The Sparrow (1996) Mary Doria Russell (Author)
Award Winner
In 2019, Jesuit priest Father Emilio Sandoz initiated a first contact mission with life forms that had just been discovered on Rakhat. Eight people went; only one came back. In the year 2059, the Vatican accuses Sandoz, the sole survivor, of having committed crimes that precipitated the death of his colleagues and caused the devastation of his physical and emotional health. The story alternates between the days of planning the trip, when the Jesuits had no idea what awaited them on Rakhat, and the time forty years later when Sandoz is reliving in his mind the years he spent there learning to love the civilizations that ultimately nearly killed him. The story, which deals with brutal aspects of war and societies without regard for human life, is continued in Russell's Children of God.
MAIN CHARACTERS :
Father Emilio Sandoz, Religious (Jesuit priest), Emilio Sandoz, Religious (Jesuit), Sofia Mendez, Computer Expert (spaceship), Jimmy Quinn, Scientist (astronomer)
GENRE :
Inspirational fiction, Science fiction
SUB GENRE :
Science Fiction, First Contact, Theological
SETTING(S) :
Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Magellan, Spaceship, Rakhat, Planet--Imaginary (in Alpha Centauri system), Caribbean, Latin America, North America
SUBJECT :
Catholicism, Religion, Science fiction, Space flight
TIME PERIOD :
21st century AD
Gale Document Number: GALE|M1300009435
Gale Database: What Do I Read Next?, 2010
SOURCE CITATION : "The Sparrow." 2010. Books & Authors Gale. Gale Internal User. 2 Sep 2010 <http://books.wiseto.com/bna/start.do?p=BNA&u=gale>
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