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The key to enjoy a Chris Brookmyre's book is: don't sweat it for the first 2-3 chapters because a) You will get there eventually, and b) You just want to get back to the first page just as soon as you finish the last. At least I do.

Pandaemonium is a messy mixture of science fiction and teenage horror flick, with quantum physics, religious arguments and blood splatter all over the pages. I think it's a cross between A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil and Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks with Brookmyre's classic bloodbath (some people say it's a cross between A Tale... and Be My Enemy, which I haven't read). Anyway...

Love it. I mean, I read A Tale... for like 10 times. Adnan and Radar are Scotty and Marty (mix). Deb is Joanne. Dunnsy is Robbie. Caitlin is Helen. Well yeah not exactly. But I think it's one of Brookmyre's best trait, and why I love A Tale... so much. He can dig deep into these characters and voice them out loud. I envy the way he switches point of view completely. It's more mature than the way he made Jack Parlabane, Sarah Slaughter and Jenny Dalziel sound alike as I noted here. And the way he talks about parallel universe and the likes, with matter-of-factly religious (or rather nonreligious) implication, he sooo kicks Dan Brown arse! Oh... the pain in my stomach when I remember reading The Lost Symbol.

Awkay, the science vs religion thing. As far as I know, before Harun Yahya there's no contradiction between science and religion in Islam. This is different from the church history (Catholic in particular), which I think explain why both parties seem so stubborn. I cannot follow because it's not my corner to defend. I don't agree with Brookmyre, but I enjoy this book as much as I hate The Lost Symbol which unashamedly agnostic or even theistic. You can't put Pascal's Wager in a better context, and that atheists in the foxhole argument is (almost) spot on. This book also avoid the mistake in Unsinkable Rubber Ducks that lumps together theism and religion with paranormal craps. The fact that I believe in God and afterlife doesn't mean that I believe in fortune teller and ouija board (should be quite the contrary, in fact). I sort of believe in ESP, but not as a spiritual thingy, but as an evolution trace. So it's actually a little bit scientific. Isn't evolution real? :D

The teenagers-went-loose-hollywood-style part is a little bit over the top and the gay bit is seriously uncalled for. But seven books so far and still satisfied. Six more to go.