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juushikaTitle: Children of God
Author: Mary Doria Russell
Published: New York: Fawcett Books, 1999 (1998)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 438
Total Page Count: 73,977
Text Number: 218
Read For: sequel to The Sparrow, borrowed from the library
Short Review: This sequel continues where The Sparrow left off. Sandoz is finally beginning to heal after the traumatizing events on Rakhat, the first known alien planet. He renounces the priesthood, but the Jesuit Church insists that he return to Rakhat to finish the work he started; meanwhile civil war brews on Rakhat as Runa declare their independence from Jana'ata. Children of God is similar to The Sparrow in many ways, but pales in comparison: many literary techniques reappear but are less effective; the various themes and Sandoz's story are all well-intended but fail to have such a strong impact as they do in the first book. All in all it's not a bad piece of literature and there's no harm in reading it, but I don't consider it a worthy sequel.
Many of the literary techniques that made The Sparrow a success reappear here as ineffective fragments of themselves. Similar to its predecessor, Children of God has two plotlines, one focused on Sandoz and one on the Rakhat civil war; unlike The Sparrow, both of these plotlines are contemporary, although the Rakhat plot is sometimes interrupted by flashes of the future. The dual plotlines create a little tension and some foreshadowing, but relativity and glimpses of the future hasten and distort the timeline and do the book no favors. The Sparrow took a while to get going, but redeemed the wait; Children of God also has a slow start, but it uses that beginning to summarize the previous book rather than to build a strong cast of characters; as a result the opening is redundant (the plot summary isn't enough to replace The Sparrow) and the cast is composed of undeveloped strangers and old faces whose stories stretch on overlong. The plot is still readable, the dual timelines can be compelling, and characters are sometimes empathetic and interesting—but for the most part, this sequel mimics but falls short of its predecessor.
More than writing style, what made The Sparrow a success was Sandoz's beautiful and terrible journey from religious rapture to martyrdom. Children of God has different religious and moral issues which range from Eden to Exodus to the justification of utilitarianism, and it's intended to be Sandoz's final salvation. Some of the themes are quite thoughtful, but many of them are explored through underdeveloped or unempathetic characters and so they lack an emotional component—intellectual but too impersonal, the themes don't come to life. Sandoz's redemption is somewhat better, but it's hampered by an extra touch of unbelievable evil and a too-quick wrap up: the book's ending is at once frantic and intangible, frustrated by poor communication, and ends Sandoz's journey too quickly. While his healing and rediscovery of faith are both realistically paced, it still feels like the book should have a stronger, braver conclusion. The one that exists does not quite justify Sandoz's difficult experiences.
I'm critical of Children of God because its predecessor was so very good. This sequel has a lot to live up to, and it doesn't quite manage it. To be fair the book is pretty good: above average in all senses, the writing style is swiftly readable, the plot is detailed, some of the characters are realistic and empathetic, and best of all the book contains an admirable amount of thoughtful, intelligent, brave content that ranges from religion to philosophy to morality. It's not a bad book, so read it if you desire to. Personally, however, I wish I hadn't. Perhaps I should strop trying to read sequels—I always doubt them and they often disappoint me. Russell can do better than this—I know that because The Sparrow is incredible. Children of God is a pale comparison and, despite its successes, despite the fact that Rakhat did have a longer story to tell, it's just not a worthy sequel to such a good book.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Mary Doria Russell
Published: New York: Fawcett Books, 1999 (1998)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 438
Total Page Count: 73,977
Text Number: 218
Read For: sequel to The Sparrow, borrowed from the library
Short Review: This sequel continues where The Sparrow left off. Sandoz is finally beginning to heal after the traumatizing events on Rakhat, the first known alien planet. He renounces the priesthood, but the Jesuit Church insists that he return to Rakhat to finish the work he started; meanwhile civil war brews on Rakhat as Runa declare their independence from Jana'ata. Children of God is similar to The Sparrow in many ways, but pales in comparison: many literary techniques reappear but are less effective; the various themes and Sandoz's story are all well-intended but fail to have such a strong impact as they do in the first book. All in all it's not a bad piece of literature and there's no harm in reading it, but I don't consider it a worthy sequel.
Many of the literary techniques that made The Sparrow a success reappear here as ineffective fragments of themselves. Similar to its predecessor, Children of God has two plotlines, one focused on Sandoz and one on the Rakhat civil war; unlike The Sparrow, both of these plotlines are contemporary, although the Rakhat plot is sometimes interrupted by flashes of the future. The dual plotlines create a little tension and some foreshadowing, but relativity and glimpses of the future hasten and distort the timeline and do the book no favors. The Sparrow took a while to get going, but redeemed the wait; Children of God also has a slow start, but it uses that beginning to summarize the previous book rather than to build a strong cast of characters; as a result the opening is redundant (the plot summary isn't enough to replace The Sparrow) and the cast is composed of undeveloped strangers and old faces whose stories stretch on overlong. The plot is still readable, the dual timelines can be compelling, and characters are sometimes empathetic and interesting—but for the most part, this sequel mimics but falls short of its predecessor.
More than writing style, what made The Sparrow a success was Sandoz's beautiful and terrible journey from religious rapture to martyrdom. Children of God has different religious and moral issues which range from Eden to Exodus to the justification of utilitarianism, and it's intended to be Sandoz's final salvation. Some of the themes are quite thoughtful, but many of them are explored through underdeveloped or unempathetic characters and so they lack an emotional component—intellectual but too impersonal, the themes don't come to life. Sandoz's redemption is somewhat better, but it's hampered by an extra touch of unbelievable evil and a too-quick wrap up: the book's ending is at once frantic and intangible, frustrated by poor communication, and ends Sandoz's journey too quickly. While his healing and rediscovery of faith are both realistically paced, it still feels like the book should have a stronger, braver conclusion. The one that exists does not quite justify Sandoz's difficult experiences.
I'm critical of Children of God because its predecessor was so very good. This sequel has a lot to live up to, and it doesn't quite manage it. To be fair the book is pretty good: above average in all senses, the writing style is swiftly readable, the plot is detailed, some of the characters are realistic and empathetic, and best of all the book contains an admirable amount of thoughtful, intelligent, brave content that ranges from religion to philosophy to morality. It's not a bad book, so read it if you desire to. Personally, however, I wish I hadn't. Perhaps I should strop trying to read sequels—I always doubt them and they often disappoint me. Russell can do better than this—I know that because The Sparrow is incredible. Children of God is a pale comparison and, despite its successes, despite the fact that Rakhat did have a longer story to tell, it's just not a worthy sequel to such a good book.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
