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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
While certainly no science fiction expert, or even huge fan, I have to say this was a refreshing and innovative read. The alien creatures, the Oasans, were distinct from humans; their sense of community, self, and language may be at once lagging behind and superior to that of the human race. And while the comparison between the two races is ultimately compelling and interesting, I think was most struck by the book's invitation to contemplate our own thoughts and feelings during times of doom and trouble.
Without revealing too much, it would be easy to start to assign symbols the various journeys, stations, and people within the text. That we have a difficulty time conceptualizing something until it directly affects us isn't the freshest idea in any canon, but the way Faber converses with the reader about the two different trajectories of our main characters, Peter and Bea, is striking and worth discussing.
Is paradise possible without hell? What would that paradise look like? How does history impact our notions of social acceptance and societal development more generally? Certainly the questions are present throughout the novel, while the answers are certainly without.
Without revealing too much, it would be easy to start to assign symbols the various journeys, stations, and people within the text. That we have a difficulty time conceptualizing something until it directly affects us isn't the freshest idea in any canon, but the way Faber converses with the reader about the two different trajectories of our main characters, Peter and Bea, is striking and worth discussing.
Is paradise possible without hell? What would that paradise look like? How does history impact our notions of social acceptance and societal development more generally? Certainly the questions are present throughout the novel, while the answers are certainly without.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
A gripping and compelling novel that reflects the complexities of religious faith and the conventions of serious science fiction without trivializing either. A very impressive, self-contained novel. I recommend it.
as close to a perfect read as I've ever come across.
A story that dissects a husband and wife's love so expertly.
A book that tears back the veil of communication and how double-edged it is and how easy to misinterpret meaning.
A science fiction world that wears its inventiveness very lightly, yet somehow manages to authentically conjure up a truly alien sensibility.
A novel about religious faith which I would normally run a million miles from rather than read and enjoy.
Superlative.
A story that dissects a husband and wife's love so expertly.
A book that tears back the veil of communication and how double-edged it is and how easy to misinterpret meaning.
A science fiction world that wears its inventiveness very lightly, yet somehow manages to authentically conjure up a truly alien sensibility.
A novel about religious faith which I would normally run a million miles from rather than read and enjoy.
Superlative.
I have had a copy of this on my bookshelf for years and just now got to it. I love sci fi and was excited to get into a new story about aliens. But this was not it. The main character, Peter, is a Christian missionary sent to Oasis to teach the aliens (Oasins) about God. But, why is there a Christian missionary trying to bring God to aliens anyway on a mission funded by a non-religious organization. It is unclear.
The whole book was overall boring, there was very little plot. It was not really a sci fi novel because it offered nothing new to the world and the words could have been altered to reflect a colonization and missionary trip anywhere. Also, there was so much racism and misogyny in the descriptions of anyone who was not Peter. It was gross, to the point where honestly I should have DNFd this way sooner. The word “female” was said too many times and one character from Latin America was actually described as “simian.” Disgusting and disgraceful of this author. Do not read this book or anything else by him because I can’t imagine it is any better.
The whole book was overall boring, there was very little plot. It was not really a sci fi novel because it offered nothing new to the world and the words could have been altered to reflect a colonization and missionary trip anywhere. Also, there was so much racism and misogyny in the descriptions of anyone who was not Peter. It was gross, to the point where honestly I should have DNFd this way sooner. The word “female” was said too many times and one character from Latin America was actually described as “simian.” Disgusting and disgraceful of this author. Do not read this book or anything else by him because I can’t imagine it is any better.
I liked this book, even though it was a bit on the nose. Former junkie-turned-born-again-pastor, married, is chosen to serve as pastor to a human colony in outer space. Oh, and to bring the work of Christ to whatever natives he finds. Oh, and his adored wife cannot come. You can pretty much figure out what comes next.
While well written, the story moves pretty slowly. And while Peter comes across as a myopic idiot, only thinking about how cool his new gig is, and how receptive the aliens are to Jesus, Bea comes across shrill and needy, although she evolves as the story progresses.
I thought it was a worthwhile read, but I can understand those who disagree.
While well written, the story moves pretty slowly. And while Peter comes across as a myopic idiot, only thinking about how cool his new gig is, and how receptive the aliens are to Jesus, Bea comes across shrill and needy, although she evolves as the story progresses.
I thought it was a worthwhile read, but I can understand those who disagree.
A book in which nothing happens at all. I'm a bit confused by reviews where people mention loving the plot. I would like to ask them to describe it. Here's my summation: Pastor goes to foreign planet. Preaches to aliens. Reads messages from wife on earth and disasters happening there. End. If you read the book jacket, you can skip the book. There is no actual point to all this, no real character development, no reason to care, no conflict, no "sides" to pick, no issues to get behind, no questions, no consequences, no threat other than vague references to wars and floods on earth which have less to do with plot development and more to do with whining filler.
Missed opportunities:
Explore the new faith of aliens vs loss of faith of man in an existential way.
Explore the dark side of colonizing another planet, human ambitions vs native population.
Explore strengths and weaknesses of relationships, separation issues, human companionship through the characters on opposite ends of the universe.
Explore end-of-world themes, facing mortality.
Explore sinister motivations of big corporation.
Explore hidden motives, secrets, ethics, gray areas between morality and survival.
Instead the author gave us a missing persons report on two characters we don't know and have no reason to care about, neither of which is entirely explained or resolved or related to anything. We get vague secrecy and odd behavior that does not contain any actual secrets or reasons for the oddity. We get a cliché "noble alien" trope in which the native population reflects their purity in an agrarian nature and unquestioning love for Jesus. We get a marriage that doesn't dissolve so much as serve as a foil for the rest of the tedium of being blissfully happy on a pure planet with noble aliens.
Green rain and melon flavored water and some sort of anthropomorphic "atmosphere" that keeps trying to touch the pastor's balls (yeah, that happens) does not make for a good story. Nor should it even be called sci-fi. Being set on another planet doesn't automatically make something sci-fi.
I would get it if people loved this for the religious overtones but even that was underwhelming, pointless and arbitrary. This was 500 pages of the author telling us "this is this and that is that." Shame on whoever wrote the book jacket for making this sound even remotely compelling. The moral of the story is: nothing in this book matters. Nobody's actions, nobody's thoughts, not even God. It was all background noise that someone called "creative" because aliens. And Jesus.
I've read a lot of crappy books but I only get cranky when one like this promises something big and doesn't even try to deliver.
Missed opportunities:
Explore the new faith of aliens vs loss of faith of man in an existential way.
Explore the dark side of colonizing another planet, human ambitions vs native population.
Explore strengths and weaknesses of relationships, separation issues, human companionship through the characters on opposite ends of the universe.
Explore end-of-world themes, facing mortality.
Explore sinister motivations of big corporation.
Explore hidden motives, secrets, ethics, gray areas between morality and survival.
Instead the author gave us a missing persons report on two characters we don't know and have no reason to care about, neither of which is entirely explained or resolved or related to anything. We get vague secrecy and odd behavior that does not contain any actual secrets or reasons for the oddity. We get a cliché "noble alien" trope in which the native population reflects their purity in an agrarian nature and unquestioning love for Jesus. We get a marriage that doesn't dissolve so much as serve as a foil for the rest of the tedium of being blissfully happy on a pure planet with noble aliens.
Green rain and melon flavored water and some sort of anthropomorphic "atmosphere" that keeps trying to touch the pastor's balls (yeah, that happens) does not make for a good story. Nor should it even be called sci-fi. Being set on another planet doesn't automatically make something sci-fi.
I would get it if people loved this for the religious overtones but even that was underwhelming, pointless and arbitrary. This was 500 pages of the author telling us "this is this and that is that." Shame on whoever wrote the book jacket for making this sound even remotely compelling. The moral of the story is: nothing in this book matters. Nobody's actions, nobody's thoughts, not even God. It was all background noise that someone called "creative" because aliens. And Jesus.
I've read a lot of crappy books but I only get cranky when one like this promises something big and doesn't even try to deliver.
Eerlijk gezegd weet ik niet zo goed wat ik van dit boek moet vinden. Het is het boek dat onze boekenclub had gekozen en was zeker niet mijn keuze.
Aanvankelijk kon ik er niet inkomen. Het religieuze en de science fiction onderdelen stonden me tegen. Toch heb ik het naar het einde toe met plezier gelezen. De karakters kwamen tot leven en de hoofdpersoon werd sympathieker en menselijker.
Ik deel echter niet de lof van de pers en vond de brieven die de echtelieden elkaar schrijven ook niet zo ontroerend als overal vermeld wordt.
Wel prima te lezen voor iedereen die net als ik niet van SF houdt.
Aanvankelijk kon ik er niet inkomen. Het religieuze en de science fiction onderdelen stonden me tegen. Toch heb ik het naar het einde toe met plezier gelezen. De karakters kwamen tot leven en de hoofdpersoon werd sympathieker en menselijker.
Ik deel echter niet de lof van de pers en vond de brieven die de echtelieden elkaar schrijven ook niet zo ontroerend als overal vermeld wordt.
Wel prima te lezen voor iedereen die net als ik niet van SF houdt.
Interesting story and plot. I liked the letters from the wife at home on Earth, but was constantly frustrated with the pastor on Oasis. Why did he not ask more questions? Why was he not more suspicious or curious about life on Oasis? He also seemed very unconcerned about his wife on Earth-even as things begin to look more dire. I did like the story, however, and the ending, although it did not answer all questions, was good and left room for speculation-as most good stories do.