The Sparrow is sci-fi, but with a little bit of anthropology and like a lot of theology mixed in. The main question that it grapples with is that big one, you know, if there's a god, why is he let bad things happen? That's a pretty big question. And the whole book builds up to it in such a way that I want to try to discuss the book without ruining that part for everybody.
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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