Children of God

A Novel

By: Mary Doria Russell

Narrated by: Anna Fields

In Children of God, Mary Doria Russell further establishes herself as one of the most innovative, entertaining and philosophically provocative novelists writing today.

The only member of the original mission to the planet Rakhat to return to Earth, Father Emilio Sandoz has barely begun to recover from his ordeal when the So-ciety of Jesus calls upon him for help in preparing for another mission to Alpha Centauri. Despite his objections and fear, he cannot escape his past or the future.

Old friends, new discoveries and difficult questions await Emilio as he struggles for inner peace and understanding in a moral universe whose boundaries now extend beyond the solar system and whose future lies with children born in a faraway place.

Strikingly original, richly plotted, replete with memorable characters and filled with humanity and humor, Children of God is an unforgettable and uplifting novel that is a potent successor to The Sparrow and a startlingly imaginative adventure for newcomers to Mary Doria Russell’s special literary magic.©1999 Mary Doria Russell; (P)2008 Random House Audio

Mary Doria Russell slays me

Would you consider the audio edition of Children of God to be better than the print version?

I do not own the print version. The author does a marvelous job of acting-narrating

What other book might you compare Children of God to and why?

Children of God and the Sparrow are incomparable to anything else I've read

Which scene was your favorite?

The relationship scenes between Gina and Sandoz. They seemed so cathartic for Sandoz.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt a relationship to the characters that I will miss and will need to go back to as if they are old friends.

Any additional comments?

Mary Doria Russell's breadth of knowledge about religion-philosophy, the premise of the the Jesuits funding extraterrestrial travel, the Pope being from Africa, Sophia Mendes, where do I stop?! My only disappointment is the depiction of the extraterrestrials (can't spell names of species since listened to not read) as beast like. This imagine intelligent beings. Mary Doria Russell's breadth of knowledge about religion-philosophy, the premise of the Jesuits funding extraterrestrial travel, the Pope being from Africa, Sophia Mendes, where do I stop?! My only disappointment is the depiction of the extraterrestrials (can't spell names of species since listened to not read) as beast like. This imagine intelligent beings from outside of our know space to be unimaginable. I think the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind came as close to nailing down what my concept of these beings would appear. I hope we get the author to Writer's On a New England stage so the audience gets to converse with her.

Pardon me if my note is not grammatically perfect. I am just too bowled over and need to write as if speaking. WOW!

Fantastic Sequel to The Sparrow!

What did you love best about Children of God?

If you read and liked The Sparrow, you'll love how the story ends in Children of God. I listened to it all the way through on a road trip and didn't want it to end when we stopped for the night. Highly recommended!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Children of God?

Don't want to give it away, but it was amazing how the "Prime Directive" (in Star Trek terms) applies here. If you make contact with an alien specie, you WILL change them forever.

Have you listened to any of Anna Fields’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't know.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last scene was pretty good.

Any additional comments?

I started listening to another Sci-Fi book after this one and it made me really appreciate how deep and rich this book really is. A real treasure (along with The Sparrow).

Awesome character development

Awesome character development. One of the best series I’ve listened to so far. Story was interesting as well.

The Holy Roman Church meets the aliens

The conquistadors bring trade and religion to the New World. I thought this was an interesting approach to the science fiction story of first contact.

Good but not as good as first book

I said it all in the heading.
I liked first book better than this one