The Blue Light Project: A Novel

By Timothy Taylor

A hostage-taker hides a shocking secret in “a breakneck literary thriller that combines the worlds of conspiracy theory [and] reality TV” (National Post).
 
Without warning, a man, armed with explosives, seizes a television studio taking over a hundred terrified hostages. He offers no motive. And he makes just a single curious demand. The only person he’ll speak to is Thom Pegg, a once honored investigative journalist turned disgraced tabloid reporter. As surprised as anyone, and pressured to comply by authorities, Pegg reluctantly enters the fray as the chosen confidante.
 
From outside, the enthralling drama is revealed through the eyes of two very different people: Eve an Olympic gold medalist and local hero; and a mysterious renegade street artist known only as Rabbit. As 24/7 media coverage helps to feed the public’s paranoia with reckless rumor, the lives of three strangers are brought inexorably together in an unfathomable and chaotic endgame.
 
In this “unforgettable . . . exhilarating, at-times alarming read” (Atssa York), prize-winning author Timothy Taylor paints a powerful picture of the sinister side of our interconnected world. The result is “an ambitious . . . wonderful novel—a thought-provoking and challenging story that will . . . change the way you look at our celebrity-driven culture” (The Vancouver Sun).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781593764500

Timothy Taylor

Timothy Taylor, PhD is the author of The Buried Soul and The Prehistory of Sex. He has appeared on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic specials. He contributes to such publications as Nature, Scientific American, and World Archaeology, and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of World Prehistory. He teaches archaeology at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.

Reviews for The Blue Light Project

[banjo123 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked up The Blue Light Project because I had previously read Taylor's [Stanley Park] liked it a lot. Taylor has a voice that's fresh, and seems very familiar to me. A little reminiscent of Douglas Coupland. I think that there is a Pacific Northwest sensibility that works for me, since I live in Oregon.The setting seemed very real world and contemporary. I found it impressive that a book could combine terrorism, Parkour, and reality television. Also that sport with cross country skiing and target shooting, I wasn't totally crazy about the Blue Light Project, though. The character's were a little flat. And although, Eva was a strong woman lead; she is pretty much the only woman character in the book.

[kvrfan9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There's a lot stuffed in this novel, addressing issues about media, about art, about our celebrity-obsessed culture, and about dark government workings. Timothy Taylor is a good writer, but I'm not sure that it all coheres. And in the end, I don't know that I really understood where the characters ended up. I was disappointed. I don't think the book met its ambitions.

[peterdarbyshire_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A mysterious hostage taker who takes over a children's talent show. A software developer turned street artist. A former Olympic athlete. A journalist fallen from grace after he's caught making up sources. The characters have little in common, but they come together in few days of spectacle and drama as the hostage crisis seizes the city, drawn to a meme, becoming a meme. Taylor's best book yet.

[bsiemens_2 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I read the first 30 pages twice--several passages more than that--and could not pick up the story thread. Next.