This is an amazing book. The interweaving of the past and "present" to form one story; the cultural misunderstandings (both on earth and Rakhat) and thinking you "know" what happens as the story is slowly revealed make this a shocker. Loved it. ( )

Lots of moral questions raised, but what do you expect from a book about a Jesuit priest in space. Go ahead read it. ( )

Fr. Emilio Sandoz is a broken man in the beginning of the novel - half-dead when he was found on the planet Rakhat and returned to Earth. He believes God abandoned him in a mission he so fully felt God had led him to do. The author deftly moves the story from present-to-past throughout the book - it is both wonderful to learn the hows & whys & successes of their mission to a planet far beyond the stars (hitching a ride on an asteroid!) and devastating as well when the horrors begin (like any foreign visitor, Fr. Sandoz and his friends introduced destruction into the environment without meaning too). The title comes from the book of Matthew, Chapter 10, verse 29 about how not one sparrow can fall to the ground without the Father knowing it -- but it is quietly pointed out deep into the book: But the sparrow still falls. There may be some who read this book who will abhor what happens to Fr. Sandoz near the end of his mission on the planet...while others will respect the honing of a man by God and pray may it never be so for them. ( )

Wonderfully philosophical science-fiction novel about a Jesuit-run mission to a distant planet, includes a musicologist among the missionary team. (James Wierzbicki)

Catholic Mission trips are not what they used to be. Imagine that some of your closest friends are priests. Working in Puerto Rico near the space listening radio telescope, your friends mention receiving broadcasts from Alpha Centauri. Soon a privately and Catholic funded mission trip consisting of some very likable characters board a near-speed of light "spacecraft" to investigate the new sentient world.

Despite initial finding Eden-like conditions, events change. The story unfolds in fits of twists to reveal questions about atheism, agnosticism, and faith in general. In some way, this is an interesting work to consider along side _The Life of Pi_.

But it's not all about faith, far from it. In the spirit of the best Science Fiction, interesting questions are posed about human nature; in this case questioning the definition and meaning of laughter. What is funny? Is a laugh tragic, comic, funny, or even horrific? Or is it comforting? ( )