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veelaughtland's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.0
slow_spines's review
adventurous
fast-paced
3.25
This is a compelling book which I found myself easily reading in lengthy stints.
Peter is on a mission from God, to preach the Good News to the inhabitants of a distant planet, Oasis. He leaves behind his partner, Bea, who finds her life getting increasing difficult. Why was he chosen? Why wasn't Bea? What do the Oasans want from from the Bible, the book they call The Book of Strange New Things?
I found the language of the Peter and Bea a bit sickly sweet for my tastes, a pair of "my love"/"my darling" Christians. Fortunately, there is an unexpected but welcome horniness to the book. Welcome for obvious reasons, but it also humanises Peter in an unexpected way - Christians are supposed to be asexual, aren't they? Its also the only real trait that I could cling onto for empathy. He feels like a caricature: seeing the best in everyone, never taking the lords name in vain, is diligent, caring, a bit wet behind the ears. Not irritating, just a bit...bleurgh. Bea is the more interesting and human character, and its a shame we didn't spend more time inside her head.
The world building was good: the planet and its people were suitably and imaginatively alien. But this isn't Sci-Fi that revels in particulars. In just a few sentences, relativity is thrown out the window. Briskly paced, but not quick to give up answers. Those come in the galloping third act, and though they didn't come as much of a shock, I did find myself empathising with Peter more. His apparent naivety is revealed to instead be an act of superhuman will.
Peters unwavering belief is almost touching in that final act, but surely a pastor encountering an alien race is going to have some questions? If even Jesus had a moment of doubt then I think Peter could of afforded to have one. For a book about God, faith, love, alien intelligence and language it is disappointingly light. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a missed opportunity.
The ending didn't work for me. Without spoiling anything, it felt both too neat and too unfinished (something I think could have been alleviated by wading into the themes a little deeper). Still, a fun read.
Peter is on a mission from God, to preach the Good News to the inhabitants of a distant planet, Oasis. He leaves behind his partner, Bea, who finds her life getting increasing difficult. Why was he chosen? Why wasn't Bea? What do the Oasans want from from the Bible, the book they call The Book of Strange New Things?
I found the language of the Peter and Bea a bit sickly sweet for my tastes, a pair of "my love"/"my darling" Christians. Fortunately, there is an unexpected but welcome horniness to the book. Welcome for obvious reasons, but it also humanises Peter in an unexpected way - Christians are supposed to be asexual, aren't they? Its also the only real trait that I could cling onto for empathy. He feels like a caricature: seeing the best in everyone, never taking the lords name in vain, is diligent, caring, a bit wet behind the ears. Not irritating, just a bit...bleurgh. Bea is the more interesting and human character, and its a shame we didn't spend more time inside her head.
The world building was good: the planet and its people were suitably and imaginatively alien. But this isn't Sci-Fi that revels in particulars. In just a few sentences, relativity is thrown out the window. Briskly paced, but not quick to give up answers. Those come in the galloping third act, and though they didn't come as much of a shock, I did find myself empathising with Peter more. His apparent naivety is revealed to instead be an act of superhuman will.
Peters unwavering belief is almost touching in that final act, but surely a pastor encountering an alien race is going to have some questions? If even Jesus had a moment of doubt then I think Peter could of afforded to have one. For a book about God, faith, love, alien intelligence and language it is disappointingly light. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a missed opportunity.
The ending didn't work for me. Without spoiling anything, it felt both too neat and too unfinished (something I think could have been alleviated by wading into the themes a little deeper). Still, a fun read.
selyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Medical content
vizira's review
4.0
I h8 Peter but otherwise very enjoyable. not quite as good as the Sparrow but what is.
katyhargreads's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
ullagd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.5
ekacecilia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lriopel's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. The writing was great, and I enjoyed the way the author set up the premise - not too much explanation of the backstory, just jumping right in and trusting the reader to draw the right conclusions about what came before the start of the novel. There were some definite call-backs to The Poisonwood Bible for me, not only because of the missionary theme, but also because of the idea that things that you rely on, things that are good and vital to your life in one place can be transformed into something toxic or terrible when you are in another place. I got a clear sense of the dread mixed with guilt that the main character was feeling every time he got a letter from home. The author does a great job of making the reader feel an almost tangible disconnection between the protagonist and his wife, using the literal distance between them and the contrast of their daily circumstances to paint a picture of not only the emotional disconnection between the two of them, but also the disconnection of the humans in the new settlement on Oasis from the humans back home on Earth. I found the ending a little unsatisfying, as I definitely felt uneasy about what Peter was returning to on Earth, but I think that readers were supposed to feel that at the end. Glad I read it, good book club pick!