The Book of Strange New Things

A Novel

De: Michel Faber

Narrado por: Josh D. Cohen

A monumental, genre-defying novel that David Mitchell calls "Michel Faber’s second masterpiece," The Book of Strange New Things is a masterwork from a writer in full command of his many talents.

It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’s teachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.

Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.

Marked by the same bravura storytelling and precise language that made The Crimson Petal and the White such an international success, The Book of Strange New Things is extraordinary, mesmerizing, and replete with emotional complexity and genuine pathos.

Thoughtful 1st contact scifi w communication focus

This beautiful, moving book strongly reminded me of the years I lived abroad and my time as an English as a Second Language teacher. It’s about communication – the difficulty of understanding another being – whether you are from the same neighborhood or completely different planets. Yes, there’s a lot about faith and God, but you do not have to be a deeply religious person to get a lot out of this novel. In scifi terms, it’s not an action-based plot, so those expecting a thrill-a-minute will be disappointed. But if you like your thoughtful first-contact scifi with a bit of linguistics added in, you will get a lot out of this novel.

[I listened to this as an audio book performed by Josh Cohen. I thought he did a great job with the alien language, but I did speed up the audio to 1.25 because he read a bit slowly for my taste.]

Mixed emotions

This book was slow at times, and hard to follow at others, but it really sucked you in. I didn’t like the ambiguity of the ending, and wish we knew what happened to Peter, Bea, Oasis, and Earth.

meh

I keep waiting for something to happen and it never really did. this book is very long and thoughtful but have very little action. I like more action in my stories and this just wasn't that. honestly the review i read that made me want to read the book seriously was not truthful at all like maybe they got the book mixed up a bit. so it's really not the books fault cause I was thinking it was something it was not. it really is a book about faith and introspection of who you are when you not in your normal environment. it poses the question who are you when your completely out of your comfort zone. while it was interesting it was more philosophical than I was prepared for.

Science fiction with sensibilities of Literary Fic

The story is simple, Peter, pastor with a history of drug abuse and alcoholism prior to becoming a Christian is hired to go to the planet Oasis to minister to the aliens there. A lot has been made of this being a genre defying novel, but I did not think that it was widely outside of either Literary Fiction or Science Fiction and fans of both should consider it part of the genre they prefer most.

The main story of the book is really about the marriage of Peter on Oasis and his wife, Bea, back in England. They can communicate, but only via email like plain text. And then, only when he is at the main human complex and not when he is living with the aliens. The physical distance matters. But the experiential difference matters more. For Peter, he is absorbed in his work and the transition from the alien settlement to the human settlement is always a cultural shock. Add to that the increasing desperation of Bea, and Peter emotionally hides.

The book drags a little bit in the middle. The cultural learning that Peter needs to do learn about the aliens, and about the humans that are willing to go to an alien world, matters to the story, but there is a lot of explanation and internal dialogue. This is primarily an internal book. There are a few segments of action, but the main story is about people and culture and marriage and faith. I generally like internal books and I certainly like this one. But there is a bit of drag to the middle and the end will not please many.

The author is not a Christian, but gets so much right about Christianity in the book. World Magazine named it their fiction book of the year in 2015. I saw one person compared The Book of Strange New Things to The Poisonwood Bible, which other than the fact they are both about missionaries seems like an odd comparison. Both the missionary characters want to share their faith, but there is a real difference in method. Peter truly loves the aliens, while the father in Poisonwood Bible seems oblivious to the humanness of the Africans that he is ministering to. In both books there is an all consuming focus which leaves the needs of the families far behind the needs of the work.

In the end I think the exploration of ideas about marriage and distance and the exploration of faith and calling makes this well worth reading, even it is a little long and meandering at times. The audiobook was very well done.

Very good

Like many great stories, it engages you and then frustratingly leaves you wanting to engage more with the characters even at the end. Well done.