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Average Customer Rating:

True science fiction literature -- at last!

Customer Rating:

There are few science fiction novels that are also great works of literature. "The Sparrow" fits this category and even manages to add a new element to the mix: theology. Russell is not only a smooth storyteller, she is also a knowledgeable one, explaining everything from interstellar space travel to evolutionary convergence in a comprehensible manner. The characters, particularly Anne Edwards, Emilio Sandoz and Sofia Mendez , were wonderfully developed and kept the story going even when I found the plot to be a bit sluggish. For me, her characters were so fleshed out that even though I began reading "The Sparrow" with full knowledge that Emilio was the lone survivor of the expedition to Rahkat, I still found myself horrified when the explorers met their untimely deaths. The only weakness I found in "The Sparrow" was its tempo. The time between Jimmy picking up the alien signal and the Jesuit party actually leaving for Rahkat was too long for my tastes as was the gap between the characters making contact with the Runa and later meeting Supaari. Perhaps this wouldn't have bothered me if the pace hadn't changed so drastically when Russell squeezed a great deal of plot into the last 50 pages. Or perhaps I simply failed to appreciate Russell's realistic portrayal of time with it slowing down during parts of our lives and speeding up at others. All in all, "The Sparrow" left me somewhat confused. Like Emilio Sandoz, I'm not sure whether to view it as a comedy or tragedy; I was not overly enthused by the ending nor was I depressed by it. Just as in life, the reader is left with far more questions than answers. And I think that's what Russell intended.

The Sparrow	Customer Rating:
this is the best book I have ever read. I had it on tape and hard cover. I just got it on CD. It has been my fovorite book for over a decade. The more I read it the more it makes me think and the more I see in it.

brillliant introspection in outer space

Customer Rating:

This book is a beautiful and haunting Sci-Fi meditation on the nature of God and faith. It uses an extraterrestrial plot line to brilliantly articulate the strengths and weaknesses of the human race. I consider myself an atheist, and find myself re-evaluating faith, religion and even the practice of theology and philosophy after reading this book. Reading this book conferred on me a type of spiritual punch I imagine Arthur C Clarke's "Childhood's End" and CS Lewis' space trilogy must have had on readers when originally published. I consider this book the modern exponent of introspective Sci-Fi, possibly sharing that seat with Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake".

Long investment, no payoff.

Customer Rating:

Muddiness gives water the illusion of depth; complexity does the same for writing. But after wading around in it for an hour or two and never leaving the shallows, you're left disappointed. At heart, this book is a mockery of Christianity, if that matters to you. Russell can write in the sense of stringing words together well, but her basic recipe just doesn't satisfy. She gives plenty of conflict, but no resolution. How many different ways can you mix together a couple pounds of ambiguous Torah and Holocaust themes, and try to pass them off as a new dish? However, if you pretend you are reading this as a fictionalized anthropology case study, you might enjoy it.

Immoral Aliens	Customer Rating:
This was the WORST book I have ever read. The lone star that I gave this book goes to the author for her efforts in writing it. I was encouraged to read this by all the amazing 5 star reviews and once I was done, I felt defiled. I can appreciate good books, too....but this?? ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. Sex addicts might enjoy this read.