Rating: 
Summary: Iles gets metaphysical - interesting for science folks
Review: I have enjoyed all of Greg Iles' novels, including Footprints of God, though it does not meet the quality of suspense in his previous books. It addresses questions about mankind, mind, consciousness, religion, etc. in a metaphysical way. The dream sequences of medical ethicist Dr. David Tennant that lead him to an increasing relationship with psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Weiss are a central element. Tennant is overseeing the progress of a top-secret information project codenamed Trinity, and he becomes suspicious of the project's future and his colleagues' motives when a leading Trinity scientist dies suddenly. How the plot is resolved regarding Trinity and national security comes across as secondary to the ideas mentioned above that Iles is playing with. The author has tackled something very different in most of his books, including classic World War II-based historical thrillers, serial killer and legal dramas, and even spirit possession. For me the suspense did not quite measure up to what he's achieved before. I wanted to finish the book more because the ideas were interesting rather than wanting to find out if Tennant and Weiss would escape their pursuers. So I enjoyed the first half of the book better and thought the conclusion was mediocre. Tennant and the dead scientist are the most interesting characters, so it's up to Tennant to keep the reader interested. Usually Iles uses several primary characters to tell the story, but this is pretty much a one-man show. Iles indicates in the acknowledgments that he had a hard time striking a balance between complex ideas and mass market fiction; I think he did fine on this point. Though Iles resolves these ideas differently than I might, I still enjoyed reading the book overall. For pure suspense, I would recommend Spandau Phoenix, Mortal Fear, or The Quiet Game.
Rating:
Summary: Great title, interesting premise but too long.
Review: I agree with booklover10's review of the book. The title is very intriguing . . . the actual storyline not so much. There was great potential for this to be an amazing book a la THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS AND DEMONS (both by Dan Brown). However, the chase scenes were repetitive and became commonplace which prevented the book from being a "page turner". Unlike the Dan Brown books which keep you riveted from page to page with the constant "discoveries" all leading up to solving the puzzle, mystery in question, the epiphanies in this book were very sporadic and at a certain point stopped being enlightening. Half way through the book I almost stopped reading it. But by that time I had invested so much time in the book that I decided to read through to the end. Would have been a much better read if the story went into greater detail about quantum physics. This would have made me more emotionally invovled/interested in the main characters struggles and conflicts.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Worth Your Time
Review: Very little compares to the quiet joy of squandering a day off with the help of a good book. I feel no guilt whatsoever at the thought of staying in bed all day and reading a novel cover to cover, but it can't be just any novel, and it definitely can't be one with spiritual growth or moral lessons. No, dammit, I need danger, intrigue, and a spicy love interest to keep those pages turning. Greg Iles knows this, and has thoughtfully provided a new book, The Footprints of God, for that very purpose. David Tennant is a professor of ethics, selected by the President to keep tabs on a top-secret government project called Project Trinity. An elite team of doctors and scientists is attempting to build a new kind of supercomputer, using an actual human brain to create artificial intelligence. Ever since he was used as a guinea pig for a high-intensity MRI scan, David has developed frightening neurological symptoms: narcolepsy, recurring nightmares, and hallucinations that have the clarity and prescience of clairvoyant visions. For these reasons and others, David and his colleague Andrew Fielding have serious ethical concerns about the project - but Andrew turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, and the National Security Agency is looking for an excuse to neutralize David, too. David can't trust anyone affiliated with Trinity, so he turns to Dr. Rachel Weiss, the sexy psychiatrist who's been treating him for his terrifying dreams. Can they decode David's visions and discover the mysteries of Project Trinity before the NSA hunts them down? And even if they do, who will believe them? Iles knows better than to mess with a tried-and-true formula, and this book has all the elements of a good thriller: the stoic hero nursing a tragic loss, the bombshell love interest with whip-smart brains and a figure to match, a secretive and power-crazed government meddling with Things Beyond Its Understanding and thereby putting all of humanity at risk of extinction. It's like Lake Wobegon, but sexier - the men are brilliant, the women are gorgeous, and the government is above average. The characters are as developed as they need to be, and Iles gives them amusing quirks that riff on their roles; the psychiatrist has a touch of OCD, the tough-as-nails female assassin is a brokenhearted daddy's girl. There's a sense of playfulness in his treatment of the conventions that gives the story a tongue-in-cheek fun. The storytelling is everything you could wish from the genre; the prose is lean and spare, allowing the action to take center stage. However, after all the buildup, the plot founders in the third act, when man and machine get together for some agonized philosophizing in the tradition of earnest undergraduates the world over. To keep the suspense going, Iles has to throw an improbable assortment of doomsday threats into the mix, and it's simply too many balls to keep in the air. After having worked so hard to inject a mystical, quasi-religious element into the proceedings, Iles fails to resolve that facet of the plot, fobbing us off with a halfhearted explanation that raises more questions than it answers about artificial intelligence and the nature of God. Despite its unsatisfying ending, Iles's latest is, for the most part, a solidly crafted and entertaining thriller. If you're looking for a titillating way to fritter away your day off, you could do a lot worse than The Footprints of God.Check it out!(...)
Rating:
Summary: A book about the hubris of scientists.
Review: "The Footprints of God," by Greg Iles, deals with a timely subject, namely the clash between ethics and technology. Dr. David Tennant is a physicist, a doctor, and a professor of ethics. Therefore, Tennant is the perfect person to oversee the moral dilemmas posed by a new and groundbreaking scientific project known as Trinity. A team of brilliant scientists is attempting to build a supercomputer that will have capabilities far exceeding that of the human mind. The question is, do we want such a computer, and is there a danger that this technology could be used for evil purposes? Tennant is horrified when his colleague, Dr. Andrew Fielding, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Tennant suspects that Fielding may have been murdered because he expressed serious reservations about the wisdom of proceeding with Project Trinity. Soon, Tennant realizes that his own life may be in danger and he takes to the road to elude the assassins that are on his trail. Accompanying Tennant is Rachel Weiss, his psychiatrist and friend. "The Footprints of God" does not work on any level. Its villains are stock characters, including the arrogant Peter Godin, who conceived of Trinity and had the money and clout to make it happen, and Geli Bauer, a vicious and dangerous woman who oversees security for the project. Tennant and Weiss are paper-thin characters who have little to do except elude their pursuers. At over four hundred and fifty pages, "The Footprints of God" is very repetitious, with numerous chase scenes and pedantic speeches about the power of science versus the legitimate needs of humanity. The ending is a series of action sequences that generate more confusion than suspense. There is also a subplot about Tennant's mystical visions, during which he explores the mysteries of the universe and even inhabits the body of Jesus. "The Footprints of God" suffers from wooden dialogue, a labored and overly complicated plot, and characters that never come to life. I do not recommend it.
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Summary: Greg Iles is off track!
Review: I have read all Mr. Iles books & this is totally different subject matter -- just too OUT THERE for me, too sci-fi. I picked it up because he was the author. I didn't like it at all
Rating:
Summary: Why
Review: I bought this book in a small airport, because it was scincefiction, though i would probly have been better off anthor of the few choices! the plot was see through, and writen in a very sexest manner. And while haveing a scintific baseis it didn't have much scinces in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Applicable Kurzweil
Review: Anyone that has read Kurzweil'z "The Age of Spiritual Machines" will love this book. It is a quick read that is full of thought provoking content. It hits both theological and scientific questions that have crossed most of our minds at one time or another. Whether you agree with the way the book presents possibilities or not you cannot deny that it is well done and thourough.
Rating: 
Summary: Had some potential - Disappointing ending
Review: I enjoy Greg Iles novels and couldn't wait to read this one, based on my excitement from reading books like the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. However, I would avoid reading "Footprints" if your curiosity will let you. The book starts off slowly but holds your interest. Then it takes off towards the middle and makes you curious as to how the MRI science and religious dreams will tie together. Then, the last third of the book is totally boring, too technical and loses the pace and direction I was expecting. A lot of military mumbo jumbo and science that wasn't worth trying to understand, then it just wanders off into more philosophy and theories. Nothing solid to justify the time I invested in this novel. By the time I reached the end, I didn't even care about the characters because I was so bored and was praying (no pun intended) for the ending to save me. In general, the characters were either uninteresting or over the top. The ending left me thinking "did I miss something?". I wasted a lot of valueable reading time on this one. Don't give up on the author, he has written many great books.
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Summary: Big Brother has arrived
Review: Never being a fan of science fiction I was quite surprised. Greg Iles has never let me down so I read the book on his name not the title. It was a pleasant surprise, I am still not a trekie but I did enjoy the book. It is done in a matter that keeps you reading and not overpowers on the science side of the story. I did enjoy it but I personally will not venture deeper into the world of science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: 4.5 stars for another Iles success
Review: No, it isn't 24 or Spandau Phoenix. But you know what? No one can put out five star hits year after year. So 4.5 stars. Iles writes so you keep turning page after page. This time it's about the world coming to the brink of destruction. Woven into this mostly unique (a bit of a spin on 2001 space odyssey in some ways)work about how a machine...a conscious machine might actual find it's way in the internet...a model of the human brain...well it comes off as a real threat as we move forward in the age of technology. The book serves as a warning as well. Technology could get ahead of itself The book is another Iles winner. You'll read this 500 page book in about a day. Excellent. Kevin Hogan, Author of The Psychology of Persuasion.
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