julesloyola's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Violence, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery
Minor: Antisemitism, Car accident, and Child abuse
inkfingers's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Spoiler
The putting together of the mission and crew does feel extremely convenient, but the characters consider the pieces falling together a sign of divine intervention but question it later as things go wrong. As long as the reader is willing to meet the book on its own terms and see it as a kind of eucatastrophe, it does reward the suspension of disbelief.Spoiler
The horrible end of the mission is hinted at from the beginning, and a careful reader may guess what went wrong, but Russell holds the whole truth back until the last fifty pages of the book when Emilio finally tells the Father General what happened. Then the catastrophe plays out at breakneck speed and earns 80% of the novel’s tag warnings in quick succession so heed those even if you aren’t very squeamish.This book is a discussion of faith and suffering in the league of Silence by Shūsaku Endō, offering no easy answers about a crisis of faith and God’s silence.
The last fifty pages of this book laid me out like a Victorian lady taken to her bed with a dreadful illness, and I expect I won’t recover until I read the sequel.
Graphic: Child death and Rape
Moderate: Violence and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Medical content
lesbegays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, and Xenophobia
skupdawg426's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Drug use, Violence, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts
jersy's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While I cared for some characters more than for others (which mostly correlated to how much time was dedicated to them prior to the space mission) it's an awesome cast in general and everyone was pretty unique but also believable.
This book is heavy on themes, most importantly the source and impact of religious believes, sexuality and the complexity of interpersonal relationships, which are all present both in discussions as well as in the plot. However, I'm not sure if I like the ending: maybe it was just too much for me or maybe it just didn't handle the topic all too well, either. I will have to process that further.
As a whole, this was a great read: emotional, interesting, intelligent and compelling. For a few readers it might be too slow and not enough about space exploration, though.
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse