Sigrid H

This did not feel like a true "sci-fi" book. It has many of the trappings of one: credible yet disorienting world-building, space colonization, scientists & engineers on an alien planet working for an over-controlling corporation, a mysterious alien race, flora & fauna, etc. - but all of that was completely secondary to what is essentially a fascinating novel about faith, love, trust, memory, and other "big" human themes. In sci-fi, those themes tend to take a back seat to the harsh alien environment, aliens that turn out to be vicious monsters, boorish characters that make tragic decisions that endanger the mission, etc. Not so in this book. I agree with other reviewers that it would make a good book club selection. I'm not sure "sci-fi" fans would like this book, but fans of literary fiction with an open mind should definitely give it a chance. The ending was abrupt and inconclusive, which left me speculating not only about what happened next, but whether a sequel might be in the works. In an afterword, the author acknowledges he used the names of Marvel Comic creators of the 60's and 70's for the book's characters - with no correlation to the characters' traits, save for legendary comics creator Jack Kirby (real name: Jakob Kurtzberg, the same as a character in the book). Not being an avid reader of comics myself, I will leave it to others to recognize any connections Faber may have made in that regard. Overall, an engaging read right up to the end.