<![CDATA[Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)]]>

false <![CDATA[Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166764493m/16948.jpg 16948 9 Children of God is the sequel to Mary Doria Russell's 1996 The Sparrow, which saw a Jesuit mission to the planet Rakhat end in disaster. The sole survivor of that mission, a priest named Emilio Sandoz, returned a beaten and broken man, having suffered rape and mutilation at the hands of enigmatic aliens. Now the Jesuits want to go back to Rakhat, and they want Sandoz aboard the new mission. But Sandoz has renounced his priesthood and even found a measure of happiness with his new wife and stepdaughter. Meanwhile, on Rakhat, contact with the humans has thrown the local culture into turmoil, precipitating a war between Rakhat's two sentient races. As forces conspire to send Emilio back to Rakhat--and toward a possible reconciliation with God--the planet verges on genocidal destruction. Children of God is a more polished novel than The Sparrow, and the story is equally compelling. 882029 1998 Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle) total:2471|5:789|4:1048|3:529|2:84|1:21| 2471 9913 3117 313 5 6 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 22 06:04:04 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 22 06:16:58 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 4 false false Wed Mar 11 16:53:19 -0700 2009 Thu Feb 05 19:54:32 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 11 16:53:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 4 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 20:42:04 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 21:21:06 -0800 2009
I didn't connect with anyone the way I completely fell in love with all the characters in The Sparrow. Sean Fein, Danny Iron Horse, Joseba Urizarbarrena - they were all completely ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 18:16:55 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 18:21:30 -0700 2008
The book ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Dec 30 12:43:22 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 12:50:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 09:05:04 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 16:42:15 -0700 2009 The Sparrow or Children of God because I feel that the two books are so bound to one another that I can only review them as a pair. So this review addresses the two as if they were merely Part I and Part II of the same work.

This unique work o...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jan 24 18:23:01 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 14 20:02:48 -0700 2009
This is a fascin...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Oct 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 15:13:51 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 27 20:13:28 -0700 2008 1 The Sparrow, but I think it is more accurate to think of The Sparrow and Children of God as part 1 and 2 of the same book. If you've read The Sparrow, you must read Children of God and if you're considering Children of God you need to go read The Sparrow first.

Every...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jul 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:57:51 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 22 11:50:20 -0700 2008 The Sparrow is worth reading, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. It begins well enough but loses steam about halfway through.

I liked the second revealing look at the events which occurred at the end of The Sparrow, even though the author cheats: it turns out ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 12 03:09:25 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 12 03:54:26 -0700 2008 Children of God falls into the category of sequels which are not bad, but which are unnecessary. Picking up where The Sparrow left off, it follows the story of Emilio Sandoz' return to Rakhat, and how the social changes which he found there had occurred. Unlike the first book, however, Children of God...more...]]> 0 1 false true Thu Apr 03 16:42:05 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 07:46:50 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 22 17:25:19 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 17:28:52 -0700 2009 4 1 true false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Dec 28 19:40:25 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 19:41:43 -0800 2007
"It is dishonest," Danny said with clipped exactitude. "It is arrogant. It is cruel."
"The Holy Father--"
"Stop hiding behind his skirts," Danny sneered.
"You are scrupulous," Giuliani observed. "Th...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Feb 02 15:22:41 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 15:24:02 -0800 2009 4 0 false true Wed Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 10:35:10 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 08:51:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 13:27:39 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 14:15:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 17:25:30 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 17:37:51 -0800 2008
She continues on the religious/sci-fi ...more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 08:59:40 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 09:42:06 -0700 2009
1. Too many scenes from the VaRahkati point of view. It seemed like Russell was more interested in writing a hi...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 09:38:26 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 13:48:59 -0700 2009
I can understand the detractors' criticism: Sparrow was better and it ended beautifully - heartbreaking and hopeful but without any hint as to...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 31 10:51:05 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 23:21:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=16948