I got suckered into reading this book by the woman at the book store. I told her I was going on a vacation and that I wanted a good selection of books to take with me for entertainment and relaxation. She asked what sort of genres I liked to which I replied that I enjoyed, among some scant few other things, science fiction. She proceeded to suggest The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell, as something I might like.
It turns out that The Sparrow is about a group of Jesuit priests (and a couple of their friends) who go off to an alien world to learn what there is to learn. That doesn’t seem like my ballyhoo, and it isn’t, but that’s just a simple description. For the main character, Emilio Sandoz, it’s a journey to discover the depths of God and faith.
I’m confused a little about the science in this fiction, since the author is a noted doctor of astronomy-related disciplines. I can’t figure out how their spaceship - an asteroid mined by robots for combustable fuel - arrives at a place 4 lightyears away in only 6 months while still staying true to the precepts of science. Oh well.
In any case, the experience of visiting the alien world was unique. I think that I like reading authors’ fantasies about what a foreign civilization might be like and why. It brings to mind the Rafa-Rafa experiment we did in DEEP in fifth grade, where the cultures were so different that trying to understand one that is different by applying our own rules to it was impossible.
I wasn’t thrilled with the religious aspects of the book. Maybe it’s just that I don’t think that spirituality is limited to those who take vows. Mabye I didn’t understand this aspect of the book too well with this prejudice, but I did grasp the idea of making rules to strengthen a relationship with God and faith. It makes a little more sense to me now. The book even mentions some of the futility in the selection of certain abstinances to please God, which is something that I’ve always wondered about.
Well, I can’t say that it’s my favorite book ever, but it was certainly worth my time to read (and since there have been books that do not fall in this class, that provides it with some distinction).
Next up: I’m going to try Quicksilver again. This time, I might manage it. Then again, if I don’t, I have another Chuck Palahniuk book to soak in. Man, I should pick up something a little lighter now and then, eh?
