The Sparrow: A Book Review

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Annie wrote in to say that the play is not only subversive but that she suspects that it's a very cynical play based on where the title comes from. How could an educated man might be the cause of this murder and how could such education kind of lead to this behavior? Sabrina who hashtagged books in the shower when she tweeted at us I don't know what that means I think it means exactly what it says I'm just gonna keep moving.

We're back to sci-fi this week, but we take a break from the politics-heavy universe of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow instead uses science fiction to discuss anthropology, colonialism, and theology. There's some genuinely funny and warm stuff in this book, but there's a shadow hanging over the proceedings from the outset: eight people set out to explore the first known alien planet inhabited by sentient life, but only one comes back, and he's much worse for the wear.

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