Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. NY: Villard Books, 1996. 408pp. $23.00; $12.00 (paper). 96-11180. ISBN 0-679-45150-1; 0-449-91255-8 (paper). C.I.P.
A more recent book with a Catholic angle, The Sparrow tells the story of a tragic first-contact mission to a planet, Rakhat, in a nearby star system. The main character is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist who has been trained with the expectation that sooner or later humans will meet another intelligent race. The sole survivor of the mission, Sandoz returns to Earth, mutilated, malnourished, and deeply troubled, accused of several heinous crimes by his rescuers. Russell has written the book in an episodic fashion, switching the setting from the present-day Jesuit inquiry into Sandoz's crimes to flashbacks of the events leading up to the return of Sandoz to Earth. Her book is rich in characterization, especially that of Sandoz, who progresses from being a street-wise child in a bad neighborhood of San Juan to a man who finds, then nearly loses, his faith in God. Scientifically speaking, the book is authentic as can be, since Russell is a scientist herself. Sandoz's mission travels in a slower-than-light-speed ship and experience the slowing of time predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. The culture of Rakhat, while disturbing, is plausible-Russell has worked out the co-evolution of the planet's two interdependent intelligent species very well. Teachers should be warned, however, that the book is for mature readers. While the "off-screen" sex is largely limited to appropriately married individuals, Russell unflinchingly presents Sandoz's struggles with celibacy and his eventual entrapment as a sex slave. There is some violence, as well, as some of the humans meet rather gruesome deaths. Nevertheless, the book raises very important issues about the ramifications of two very different cultures meeting and is worth the risk.—John J. Wheaton, St. Francis High School, Louisville, KY
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