Rating: 
Summary: Hardly a masterpiece
Review: I read The Sparrow and was impressed. Children of God, however, doesn't come close at all. The story bounces around so much that I could not keep track of where and when things were happening. I did not finish it. Two Thumbs Down.
Rating: 
Summary: The Means to Effect Change
Review: After reading just two of Ms. Russell's books, I'm a confirmed fan, and hope she writes many more. This book is a direct sequel to The Sparrow, and while there is some explanatory material about the events in The Sparrow in this book, I'm afraid someone who hasn't read the earlier book will feel a little lost, and will definitely not be able to appreciate the full power of this book. Once more I found myself irresistibly drawn to Ms. Russell's full-bodied characters. Emilio Sandoz, the Jesuit priest who has been through a myriad number of events that would test anyone's faith, in this book begins to find a way to believe that life is still worth living, that he can still be of benefit to the people around him. Sophia Mendez, the quiet, withdrawn, abused, and highly intellectual lady finds a reason to return to the faith of her parents when she finds herself marooned on Rakhat, surrounded by enslaved Runa. New characters of Giardano Bruno and his bodyguard Nico prove that Russell can portray many kinds of people in a very believable manner. Perhaps the reason these characters are so fascinating is that each of them has their own outlook on life, their own problems, their own ways of coping with life's vagaries. When placed within the Runa/ Jana'Ata society, each person's attempts to influence that society becomes magnified, each action leading to consequences both foreseen and totally unexpected. Which brings to the fore the focus of this book, which is much more about cross-cultural relations and impacts than religion, though the original questions of The Sparrow are not slighted here. Within the events that humans arrival on Rakhat have provoked, there is a deep delving into the ethics of the 'the end justifies the means', played on a canvas where a species survival is the end stake. There are some areas where I was not quite as pleased. The characterization of the aliens was just a little too human, even though such characterization does much to highlight the fact that the ethical problems of this book apply just as equally here on Earth. In some ways, the cultural parallels between the Jana'Ata and the American Indians were just a little too obvious. And once again, the story is not told in a totally linear fashion, with occasional flash-forwards to various later periods that then fill in the back-story of the history of the world after the main events of the book. While this type of structure worked very well in The Sparrow, here I thought it led to a little disjointedness to the story continuity and too much a lessening of suspense. Once again, there are some aspects of the portrayed science here that do not ring true. These are all minor quibbles, not seriously hurting the engrossing wholeness, the feeling of not only that this is how it could be, but the why of seemingly random and sometimes-cruel events. There are very few works that approach these two books in terms of thematic depth and both intellectual and emotional reader involvement. Nominated for the 1999 Hugo Award, this book fully deserved that honor. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but different focus from The Sparrow
Review: Russell develops a slightly different theme this time: do the means justify the ends when trying to follow "God's will"? Strong character development, very interesting plots on the alien world, and an extremely satisfying ending. I was thinking about this book for weeks afterward, and realizing new things. Not, perhaps, as powerful as The Sparrow, but excellent in its own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun but dissatisfying
Review: My major concern is how un-Jesuitlike these Jesuits are. They don't appear to be interested in the aliens' beliefs, even when, in this sequel, we explicitly see the aliens refer to gods. Though appearing to address bigger issues, I thought this book was very wrapped up in Sandoz's individual experiences; this could have occurred in a larger context of the meaning for human religion and culture as reflected by the religion and culture of another race, but it didn't happen. Therefore, Sandoz continues to present himself as a self-pitying solopsist who is individually angry at having been ill-used, or at the least, misunderstood by aliens. Opportunities to draw this out on a more profound scale abound, and are not enacted.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of religious sf
Review: I know that many people consider _Children of God_ to be inferior to _Sparrow_, and certainly _Sparrow_ has a certain existential sincerity that few other sf novels posess. But on the whole I find the sequel even better than its predecessor. In particular, Russell's depiction of the alien society of the Jana'ata is much richer and more interesting than that found in _Sparrow_. In the first novel, the Jana'ata were monsters; here they come across as real people (albeit with a tail and claws) who have built a beautiful though profoundly sick civilization. The Jana'ata characters are arguably even better drawn than the humans--at least by the end of the novel the characters with whom I most identified were Jana'ata. And the dilemma of how to deal with a civilization guilty of great atrocities (without committing even greater atrocities in one's zeal for vengeance) is presented here more powerfully than anywhere else I know. Some readers criticize the means by which Sandoz gets back to Rakhat. Yet in a way this underlines the profound moral ambiguity of the novels. The Pope and the General of the Jesuit order are presented as thoroughly good (even, in the case of the Pope, holy) people. Yet they violate Sandoz's free will in a high-handed, almost brutal way. And this violation is itself portrayed as the divinely ordained means by which Sandoz's wounds, and those of the planet Rakhat, may be healed. I understand those readers who find this contrived and unconvincing. Myself, I think it rings true with reality. By the end of the novel one cannot but think of Frodo's lament at the end of Lord of the Rings (I paraphrase); "I have saved the Shire, Sam, but not for me. Some must give things up, lose them, so that others may keep them." The religious revelation with which the novel ends may likewise be unconvincing to some readers. But Russell has built the possibility of such a reaction into the story itself. My own reaction was to sob almost uncontrollably with heart-broken joy, not only the first time I read the ending but the second and (if memory serves) the third as well. But then, I respond to that sort of thing.
Rating:
Summary: The Redemption of Emilio Sandoz
Review: I loved Russell's "The Sparrow" to death, so I supposed that I needed to read the sequel. It did not dissapoint. In "Children of God", Russell goes beyond the territory she charted in "The Sparrow", introducing a whole new cast of fascinating characters, new developments in Emilio Sandoz's psycho-spiritual state, and covering elements of Rakhati society and politics left untouched in the original novel. She succeeds in taking the developments of the first book and manages to bring them to a successful resolution and conclusion in CoG. With the same philosophical depth that made the first novel great, Russell presents a new discussion of theology that is sure to provoke atheists, agnostics, and believers alike. But I don't feel like giving away the plot- read the book yourself. It's time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: All God's Children
Review: Children of God continues the saga of Father Emilio Sandoz as he struggles to conquer the demons that torture and haunt him following his first trip to Rakhat. When he seemingly finds happiness and a measure of peace of mind, he is brutally snatched up against his will and returned to the scene of former heinous acts. Plunged once more into a sea of betrayal by those he trusted most, Sandoz once again finds himself in an abyss of physical and spiritual despair as he soars again through time and space to another adventure among an alien world.
Rakhat, however, is not so alien this time, regardless of the terrors its memory conjures up, and as Sandoz is reunited with Sophia Mendes, he learns acceptance and resolution for himself. In the process of absorbing the changes that have occurred in his absence of forty years, he learns that forgiveness is indeed within his reach as well as absolution for the sins he blames himself for.
In addition to Sandoz's story, the changing social history of Rakhat and its peoples is interesting and exciting as it presents a drastic and violent change in philosophy and ethics. New characters step into strong roles that catch our imagination and spark empathy with both sides.
All in all, Children of God is an excellent sequel to The Sparrow, although it still calls for more when it ends. Again, Mary Doria Russell has woven a spell of magic and wonder worthy of ancient and modern spiritual thought as she has raised the consciousness of all her readers about their own spiritual health and well being.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, But Not Quite the Poetry of The Sparrow
Review: Children of God by Mary Doria Russell is a magnificent book. It offers extremely satisfying science fiction, and it provides meaningful insight on man's relationship with God, asking tough questions about our relationsip with God and in the end offering great hope. This does continue the story of The Sparrow which needed to be done. In Children of God, Emilio Sandoz leaves the priesthood and falls in love. Nevertheless, he still somehow ends up traveling back to Rakhat to face the terrible things that happened to him there. This novel doesn't just focus on Emilio as The Sparrow did, though. Children of God is much more plot oriented than The Sparrow. This novel uses a much wider panorama of characters, including extensive omniscient sections dealing with new inhabitants on Rakhat and with new members of this expeditions to Rakhat. Children of God is not quite as good as The Sparrow mainly because it is so focused on the plot. In The Sparrow, Russell's primary focus was to deal with the great dilemma that Emilio is facing, his struggle to love a God who allows him to go through such pain. The Sparrow is written to a thesis which ever word of the novel builds towards. Children of God isn't so tightly focused. Excess pages and chapters are here which focus on less meaningful conflicts and characters and which don't always serve enlighten the reader. The book is still an amazingly compelling read, but it is slightly overlong. Children of God does have some amazing strengths, though. Russell is still examining humankind's relationship to God, here presented with much more of a Jewish view of God than the Christian view. Russell is still dealing with the problem of pain, still asking why it is man must suffer so much in this world. In Children of God, Russell delivers an amazing message of hope to man. We may not always understand God's poetry. In our lifetimes, we may not see any reason or our pain, but that doesn't mean God is not there loving us and injecting great meaning into our lives through pain. Children of God is a fabulous read and is very enlightening. By itself, it is not as good as The Sparrow, but together, the two novels make up some of the greatest literature I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: The rest of the story
Review: "Children of God" certainly does a good job of filling in the blanks left by "The Sparrow." Anyone who has read the first book will find the second worthwhile. The book also does a good job of again making the point that missionaries who "mean no harm" can and do alter the societies they set out to help...and whether that is for better or for worse depends on your point of view. In "The Sparrow," Russell moved the reader between two time periods, which was only slightly confusing and seemed to work pretty well in moving the story along while exploring the later consequences of events. However, in this book, the story jumps all over the calendar, and the constant shifting of time sequences seems more like a gimmick than a connective narrative tissue. Although the book is about a Catholic mission, Judaic themes figure rather more prominently...and more favorably.
Rating:
Summary: Flashes of Interest in Otherwise Tedious, Difficult Read
Review: After reading "The Sparrow" and marginally liking it, I wanted to pick this up as I heard it answered a lot of questions. Just like the first book, the story is fascinating and unusual, but so difficult to follow and over-written that it is difficult to follow the plot, which is sad as it is worth following. Important events are merely mentioned, things are alluded to that never materialize, and the same images keep showing up over and over that you get tired of them. Yet you can't help but continue as you develop a fondness for the main characters and want to find out what happens. Had this been better written, it would have been an extraordinary read with images and characters that would stay with you for a long time. But the difficulty of getting through it negates the good points.
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