I got this softcover from the charity-sale bin in the Londonderry NH Hannaford supermarket, for another release copy. [They sell donated books for low prices, with the proceeds going to various charities. At the moment they're supporting Kitty Angels, a cat-rescue organization from which I got all three of my current cats.]

This is the sequel to The Sparrow [if you haven't read that one, stop here to avoid spoilers], picking up where it left off.

It, like the previous book, is about the results of a small expedition to a distant planet that is home to two different sentient species. The story hops around in the timeline, sometimes giving tantalizing hints as to the outcome of the events that are yet to unfold. Russell also very deftly pulls the rug out from under many of the assumptions we were left with at the end of the previous book; I was intrigued to find that the motives and behavior of some of the major characters were completely different than I'd assumed, including those of Supaari, the social-climbing bureaucrat who, in The Sparrow, initially seemed to be a trustworthy friend and ally of the Earth party - before mutilating Sandoz and selling him to the vicious Hlavin Kitheri. The revelations as to Supaari's view of events were startling, and gave a masterful lesson in assumptions and miscommunication - and Supaari wasn't the only character whose motives had been misinterpreted, so by the time this book got going I found myself wondering whether anything from the last book was really as it seemed. [I also had to wonder how much difference it made; if you've been put through hell, is it better to find out that it was an honest mistake, or is it easier to live with if you can blame the perpetrator for being intentionally evil?]

Anyway, I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, as well as some of the developing alliances and schisms on Rakhat. I also liked several of the new characters, including Ha'anala, Nico, Isaac, and the quiet but impressive Shetri Laaks. Other aspects didn't please me as much: for one thing, since this book begins with everyone knowing all about what happened to Emilio Sandoz, and Emilio himself apparently beginning to cope with it and, we hoped, to start healing, I expected this to be less dark somehow - but in some ways it was even worse.

[Spoilers follow; to see the text, select the blank space.] For Emilio to have been so brutally abused by a power-mad alien ruler was one thing, but to be kidnapped and torn from the arms of his new family (and, given the space-time differences, likely never to see them again) - and for this to be done by his own colleagues and church leaders... well, that was beyond betrayal. While some of the participants did eventually suffer for it (and a few repented), the balance did not seem to be redressed, IMO. Whether this was part of Russell's point I don't know, but it left me feeling furious.

While I found Isaac interesting, and could allow that the circumstances of his conception and birth might just have contributed to his condition, I still thought that the autistic-only-hears-music bit was a touch too heavy-handed. Still, despite the omnipresent Jesuits and the is-there-a-God-and-is-He-responsible-for-suffering questions, I found both books very open in that regard; Children of God even mentioned it at the end, describing the differing reactions of various groups to the music-of-the-DNA, from utter belief to total-coincidence. [Isaac himself said he picked out only the harmonious sections: "It's DNA for humans and for Jana'ata and Runa. Played together." Isaac stopped, gathering himself. "A lot of it is dissonant." A pause. "I remembered the parts that harmonize." This makes me think the author was leaving the door as wide open as she could!]

The grace-note at the end for Emilio (who "found room in the crowded necropolis of his heart" - a wonderfully sad line, that) - well, OK, I suppose it was believable and touching and all that, if a bit too - simple? But I couldn't help wondering whether he have been happier if he'd stayed on Rakhat. I do suspect that his work helping Rukuei "find the words" will be more rewarding to him than anything else he's been able to do in his last few years... but we don't get to know that for certain. [End of spoilers.]

Despite a few too many coincidences and some fairly heavy-handed plot devices, both books are thought-provoking and memorable; Russell has created a fictional world that I won't forget.

[There's a TV Tropes page on both books that may be of interest.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library, after visiting the independent bookstore hidden behind that tall hedge. Hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

** Released for the 2024 Science Fiction challenge. **