Set in the 21st century - between 20 and 60 years from now - The Sparrow is the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and talented linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who - in response to a remarkable radio signal from the depths of space - leads a scientific mission to make first contact with an extraterrestrial culture.
In the true tradition of Jesuit adventurers before him, Sandoz and his companions are prepared to endure isolation, suffering - even death - but nothing can prepare them for the civilisation they encounter, or for the tragic misunderstanding that brings the mission to a devastating end.
Once considered a living saint, Sandoz returns alone to Earth horrifically maimed, both physically and spiritually, the mission s sole survivor - only to be blamed for the mission's failure and accused of heinous crimes.
Written in clean, effortless prose and peopled with memorable, superbly-realised characters who never lose their humanity or humour, The Sparrow is a powerful, haunting fiction - a tragic but ultimately triumphant novel about the nature of faith, of love and what it means to be human.
About the Author
Mary Doria Russell is a former anatomist, has studied six languages, trained as a paleoanthropologist and is the author of scientific papers on subjects as various as bone biology and cannibalism. Her first novel, The Sparrow, won the 1996 James Tiptree Award, the 1998 BSFA Award and the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award and she has also won the Cleveland Arts Council Prize for Literature and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer of Science Fiction. Her second novel, Children of God, is the sequel to The Sparrow. Mary Doria Russell lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband and their son.
Industry Reviews
"One of those rare books that takes you to its heart and refuses to let go." - Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of Sleepers
"Compulsive reading and may be the year's best science fiction novel." - John Clute, Mail on Sunday
"Brilliant first novel about the discovery of extraterrestrial life... Shades of Wells, Ursula Le Guin and Arthur C. Clarke, with just a dash of Edgar Rice Burroughs - and yet strikingly original." - Kirkus Reviews
"One of the years's most powerful and disturbing books." - The Times
"A parable about human life on Earth, with all its imperfections, failings, doubts, wisdom and erudition... The Sparrow is a startling, engrossing and moral work of fiction." - Colleen McCullough
"Russell's debut novel... focuses on her characters, and it is here that the work truly shines. An entertaining infusion of humor keeps the book from becoming too dark, although some of the characters are so clever that they sometimes seem contrived. Readers who dislike an emphasis on moral dilemmas or spiritual quests may be turned off, but those who enjoy science fiction because it can create these things are in for a real treat." - Science Fiction Weekly
"The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence." - San Francisco Chronicle
"The Sparrow is an incredible novel, for one reason. Though it is set in the early twenty-first century, it is not written like most science fiction. Russell's novel is driven by her characters, by their complex relationships and inner conflicts, not by aliens or technology." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"It is rare to find a book about interplanetary exploration that has this much insight into human nature and foresight into a possible future." - San Antonio Express News
"Two narratives - the mission to the planet and its aftermath four decades later - interweave to create a suspenseful tale." - The Seattle Times
"By alternating chapters that dramatize Sandoz's tough-love interrogation with flashbacks to the mission's genesis, flowering, and tragic collapse, The Sparrow casts a strange, unsettling emotional spell, bouncing readers from scenes of black despair to ones of wild euphoria, from the bracing simplicity of pure adventure to the complicated tangles of nonhuman culture and politics... The smooth storytelling and gorgeous characterization can't be faulted." - Entertainment Weekly
