Blind faith - ironic? - Rated 
This book started off brilliantly and had me captivated. Unfortunately, Ben then tries to claim that a belief in Darwinian evolution is science on a par with vaccination, physics and modern medicine. The characters talk about reason and logic, yet miss the irony that they have blind faith in evolution.
They never question what caused the Big Bang, how life began in the alleged primordial soup, or how the vastly complex information encoded in the DNA of the simplest organism could have arisen by chance, yet they attack the logic of creation by a God.
They talk about a lack of evidence for creation yet fail to address the lack of evidence for evolution in that not a single fossil has been found of the so called missing links - every fossil discovered is animals in their full state.
The rest of what the 'Temple' believes and preaches is twaddle and nothing like Christianity, but Ben uses ridiculousness of this to discredit the belief in Creation.
The rest of the book is a brilliant satirical take on the desire for fame, collecting information and people sharing information. It's just a pity Ben made a cheap attack on something he has not researched himself, but instead just had blind faith in the unsubstantiated claims of evolution.
For those, who fervently believe in evolution, check out what the evidence for yourself and be surprised that all is not proven.
Disappointingly unsubtle - Rated 
For me, effective satire is akin to dissecting the absurdity of your subject with a scalpel. This book is more like being repeatedly smacked around the head with a shovel. The scenario is so heavy-handed and lacking in subtletly even before the obvious 1984 parallels signal the "twist". It reads almost like he has aimed it squarely at the people he is ridiculing; everything has to be spelled out to avoid you having to think or draw your own conclusions. It all feels a bit dumbed down and patronising. I've read and liked most of Ben Elton's books and can't remember one I enjoyed less. I can't see me bothering to re-read it, which is unusual, but I because of the lack of subtlety I can't imagine finding something I missed on the first time around. 2 stars is probably a bit generous.
Frightening - Rated 
A frightening vision of the future where the stupidity of religion has (at least for that moment) won out over reason.
What's really worrying is that these people already exist in the American Christian Taliban. Let's hope the Traffords of the real world (or even the apathy of the masses) will forever keep these idiots out of power.
An easy, thought-provoking, intelligent read. Keep them coming Mr. Elton!
Incredible, Another Fine Satire by Elton - Rated
I wasn't going to review but I feel several people on here are missing the point.
While the book isn't as laugh-out-loud hilarious as some of his other works are, the evident satire laced in every chapter of the novel is evident and brought many wry smiles to my face. Its themes are relevant to all of us and while it may not be "high brow literature," although its message is one of seeking intelligence in a society that persists to "dumb down" the world, this is entirely Elton's point, I feel.
The idea of the colloquial language and the easy-to-read, small chaptered format signifies that the book appeals to all audiences. It pleases those who will laugh at the satire, those who simply devour a well-structured funny yet dark storyline, and those who view the novel as an approach to all audiences to mix high brow and low brow culture so that such an apocalyptic situtation doesn't occur.
Maybe I'm looking too much into this but that's the feeling I get. Those who read "high brow" literature will pick up on its self-advertised parallels to 1984, its farcical Utopian world and the links with the mediaeval Spanish Inquisiton, while those who do not read as often will be able to access the themes with ease, therefore enabling the entire audience to pursue the idea that it is not just one culture this novel or any other entertainment is or should be aimed at, but a mixture of the two. Therein lies a truly powerful story and I feel Blind Faith accomplishes it.
It isn't trying to be 1984 - not in the slightest. Of course Elton will have heard and read many times no doubt one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, but while he may have drawn some inspiration from it, his purpose I believe was never to re-write it for the "Myspace generation" as one person has said. He took a gamble when he chose to write about a society with no privacy because of course there would be certain people who would say it's a cheap rip-off of 1984.
But it isn't at all. It's a completely different style of novel with a completely different message. While some of the themes may be similar and some of the elements also, I don't believe it was Elton's intention to warn us of what a capitalist and overly conservative society may achieve in the future, as I believe was Orwell's aim, but to ridicule aspects of our society and to provoke emotions from the audience and above all to provide an entertaining story with a heart-warming ending that perhaps suggests, in this increasinly shallow world, that these people who crave understanding and privacy still remain.
At face value, the novel is comic, light even in places but there always remains the constant darkness, the always frightening reminder that we must not fall into the hands of a society which is slowly starting to become obsessed with sharing everything and hiding nothing.
The end was dramatic and powerful as many of Elton's novels are. I found myself grinning along with Trafford as he made his final speech. I find that novels that cause me to emote are often some of the best.
I think I'm coming across as trying to advertise the world's best book, but it isn't by any means. Most of those are mentioned in this novel though ironically. However I feel it deserves more recognition for being a fantastic novel than it has already received.
I was disappointed with Elton's last novel, Chart Throb, which although funny lacked a certain amount of punch for me, but Blind Faith more than makes up for it. Elton's back at his satirical best.
The future...it sucks - Rated
As is often the case with Ben Elton's novels, with Blind Faith he has taken current phenomenon (blogging, YouTube, government manipulation, global warming), stretched it to its extreme and then attempted to show his readership where it is all heading.
Blind Faith is, for me, split into three distinct acts. The first is confusing as you are thrust straight into the world of the near future and it's a struggle to understand what is going on and what the point of it all is (although you quickly ascertain that everyone is fat and living in filth). The second act offers some explanations and puts in motion the main events of the story. Then the final act wraps all of this up. Hey, it could be a (TV) movie..!
The idea of privacy being outlawed and constant emoting with anybody you meet as a religious requirement of the `Temple' initially seems daft but quickly becomes quite terrifying. The authorities use the notion of God-fearing faith and 24 hour `communitainment' to control a suffering population living in a London that has become nothing more than a squalid pit of excess.
The plot moves along at a rapid pace and the themes covered all resonate. However, Some of the characters are far too thinly drawn and the apparent twists are fairly obvious. There are precious few big laughs here, Elton clearly feels there isn't much to laugh about if society continues to head in the direction it is currently taking. The humour present is bitter and dark.
Blind Faith isn't Ben Elton's greatest novel, it's a little on the shallow side and would have benefited from a more detailed view of the future and how humanity has come to that point. It is also more predictable than I would like and takes a bit of effort to get into; it's hard going at first.
But for all that, I found it an uncomfortably feasible vision of the far from distant future, it builds to a generally satisfying finale and as always with Ben Elton, the book is very well written. A worthy read in the end and it sticks with you, but not as great as it could have been if it had been developed a little further.
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