The Book of Strange New Things in 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge

Jul 28, 2014 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: rec-ig-blogs-friends-other, fiction, edelweis-netgalley_review, from-publisher, arc-copy, read-in-2014

I've waited a bit to write this review to see how this novel set with me after thinking about it some more. I am still struggling with rating this one but I'm going with a 4 although 4.5 is probably closer to how I feel about this one. I have heard a few people say that if you liked The Sparrow, you might enjoy this one. Although I think they are ultimately very different books, I do understand the inclination to pair the two of them. And agree that they are both books that should be read by all ...more

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Nov 02, 2014 Kara rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club, nook, science-fiction, nyt-book-review, religion

Liked: the religious/evangelical aspects, watching the world fall apart from a distance, the Oasans

Disliked: the relationship building, the ENDING

I'd like to put more of an effort into my review writing this year, but this ending made me so angry that I want to just be done with this book. I may revisit this review. ...more

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Feb 07, 2015 Kat rated it it was ok

"What do you expect? This place is one big anti-climax."

I wanted to like this book more than I did, I think. But I found a lot of problems with it that I find hard to swallow coming from an author who's supposedly very successful and well-thought of.

Basic Premise: Christian missionary Peter Leigh is sent to another planet (Oasis) to preach to the aliens (Oasans), per the aliens' request. (They've already met and liked a previous preacher.) This causes a rift between himself and his wife, challen ...more

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Jan 20, 2015 Kristi rated it liked it

Shelves: reading-challenge-2015, book-riot-riot-read

I am still sorting out my feelings about this book. This is the story of Peter, a missionary who is getting the chance of a lifetime: he's going to bring the word of God to aliens living on another planet. Bea, his wife and partner in faith, remains behind. Their separation is only intended to last a matter of months, and Peter's mission turns out to be rather idyllic: his congregation already loves Jesus and speaks English. Meanwhile, Bea finds herself living on an Earth whose political, econom I am still sorting out my feelings about this book. This is the story of Peter, a missionary who is getting the chance of a lifetime: he's going to bring the word of God to aliens living on another planet. Bea, his wife and partner in faith, remains behind. Their separation is only intended to last a matter of months, and Peter's mission turns out to be rather idyllic: his congregation already loves Jesus and speaks English. Meanwhile, Bea finds herself living on an Earth whose political, economic and even physical well-being is deteriorating rapidly--and did I mention that she's also discovered that she's pregnant? The couple struggles as their situations make it increasingly difficult to relate to one another, pushing their love and their faith to the very breaking point.

Spoilers ahead

I think this book is really well written. I don't particular like space, nor am I particularly enthusiastic about missionaries, yet I really couldn't put this book down. The author draws you in very skillfully. The main characters seem like real people--religious but more complicated than just that. Their relationship feels real, and that is the factor on which so much of this book turns.

BUT at the same time, there are just so many things that bother me about this book! To name a few:

- The author obviously chooses to omit major details about what exactly is going on back on Earth, probably so he can focus on more thematic issues. I understand that this is an artistic choice, but occasionally it just feels like lazy writing. It's easier to just have Bea say that she's facing vague apocalyptic conditions than to flesh out a real, believable disaster on Earth.
- What is the deal with USIS? The author teases us with tidbits about the corporation trying to set up a new world to be fled to when Earth goes wrong, and he suggests that the company has picked emotionless shells of people to populate this world--but really, the book doesn't do much with this. It's just kind of put out there by the author, dangled as the mere sketch of a conspiracy.
- Are we really supposed to buy that Bea has gone from competent superwoman to lying, broken down, faithless woman in a matter of weeks? Again, without more background, this just seems kind of weird and like a rather ill disguised plot device.
- We have a lot of interesting stuff about the Oasans and the USIS staff and racism and colonialism and all sorts of things, but it's all just sort of noise.
- So, in the end, Peter goes home, and Bea's whereabouts are unknown, as is the whole situation on Earth. Basically all questions are left unanswered, except the one about where Peter thinks his priorities should be. But what was the point of all of that other stuff?

I think this all boils down to this book trying to be a number of different things: a space epic, an exploration of religion, a tale of impending apocalypse on Earth, and a narrative about a relationship stretched to the extremes in terms of physical and psychological distance. In the end, I found it to be an enjoyable read but sort of unsatisfying on any specific count.

Recommended to fans of space or thinking about religion, or to people who want to ruminate on long-distance relationships, or to people looking for a relatively long read that's fairly entertaining. Those looking for something more straight scifi will likely be disappointed and frustrated by things that the author chooses to gloss over. ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Nate Davis rated it it was amazing

Part epistolary novel, part exoplanet science fiction, part apocalyptic cautionary tale, part meditation on love and faith. Like much of Faber's work, this novel is subtle and sometimes slow-going, but worth the metaphysical effort. ...more

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