Stealing from the Big Blue Monkey

[shadesong]

murnkay asked people to recommend a great book to him and tell him why. Mine, in very few words, as Monkey is a monkey of few words:

The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell, because it rips your fucking heart out with what can go wrong with First Contact with just. One. Word.

You may be people of more words, so I will give you more.

I don't know how Mary Doria Russell did this with a first novel, with no SF background, with no religious background, even. But she gave us this book about First Contact. A Jesuit priest, scientists, a former child prostitute. Being alien, being human - and what happens when the bridge between the two has just the smallest flaw. The slightest misstep.

And more than anything else, more than the aliens of Rakhat and the tragedy of the mission, it's about faith.

This book blew my mind and broke my heart and took my breath.

Comments

[stripedsocks.livejournal.com]

THAT is a freaking AWESOME book. Have you read the sequel?

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Yep. A lot of people haaaaate the sequel, because it explains more, and they feel better left with the mystery. I like the sequel, but I feel that it's a Very Good book, whereas Sparrow is a Great book.

[stripedsocks.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with you. The Sparrow is so powerful that it needs more words than I have. SUCH a good book.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

*nods* What I've written about it above is so insufficient, but really, I don't know how much more I can write about it. It's not about "and then this happened, and then this happened." You know? It's about Father Emilio's heart.

[stripedsocks.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's about Father Emilio's heart and his realization of changes in faith and how that was ripped and torn and changed. Just an amazing amazing novel.

[gentleeleos.livejournal.com]

The Sparrow is one of the books I give as gifts. Which is the highest compliment I can give a book. And when I give it to my friends who are not into SF, I tell them "this isn't a science fiction story, not really...that's just the trapping of the tale....this is a story about the nature of faith."

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

morenasangre is one of my best friends. And she's Christian. A true Christian, as in loving her fellow man, not a George-Bush Christian. (I make the distinction because 90% of the "Christians" I encounter are the latter.) And she's a sci-fi geek.

You see why I had to give her this book. "This is part of your heart. You just don't know it yet. Trust me."

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

When I read it, I thought the aliens were done well, but I didn't want to believe the Catholic church would be that cruel and that stupid. I'm no longer quite that optimistic.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I have faith in many things, but I've never had faith in the Ultimate Goodness of organized religion...

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

Well, craptastic. You made me want to read the book. Do you know HOW MANY books I have checked out from the library, young lady??? Jeesh.

(By the way, just in case you weren't sure, you are rather poorly described in this post.)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Oh, 'crow. You haven't read this one? You have to. Go reserve it today.

*peek* Oooh. #4? (because of Shayara?)

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

You are you are!

(Okaaay!)

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is a marvelous book. Sophia Mendez... what an amazing character. Live, and remember.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

*blisses out*

I need to re-read.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Haven't read it yet, but when I heard the premise, it sounded similar to the early graphic novel The Sacred and the Profane by Dean Motter and Ken Steacy. Not saying The Sparrow ripped it off, because what it did with the premise is probably way different, but if you haven't read the graphic novel you might be interested in someone's earlier take on the theme. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Hm! Must look for it.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mean, I seriously doubt Mary Doria Russell was grooving to Star*Reach back in the '70s, or buying comics in the '80s, so no worries there. It's the sort of vague premise — people of faith make contact with aliens — that various people can come up with independently of each other (there was also, of course, Carl Sagan's Contact) and push in different directions. From what I've seen of The Sacred and the Profane, it was a rather melodramatic space opera that tried and failed to grapple with issues that The Sparrow, by all accounts, handles much better.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Definitely agree with you on the review... but (I might be wrong) but I believe this isn't her first novel, just her first genre novel. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I think it is... (http://users.adelphia.net/~druss44121/index.html)

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

My friend zbg97 just got to meet Mary Doria Russell (yesterday?) and was over the moon about it weeks beforehand. :-)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

She's signing here in town tonight.

Yep.

On Elayna's birthday.

I wailed when I saw the date..... *sigh* Next time.