The Book of Strange New Things in Play Book Tag

Aug 15, 2015 Heather Reads Books rated it it was amazing

Shelves: speculative-fiction, science-fiction, modern-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Gosh, what do I say about this book? It's easily the best I've read so far this year. I sped through it, unable to put it down. Michel Faber is an amazing writer, and I picked up a few new vocabulary words, which is rare for me. Lots of bold diction in this book, striving to get the reader to envision a completely new world. And it works. Boy, does it work. I'm a huge sucker for science fiction like this: one that manages to capture a new planet, acknowledging scientific components but not getti Gosh, what do I say about this book? It's easily the best I've read so far this year. I sped through it, unable to put it down. Michel Faber is an amazing writer, and I picked up a few new vocabulary words, which is rare for me. Lots of bold diction in this book, striving to get the reader to envision a completely new world. And it works. Boy, does it work. I'm a huge sucker for science fiction like this: one that manages to capture a new planet, acknowledging scientific components but not getting too technical about it. I could drink in everything known about Oasis. I'm surprised there wasn't an excited astrophysicist character there who would have been wetting him/herself about the aspects of the world that everyone else found boring. That character would have been me.

I love the juxtaposition between Peter's journey in the new world, communing and learning the cultural quirks of the native people (Oasans as he calls them, or the SLM), and the really big question that gets asked in this book: can the concept of an earthly God really translate to a different world, one where all the rules are different? I'm not a religious person, but I like the study of theology, and I found the question fascinating. I'm not sure Faber actually answers the question in this tome, either, which is fine. I would like to think the answer is yes, though – the Oasans were in such need of spiritual comfort because their lives were so fragile, and the message of Jesus comforted them. Isn't that the main purpose of all religion, deep down? I think that's a surprisingly optimistic theme in a book that has such an undertone of unease to it.

The other main conflict in the book, the growing rift between Peter and his wife Beatrice, was also fascinating to watch unfold. The inevitable pitfalls of only having written communication to rely on can snowball quickly. I had a lot of questions about the true nature of their relationship when things started to unravel. Was it really as strong as Peter believed? Or was the Christian zealousness the main thing they had in common? It was such an unbelievably low blow for Bea to get pregnant without consulting him before he left that I never quite forgave her after that. And then it became difficult to, because she started being so resentful and uncharitable, although perhaps with good reason. I wondered a lot about whether their relationship was truly salvageable. Unfortunately, we never see their reunion, so now I'll never know.

Which brings me to the ending. Despite the book's impressive length, I thought it ended abruptly and without a satisfying resolution. I considered knocking off a whole star for that, but the rest of the book was just so amazing I couldn't bear to do it. Let's call it 4.75 stars. But there was so much I wanted to learn but didn't – were the Oasans going to be okay with human medical care? Would Jesus Lover Five live? Was earth really going to hell in a handbasket as badly as Bea made it out to be? Was USIC really as evil a corporation as it seemed? (And what did USIC stand for, dammit?!) Were rich colonists actually lining up to move there or was the project languishing in the wake of the economic instability of earth? Would Peter even be able to find Bea again? Is USIC actually going to let him and Grainger leave? Are Peter and Grainger ever actually going to bone? (I ship it, okay, she seemed a lot more pleasant than Beatrice.) Would Peter regain his faith in God or would he shed the zealous Christian identity that saved his life, yet live a more enlightened existence due to his experience with the Oasans? Just one more chapter of his arrival back on earth might answer most of these for me, and I would be satisfied one way or another. But it just ended, on a slightly clichéd Bible verse no less. The rest of the book was so wonderfully nuanced that this simply did not do it justice.

Well, here's hoping for a sequel to answer all these questions. Until then, I'll be haunted by the loose threads of this amazingly vivid, thought-provoking epic. ...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Kelly Lynn Thomas rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy, audio-books

This book's premise is interesting: Christian missionary goes to distant planet to bring the word of God to the native people. He has to leave his wife at home, and the world starts going to shit.

Sadly, the execution was lackluster. The prose is over-written, and the main character is constantly making judgements on the appearance of the women around him. Like, "she had the kind of face that would only stay pretty as long as she didn't get any older." Seriously, WTF is that all about?

This book w ...more

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