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The Blue Light Project

3.06 of 5 stars 3.06 · rating details · 294 ratings · 75 reviews

From one of Canada’s finest writers comes a masterful novel about the clash of art and advertising, the cultish grip of celebrity and the intense connections that can form in times of crisis.

An unidentified man storms a television studio where KiddieFame, a controversial children’s talent show wherein kids who are too talented are “killed off,” is being filmed. He is armed...more From one of Canada’s finest writers comes a masterful novel about the clash of art and advertising, the cultish grip of celebrity and the intense connections that can form in times of crisis.

An unidentified man storms a television studio where KiddieFame, a controversial children’s talent show wherein kids who are too talented are “killed off,” is being filmed. He is armed with an explosive device, and issues only a single demand: an interview with journalist Thom Pegg. It’s a strange request, everyone agrees. A disgraced former investigative journalist, caught fabricating sources, Pegg is down on his luck and working for a lowly tabloid. The demand surprises everyone – Pegg most of all, and he is reluctant to play a role. But pressure from federal authorities leaves little choice, and so it is that Thom Pegg finds himself the envy of all the high-level journalists on hand as he makes his way into the darkened studio to uncover the truth.

Outside, as the hostage taking heads into its third day, enthralled and horrified onlookers watch the drama unfold through a constant stream of media speculation and rumours that race through the crowd. In the throes of this crisis two characters – one running from former glory and the other from corporate burnout – meet and instinctively connect. Eve is an Olympic gold medalist and much-loved local daughter who jogs the city’s streets at night and searches for her long-lost brother, Ali, in its shadowy corners. Rabbit is a secretive street artist who is just completing a massive project involving strange installations on the rooftops of hundreds of buildings throughout the city. Both carry the scars of their pasts, and seem to be searching for a way to become whole.

It’s a fearful time, when people have serious doubts about the future and about each other, yet are compelled to come together to vent their anxiety and make themselves heard. Outside the studio, chaos reigns, and Eve and Rabbit must navigate police checkpoints as they skirt the unruly masses in pursuit of the truth of what happened to Ali. Inside the studio, however, it’s all about control, as Pegg listens to the hostage taker’s story and begins to realize the terrible, violent truth about what he has planned.

When the crisis comes to a head, events collide and riots grip the streets. Prospects seem bleak as the tension of the hostage taking is unleashed upon the city. But when Rabbit’s secret installation is finally activated, people are shocked into seeing the power beauty still has in this world, and into recognizing the real possibility of hope. The Blue Light Project is a hard-hitting and emotionally wrought commentary on the forces that attract and repel us, and the faith that enables us to continue, even in our darkest hours.(less)

Hardcover, 370 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by Knopf Canada

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May 10, 2013 Thomas Holbrook rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Being a committed reader, from my point of view, requires that once a book is begun it must be completed. With few exceptions, this has proven to be a rewarding discipline. Shortly after I began reading this book, I had to remind myself of my commitment. The book begins slowly and gains little speed to an end that is violent, confusing and uncertain.
When an individual interrupts a popular reality show, Kiddiefame, and takes hostage over 100 of the participants and audience members, a crisis be...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Ron Baird rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the best books, certainly for a first book, I've read. Canadian
author Timothy Taylor has followed in the Canadian writers tradition of
genre busting. Part mystery, part thriller, part love story, part a
laser-scalpel, electron-microscopic view of contemporary culture, politics
and society.

Protagonists include a former Olympic biathalon medalist, a disgraced
newspaper reporter who won the Pulitizer based upon a fictitious source
and who now writes a a scandal tabloid, and a high tech savant...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Gaurav Sethi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I just finished The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor. Taylor is a west coast writer from B.C. I’ve only read one other book by him (he’s written three), Stanley Park which was a CBC Canada Reads pick from 2007.

What I enjoy most about Mr. Taylor’s writing is the way that he infuses his story with politics. Stanley Park was about a struggling chef and his estranged father, a researcher in the fields of sociology and homelessness. I’ve forgotten a fair bit of the story, but what I do remember i...more I just finished The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor. Taylor is a west coast writer from B.C. I’ve only read one other book by him (he’s written three), Stanley Park which was a CBC Canada Reads pick from 2007.

What I enjoy most about Mr. Taylor’s writing is the way that he infuses his story with politics. Stanley Park was about a struggling chef and his estranged father, a researcher in the fields of sociology and homelessness. I’ve forgotten a fair bit of the story, but what I do remember is that Stanley Park addressed the idea of what happens when some people lose their sense of community and no longer fit into a larger “proper” society. How easy it is to forget about the homeless, the poor, & the weak.

Mr. Taylor has done something similar in The Blue Light Project. Taylor seems concerned with how society fractures and breaks from within. In Stanley Park it was various homeless figures who break from the larger world and isolate themselves. In The Blue Light Project this break comes as a result of a rather extreme and violent turn of events. A lone madman takes control over a television studio. Children from an American-Idol style variety show are captured and held hostage. Mr. Taylor looks at how celebrity culture, violence, and art are intertwined.

It is difficult to discuss this particular book without spoiling certain plot points. The story takes place over the course of four days from three different points of view. At the heart of this story is celebrity culture. What does it mean to be famous-at what cost. Eve Latour is a former Olympian who is struggling to make sense of her brother’s mysterious disappearance. As she searches for him in the poorer parts of the city she stumbles upon the second point of view we are offered: Rabbit. Rabbit is a street artist who practices parkour. Rabbit is searching for some large gesture, a way to comment/protest the capitalist system that he left behind. And then there is Thom Pegg, a failed journalist turned celeb/paparazzi hack. Pegg is the only person who is allowed to meet the mysterious captor who has taken hostage of the children. All of these characters are confronting issues that surround celebrity, publicity, and society.

If you’re looking for an interesting commentary on the media and art, you will find yourself enjoying this particular work. I cannot help but reflect on how prescient this book is in relation to the recent death of Osama Bin Laden. Those flash-bulb memory/cultural events. The death of JFK, Challenger, 9/11, Columbine, etc. The assassination of OBL is now added to that list. Do you recall where you were when you found out? Did you watch the news incessantly, craving for more detail, for more gore. Do you want to see photos? Did you seek out the fake ones? What does it mean that he is now dead. These same types of issues are addressed in Timothy Taylor’s novel. Taylor turns the lens unto ourselves and examines how we interact and react to these larger cultural events. What do we ultimately seek when we turn on the news? Do we want to see someone rise or someone fall? The characters in this novel struggle to make sense of this horrific event. As each of them searches for their own sense of celebrity: Rabbit who is still trying to define himself with one artistic gesture, Eve who is living in the afterglow of Olympic glory, and Thom Pegg who has fallen so far from where he once was: esteemed journalist - paparazzi hack.

(less)

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Apr 27, 2011 Steven Buechler rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great look at the role of culture, mass media, violence, and celebrity in our society. A bit of slog of times to get through but finishing this novel was an enlightening experience.

-from page 49
"Like they were acting something out, Like they were part of the show.
They escaped by the read dodrs of the television studio. Mad crowds, crazed. Adults and children. They slammed into each other and bounced, they grabbed each other and held or pushed away. The only law governing their movement was the...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Martha rated it 3 of 5 stars

I finished this book and liked it until the very end. I just don't get it. It's one of those odd kind of books that would make a movie that you watch at 2AM one morning when you can't sleep then talk about for years afterward as that "movie you watched at 2AM." It seems to be about this hostage taking event at a children's TV show. The reason for that is very unclear and not really explained later in the book. Then these stories begin to emerge about one woman who used to be an olympic athlete a...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Jean-marcel rated it 3 of 5 stars

A bit on the fence about this one. Some of the questions it posited were very compelling. What does the concept of fame do to us, both the famous themselves and those who would aspire toward this strange goal by doing something that would shake the world? Should we be angry at the way our lives are manipulated by government and media? What kind of things would make people stop for a moment and witness some wonder in the world?

If you're like me, though, you've asked yourself similar questions ver...more A bit on the fence about this one. Some of the questions it posited were very compelling. What does the concept of fame do to us, both the famous themselves and those who would aspire toward this strange goal by doing something that would shake the world? Should we be angry at the way our lives are manipulated by government and media? What kind of things would make people stop for a moment and witness some wonder in the world?

If you're like me, though, you've asked yourself similar questions very often, you know that the famous are mostly just orindary people who happened to be in the right place or the right time, are either determined or just plain bullheaded about doing something "big". And yes, you know that we should be furious with those in power; that they seldom really have our best interests in heart or mind. To many of us, this book is simply not going to be much of a revelation. It's still an enjoyable read, about half the time. I found myself glued to the narrative sometimes and just sort of coasting through at others. Perhaps this was simply because I didn't feel connected with any of the characters, I didn't really relate to their actions or their mindsets all that much, and some of their deeds just seemed like the sorts of things people do without much rational thought or reason. Sure, it's life-like, but it doesn't necessarily make for great storytelling. I did somewhat relate to the Rabbit character, but he seemed a bit vaguely portrayed, as though the author himself didn't really understand him all that well. There wasn't much special about Eve Latour or her situation to me; maybe that, after all, is the point, but her actions were so impulsive and reasonless that I felt the only thing to do was just ride with it and accept that that is, after all, the way people are sometimes.

The ending was kind of beautiful though...not Eve going off to presumably live in a cabin in the woods with some guy she barely knows, but Rabbit's installation and what it does. At first you think to yourself, "well, that's rather inconsequential isn't it?"...but then you realise that yes, it would be just that sort of simple but beautiful, arresting thing that would make people stop in their tracks, and the potency of the moment is revealed with poignant clarity.

Perhaps I'm a discontented lout at heart, but I felt there wasn't enough anger in this book. Certainly Taylor describes rioting and upheaval in the city, and seems influenced by recent scandals involving police brutality, as well as, of course, a growing sense of disenfranchisement and marginalisation of the common folk, and a feeling that the priorities of our civilisation have somehow gotten completely askew. I must say that I wanted the story to go further. I wanted Pegg, the reporter, to spit in the face of his handler, because it was people like him who caused this sort of thing to happen in the first place. But I see that this wasn't the answer for Taylor, and I don't really begrudge him for it. (less)

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Jan 30, 2012 Dave Hanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not sure if Timothy Taylor is prescient or just knows how to read the wind, but The Blue Light Project, published in April 2011 and undoubtedly in the works for some time before that, prequels perfectly the sensations, if not the motivations, of the Occupy Wall Street protests, down to the forming of factions within, the pre-emptive overreactions of the authorities, the implied presence of agents provocateur, and the unsettled remains of the aftermath.

Set amid a three-day hostage seige in a...more

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Jul 19, 2011 thewanderingjew rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel is strange. It is difficult to ascertain a specific time frame or a locality. The story moves back and forth from one location to another, from one character to another and also from one time frame to another. It does come together at some point, but not all of my questions were resolved.
It seems to be set in a time when the whole world is suffering from ADD, taking risks, almost just to attract attention and dazzle crowds that love meaningless soundbites to which they assign great me...more This novel is strange. It is difficult to ascertain a specific time frame or a locality. The story moves back and forth from one location to another, from one character to another and also from one time frame to another. It does come together at some point, but not all of my questions were resolved.
It seems to be set in a time when the whole world is suffering from ADD, taking risks, almost just to attract attention and dazzle crowds that love meaningless soundbites to which they assign great meaning, street cultures are revered and have taken on the persona of the “gang” in a completely different, almost more acceptable way, it is as if the street sub-culture is all on drugs, spaced out, looking for trouble, yet they are perfectly accepted by the younger generation and media. They seem hyper, and several rival gangs vie for street space, turf, to voice ideas or plaster walls with them. The defiance is justified and applauded, authority is mocked and disrespected, greed and envy are thriving as is schadenfreude! Does this pattern sound familiar yet?
Rabbit, is a major character. After leaving a lucrative silicon valley type job because he begins to question the altruistic value vs the evil value, of the project he is working on, he moves away, drops out and begins to make his mark with artistic statements he paints in public spaces. He moves to NYC from Oregon, and he begins to descend into a state of near-vagrancy.
Another of the major characters, Eva Latour, a gold medal skier, is searching for her brother, a rebel. When she finds him and he is no longer the rebel, she is disappointed. She worshiped his free spirit. He is a respected member of society. She no longer fully appreciates him. She is part of the culture of discontented people, although she has achieved greatness. She worshiped his free spirit.
She has been offered a job in the entertainment world. Reality shows are the rage. There are no limits to what they present. Even little children are paraded across stages and humiliated. Voyeurism is the fashion. Everyone wants to know how someone else lives, especially those touched by fame and everyone loves to see someone fail at what they are doing, even if they are the best at what they are doing. Society is searching for something but, whatever it is, it seems to have no real value, other than "a nebulous feeling".
The most evil character is Mov, and yet, is he? He served his country. Is it his fault that he has pretty much driven himself mad with the tactics he was forced or trained to use, the results they inspired and the failures he experienced. This man, who prepped enemy spies for interrogation, has gone over the edge into madness.
An unexpected hero is a reporter who has fallen from grace. Thom Pegg, after winning the Pulitzer Prize, is discovered to have created his sources out of whole cloth. His purpose may have been commendable, but the method was not. His heroism goes largely unsung, in a world where reality shows thrive, while the “real” reality is controlled and contrived by the powers that be, so that only the information that is deemed necessary to know, is allowed to become public. Who would believe his story, anyway; it is the story of a liar. There is little transparency and it sounds awfully close to the way we live today; it makes the premise of the book even more frightening; it is almost too close for comfort.
The book comes together around a hostage crisis. Some of the children from KiddieFame, a children’s talent show, of sorts, have been taken captive during a “kill” episode, in which one of the contestants is removed from the competition, often the best one, as schadenfreude often does rule. It turns into a real rather than a pretend, game of violence. But, no one knows why, no one knows who is behind this heinous act. Who would capture children, and yet, it is vaguely familiar, isn’t it? It is reminiscent of the Russian hostage crisis, in Chechen, which took place on the same date, years before.
The populace seems to identify with issues far too deeply, to assume too much self importance and a pretense of having influence to change things dramatically in bizarre and unusual ways. Discontent and anger permeate the atmosphere and this novel surely illustrates what can happen when a “world goes mad”, when someone goes mad and tries to infect the world with that madness; in order to achieve redemption for his “crimes” he spreads the feeling of terror, like a disease which moves out into the ether.
We have only to think about the cult of people that arose to follow Casey Anthony, for and against. We have only to think of the bizarre ways in which the lawyers used facts to influence judgment, to know that our time is dangerously close to the time in the book. Society is failing. There is an equal feeling of vicarious pleasure and disappointment, shared by the mob. It comes in waves.
When the hostage taking begins, there are people making frantic predictions, having no idea whatsoever about what they are saying. They are assuming the hostage taker is a terrorist, they accuse a government they don’t trust of orchestrating the event, they think it will blow over, be nothing. They live in a fantasy. They actually seem to enjoy this crisis. They, the people, that is, seem to have been geared up for this. Maybe it is all the reality shows that have prepared them to feel this way. They like being voyeurs, feeling like authority, feeling like they are important. Their values are mixed up. They worship the wrong things, entertainment, video games, ridiculous meaningless art. There is a culture out there that doesn’t work, that simply creates issues, incites or ignites the community to action, even over ridiculously foolish things. There seems to be a lack of ambition, drive, responsibility. Their energies are directed toward pretty worthless pursuits. The street culture is prominent and street art is prevalent. Everywhere are protest signs of some kind. Universal terror appears to be the universal end product they are seeking.
One has to wonder why we are obsessed with the dysfunctional, especially after reading this novel. There are a lot of angry fringe groups and they always find a leader to glom around. There are so many characters who march to the beat of their own drummer, not mainstream, not active participants in improving anything but more in presenting their personal philosophies to the world. They are not producers of anything of value for physical survival but rather concentrate on emotions and feelings.
I think the real savior in the book is Rabbit, whose great achievement, his technological message, would seem to be "Let There Be Light!" Reminiscent of the creation, isn't it? Is that all that we need? Are we looking for a way back? Is hope the answer? I think it has proven to fall short of the goal. We can't survive on hope, alone. Humans need more, but they need it in the proper perspective! So, yes, let there be light, let there be understanding but also let there be responsibility for one's own behavior. We are all going to be held accountable, in some way, at some time.(less)

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Aug 07, 2011 M rated it 5 of 5 stars

The lives of three people intermingle amidst a hostage situation in Timothy Taylor's novel. Former Olympian biathlete Eve is unsure of herself, having lost her father and in a constant search for her missing brother. Thom Pegg is a blacklisted journalist whose ways at finding and bending the truth may have given him one last shot at redemption. The oddly-named Rabbit is a Parkour street artist trying to complete a grandoise project for the city. Against a backdrop of a citywide panic over a host...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received Timothy Taylor’s novel The Blue Light Project for free through Goodreads First Reads.

art and advertising
advertising and social movement
social movement and religion
religion and faith
faith and reality
reality and reality TV
reality TV and journalism
journalism and entertainment
entertainment and art...

From what initially appears to be the story of a hostage-taking at a television studio, comes a powerful social commentary. The Blue Light Project explores the complexities surrounding art, f...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Tricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading the back of the book - I wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, I am so happy that I read it. What a treat!

Parkour, hostages, anti-fame, fame, underground art, faith, crazy journalism, tragedy, gold-medal athlete, love and self-realization - this book had it all. I'm not going to give a plot synopsis as I believe you will enjoy the book more without knowing more (like myself!)

The most interesting part of the book for me was the concept of "fame" and "anti-fame". Not something I...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian-author, canadian-literature-and-fiction, conspiracy, crime, general-contemporary-fiction, war, reviewed

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, because I like to consider myself a semi-intelligent reader, but this book went way over my head. I struggled to follow it, I struggled to enjoy it, and most importantly, I struggled to get significant meaning out of it.

This book isn't hopeful or inspirational in the slightest. It has a very disillusioned, depressed urban ethos, which isn't automatically a bad thing. I don't mind the occasional (or even frequent) dark read, but my problem with The Blue Light P...more I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, because I like to consider myself a semi-intelligent reader, but this book went way over my head. I struggled to follow it, I struggled to enjoy it, and most importantly, I struggled to get significant meaning out of it.

This book isn't hopeful or inspirational in the slightest. It has a very disillusioned, depressed urban ethos, which isn't automatically a bad thing. I don't mind the occasional (or even frequent) dark read, but my problem with The Blue Light Project was that there was nothing to give the reader grounding. I spent the first half of the book just agonizing over when and where the book was set. The only labels we are ever given as to the setting are vague mentions of it being "midwestern" and in a city with a waterfall (but definitely not Niagara Falls). As for the time period, for the first third of the book I thought it was set in some futuristic dystopian setting, only to learn that it was in fact set in the 2010s, due to a mention of the Moscow theatre hostage crisis taking place about 10 years earlier.

So as a reader I really struggled with the story because I could not ground it any place or time. Perhaps this sense of disorientation and being lost was a conscious intent of the author, a way to demonstrate what the characters felt like in their lives and their experience of the societal chaos around them, but I did not enjoy it and could not connect with the characters because of it.

I felt the exact same way about the photographs of urban art that appeared throughout the book. They were certainly intriguing, and if I had been given a bit more context about the artists, or what city and what protest/situation the art arose from, I would have gotten a lot more out of it. I wasn't even clear on whether the art was created purely for the book, or whether the author found these pieces prior to writing and decided to blend them into his story. I realize that perhaps it defeats the purpose of art and corrupts the way the viewer sees it if it is explained beforehand, but I don't think that a little bit more context could have hurt.

Note: I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. (less)

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Mar 08, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't help but compare this book to another of Taylor's novels, Stanley Park, which I absolutely loved. Both books have two loosely connected storylines populated with complex characters and told in engaging, often funny, lyrical prose. I enjoyed this book also, with the dual tales of a disgraced journalist called in to interview a man holding hostage a theatre full of children, and an Olympic gold medalist searching for her lost brother and instead finding a street artist working on a myst...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, e-book

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Terrific right up to the end, and still pretty good then. There's a fantastical, science-fiction aspect to the story, in that the events unfold in the near future in a fictional but lovingly detailed midwestern city ... almost a parallel universe. The main characters are quite real, though, and they keep you grounded. Eve Latour is a former Olympic biathlete, universally recognized and beloved in her hometown, searching for her missing brother, a former street artist and...more Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Terrific right up to the end, and still pretty good then. There's a fantastical, science-fiction aspect to the story, in that the events unfold in the near future in a fictional but lovingly detailed midwestern city ... almost a parallel universe. The main characters are quite real, though, and they keep you grounded. Eve Latour is a former Olympic biathlete, universally recognized and beloved in her hometown, searching for her missing brother, a former street artist and junkie. Thom Pegg is a washed-up journalist and alky, here at the request of a terrorist who has taken a theater and part of its audience hostage. Mov, the terrorist, is a former government contractor who once tortured detainees at black sites around the world. Rabbit is a second-generation street artist with a grand plan, the Blue Light Project.

As Mov holds his theater audience as well as the entire city hostage, the characters are drawn together, each working out his or her own problems, and the mysterious Blue Light Project becomes as suspenseful and gripping as the ongoing hostage situation in the city center. The characters are not foils; they learn from one another and grow, and you wind up rather caring about them. Each of them is looking for something, and each of them, in the end, find what they're looking for. All this unfolds against grand themes of contemporary society: celebrity, authority, black operations, terrorism, the use of technology to gather data and spy on people, the phenomenon of street art, the co-option of same for commercial purposes, social unrest and mob actions -- it's all very real and urgent.

My only dissatisfaction was with the ending, the long-promised revelation of the Blue Light Project itself, which could not have had the effect the author describes, since it is a rooftop art installation, really visible only to Eve and Thom, perched atop a disused radio tower on a ridgeline overlooking the city. In the story the city, burning in the grip of chaos, is instantly calmed by the project's activation; this could not have happened since the mobs coursing through the canyons of the city could not have seen it. This bit of mechanical impossibility, like an implausible detail in a science fiction story, undermined all the rest. What might have been a brilliant story became, at the end, merely terrific.

Timothy Taylor's novel strongly reminded me of Stuart Archer Cohen's The Army of the Republic, which I loved. This was a great read, and I'll keep my eye out for more by Timothy Taylor.(less)

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Jun 21, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Blue Light Project is a social commentary into today’s society. What starts out as a mysterious person takes hostages at a television studio during a children’s talent show, it is certainly not the central arc of the novel, but more of an action that somehow connects the characters of the story. You have the street artist, a former Olympic athlete, and a journalist whose points of views are the crux of the novel. This is not a thriller but a study of today’s culture and the obsession with fa...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Heidi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Heidi by: Free Friday

Shelves: free-friday

This book was very hard to follow. Sadly it should have been one that I enjoyed as the topic is something that always interests me in literature (urban terrorism, graphic art and unhappy youths on the structure of the system of American business culture). You never really felt invested in any one of the characters. There was no closure. The big government conspiracy remained as such. What happened to Rabbit? Does Eve remain close to Nick? Does she run away? Does she finally get another job? I di...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Shelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Terrific thought provoking book with multiple themes which came together in a surprising and strangely uplifting conclusion. Taylor's compelling portrayal of modern culture with its focus fame and self-branding is juxtaposed against the street artist who, without desire for acknowledgment, brings unexpected splashes of color to the cityscape. Not a dark novel - the tension in the latter half of the book made it a page turner, and the themes have been alive in my mind well beyond reading the fina...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I was a FIRST READS GIVEAWAY winner for this book, and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to read this book, which I would not have otherwise given the chance.
This was the story of a crisis, though not one I would typically have imagined. Much of the story was as any spectator would see. The story from the outside. A world of fear and doubt fueled by misinformation, building to a climax. Everyone's lives affected, even in the slightest details and decisions. It showed humanity at its wors...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Sara Strand rated it 1 of 5 stars

I will say that I think I didn't connect with this book as much as others because I am not so familiar with the art of Banksy, Willima Herzog films or novelist Don Delillo, which are all things kind of reminiscent of this book. So it's probably my age that did me in. But this book would be really great for a person who knows these reference points or likes a novel that makes them think. While this book is a thriller, it's not a thriller in the traditional sense I guess. And it is a thriller that...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Blue Light Project was a good read but it failed to really pull me in. I really enjoyed the characters in the novel however I feel that the story line could have been better. The hostage taking did not effect all of the characters to the extent that a main event in a story should have, at least in my opinion. I will say that there could not have been a more perfect ending to the story than the one that Taylor gives. Overall I feel that it was worth reading but it certainly isn't on my favori...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Joanne in Canada rated it 2 of 5 stars

Trust me, I wanted to like this book more than I did. Timothy Taylor was one of the five authors named to my literary Mount Rushmore. I'm just glad I read his previous works before this one.

I was prepared to be disappointed, as the book got mixed reviews when it came out and not a lot of raves, but I don't think that really coloured my reaction. Rather, it prepared me to stick to it despite its shortcomings because I want to keep up with his canon. Sort of like Ann Patchett, some of whose books...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Marti rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was a futuristic novel, one of the Free Friday nook books. I found it rather uneven--some parts were more interesting than others, and the character I most liked was Rabbit. Eve didn't show loyalty to her almost fiance--becoming involved with Rabbit, as she searched for her brother, Ali, named for the boxer, Muhammed Ali. None of the characters seem too tightly wrapped--like the current Republican presidential hopefuls.

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Aug 01, 2011 Pamela Pickering rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: it-s-a-secret-book-club

2.75 stars. Hmmm...what to say? I think if I were of a different generation I might appreciate this book but as I'm pushin' 50 I spent most of the time perplexed and looking for the point of the story. It seems like a book where the focus might be "It's all about me me me!" or possibly its focus is about those who search for conspiracy theories and the mayhem it creates, or maybe even a discussion about urban culture (which I just don't get). At any rate, I'm not sorry I've read it as it certain...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Arjun rated it 4 of 5 stars

Timothy Taylor is Canada's DeLilo. I really believe that. I thought that with Story House but The Blue Light Project really brings it into focus. Art, reality TV, celebrity - it's all here. And the last 20 or so pages are unimaginably great, some of the best writing you will read. It's almost paced like a thriller, a taut thriller and in its own way, it's that as well. Highly recommended.

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Mar 05, 2011 Peter Darbyshire added it

Best thing Timothy Taylor has written yet. He has DeLillo-like moments here, if DeLillo were to climb out of the limousine and hang out in the back alleys for a while. I've got a full review at The Province newspaper.

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Oct 18, 2011 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook

I could pick up on the author's points regarding degradation of society in the mass media craze. The story i had a difficult time following. It was like waking up in the middle of the night buzzed on NyQuil and finding a movie on Sci Fi channel. Another reviewer already beat me to that analogy. As much as I found this story strange and difficult, I couldn't seem to get myself to just stop reading. Not because I make myself finish, but there really was still some engagement with the story.

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Aug 11, 2011 Lana Greer rated it 3 of 5 stars

It had promise for the first few chapters, and finally within the last 100 pages it started to get good again. Anything in between was pushing the bounds of literary torture. I had to force myself to hang in until the end. Thankfully, it ended up being worth it - more or less. A decent read if you're willing to bog through some of the slow stuff.

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Jun 20, 2011 Raimo Wirkkala rated it 4 of 5 stars

Taylor weaves alot into his tapestry of contemporary life. Terrorism, the sorry state of journalism, the celebrity culture, art, redemption, love amongst others. The 3 characters through who's eyes we observe all this are fully developed, interesting, flawed human beings. It is rare that a novelist can incorporate credible characters into a page-turner.

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May 11, 2011 Corinne Garrison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

good book, but i felt like there was at least a third of it missing. why did rabbit make the installation? what was his motivation? why did he leave his corporate life? what made the guy (its been a while since i read this) take the children as hostages?

i feel like this book had more potential & that it was edited too much.

however, it was still really good, it had themes i enjoyed and it made me think.

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Sep 22, 2011 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent. Really loved this book. Timothy Taylor has the ability to take you into diverse cultures and weave a tale of chaos and flawed humans. I enjoyed his writing style and character development. The plot unfolds softly and held my attention throughout. Check it out! What can you not like about a character named Eve Latour?

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About Timothy Taylor

Timothy Taylor is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. Born in Venezuela, he was raised in West Vancouver, British Columbia and Edmonton, Alberta. Taylor attended the University of Alberta and Queen's University, and lived for some years in Toronto, Ontario. In 1987 he returned to British Columbia. Taylor currently resides in Vancouver.

Taylor's short story "Doves of Townsend" won the Journe...more

More about Timothy Taylor...

Books by Timothy Taylor

The Prehistory of Sex: Four Million Years of Human Sexual Culture

The Buried Soul: How Humans Invented Death

The Artificial Ape: How Technology Changed the Course of Human Evolution

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