The Sparrow

Book 1 in the Sparrow series

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Top-notch dystopian science fiction! A powerful book that touches the bottom of human experience and resurfaces to tell the tale. I held my breath for last half of this book.

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It’s about the power of belief, and love, and the endurance and resilience of one special man. It’s also, I think, a loving yet critical look at the hubris of the church.

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The story begins when a group of friends (which includes a couple of Jesuits) become aware of songs being transmitted by a nearby solar system. With the support of the Jesuits, they decide to journey to that system to find the Singers.

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This is well-crafted tale with an excellent plot. One strength of this author is how well she defines and builds up each character. The individuals that she created took up space in my mind. I could hear each of their accents, see their mannerisms, feel their humor and their anguish. Not every author can do that.

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But, scraping the shit off his shoe and considering things, John was also sort of flattered; after all, he’d been brought here all the way from Chicago because his Jesuit superiors knew he was almost genetically programmed to despise assholes like his beloved brother in Christ, Johannes Voelker.

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I loved the scenes of camaraderie enjoyed by the core ensemble! How many times I have wished to have a group of friends that interact with that type of intellectual bantering - like in a Salinger novel!

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I like how the story begins in contemporary time, ends in 2060, and has two timelines that eventually intersect. That pattern of unfolding works really well for this particular story.

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I’m very glad to know there is a sequel, because on the last page, when we think the story is ending, it opens a new horizon, and then ends.

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This is an excellent book!