3.0
A Case of Conscience
ByPublisher Description
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is a dedicated man, a Jesuit priest who is also a scientist, and a scientist who is also a human being. He doesn't feel any genuine conflicts in his belief system—until he is sent to Lithia.
The reptilian inhabitants of this distant world appear to be admirable in every way. Untroubled by greed or lust, they live in peace. But they have no concept of God, no literature, and no art. They rely purely on cold reason. But something darker lies beneath the surface: Do the Lithians pose a hidden threat? The answers that unfold could affect the fate of two worlds. Will Ruiz-Sanchez, a priest driven by his deeply human understanding of good and evil, do the right thing when confronted by a race that is alien to its core?
lauds
as "one of the first serious attempts to deal with religion [in science fiction], and [it] remains one of the most sophisticated. It is generally regarded as an SF classic." Readers of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, Mary Doria Russell's
, or Walter M. Miller Jr.'s
will find this award-winning novel a gripping, compelling exploration of some of the most intractable and important questions faced by the human species. Includes an introduction by Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Greg Bear.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesA Case of Conscience Reviews
3.0
“A favorite. So smart and predates Heinlein’s Stranger.”
“A really fantastic work of religious science fiction. A “Case of Conscience” is a fixup novel told in two parts.
The first part is set on the alien planet Lithia, where four Earth scientists are tasked with determining if the planet is suitable to be set up as a waystation for the UN (which now appears to function almost like a proto-Federation from Star Trek).
Lithia is a veritable Eden, a paradise planet on which an intelligent species of ten-foot-tall, kangaroo-like reptiles is indigenous. The Lithians have no art, no religion, no politics, no crime, and live in perfect social cohesion with one another and their natural world. They are perfect moral agents. Due to having a different resource distribution from Earth, their science and technology has developed on a separate track, and while in some areas they lag behind humanity, in others they have pushed beyond it.
The first half of the novel is largely centered around the debate among the four Earth scientists over whether to recommend opening the world up as a waystation or keeping it closed off. The biologist, Father Ruiz-Sanchez, is also a Jesuit priest and is deeply troubled by the Lithians as purely rational moral beings, and by how that clashes with his deeply human and Catholic understanding of good and evil.
The second half is set back on Earth after the scientists return. Father Ruiz-Sanchez has brought with him the egg of one of the Lithians' offspring. The story revolves around this alien child on Earth and does some phenomenal world-building around the Cold War, in which, in response to the threat of nuclear war, many nations have developed into "Shelter States" -- essentially massive subterranean bunkers in which the population of the Earth now lives. Access to the planet's surface is heavily restricted, and much of the population feels deeply alienated. The story draws on both the alienation of the human populace and that of the alien child, developing in really interesting ways.
This novel went places I never expected, and I found it totally engrossing. From the quality of the writing, I can see that Blish takes science fiction seriously. He spends a great deal of time making both Lithia and his speculative version of Earth feel believable, and I think he accomplishes this expertly. He uses science fiction to explore some deeply profound questions about religion, primarily Catholicism.
A great book, and one I would strongly recommend. It holds up remarkably well for a novel published in 1958.”
About James Blish
James Blish (1921–1975) was a novelist whose most popular works include
and his Cities in Flight series, about people fleeing a declining Earth to seek new homes among the stars. He attended Rutgers University and received a bachelor of arts degree in microbiology before serving as a medical technician in World War II, and was an early member of the Futurians, a group of science fiction writers, fans, editors, and publishers. In 1959, Blish received the Hugo Award for his novel
He was also a prolific short fiction writer and a major contributor to the
saga, rewriting scripts into anthologies and producing original stories and screenplays.
Other books by James Blish
Greg Bear
<B>Greg Bear</B> is the author of more than thirty books of science fiction and fantasy, including <I>Forerunner: Cryptum, Mariposa, Darwin's Radio, Eon</I>, and <I>Quantico</I>. He is married to Astrid Anderson Bear and is the father of Erik and Alexandra. His works have been published internationally in over twenty languages. Bear has been called the "Best working writer of hard science fiction" by the <I>Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction</I>.
Other books by Greg Bear
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