> ***** The New York Times
> January 25, 2004
> Staging the Next Fantasy Blockbuster
> By SARAH LYALL
> LONDON
>
> The unassuming man at the end of the eighth row slipped quietly from his
> seat during the final applause for the sold-out performance of "His Dark
> Materials" at the National Theater. But he didn't get far. This was
> Philip Pullman, 57, who wrote the thrilling books on which the play is
> based, and he was quickly waylaid by a crowd of young readers who seemed
> unable to believe their luck.
Thanks, Yoshie, for sharing this with us. It sounds very interesting.
My favorite anti-religious sci fi book is still "Last Days of Christ the Vampire" by J.G. Eccarius.
"The Last Days of Christ the Vampire is a book that is more than a little reminiscent of Robert A. Wilson's Illuminatus series. Eccarius gives a less than charitable view of Christianity and its founder, and a vision of a world run by a council of vampires that has members ranging from Aliester Crowley to Genghis Kahn. The book is a little disjointed in spots, and leaves the reader with a lot more questions than it answers, but for some that could be a recomendation in and of itself. If you enjoy paranoid conspiracy novels, I can certainly recommend this book without hesitation. If, however, you are an Anne Rice fan looking for yet another incarnation of Lestat. you would be better off looking elsewhere."
We could certainly use more novels that bash or ridicule organized religion.
Chuck0