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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thought provoking first contact novel written by an insightful anthropologist who demonstrates what can go wrong when well-intentioned explorers interfere in a new (thus yet misunderstood) culture on a faraway planet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
Moderate: Slavery
I don't think I liked it. But it's rotating in my mind like a microwave meal.
"At the end of his description of the first contact, in a locked file, Father Yarborough added a commentary meant only for the current Father General. He wrote of you, 'I believe that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today I may have looked upon the face of a saint.'"
"Stop it."
"Excuse me?" Giuliani looked up from the tablet he was reading, blinking, unaccustomed to being addressed in this manner, even in private, even by a man whose nights were now a part of his own, whose dreams interrupted his own sleep.
"Stop it. Leave me something." Sandoz was trembling. "Don't pick over my bones, Vince."
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Deals with struggles of religion, fate, God as in control vs as an observer, as well as unpacking trauma. Reallly interesting.
w o w. disturbing. I had to keep reading to find out what happened to the people.
slow-paced
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
This is honestly one of the best books I've read in a long time, and definitely the best novel I've read this year.
This novel is actually why I read A Canticle for Liebowitz and A Case of Conscience, since they're all SF about priests, or, as I've been calling them, priests in space. While it was interesting to read those novels, I think this elevates what they're doing. In many ways, it's sort of like Russell began with the same concept as Blish, but took that concept to such amazing heights.
This novel begins in two places - 2019 and 2059. We hop back and forth between what's maybe best described as before and after. The present is after Father Emilio Sandoz returns from his jaunt in space, and the past is everything before that. We eventually see where these two narratives meet, but, in some ways, that's hardly the point.
This is all about character, and Russell creates a number of incredibly memorable and wholly alive characters. Their friendships, loves, and tensions are just so fantastic. This really is an unforgettable novel, and Emilio is an unforgettable character. Though part of his greatness has to do with the people who surround him in this novel.
Also, the aliens and their planet. It takes a long time to get there and we've spent a long time with the battered, masticated man that Emilio has become since leaving there, so we expect terror and danger. And yet, the world we land on is beautiful. The aliens we meet are kind and friendly.
But this is truly an incredible novel about trauma. While it's ostensibly about a Catholic priest, it's not really about religion. Or, it is, on the surface, but the heart of this novel is the heart of Emilio Sandoz and how it breaks. Or, not breaks, but is shattered.
There are so many things that could be said about this novel, but suffice it to say that I've already started the sequel to this book and will likely end up reading many more of Russell's novels. She's done something magnificent here. And, sadly, it's something I haven't seen much in the books I've read this year.
This novel is actually why I read A Canticle for Liebowitz and A Case of Conscience, since they're all SF about priests, or, as I've been calling them, priests in space. While it was interesting to read those novels, I think this elevates what they're doing. In many ways, it's sort of like Russell began with the same concept as Blish, but took that concept to such amazing heights.
This novel begins in two places - 2019 and 2059. We hop back and forth between what's maybe best described as before and after. The present is after Father Emilio Sandoz returns from his jaunt in space, and the past is everything before that. We eventually see where these two narratives meet, but, in some ways, that's hardly the point.
This is all about character, and Russell creates a number of incredibly memorable and wholly alive characters. Their friendships, loves, and tensions are just so fantastic. This really is an unforgettable novel, and Emilio is an unforgettable character. Though part of his greatness has to do with the people who surround him in this novel.
Also, the aliens and their planet. It takes a long time to get there and we've spent a long time with the battered, masticated man that Emilio has become since leaving there, so we expect terror and danger. And yet, the world we land on is beautiful. The aliens we meet are kind and friendly.
But this is truly an incredible novel about trauma. While it's ostensibly about a Catholic priest, it's not really about religion. Or, it is, on the surface, but the heart of this novel is the heart of Emilio Sandoz and how it breaks. Or, not breaks, but is shattered.
There are so many things that could be said about this novel, but suffice it to say that I've already started the sequel to this book and will likely end up reading many more of Russell's novels. She's done something magnificent here. And, sadly, it's something I haven't seen much in the books I've read this year.