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A review by reading_rainbow_with_chris
A Miracle of Rare Design by Mike Resnick
4.0
“A Miracle of Rare Design” by Mike Resnick
This was a short little sci-fi book suggested to me by my boyfriend. With only about 190 pages and relatively large font on this edition, this was a quick read, but it was facilitated by an intriguing story that moved along at a brisk pace. I really enjoyed reading this and it definitely sparks questions about human consciousness and the nature of identity. Where I struggled a little bit was in the presentation of ethnography. It was hard to turn my qualitative research brain off reading this because of the methodological or ethical flaws. Were they flaws of the protagonist or flaws of Resnick’s? How should I feel about this world which assumes humans as the apex creature in the known universe and all else is positioned as primitive? What are the implications of deception in the name of diplomacy and knowledge? Ultimately I think this was where I could not give the book a 5-star rating. The “natives” gave in too easily to the protagonist charms when deception was revealed, which made the pursuit of knowledge feel unrealistic to this qualitative scholar.
With that said, the book was still enjoyable and I would consider it well worth a read. However, my specific experience was that I found myself asking too many questions that I don’t think were intended from the book.
Have you read “A Miracle of Rare Design”? What did you think?
This was a short little sci-fi book suggested to me by my boyfriend. With only about 190 pages and relatively large font on this edition, this was a quick read, but it was facilitated by an intriguing story that moved along at a brisk pace. I really enjoyed reading this and it definitely sparks questions about human consciousness and the nature of identity. Where I struggled a little bit was in the presentation of ethnography. It was hard to turn my qualitative research brain off reading this because of the methodological or ethical flaws. Were they flaws of the protagonist or flaws of Resnick’s? How should I feel about this world which assumes humans as the apex creature in the known universe and all else is positioned as primitive? What are the implications of deception in the name of diplomacy and knowledge? Ultimately I think this was where I could not give the book a 5-star rating. The “natives” gave in too easily to the protagonist charms when deception was revealed, which made the pursuit of knowledge feel unrealistic to this qualitative scholar.
With that said, the book was still enjoyable and I would consider it well worth a read. However, my specific experience was that I found myself asking too many questions that I don’t think were intended from the book.
Have you read “A Miracle of Rare Design”? What did you think?