The Ninety Trillion Fausts [Mass Market Paperback]

As the characters spiral their way down through the depths of hell and toward the ultimate destiny of a fragmented humanity, so we as readers spiral through revelation and enjoyable action sequences in an exciting mix of horror, sci-fi, and myth. It tells the tale of three teams from rival empires. Their quest is one of discovery- to uncover the secrets of a race of Demons. Their only clues along this journey are the myths and beliefs of their own cultures that must have experienced the Demons first hand thousands of years in the past. The twist of this story is it's challenge of religious beliefs by the standards of science fiction. While Chalker strips away shrouds of biblical dogma, he quickly replaces it with sci-fi rationale. While this does have the effect of revealing the wizard as an old man behind a curtain, it validates the underpinnings of religion by giving substance to human myths. Whether you are deeply religious, anti-religious or just plain neutral on the subject like me, I think you'll enjoy the author's attempt to create a fantasy world where the tensions between science and theology can be bridged with rational observation. As we grow up in a society whose cultural beliefs are constantly challenged by the rigor of science, this book gives us a chance to look back to Sunday School and ask, "What if science could validate and explain all that bible mumbo-jumbo?" Such questions are answered with the help of characters representing three distinct viewpoints- Theological fanatics (The Mizlaplan Team), Capitalist businessmen (Exchange), and amoral opportunists (Mychol). Each viewpoint is further enhanced by each team-member who give the extreme, moderate, and even doubter's mindsets to each philosophy. This spectrum of viewpoints gives the reader a whole set of opinions to take with the plotline.

Unfortunately, this book cannot survive on ideas alone. His Empires, though intriguing, are one dimensional and thus unbelievable. Would you believe a Theocracy *completely* devoid of greed? How about a true capitalist society where everything is bought and sold, and nothing given? Governments and societies exist in a Universe filled with duality and contradiction, and thus the believable society must adapt to, and in fact embody such contradictions. This shallowness permeates the book where the characters- though varied- remain flat and predictable once their "rules" have been learned. Even the "scientific" revelations about demons and the occult are so simple and unfounded that it is hard to pick the "truth" out of the endless speculation that each character engages in throughout the three books. The lack of depth is sad, because it turns this series from an exploration to merely an appealing story. Sure, we've learned that the demons are aliens, that the arcane is really technical mastery and that the Bible is really historical text. But when there is little else revealed, it just becomes another retelling of human myths by a scientist- all that was profound about Dante's Inferno instead becomes a technical manual- much like watching a magic show with the technician whispering mirror locations in your ear. Had Chalker understood this, we'd see still more mystery behind the explanations that stimulate our imagination. If only he'd known that the incomprehensible aliens briefly mentioned in the beginning were more exciting than the demons whose simplistic goals make us wonder how they ever developed the complexity to intrigue our ancestors.

All that having been said, the series is a quick read sure to entertain you. If you go into it expecting depth, you'll be disappointed. But if you expect something to keep you turning pages while waiting for your flight to dock, it is right up your alley.

I have always been a fan of Jack L. Chalker. Most of his books have a similar theme, that of advanced alien civilisations that used to rule the universe. This trilogy though is different in that it provides a new twist to the familiar theme. Also his characters are well written, the philosophy is interesting, the plot is excellent and fast paced. Each of the three books has a unique flavour. Definitely a good read.