The two best books I have read within recent years are The Sparrow and it's sequel, Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. The broad sweep of the story in these books makes them a little hard to categorize and some bookstores have had problems in deciding where to put them. Is this Science Fiction? General Literature? Religion? Philosophy? What?

Well—all of these things. The story starts when SETI picks up music from the nearby Alpha Centauri system on the Arecibo radio telescope. When they finally verify that this is actually what they're hearing, it leads to an expedition. But it's a private expedition. World governments are otherwise occupied, and they would argue for years over whether or not such an expedition would be worthwhile, how would they fund it, should this be a joint expedition and, if so, who all, etc., etc.; in short, politics as usual. So who sponsors the expedition? The Jesuits! To meet God's other children. The way Russell (who was raised Catholic, but converted to Judaism) sets this up, it's not really all that far-fetched. They horse-trade with the Japanese who are asteroid mining, and get a partially hollowed out asteroid, fit it out, and equip it with a mass-driver (Russell is a linguist, not a hard scientist, but she's had some good advice and the science is fairly sound). Anyway—the story deals with a first contact with an intelligent alien race. It starts promisingly, then goes horribly wrong despite the good intentions of all concerned, both humans and aliens. Premature assumptions, cultural differences, even subtle differences in the way certain everyday words are understood (certainly a theme that is germane these days).

The story centers mostly on Father Emilio Sandoz, the linguistics expert. Father Sandoz is very devout man, and what happens to him and because of him on this alien planet causes him to lose his faith. He wrestles mightily with God, challenging and questioning God's true nature. And upon his return to Earth, he must also wrestle with the Church because of accusations made against him and because of his reluctance to talk about what actually happened on the alien planet.

Not all of the crew of the starship are Jesuits. All of the characters, both human and alien, are well-drawn and distinct, and their interpersonal relationships are fascinating. Occasional conversational sparks fly between the Jesuits and some of the more secular members of the expedition. To say that the issues dealt with in this story are thought-provoking would be a gross understatement, and the narrative sweeps along like a story of high adventure, which, largely, it is. It is essentially complete in The Sparrow, but to get all the nuances and to fully understand happened and why it happened, it takes both books.

This is fascinating reading. It is a philosophical story encapsulated in an exciting adventure. Despite the fact that it deals with religion a great deal, it is not a religious tract. In fact, it raises hard questions, and it can really jar the complacent!

If you want a couple of books (all one story, really) that will keep you turning pages, then keep you pondering the Nature of Things for a long time after you finish it, this is it.

Highly recommended. Happy reading!!

Don Firth