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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finished this book in one weekend a month ago and I’m still thinking about it. I read this for my book club. It wasn’t my choice and I’m usually not into science fiction, but this is not a version of SF that I usually think about, with robots and tech and rockets. Yes, there is space travel to a new-to-humans planet, and, when this was written in the 90s, the author was surprisingly good at predicting some of the tech we use now. Even with all of that, this book is still about the characters. The book plods along a bit in terms of action in the beginning, but that is needed to establish the connections between the characters for what will come later. Anne is the standout character, but I came to care for all of the main characters.
Because of the slow ascent of most of the book, the swift events at the climax are shocking.
By the end of the book, Emilio, the primary main character, struggles with religious questions that I also struggle with. For that reason (plus the great writing and characters), I especially want to read the sequel to this book, but I may need some time before I can return to this world (that’s how much the details at the end shocked me - please check my content warnings if you’re especially concerned about sexual trauma).
Highly recommended that you read an edition that contains the author’s essay on the 20th anniversary publication.
Because of the slow ascent of most of the book, the swift events at the climax are shocking.
By the end of the book, Emilio, the primary main character, struggles with religious questions that I also struggle with. For that reason (plus the great writing and characters), I especially want to read the sequel to this book, but I may need some time before I can return to this world (that’s how much the details at the end shocked me - please check my content warnings if you’re especially concerned about sexual trauma).
Highly recommended that you read an edition that contains the author’s essay on the 20th anniversary publication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Grief
Beautifully written, which makes the portrayal of abject hopelessness so soul-crushing.
Theological science fiction is an odd niche, but both religion and science fiction deal with man against the Cosmos, silhouetting the ordinary against the mystery of the unimaginal. The Sparrow is a compelling, finely crafted story of first contact and its consequences, tracing in parallel the Jesuit organized mission to the alien world of Rakhat, and the spiritual reconstruction of Father Emilio Sandoz, the lone survivor. Truly, a wondrous, sensitive, and generally excellent novel.
This book is incredibly disturbing!! But it is so good!! Prepare yourself and then dive in to a sci-fi story that is super thought-provoking and beautiful!
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I like the premise (a Jesuit-run first-contact mission), but the execution was disappointing in some ways. Aside from the protagonist Sandoz, I didn't feel much connection to or interest in most of the characters, and the portions of the novel devoted to the preparation of the mission felt long and somewhat hokey. Likewise, the sections devoted to Sandoz's emotional turmoil after the mission get tedious as they mostly serve only to build up curiosity about what horrible thing might have happened to him.
The novel does ultimately deliver on that build-up in an emotionally striking way. The theological musings scattered throughout are also sometimes fascinating, and the concept for the aliens is intriguing although not explored too deeply.
The novel does ultimately deliver on that build-up in an emotionally striking way. The theological musings scattered throughout are also sometimes fascinating, and the concept for the aliens is intriguing although not explored too deeply.
Wow, this book was a roller coaster. I feel like I can't really say too much about the specific plot without lots of spoilers, but there were many elements of this book that I really liked. The plot was told in a really interesting manner, jumping from the beginning to the end in a way that was a little bit confusing, but not too much to throw me off and enough to keep me guessing. Most of the characters were developed really well (with the exception of two that felt like they were thrown in) and the dynamics between them as they, uh, did the thing they did (still can't spoil anything) made for fun interplay. The world building was really well done, and it is clear that a lot of thought was put into logical conclusions of different events. The two chronological tellings of the story did a good job creating a mystery that made me want to keep reading and slowly revealing more and more of it until it reached a harrowing conclusion. Four stars only because I found it hard to follow at some points, and I didn't really understand the need for all of the different priests during the 2060 parts. I hear there's a second book, but it's probably just in the same world because this book does a really good job as a standalone novel. I'll definitely check it out though.