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rickyvalles's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
boricuasufriendo's review against another edition
5.0
Wow ok wow this has become one of my favorite books in the last few years. Even when being told what happened, I didn't know what to expect. But this book was fascinating and I love the idea of Jesuits making first contact but this was something else. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me cathartic and sad. I recommend it.
lightiron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
azraf's review against another edition
5.0
great mix of religion, sci fi and anthro! end was weird but still yea
lueb's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
inmyblueperiod's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
pbooth81's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dawnwich's review against another edition
4.0
This is a well written story about First Contact and losing religious faith, when a jesuit led mission goes to find beautiful music detected on another planet.
There's something about the prose that reads more mainstream fiction than SF. The cast of characters is amazing, very appealing, and diverse. Right at the beginning, you know there is only one horribly damaged survivor of the mission, so you know as you're reading about these sweet wonderful people they are all going to come to terrible fates. I was frantic to get to the end to find out what happened.
I couldn't quite decide if the story was good disturbing or bad disturbing. It was obvious early on that the surviving character suffered major sexual abuse, but all along he's treated badly for having broken his priestly vow of celibacy. I wasn't sure if the author was going somewhere with this or if the other characters were suffering from plot-driven stupidity. It's a bit of both, but it required a lot of imposed stupidity to make it work.
Sadly, there are some other WTF moments along the way. Major plot devices would have been prevented by the slimmest thread of common sense. The pacing at the end goes bonkers, as the author can't decide if she wants to wallow in misery or yank the camera away when bad things happen. Some of the action at the end that I'd been chewing my fingers to get to was dispensed in a sentence or two. I felt that the last chapters should have been developed more, that she was in a hurry to get it over with. I imagine the author must have really felt the death of all those appealing vivid characters. It messed with my head.
I'm happy to forgive the bad pacing and questionable motivations for the intense suspense and characterization, and for the religious questioning that is seldom portrayed in science fiction.
There's something about the prose that reads more mainstream fiction than SF. The cast of characters is amazing, very appealing, and diverse. Right at the beginning, you know there is only one horribly damaged survivor of the mission, so you know as you're reading about these sweet wonderful people they are all going to come to terrible fates. I was frantic to get to the end to find out what happened.
I couldn't quite decide if the story was good disturbing or bad disturbing. It was obvious early on that the surviving character suffered major sexual abuse, but all along he's treated badly for having broken his priestly vow of celibacy. I wasn't sure if the author was going somewhere with this or if the other characters were suffering from plot-driven stupidity. It's a bit of both, but it required a lot of imposed stupidity to make it work.
Sadly, there are some other WTF moments along the way. Major plot devices would have been prevented by the slimmest thread of common sense. The pacing at the end goes bonkers, as the author can't decide if she wants to wallow in misery or yank the camera away when bad things happen. Some of the action at the end that I'd been chewing my fingers to get to was dispensed in a sentence or two. I felt that the last chapters should have been developed more, that she was in a hurry to get it over with. I imagine the author must have really felt the death of all those appealing vivid characters. It messed with my head.
I'm happy to forgive the bad pacing and questionable motivations for the intense suspense and characterization, and for the religious questioning that is seldom portrayed in science fiction.
piratkatt's review against another edition
returned to the library, will pick up again in future.
hmrick's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As cliché as the word is, the best label for this book is interesting. I don’t think if fully grasped the rumination it’s encouraging yet but I really enjoyed the themes and contentions it makes you grapple with. Especially as someone who is Catholic.