A review by toniclark
Children of God by Mary Doria Russell

5.0

I debated about whether to read this one after reading The Sparrow. i was afraid to be disappointed by a sequel. However, I'm now glad that I didn't let too much time elapse between them. The books should definitely be read one after the other, read almost as two halves of one book. And for me, the sequel measured up, did not disappoint. Russell brings so much scientific knowledge to bear on these books and wrestles with many perspectives on God and religion without seeming to push any one on the reader. In an interview, the author said, "It doesn't matter if God is real or not — once the idea exists, it can change history."

Note; I have never read much sci-fi and have no idea where this work fits within the genre. I never felt as though I was reading science fiction. I see that Nancy Pearl felt that this book was mistakenly categorized as science fiction, and that it is really "a philosophical novel about the nature of good and evil and what happens when a man tries to do the right thing, for the right reasons and ends up causing incalculable harm." I agree.