Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I found this book almost painful to read, in the best of ways. I knew that the death of most characters was inevitable (from the first chapter, that is made clear), but the majority of the book focuses on their lives - their personalities and quirks and dreams - so vibrantly that the contrast was jarring. As I got to know Emilio and his ad-hoc band of crusader-scientists, I found them so real that the chapters in which they were all dead disturbed me; I couldn't believe them, I couldn't accept them. I actually kept flipping to the back of the book, not to see how it ended, but to see how THEY ended; to get "proof" that they were actually dead, because I couldn't accept what I already knew.
The jarring nature of death in/alongside life is by design, of course. We all die, but death cannot take away from the vitality of our lives; death and life are not in opposition but together form who we are. Anne and George and Sofia and Jim take risks throughout the book, before their trip to Rakhat and after; they don't play it safe, with the world or each other. They live. They love. I haven't read conversation this witty, relationships this complex and involved, in, well, forever. One gets the sense that Russell is a bit in love with this merry band of psuedo fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and lovers (in Russell's universe, family is the one we create, not the one we come from).
I can't say that I love the confessional structure of the book: it pushes Emilio's machismo closer and closer to the breaking point, at which he must (rather ponderously) accept and vocalize that he has been raped. I understand the psychological premise here, but it's overextended and repetitive over the course of the book, particularly in contrast to the other chapters, which fly by. Could that contrast be the point? Probably, but it can make for a bit of a slog.
The jarring nature of death in/alongside life is by design, of course. We all die, but death cannot take away from the vitality of our lives; death and life are not in opposition but together form who we are. Anne and George and Sofia and Jim take risks throughout the book, before their trip to Rakhat and after; they don't play it safe, with the world or each other. They live. They love. I haven't read conversation this witty, relationships this complex and involved, in, well, forever. One gets the sense that Russell is a bit in love with this merry band of psuedo fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and lovers (in Russell's universe, family is the one we create, not the one we come from).
I can't say that I love the confessional structure of the book: it pushes Emilio's machismo closer and closer to the breaking point, at which he must (rather ponderously) accept and vocalize that he has been raped. I understand the psychological premise here, but it's overextended and repetitive over the course of the book, particularly in contrast to the other chapters, which fly by. Could that contrast be the point? Probably, but it can make for a bit of a slog.
I certainly didn't expect to fall in love with this book as much as I did. This is a first contact story with a great twist at the end. But more than that it has characters I actually cared about. These aren't the lifeless automatons of an Arthur C. Clarke novel. Anne and Sophia and Jimmy and Emilio feel like real people. I felt invested in their fate. I also love how Russell depicts a truly bizarre, alien culture that nevertheless isn't grounded stereotype. Definitely worth reading.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
was looking for a book about priests in space and this does deliver on lots of delicious religious angst but is rather poorly written and plotted for a significant portion of the book.
This is a very unusual book!
I actually enjoyed most of it very much.
The ending was so incredibly graphically disturbing, however, that I was completely blown away - in a very bad way.
The author could have made her point in a much more palatable manner.
I actually enjoyed most of it very much.
The ending was so incredibly graphically disturbing, however, that I was completely blown away - in a very bad way.
The author could have made her point in a much more palatable manner.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
A really neat idea for a story (I suggest reading the Afterword, for more on why the author chose it). The author clearly did some pretty serious research on the history of the Jesuits and the Catholic church, and then melded it with space travel.
The "hard" science isnt there (which the author admits, and quite reasonably hand-waves it away). But the issues of class, race, domestication, and the changing of a world to fit the dominant species are handled wonderfully.
While "sci-fi," that's not really what it's about. It's about as "sci-fi" as [b:Jurassic Park|40604658|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529604411l/40604658._SY75_.jpg|3376836], where the actual science doesnt matter, but rather the world it creates and how people interact with it (Jurassic Park is actually a somewhat fair comparison - if you liked that, you'll probably like this).
What I especially appreciated is how the ending was handled. I wont give anything away, except to say that it ends how this story would end in "real life," not in a movie. No planets blow up, there is no galaxy-wide cataclysm (these are not spoilers, you will see how unlikely they are if you read it).
The "hard" science isnt there (which the author admits, and quite reasonably hand-waves it away). But the issues of class, race, domestication, and the changing of a world to fit the dominant species are handled wonderfully.
While "sci-fi," that's not really what it's about. It's about as "sci-fi" as [b:Jurassic Park|40604658|Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)|Michael Crichton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529604411l/40604658._SY75_.jpg|3376836], where the actual science doesnt matter, but rather the world it creates and how people interact with it (Jurassic Park is actually a somewhat fair comparison - if you liked that, you'll probably like this).
What I especially appreciated is how the ending was handled. I wont give anything away, except to say that it ends how this story would end in "real life," not in a movie. No planets blow up, there is no galaxy-wide cataclysm (these are not spoilers, you will see how unlikely they are if you read it).
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes