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A Surprisingly Human Story About Aliens
This novel is nominally about an interstellar voyage. It’s actually about sex, love, God, and the problem of evil.
TL;DR
- The author, generally a skeptic, is open to the existence of extraterrestrial life, citing the vastness of the universe.
- Mary Doria Russell's novel, The Sparrow, is reviewed as a story that uses an interstellar mission as a backdrop to explore human themes.
- The novel begins with the premise of a radio transmission from Alpha Centauri and a subsequent Jesuit mission to the planet Rakhat.
- The story centers on Emilio Sandoz, the sole survivor of the mission, and his traumatic experiences and the mystery of the mission's failure.
- The book's strength lies in its portrayal of the characters' human qualities, relationships, and personal journeys before the interstellar voyage.
- The novel examines themes of sex, love, faith, and the problem of evil through its diverse cast of characters.