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category_fury's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
One of the strangest and most well written books i've had the pleasure of experiencing. Blish is inimitable. sometimes frustrating and odd but so so unique erudite funny entertaining. ahhh loved this one
matthewbrand's review against another edition
3.0
Started with a really interesting premise. Then it went full 60s sci-fi (ok, late 50s) and went into the wacky social upheaval. The entire second half of the book felt incredibly rushed and could've done with a bit more transitions and world-building. I also might've benefited from being Catholic to understand some nuance.
mahmabaer's review against another edition
1.0
Here are a series of texts I sent my mother as I was reading the book.
1/8 "I'm also reading a book for my "set in the near future" book prompt. It's called "A Case of Conscience".
2/8 "It's absolutely terrible.
1/8 "I'm also reading a book for my "set in the near future" book prompt. It's called "A Case of Conscience".
2/8 "It's absolutely terrible.
madmadder's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
loonyboi's review against another edition
2.0
This started with a lot of promise. A very Le Guin-esque setup. But then in the second half it all fell apart. A similar version of this story would be tried again a few years later with much better results in [b:Stranger in a Strange Land|350|Stranger in a Strange Land|Robert A. Heinlein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1156897088l/350._SY75_.jpg|908211] . My recommendation is to skip this one and read that instead (also Le Guin's Hanish cycle).
compmanjx3's review against another edition
4.0
I don't think I've read anything quite like A Case of Conscience. The novel follows several scientists who have been sent to a habitable planet called Lithia, populated by Spock-like hyper-rational bipedal reptiles, to determine what Earth should do with it.
The first half of the novel concerns the debate between the scientists, one of whom is also a Jesuit priest, about the fate of Lithia. I found this section totally absorbing, but this may betray my fondness for science and my Jesuit schooling.
The second half is totally nuts, and way WAY ahead of its time. It doesn't work as well as the first part, but it still raises heaps of fascinating questions. I wish it had spent more time on them, and perhaps I need to turn to Blish's other works for further exploration.
Highly recommended to anyone with a taste for science fiction and philosophy.
The first half of the novel concerns the debate between the scientists, one of whom is also a Jesuit priest, about the fate of Lithia. I found this section totally absorbing, but this may betray my fondness for science and my Jesuit schooling.
The second half is totally nuts, and way WAY ahead of its time. It doesn't work as well as the first part, but it still raises heaps of fascinating questions. I wish it had spent more time on them, and perhaps I need to turn to Blish's other works for further exploration.
Highly recommended to anyone with a taste for science fiction and philosophy.
Spoiler
Seriously though, WAY ahead of its time. In this book a 10-foot tall sentient lizard raised by earthlings basically founds the alt-right. Bonkers.onus_jott's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bigenk's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A masterful exploration of how religion, specifically Catholicism, would reconcile with novel alien life. It's truly amazing the depth of theme and philosophy exploration that Blish was able to pack into two small novellas. A group of human men, which includes a priest from Peru, are tasked with deciding if a planet populated by sentient lizards is deserving of a place within the galactic federation of humanity. While the other men in the group want to, in various forms, exploit the planet for its resources, the priest insists that the planet should be quarantined, as he sees the life and ideas on it to be the work of Satan.
Blish was one of the early hardliners when it came to scientific accuracy in science fiction. It's clear from his work that he practiced what he preached. There is a fair amount of logical scientific explanation, and other arguably dry topics, and yet Blish was able to hold my attention easily throughout. The novel comes off as being extremely well researched, as if it was poured over to hone every sentence as best he could. This effort extends to the world building and aliens themselves. The culture of the Lithians is surprisingly deep and well explored, including their specific scientific advancements, and behavioral customs. The context surrounding human life is similarly interesting, with most life on earth existing in derelict bunkers from a prior age, that are straining the social condition of society at large. Blish is also prescient in his comments on planned obsolescence, and the power that corporations like DuPont and Monsanto will have.
The clear meat of the story revolves around the religious concerns that Father Sanchez works through in his head. Is it possible to be moral and secular, in the specific way that Christians are moral? If God and Satan are real, can Satan directly create physical phenomenon or life in the universe? Is there a difference between divine intervention and physics as we understand it / if a phenomenon is explainable by scientific standards, does it make something less divine or less like the hand of god moving through the world? These questions are explored wonderfully. There's also a satisfying conclusion that perhaps helps to answer them, but is clearly ambiguous enough that the reader is expected to do a lot of thinking on their own.
There is a brief sag towards the beginning of the second novella, when some of the titular characters spend time observing social behaviors at a party, that I struggled to get through. Other than that the novel is well paced and perfectly sized to accomplish it's goals. I compare it a lot to The Canticle for Lebowitiz, another religiously themed novel that I also greatly enjoyed. It's really hard to say which is definitively better, but they both certainly deserve a place in the highest echelons of science fiction literature.
Blish was one of the early hardliners when it came to scientific accuracy in science fiction. It's clear from his work that he practiced what he preached. There is a fair amount of logical scientific explanation, and other arguably dry topics, and yet Blish was able to hold my attention easily throughout. The novel comes off as being extremely well researched, as if it was poured over to hone every sentence as best he could. This effort extends to the world building and aliens themselves. The culture of the Lithians is surprisingly deep and well explored, including their specific scientific advancements, and behavioral customs. The context surrounding human life is similarly interesting, with most life on earth existing in derelict bunkers from a prior age, that are straining the social condition of society at large. Blish is also prescient in his comments on planned obsolescence, and the power that corporations like DuPont and Monsanto will have.
The clear meat of the story revolves around the religious concerns that Father Sanchez works through in his head. Is it possible to be moral and secular, in the specific way that Christians are moral? If God and Satan are real, can Satan directly create physical phenomenon or life in the universe? Is there a difference between divine intervention and physics as we understand it / if a phenomenon is explainable by scientific standards, does it make something less divine or less like the hand of god moving through the world? These questions are explored wonderfully. There's also a satisfying conclusion that perhaps helps to answer them, but is clearly ambiguous enough that the reader is expected to do a lot of thinking on their own.
There is a brief sag towards the beginning of the second novella, when some of the titular characters spend time observing social behaviors at a party, that I struggled to get through. Other than that the novel is well paced and perfectly sized to accomplish it's goals. I compare it a lot to The Canticle for Lebowitiz, another religiously themed novel that I also greatly enjoyed. It's really hard to say which is definitively better, but they both certainly deserve a place in the highest echelons of science fiction literature.
abibliophagist's review against another edition
4.0
(5/63) In my Hugo Read-Through
A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the fifth Hugo Award for novel in 1959. This was one I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. James Blish is a critic in the writing world, and honestly just because you’re knowledgeable or good at critiquing what is good doesn’t mean you can write, or apply the same level of judgement to your own work. He also has a lot of books, and sometimes this is a sign of being just an ok writer. Also the cover through me for a loop, a dinosaur and a priest? Not only am I not good being patient when it comes to religion but I’m not a fan of fantasy, so I won’t lie, I was worried.
The general concept of the book is that a team of men went to the planet Lithia, that is currently inhabited by a reptilian species. This species (the lithians) have a very pure society based completely on the sharing of ideas and knowledge. They naturally do not have evil, they don’t have words for it or impulses for it, they are naturally just truthful, intelligent, and caring creatures. But they also have no religion, because they base their lives on what is provable, tangible science, the idea of religion or god is foreign and non-existent.
The men that have come to this planet are there to determine whether or not the planet is an asset to earth, whether as a waystation, a research outpost, military purposes or whatnot. One of the men on this trip, and the main character is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, he is both a scientist and a priest, and in the beginning he loves and appreciates this society. But soon the idea of a society that is naturally pure and good without the influence of god convinces him that Lithia in its entirety is a construction of the devil, and votes to close it of to mankind forever. Before leaving he is given a vase by a friendly Lithian, containing it’s child, to be raised on earth so that it can learn more. The book then follows the life of the planet earth, the life of the Lithian raised there and the influence that people have.
So a book told from the prospective of a priest made me nervous, and with the direction and conclusions the Father was drawing from his visit to the planet Lithia, I was finding myself very... frustrated. However as the book progressed I grew more and more interested. I wasn't sure what direction the author would take the story in, whether he would justify the Father's thoughts or find a way to convince him otherwise, if the evil would be Lithia or our effect on such a pure society. The author did a very good job of making all the characters believable in, well, their beliefs. Whether it was religious or science based I believed that the characters truly thought and believed these things, their dialogues and actions were consistent, and he balanced all of it. At no point did I feel he was really backing any of them, none felt more pushed or supported, and everything was very balanced. It made me glad that I read and enjoyed They'd Rather be Right as this books base is the philosophical idea that is presented in that book.
A moral and philosophical battle was happening in this book, as well as a dystopian potential future for us. There was also the idea of Nature vs Nurture and what happens when your feel so disconnected from your surroundings.
In conclusionA Case of Conscience This is a book that I immediately want to re-read, and ended exactly as I hoped it would. I was surprised and pleased with this. Not to mention it is beautifully written, I found myself writing down line after line, and reading passages to my boyfriend.
I had wondered if Blish could do a good story, just because you know what is good and are a critic, doesn't mean you are good, and he's an author that has written so much, it really could go either way. This book shows he does have it, that he is a very talented man both skilled in writing and creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.
A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the fifth Hugo Award for novel in 1959. This was one I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. James Blish is a critic in the writing world, and honestly just because you’re knowledgeable or good at critiquing what is good doesn’t mean you can write, or apply the same level of judgement to your own work. He also has a lot of books, and sometimes this is a sign of being just an ok writer. Also the cover through me for a loop, a dinosaur and a priest? Not only am I not good being patient when it comes to religion but I’m not a fan of fantasy, so I won’t lie, I was worried.
The general concept of the book is that a team of men went to the planet Lithia, that is currently inhabited by a reptilian species. This species (the lithians) have a very pure society based completely on the sharing of ideas and knowledge. They naturally do not have evil, they don’t have words for it or impulses for it, they are naturally just truthful, intelligent, and caring creatures. But they also have no religion, because they base their lives on what is provable, tangible science, the idea of religion or god is foreign and non-existent.
The men that have come to this planet are there to determine whether or not the planet is an asset to earth, whether as a waystation, a research outpost, military purposes or whatnot. One of the men on this trip, and the main character is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, he is both a scientist and a priest, and in the beginning he loves and appreciates this society. But soon the idea of a society that is naturally pure and good without the influence of god convinces him that Lithia in its entirety is a construction of the devil, and votes to close it of to mankind forever. Before leaving he is given a vase by a friendly Lithian, containing it’s child, to be raised on earth so that it can learn more. The book then follows the life of the planet earth, the life of the Lithian raised there and the influence that people have.
So a book told from the prospective of a priest made me nervous, and with the direction and conclusions the Father was drawing from his visit to the planet Lithia, I was finding myself very... frustrated. However as the book progressed I grew more and more interested. I wasn't sure what direction the author would take the story in, whether he would justify the Father's thoughts or find a way to convince him otherwise, if the evil would be Lithia or our effect on such a pure society. The author did a very good job of making all the characters believable in, well, their beliefs. Whether it was religious or science based I believed that the characters truly thought and believed these things, their dialogues and actions were consistent, and he balanced all of it. At no point did I feel he was really backing any of them, none felt more pushed or supported, and everything was very balanced. It made me glad that I read and enjoyed They'd Rather be Right as this books base is the philosophical idea that is presented in that book.
A moral and philosophical battle was happening in this book, as well as a dystopian potential future for us. There was also the idea of Nature vs Nurture and what happens when your feel so disconnected from your surroundings.
In conclusionA Case of Conscience This is a book that I immediately want to re-read, and ended exactly as I hoped it would. I was surprised and pleased with this. Not to mention it is beautifully written, I found myself writing down line after line, and reading passages to my boyfriend.
I had wondered if Blish could do a good story, just because you know what is good and are a critic, doesn't mean you are good, and he's an author that has written so much, it really could go either way. This book shows he does have it, that he is a very talented man both skilled in writing and creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.