Reddit reviews The Sparrow: A Novel (The Sparrow Series)

Use of Weapons and, everything else by Iain M. Banks. Amazing stuff. Trust me.

The Blade Itself and the rest of that series by Joe Abercrombie.

Altered Carbon and the rest of that series as well as Thirteen and The Steel Remains, and it's sequel (still waiting on book 3) by Richard K. Morgan. He's pretty amazing.

That would keep you busy for a long time and are all pretty amazing. Seconding Dune, which is amazing, and the Name of the Wind which is great but very popcorn.

But really, if you were to read everything by Iain M. Banks you would be a better person.

Edit: The Sparrow

Thanks so much for putting this together! So much great info came out of this con!!

*possible spoiler - do not click on link below if you don’t want to know a big picture possibility about where the show may be headed***

For those interested, a fan overheard the book that JRoth apparently gave to Bob for season 6 and it is this.

The Sparrow.

I really liked The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It may not be what you're looking for because 1) the story involves humans making contact with aliens on their planet, rather than the other way 'round and 2) the outreach mission is run by the Jesuits, so the initial motivation for contact is religious as well as scientific, and so discussion of religious issues arises here and there.

All of that aside, it's a great book and it really gets at the assumptions we tend to make about alien life. The characters in the book make a lot of assumptions about the aliens, and the results are shocking and unexpected. It's more about change on individual level, rather than societal - but definitely worth a read.

The Catholic Church figures pretty heavily into the story, but doesn't come out looking all that great. It's not really a "pro-organized religion" sort of book.

First off, I got what looks to be some great books from my match. I got Perdido Street Station, Hyperion, The Sparrow, The Little Country, and American Gods. I have never read nor heard of these titles, but I'm excited to start reading them.

Now for the best part. My match sent me an original manuscript for a novel they wrote. How awesome is that? They also included a short story (a side story to the novel) that includes me as a character. I can honestly say that this is one of the best things I've ever received! I think I'll start with the novel first.

http://imgur.com/xVFbm

*update: Thanks for all of the encouraging posts! It seems that I really struck gold on this exchange. I sent a little reddit gold love to my SS for the wonderful gift. It's such a great collection that I feel like the books I sent to my match are woefully inadequate.

Lilith's Brood, by Octavia Butler, previously published as The Xenogenesis Trilogy. Excellent sf!

ETA: The Sparrow and its sequel Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell. I know I keep mentioning this book, but it's that good!

I know that there are sci-fi novels that deal with this, but I can't recall any at the moment except for The Sparrow.

EDIT: formatting and fixed link

You should read The Sparrow by M.D. Russel. The book makes you think about self preservation of an ecosystem, not just a type of animal or plant.

Something similar, fictionally, is The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. She's an anthropologist, and the novel's contents are germane to your question (so as not to spoil anything). There's a sequel novel too but I haven't read it.

You might like The Sparrow


I found it really compelling and thought provoking (though very dark at times!). It was a good balance of scifi and theology/philosophy.

I really enjoyed The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Take a look at the book The Sparrow

The Sparrow. Possibly my favorite book of all time. There is a sequel as well, Children of God.

http://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558

First think that came to mind for me was Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. Really quality stuff.

From Amazon (SPOILER ALERT): In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being "human." When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong... Words like "provocative" and "compelling" will come to mind as you read this shocking novel about first contact with a race that creates music akin to both poetry and prayer.

Well . . . if you're looking at a book simply as a collection of text, I too have never feared a line of text. What books allow, is a slow building of fear that require quite a bit of character development. I don't read horror novels waiting to be frightened, and truthfully read very little horror. The fear just happens. To be honest, it's a different type of fear - more of an uneasy feeling really. Certainly, a book can't have, what my son calls, "The scary jump out scenes". But if we exchange the term fear with edgy, here are a list of my favorite books with an "Edge":

[The Passage] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Passage-Novel-Book-Trilogy/dp/0345528174)
[The Terror] (http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Novel-Dan-Simmons/dp/0316008079/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404481514&sr=1-1&keywords=terror)
The Stand
Carrion Comfort
Desperation
I am Legend
The Sparrow
Night
Frankenstein
All Quite on the Western Front
Hunger
Blood Meridian
Watchers
The Minus Man

In no particular order - Not the usual suggestions either. Hope it helps, and happy reading!

If I may add an extra layer to your observation: This book is about a group of people who find themselves in a first contact scenario based on a signal received at the Arecibo array. The book's title? The Sparrow.

I highly, highly recommend it - some of the most emotional sci-fi I've ever read.

Serious answer, if you're interested in a fictional exploration of that idea from a Catholic writer, I highly recommend The Sparrow. It's basically about First Contact from the lense of a Jesuit, and I found it extremely thought provoking.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. http://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558

the Diamond Age

Friday

the Sparrow

the Blind Assasin

Parable of the Sower

It always surprises me how The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell has slipped under the radar of many. It's intense in places but extraordinarily well-written. It has a sequel that's not nearly as good (probably due to a publisher urging a rush job), but overall this is an amazing book. It's my number one favorite book, not just sci-fi book, for a variety of reasons. Very thoughtful, very vivid characters, very interesting descriptive detail. So realistic in places it almost doesn't feel like sci-fi.

I enjoyed Ascent by Jed Mercurio a lot. The opening chapter is more violent than I wish. I almost stopped reading, worrying the whole book would be that way, but it lightens up. The first chapter can, frankly, pretty much be skipped by anyone who doesn't like that kind of thing. The rest of the story was much more even and interesting. I have a feeling when I see the upcoming Apollo 18, if I even bother (I'm expecting bad reviews), I'm going to wish it was this story instead.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396116677&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sparrow


"The Sparrow: A Novel"

by Mary Doria Russell

Yikes I reeeeeeally hope they are not going the [hover for spoiler](/spoiler alien) route.... that's a big nope for me :/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sparrow_(novel)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0449912558/R1VLVTYCBFUYI/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0449912558/R346EEJCNWLWYG/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_7?ie=UTF8&cursor=7

Edit: ok well I can't figure out how to properly hide what I am talking about but those who look up the plot of the book should know what I'm talking about.... going in that particular direction would really feel like jumping the shark for me and I'm not here for it :/

My favorite religiously-themed fiction book: The Sparrow

Man, summer book adventures are the best kind of adventures there are :)

My recommendations are Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow - beautiful, smart, kind and tragic sf novel about first contact with an alien world - and Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind - I got it as a "blind date" book from my local bookstore and I've only read about 80pp so far but it's full of mysterious book-related possibly supernatural plots.

check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341599508&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sparrow+russell

it's fiction, but the author does a good job of considering this question philosophically via empathy (the title ends up adding depth to a cliche christian sentiment in a way that was probably not intended, but is true nonetheless).

The Sparrow. I loathed this book. Jesuits in space. However, I think it would be funny for those who got it.

If you liked the Ender universe, try the offshoot series for Ender and Bean. Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind are more philosophical and deal with Ender coming to terms with killing all the Formics. Everything after Ender's Shadow follows Bean and the other Battle School kids as the world superpowers try to achieve global domination after the Formic War, it's more about military and political strategy. They're both great, but very different.

For something new, check out Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow and its sequel, Children of God. Here's the Publishers Weekly description of The Sparrow:

An enigma wrapped inside a mystery sets up expectations that prove difficult to fulfill in Russell's first novel, which is about first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. The enigma is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist whose messianic virtues hide his occasional doubt about his calling. The mystery is the climactic turn of events that has left him the sole survivor of a secret Jesuit expedition to the planet Rakhat and, upon his return, made him a disgrace to his faith. Suspense escalates as the narrative ping-pongs between the years 2016, when Sandoz begins assembling the team that first detects signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and 2060, when a Vatican inquest is convened to coax an explanation from the physically mutilated and emotionally devastated priest. A vibrant cast of characters who come to life through their intense scientific and philosophical debates help distract attention from the space-opera elements necessary to get them off the Earth.

Oh, and I almost forget, the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin is so freaking amazing. If you want a new fictional universe to explore, this is it. Well written, ridiculous plot twists, tons of interesting and unique characters that you hate with a passion until you read the chapter written from their point of view, then you fall in love with them. I watched the first two episodes of Game of Thrones before deciding I wanted to read the books first. I stayed up way later than I planned to because I just had to read the next chapter, then the next, then the next book, until I'd read all five in no time and might read them again because I'm addicted to the characters and universe. It's just such rich content that you'll find yourself flipping back and forth to re-read different parts. You won't regret it.

Forever Peace - Haldeman

Book of The New Sun/Book of the Long Sun - Wolfe (this is a very rewarding story, but it requires commitment)

Never Let Me Go - Ishiguro

The Sparrow - Russell

Please be aware that these are all fairly dark. Maybe I'm soft, but The Sparrow was one of the roughest books I've read, from a psychological perspective.

Welcome :)

Can't legally link the full book, but I'm sure your library has (or can get) a copy. I believe the book was The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

The story you talked about sounds pretty interesting. Sometimes I'm tempted to read OSC's fiction that people observe(/complain) is just thinly veiled Mormon cosmology, because it sounds interesting, but I don't think I can stomach reading any of his books anymore now that I know a bit more about him as a person. Kind of sad.

Does the name "Trappist" have anything to do with the science fiction novel "The Sparrow"? https://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Novel-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

I really loved The Poisonwood Bible. And she wrote The Invention of Wings too, right?

Check out The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It's science fiction, but written beautifully and the focus is on humanity and characterization, not "beep boop robots aliens" haha. This book really stuck with me after reading it, in the same way the Kingsolver novels did.

Also check out The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea. It's a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Teresita Urrea, and is also absolutely wonderful and will stick with you.

A Case of Conscience by James Blish and The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell goes into first contact material like Contact does, but (IMHO) it's much deeper and more thought provoking.

Just a side note, this theme is explored in Russel's novel, The Sparrow. The crew sent to the planet found with intelligent life include Jesuits.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel

Check out the scifi novel "the Sparrow" by Mary Russell, tackles the religion in space dilemma, pretty good read too.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sparrow-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0449912558

Not my own work, but if you like this prompt then you'll like this book

And the sequel

If you're into Sci-fi type books, you should check out The Sparrow. Easily one of my favorites that draws on philosophy, religion, linguistics, space travel, and more.

There was a follow-up called "Children of God" which I'd recommend if you like the first one.