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There are currently 39 member reviews
for The Book of Strange New Things
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Jan M. (Broken Arrow, OK)
Alien Missionary
After thinking about this book for a few days, I am still not sure how I feel about it. I did think the book was very well written, except for the abrupt ending. It seemed like after 500 pages the author got tired and just said, "the end." Perhaps the writer could had given us fewer details about food and functions that added little except length to the story and instead had gone on to a more complete ending. Science fiction is definitely not my choice of reading material, but combining it with God's command to, "teach all nations" certainly provided some food for thought. The imagination of the writer was amazing and his word pictures allowed me to almost see the characters. I thought Peter was a little too preachy and pedantic at times and I'm still not sure how I felt about combining the scriptures into a science fiction novel. Therefore from a literary standpoint, I guess I'd have to say it was an interesting and well-written book. But on the concept, guess my jury is still out. It's not a book I'll be recommending to my book club as we're a little more traditional in our tastes. Perhaps a more intellectual study group would more enjoy dissecting the plausibility of the whole idea of other life forms. I'm not sorry I spent the time to read the book, for it did provoke some questions. It is not however a book I'll be likely to pick up again.
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Sherrill B. (Columbia City, IN)
strange things
I couldn't get interested in this book. To me it didn't really have a plot; I couldn't figure out if it was suppose to be religious or informative.
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Ginny B. (Phoenixville, PA)
Very Strange
This was my first foray into Science Fiction in many years ( Heinlein & Bradbury in the '70s) and my first experience with this author. However, before reading the book, I read a lengthy online excerpt from The Crimson Petal and the White & was intrigued by his bold style & strong characterizations. Additionally, I care about religion, both as background and on a personal level, so I was curious. However, I could not have been more disappointed. I simply could not get into this book! The premise was hard to accept & the characters felt strangely empty. I never really cared about them or their struggles. A book has to be really bad for me to fail to finish it, even if finishing means skimming the final pages or chapters. In this case, after considerable effort, I finally just closed the book. It wasn't worth even skimming to get to the end.
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Lillian T. (Orlando, FL)
Strange and Confusing Science Fiction Book
I have to say this is my first Science Fiction book where I have to push my way to the end. When I say that there's something really strange about this book, I mean more than that. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. Father Peter is extremely hard to empathize with. The first fifty pages were very slow paced and contributed almost nothing to the storyline. The scenes involving sex, masturbation, and wet dreams only proved to throw off the flow of the story. It seemed almost as if those scenes were added simply in an attempt to fall into ¨The Shades of Grey¨ category of Erotic Novels. The end left me unsatisfied; the author leaves many questions unanswered. Strange as it is, I will not recommend to anyone!
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