Children of God

I just finished reading Children of God, Mary Doria Russell's sequel to The Sparrow. It was quite good; not as good as the first, but an interesting read.

Like the original, the book takes place on Earth, another life-supporting planet called Rakhat, and a hollowed-out asteroid used as transport between the two. Also like the original, Children of God is about a Jesuit mission to Rakhat, and the Rakhat scenes take place amid a society much changed by the catastrophic events set off by the first mission to Rakhat. But the books are less science-fiction than they are character-driven studies of people and their faith, or lack thereof.

At the end of the first book, the character of Emilio Sandoz is in the process of reevaluating his faith. He has trouble reconciling the God he has always loved with a God who could allow his horrible treatment in Rakhat. He chooses to abandons the church, and he falls in love. When he is kidnapped and forced to return to Rakhat, he has to confront the world he had hoped never to see again.

Since the original mission to Rakhat, there has been major societal upheaval, led by Sofia Mendez (she survived!) and Supaari VaGayjur. While Hlavin Kitheri was busy influencing the succession laws of the Jana'ata, Supaari and Sofia were teaching the Runa self-sufficiency and spurning them to revolt against their oppressors. By the time Emilio returned to the planet, few Jana'ata even survived, and those who did were in hiding.

As Emilio learns of the new situation on Rakhat, and of Sofia's survival, he is forced again to examine his relationship with God. This continual struggle is what makes Emilio's character complex and compelling - for him, there are no easy answers. In order for him to finally have peace, he needs to understand why he was meant to travel to Rakhat the first time, and why he had to return.

Russell's narrative is incredibly powerful. Her best passages are those in which nothing really happens, in which her characters simply grow. In addition to Emilio's spiritual journey, those of Sofia, Supaari, Ha'anala, Danny Iron Horse, Isaac and even Nico are tightly woven tapestries. The reader is able to understand what drives each character's actions and what makes him or her tick. None of these characters is shallow or single-faceted; all of them have fascinating layers. Russell's mastery of the written word - more so than the plot itself - is what makes Children of God a pleasure to read.