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Summary: A Review of The Sparrow
Review: I read The Sparrow in two days, staying up until 2:00am the second night to finish it. It is everything I love in science fiction; thought-provoking, insightful and unafraid of touchy subject matter. It takes a skillful author to blend religion and science fiction into a coherent, meaningful story and Ms. Russell has done a masterful job in this book.
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Summary: good work
Review: This novel was a wonderful experience. It's not your typical science fiction; I found the characters much more engaging, and the ideas and themes in the book strike much closer to the heart. Russel's background in anthropology shows-- the "futurisms" she uses are more sophisticated than the average technobabble. Good examination of issues of religious faith (includes Christianity, Judaism, & athiesm). Note: So much bad stuff happens to Sandoz that finishing the book was tough, but in the end definitely worth it. I look forward to reading _Children of God_.
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Summary: Pretty Good 'First Contact' Story
Review: Readers of science fiction are more willing to suffer hokey dialogue and stock characters than readers in other genres. (If they weren't neither Asimov nor Heinlein would ever have sold a book.) The payoff is that the readers are supposed to get deep, thought provoking ideas in return. The 'First Contact' story is a vehicle for some of these deep ideas that has been used hundreds of times over the years, and in The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russel gives us her version.There are some neat small ideas about linguistics and anthropology, a couple of big ideas about comparative anthropology, and at least one really big idea about faith and the nature of religion. The relative merit of these thought provoking ideas versus to the woodenness of the characters and dialogue is net positive and the author is clearly competent. However, the book left me flat. That was because ultimately the ending just didn't deliver. After spending so much of the book leading up to it, the climax and denouement seemed hurried, and after enduring hundreds of pages of Emilio's other thoughts and emotions, Russel never successfully communicates just how profound his feelings of confusion, abandonment and hopelessness must have been. That said, the book was good enough that I do expect to read the sequel.
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Summary: Soul Searching
Review: I have just spent 3days completly absorbed to this book. Not being a Sci Fi fan usually I started the book with some trepidation, I was quickly hooked. The characters became so real to me, and as for 'Milo' the priest, I couldnt wait to find out what happended to him. The story jumps in time which can be a bit confusing at times, but keep with, the wait is well worth it. when I finished the book, I just sat and stared at the cover, my mind full of wonder of the brillence of this book. The test of faith and the questions that it conjures up.
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Summary: Read this book immediately
Review: My sister gave me a copy of this book and i thank her every single day for it. It is a wonderful combination of science fiction and religion. Perhaps best of all is the manner in which MDR tells the story. She goes back and forth between telling you what happened before the mission to Rakhat and what happened after its only survivor, Emilio Sandoz, returns. I found myself on the edge of my seat waitng to find out what could have turned the most wonderful man and devout Jesuit into a cripple and murderer found working in a whorehouse. It is an excellent book which i tell everyone i see to read and usually end up lending them my copy. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read this book because i know you will love it. I'd even lend you my copy if i could. P.S. I am currently reading the follow up book, Cildren of God, and i so far it is equally as good.
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Summary: A Very Special Work of Fiction
Review: If you're strictly a Sci-Fi fan this may not be your cup of tea but for those who love fiction with a twist, prepare yourself for a treat! With a very unusual premise Russel explores questions of personality, intent, preception and theology in the context of mystery and exploration, of totally foreign society and good intentions gone wrong. It is a hard book to put down and the sequel, CHILDREN OF GOD is a satisfying conclusion to the story and characters developed in THE SPARROW. If you are looking for Sci-Fi techno shoot 'em up, pass on this one. If you want to be totally absorbed with the exploration of ideas, these two books will be treasures to re-explor for many years to come!
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Summary: Beautiful alone, but you MUST read the sequel
Review: I know some people didn't care for this book, but I loved it. My friends who have also read it loved it. I especially recommend this book to people interested in anthropology -- social/cultural anthropology, including linquistics, and archaeology. The characters are all so wonderfully human and real, rather than cardboard cutouts. The interplay and politicking (of individuals AND of the "larger entities") of all the characters raise The Sparrow from what could be just another run of the mill throwaway novel to something much more complex and thought-provoking. Not only is it a heartbreaking "biography" of Emilio Sandoz, but also of humanity. I must say the sequel, Children of God, is absolutely a must-read -- the sequel is a necessary component of the whole story. More is revealed of the Rakhat's history, culture, social structure and when you take that and put it against what you read in The Sparrow, you find that everything you thought back then was wrong. If you've seen the movie The Sixth Sense, the effect is similar to the feeling you get at the end of the movie: the story transforms into something totally different. Talk about cultural relevance. As for negative reviews about the jumping around in time or perspective, look at The Sound and the Fury. Some people read it and find it a great work, some people just can't take all the "broken" parts and put it together.
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Summary: Really Don't Like It
Review: I read a lot of great reviews for The Spaarrow here. I know I'm in the minority, but I really didn't like it at all. I was very surprised to learn that the author will be 50 in 2000 because the dialogue seemed to be written by an adolescent. How many people in their 40s say "Eat ---- and die?" I thought the plot was meandering and took way too long to get going--I kept saying to myself, "So WHEN is something going to happen?" I really couldn't like any of the characters and wanted to kick Emilio in the rear. He was a spoiled brat, not worthy to be a Jesuit. In my opinion, the dialogue was corny and in the end we're left with no resolution. I know there's a sequel, but we should still be able to read the first book with a sense of satisfaction. I'm sure MDR is a fine person, and frankly I'd liketo see her write a nonfiction book as she seems much more at home (and witty) in her interviews than she does in fiction. I won't read the sequel, but I'd give a book of a different genre a try.
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Summary: The Worst Book I've Ever Read--Zero Stars
Review: I was shocked when I found out this book had won an award...until I remembered that Bill Clinton had once been named "Husband of the Year!"
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Summary: The Sparrow
Review: I have to say this is the most wonderful book I have ever read. It is about one man's relationship with God, written in a complex and satisfying way. It spans time, religions, and cultures. I wept and laughed out loud, and have given this book to everyone I know. An unforgettable work.
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