a love triangle often involves romantic feelings based on jealousy, selfishness and possession. However, the love triangle in The Infernal Devices is different. Tessa, Will, and Jem were in a love triangle, but their love is noble and courageous; instead of jealousy there is trust, instead of selfishness there is sacrifice, and instead of possession there is giving. While the love triangle between our 3 beloved protagonists is a tad dramatic and cheesy, but their story is on the whole, upbeat and positive, and I liked it. Perhaps you think this kind of story is unrealistic, that the reality is a lot uglier than the stories, that no one can be as near flawless as these characters. I agree with you. But hey, maybe this is why we read pages and pages about made up characters and their fictional lives, because stories inspire us to be better people and there it lies the value of fictions.

I also want to make a note about the diversity of characters in The Infernal Devices. In speculative fictions, there aren't many lead characters who are Asian males. In Hollywood movies, for example, the “biggest” role an Asian male character can play in the story, is a supporting character; and often these Asian male characters are portrayed as thick accented, asexual martial artists, or some gangster from China Town who can't even speak English. The reason? Some people said it is because casting Asian male leads won't make money. If this is true, then I want to applaud Cassandra Clare for having the courage and the open mind to casting two biracial male leads in her books. As I mentioned earlier, at the centre of this trilogy lies a story about a love triangle between 3 protagonists. One of the protagonists, is a young man called Jem. In the story, Jem was born of an English father and a Chinese mother. He grew up in Shanghai, he carried a walking stick with a jade dragon on its top, and Jem spoke Mandarin throughout the entire trilogy. 

Jem is biracial, but these books portrayed him for having a very deep and strong connection with his Asian heritage. This is probably the first time, when I am encountering a work of speculative fiction where an (arguably) Asian male character is the lead. Furthermore, the cover art for the 2^nd book in this trilogy features the picture of Jem, and the model's look was obviously a young Asian man. In my research for writing this review, I encountered an interview with Cassandra Clare (click here to read the interview), where she revealed an interesting story. Cassandra had always insisted the model for Jem to be an Asian male. The initial draft for the cover art, however, had the model wearing a full hat and pulling it halfway down his face. Upon seeing this cover art, Cassandra wasn't happy about it, and she insisted a re-shooting of the photo to reveal the model's full face, an Asian face.

I admire Cassandra Clare's audacity and open mindedness to include diversity in her books. Did her books sell badly as a result of having an Eurasian (arguably Asian) male lead and an Asian male model on the book's cover? No, her books sold tens and millions of copies. It is a massive hit! I hope more writers will follow Cassandra's suit and bring diversity into the world of speculative fiction.

The Infernal Devices surprised me, and I am very glad to have picked this trilogy to be my adventure for experimental reading. The only (and very minor) complaint about these books, is the extended epilogue at the end of its final installment, The Clockwork Princess. I thought the epilogue was too long and it was dragging the story. Having said this, when the story reached its final pages, the tale of Tessa, Will, and Jem concluded beautifully, on a hopeful tone. The ending was bittersweet, but it was a marvelous ending that left me thinking about it for days after I finished the book. Look, even someone like me, who is obviously NOT the target audience for this type of books, enjoyed The Infernal Devices immensely. Therefore, I think my own story can vouch for the quality of these novels. I recommend this trilogy to my fellow readers, especially to those who are fond of YA fantasy novels of a romantic persuasion.

A Book Review: The Outsider Test for Faith by John Loftus

On a night Stygian black, Sigurd Doomhammer, a Viking and a neo-druid, prayed to Odin and pleaded the Allfather to heal his friend, Hrolf Breakspear, who is sick and bed-bound. Hrolf took some medicine, and on the next day he miraculously recovered from the illness.

After Sigurd discovered his friend's miraculous recovery, he prostrated himself on the floor and exclaimed: “Allfather has answered my prayer and healed Hrolf! Odin be praised!”.

The answered prayed from Odin strengthened Sigurd's faith in Odinism.

However, Sigurd's Christian friend, C.S. Druis, disagrees.

C.S. Druis: “Odin did not answer your prayer.”

Sigurd: “Then who answered my prayer and healed Hrolf?”

C.S. Druis: “The medicine healed Hrolf”.

Siguard: “Hmm, then you should apply the same explanation to your own Christian prayers, too. Last time, when your friend, John Linux, was sick, he took some medicine and you prayed to the trinune god of Christianity. The next day, John recovered and you also claimed the triune god of Christianity answered the prayer. Therefore, if you say Odin did not answer my prayer and Hrolf was healed solely by the medicine, then the same explanation should be applied to your Christian prayer too, that your triune god did not answer your prayer but it was the medicine alone that healed John Linux!”

C.S. Druis was stunned into a momentary silence. After giving it some thoughts, Druis replied: “Ok, then I tell you, a demonic spirit known as Odin answered your prayer, to deceive you into worshiping the false god.”

Sigurd: “Where is your proof that Odin is a demon? Come to think of it, I say Yahweh is a demon. The reason he answered your prayer and healed John Linux, was to deceiving both of you into worshiping the false god of Christianity! You should repent of your sins and come back to Odin”.

On the clock, awkward seconds passed, and C.S. Druis finally uttered: “Hmm, then I tell you, it was not the medicine alone that healed Hrolf, and it was not Odin who answered your prayer. It was Yahweh who answered your prayer despite the fact that you prayed to the wrong god”.

Sigurd: “Really? Then this means, Yahweh, despite knowing that I was praying to the false god, and knowing that an answered prayer would only strengthen my faith in Odin, yet Yahweh deliberately answered my prayer anyway, and deceived me into believing Odin answered my prayer. If this is your god, then you need to reconsider what sort of god would deliberately trick people into worshiping the false god, then punish them for it.”

C.S. Druis: “Ok, then what about the numerous times when your prayers weren't answered? What about the time when your wife, Freya Shattersword, died from cancer despite your sincere prayer to Odin? Surely, the inconsistency between answered and unanswered prayers is an indication that Odin doesn't exist and he never answered your prayer at all?”

Sigurd: “If I pray and Odin does not answer it, then it simply means the things I prayed for is not in Odin's will. The way of Allfather is not my way, but above my way. Odin is the wisest, he knows all and he knows the best. Furthermore, as a viking cum neo-druid of 30 years, I have had personal experiences with Odin, and I know he is good. Therefore, I have faith that Odin works for the good of all those who worship him. Hail to the one-eyed Allfather! But come to think of it, your Christian prayers are often unanswered too, so what is your explanation for unanswered Christian prayers?”

C.S. Druis, red in the face, ejaculated: “Damn you, Sigurd Doomhammer! You just stole my argument for unanswered Christian prayers!”

STOP

I hope you found the narratives (above) entertaining. Why did I bring the mock debate to an abrupt end? Well, for two reasons:

Reason A:

I see no point continuing the mock debate, because it could continue for a LONG time. Let me just give you one possible scenario where the debate could go next; C.S Druis could have retorted with a defense similar to Sigurd's and ward off the question of unanswered Christian prayer, then Druis could proceed to quote that Yahweh has a specific nature (dubbed nature X) that Odin doesn't have, then say to Sigurd, because Odin doesn't have nature X, so Odin is not the true god. Upon hearing this, however, Siguard could have retorted with the same argument, saying that Odin has nature Y, and since Yahweh doesn't have Y, so Odin is the true god. At this point, an outsider observes that both sides are committing a logical fallacy called “begging the question”. That is, assuming a premise P in their religion is true, then ask the competing religion to demonstrate premise P. When the competing religion fails to demonstrate P, conclude the competitor is wrong. In such a logically fallacious argumentation, all religions can just beg each other questions, and none of them can ever demonstrate definitely which belief is true. It would be a stalemate! It would be a fruitless and a pointless labor!

Reason B:

The mock debate was just a case in point, when religions debate each other, they have no objective method to show who is right and who is wrong. I'd wager, 99% percent of the time, whatever argument made by one religion, can be used by a competing religion too. If we put an apologist for every religion known in the world in one room and ask them to debate which religion is the truth, they would reach a status of mutual paralysis, a stalemate, where none of them can prove each other true or wrong. This is the point I was driving, and I think I have made the point clear. So there is no need to continue with the mock debate.

Therefore, if you would excuse me for killing the fun, I would like to jump straight into my book review. Today, I am reviewing a book titled: “The Outsider Test for Faith”, written by John Loftus.

Who is John Loftus? A former Christian apologist, Mr. Loftus was also an ordained Christian minister until he left Christianity. He studied under William Lane Craig, a famous Christian apologist. But Mr. Loftus changed his mind about Christianity, and he became an atheist. John Loftus has written a book called “Why I became an atheist: A former preacher rejects Christianity”, I have not read Why I became an atheist, but apparently in that book Loftus detailed his journey from a being preacher to being an atheist.

Although 2 years has passed since I deconverted from Christianity, but until this August, I have never read a book about religious skepticism. Why did I begin to read books on religious skepticism? This is because I was interested at finding out if there are ex-Christians out there, who deconverted for similar reasons to mine. This is why the title, The Outsider Test for Faith, captured my attention. For I too, searched for a way test my own religious faith as an insider, and it was the major reason that led to my deconversion from Christianity. My own journey to deconversion took 18 months. It was a traumatizing journey. It was heartbreaking. During that time, I thought deeply about my religious faith. I was constantly deep in thoughts. I critically examined every aspect for Christianity, from history, philosophy, hermeneutics/theology, theodicy, textual criticism, and science. It was a time when my entire being was utterly consumed by the search for the truth. To give you an example, I remember one day, while walking down the road, I almost got hit by a car because I was so deep in thought about the inconsistencies between the 4 Gospels. It suffices to say, I took the search for truth very seriously. I was determined to let the truth guide me even if the truth is not what I thought it was. At the end of it, the truth dragged me, kicking and screaming into non-belief. Perhaps, my story shall be told one day. For now, however, let me continue to review this book.

What is the outsider test for faith, and why is it important?

An outsider test for faith, is simply to testing your own religion as if you were an outsider to it. It is to testing your own religion by using the same standard of skepticism that you applied to the religions you do not believe in. No faith-based skepticism is allowed. Sounds easy, right? I tell you, this is easier said than done. In this book, John Loftus outlines very simply and beautifully, how this can be done. But let me just say, in order for this test to work properly, self-honesty and courage are keys. A religious believer needs to be brutally honest with him/herself if their religion actually passes the test. In order for the test to work properly, one needs to be courageous and honest enough, to let the truth lead you where you should go, even if the truth is not what you think it is.

But why is it important to test your religion? John Loftus argued for the importance of having an objective testing method, by invoking A) The Religious Diversity Thesis, and B) The Religious Dependency Thesis.

What are these? I am sure most people have observed, in the past and the present, ten thousands of religions exist in the river of human history. Most of these religions are mutually exclusive. They all claim to be the truth, but they contradict each other. This also means, not all religions can be the truth. Most likely only one of them is true, or none of them is true. This is called The Religious Diversity Thesis (RDVT).

Next, we have also observed, people's religious beliefs depend on geography and culture. If you were born in the Middle East, then you are likely to become a Muslim. If you are born in America, then you are likely to become some sort of Christian. If you are born in East Asia, then you are likely to become Taoist/Buddhist. This is known as The Religious Dependency Thesis (RDPT).

Given both RDVT and RDPT, we arrive at the following conclusion: 1) Not all religions can be true, they are mutually exclusive, most likely one of them is true, or none of them is true. 2) Since your religious belief is likely determined by the geography/culture you were born into, then given 1), your current religion is likely false.

So how can you know your religion, or any religion, is true? Surely you would need an objective method for testing your religion. Otherwise, you could easily land up in the infinite, but fruitless debate similar to the mock debate that I constructed at the beginning of this review. Yes, this is why The Outsider Test for Faith is important. And John Loftus tells you how to do it. Read this book if it sounds interesting to you.

The question is, do you dare to take the test?

Post script:

I need to mention, this book is VERY repetitive. This is because Loftus was addressing the various objections against The Outsider Test for Faith (OTF). Whatever objection you have about OTF, Lotus has most likely addressed it in the book already. This is the reason for this book to be repetitive.

Personally, I enjoy reading them nevertheless, because I think Loftus did an excellent job at refuting the strange excuses that Christian apologists made up to protest against OTF. Furthermore, Loftus correctly pointed out the unreasonable demands made by Christian apologists. For example, Loftus correctly observed, Christians often demand to see their faith is impossible before they will even consider it is improbable. Loftus hammered the nail on its head for this one. Why? I have observed the same unreasonable demand from Christian apologists too. Let me give you an example. A famous Christian apologist called John Lennox once debated Michael Shremer, who is a sceptic of great renown. At the end of their debate, a member of the audience asked John Lennox a question:

“What will change your mind about Christianity?”

John Lennox replied, “The historical evidence that Jesus didn't rise from the dead will change my mind about Christianity. My faith is based on historical evidence”.

Woah, that sounds very intellectual and academic, isn't it? Well, let's think carefully about Lennox's reply. What kind of historical evidence can actually prove that Jesus didn't rise from the dead? A Christian once said to me, if an ancient document surfaces, and testify that Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then Christianity will fall apart. Really? I think even if such an ancient document do surface, Christians will just proclaim such a document is not credible. And rightfully so, how can a piece of old paper with writings on it, be serving as a definitive proof that Jesus didn't rise from the dead? Meanwhile, some Christians told me, if the body of Jesus surfaces, then they will abandon their faith. Hmm, really? We do not have the biological or anatomical features of Jesus, so how will you know a pile of bones belong to Jesus?

In other words, in reality, there is almost no way a historical evidence, be it an ancient document or a pile of bones, can ever be used to successfully argue against the case of resurrection. John Lennox is asking to be shown his faith is impossible. Lennox might just as well say “nothing will ever, ever change my mind about Christianity”. See? Christians will demand to be shown that their faith is impossible before considering it is improbable.

On the other hand, I think we can say Christianity is false because of the many errors, failed prophecies, and contradictions in the Bible (and a lack of good evidence to support the Bible's claims on supernatural events). But the problem is, Christians just re-interpret the Bible to sweeping all these problems under the carpet so they can continue to believe. The funny thing is, a friend of mine once demonstrated, you can apply the same modus operandi that Christians are using to re-interpret the Bible, to outside of religion and resolving error and contradiction in ANY verbal or written statement. In other words, if we apply the astonishing way Christians are treating the Bible, consistently, to outside of Christianity, we will be arriving at a bizarre position where error and contradiction do not exist at all - nothing will be wrong and everything could be right; and by its extension, everything can be believed and rejected.

My friend and I had similar thoughts about this. Indeed, this was where my journey to deconversion started 3 years ago when I realized, with the way I was treating Christianity, even if it is wrong I still wouldn't know it is wrong.

Enjoy reading John Loftus' book, I think this is a beautiful piece of work for religious skepticism. Until the next time, happy reading!