About this title: Combining elements of science fiction and spiritual philosophy, this novel is a tale of the devastating consequences of a scientific mission to make contact with an extraterrestrial culture.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1997-09-08
ISBN-13:9780449912553ISBN:0449912558
Description: Good. Save some $$$. Perfectly Good Reading Copy. Shelfwear from storage in box with other books. Front cover is creased from storage in box with other books. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780449912553ISBN:0449912558
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Slight edgewear. No markings or spine creasing. Pages bright and tight. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Used-Acceptable. Spot along bottom of pages, does not appear to affect text. Tanning to pages and cover. Slight rubbing and bumping damage to corners and edges. Cover shows some scuffing. This book ships in padded mailer via USPS. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780449912553ISBN:0449912558
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. VG++. Only the slightest of edgewear. No writing, underlining, names, bookplates or marks. A very nice book. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 432 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. Has a Reader's Guide at the end of the book. First Ballantine Books Edition. An original novel and a notable achievement. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780449912553ISBN:0449912558
Description: No Illustration. Very Good. EX-LIBRARY. EXPECTED MARKINGS AND ATTACHMENTS. ILLUSTRATED SOFT COVER COVER. INTERIOR PAGES CLEAN, BRIGHT AND TIGHT. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Fawcett Books, New York
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780449912553ISBN:0449912558
Description: Very Good + Very Good +. Very Good +. Spine is uncreased, interiors are tight and unmarked. An excellen t reading copy. Russell's deeply involving explorat ion of faith a nd reason, First Contact, & human compassion. High ly recommended! .. read more
"While I enjoyed reading "The Sparrow," Mary Doria Russell's novel of soul-shaking ideas, I felt ultimately let down by her inability to pull the whole thing together. The plot follows a Jesuit mission to the planet Rakhat, newly discovered when the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico receives a radio signal containing beautiful extraterrestrial choral music. In an alternate story arch, we follow Father Emilio Sandoz after his return from Rakhat as the only survivor from the mission. Horribly mutilated and mentally scarred, he is put to an inquest by his Jesuit superiors regarding depraved actions he is alleged to have committed.
While the characterization is tight and the suspense builds nicely in both plot lines (When will he break and tell his superiors what made him question God? When will the catastrophe on Rakhat hit?), it was incredibly frustrating to see an author give herself everything she needed to make a very powerful statement, and then not use any of it. Emilio returns to Earth broken, deeply questioning everything he ever felt about his faith. But the specific event that causes this soul-shattering breakdown is almost banal compared to everything else going on in the story (and it is also something that happens with regularity here on our own planet). I simply do not understand how Russell managed to miss the mark so widely when it was her own material that she ignored in order to come to a lightweight conclusion. All she had to do was gather up her own narrative threads and she would have had something really powerful. It truly is a shame.
That said, those narrative threads got ME thinking, even if Russell didn't do anything with them herself, so I would still say it's worth a read. In fact, I want my friends to read it merely so we can debate it amongst ourselves."
"In a word - excellent. The Sparrow is a "first contact" science fiction novel, but it's also an example of the genre that's great for non-SF fans. Although it's a story about a Jesuit mission to an alien planet, the focus is more on the question of faith.
The novel uses a non-linear storytelling device, so in the first few pages you know the outcome - Emilio Sandoz has returned to earth alone and broken, and scandalous stories about a dead child and a brothel have preceded him. His superiors attempt to extract the full story from him - there are hints that the scandals have had a disastrous effect on the Church.
Despite knowing the end result, I found the slow reveal of the "how" and "why" totally fascinating. I've seen some complaints that Emilio's final confession wasn't as shocking as they expected, and I'm puzzled by that one - I thought it was pretty implicit from the beginning what had happened to him, and that the story was not so much what did happen, but the progress Emilio made towards healing and coming to terms with it.
My only complaint is that there are two characters on the expedition who don't get much in terms of being fleshed out - Alan Pace and Marc Robichaux are so colorless and neglected compared to the others. The others - Anne, George, Sofia, D.W., and Jimmy - are so vibrant and their relationships are so endearing that just knowing they don't make it back to Earth is enough of a heartbreak."
"This is an extraordinary work of speculative fiction. Who knew that the first expedition sent to meet a sentient alien species would be spearheaded by the Jesuits? This is not "just" sci-fi. That is merely the framework selected to surround this amazing examination of human relationships and sociological, spiritual, scientific and historical questions. And, most importantly, how does a person (in this case, a priest) know whether or not he has faith, what it is when he receives it, and how to deal with it's loss. The most powerful book I've read in a long time."
"I had picked this up years ago due to all the terrific reviews, but when I started it, since it involves priests and such, I thought it was going to be a Christian book. So I'm really glad that a group decided to read this, because it is NOT a yah-yah Christian book at all. I would instead call it a spiritual book in that the journey involves time old questions, of faith, of God, of religion, of humanity. And altho most of the main characters are indeed Jesuits and so many questions and approaches do involve Catholicism, they were universal. And very very beautiful.
After I was done, I read that the author had left the Catholic church at age 15, and after 20 years of aetheism found herself re-examining questions of values, ethics, morality and religion upon the birth of her child. She found her drawn to Judaism and converted.
And that makes alot of sense, in that The Sparrow does speak about religion but in a completely open, tolerant way. You can also be an aetheist and derive much insight into the nature of what drives us toward spirituality to begin with. And that morality and goodness has its place even outside any type of established religion.
This was also one of the best first contact books - because The Sparrow is far more than just a question of what God is or isn't, but more so a fascinating study of anthropology. Of both humans and aliens. As a matter of fact, I'm sorry I started this review even discussing the religious aspect, because I would say the anthropology approach and insight is just as strong if not even a stronger force in the book.
Which also makes a ton of sense since the author was an anthropolist!
And I can not ignore the fact that the characters were some of the most complex, likable and developed you can find in any book.
I liked this book so much I immediately started reading its sequel, Children of God, upon completion. The Sparrow itself is very much a stand-alone book, but I was so engrossed with Emilio I HAD to know what happened to him.
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