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onus_jott's review
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bigenk's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A masterful exploration of how religion, specifically Catholicism, would reconcile with novel alien life. It's truly amazing the depth of theme and philosophy exploration that Blish was able to pack into two small novellas. A group of human men, which includes a priest from Peru, are tasked with deciding if a planet populated by sentient lizards is deserving of a place within the galactic federation of humanity. While the other men in the group want to, in various forms, exploit the planet for its resources, the priest insists that the planet should be quarantined, as he sees the life and ideas on it to be the work of Satan.
Blish was one of the early hardliners when it came to scientific accuracy in science fiction. It's clear from his work that he practiced what he preached. There is a fair amount of logical scientific explanation, and other arguably dry topics, and yet Blish was able to hold my attention easily throughout. The novel comes off as being extremely well researched, as if it was poured over to hone every sentence as best he could. This effort extends to the world building and aliens themselves. The culture of the Lithians is surprisingly deep and well explored, including their specific scientific advancements, and behavioral customs. The context surrounding human life is similarly interesting, with most life on earth existing in derelict bunkers from a prior age, that are straining the social condition of society at large. Blish is also prescient in his comments on planned obsolescence, and the power that corporations like DuPont and Monsanto will have.
The clear meat of the story revolves around the religious concerns that Father Sanchez works through in his head. Is it possible to be moral and secular, in the specific way that Christians are moral? If God and Satan are real, can Satan directly create physical phenomenon or life in the universe? Is there a difference between divine intervention and physics as we understand it / if a phenomenon is explainable by scientific standards, does it make something less divine or less like the hand of god moving through the world? These questions are explored wonderfully. There's also a satisfying conclusion that perhaps helps to answer them, but is clearly ambiguous enough that the reader is expected to do a lot of thinking on their own.
There is a brief sag towards the beginning of the second novella, when some of the titular characters spend time observing social behaviors at a party, that I struggled to get through. Other than that the novel is well paced and perfectly sized to accomplish it's goals. I compare it a lot to The Canticle for Lebowitiz, another religiously themed novel that I also greatly enjoyed. It's really hard to say which is definitively better, but they both certainly deserve a place in the highest echelons of science fiction literature.
Blish was one of the early hardliners when it came to scientific accuracy in science fiction. It's clear from his work that he practiced what he preached. There is a fair amount of logical scientific explanation, and other arguably dry topics, and yet Blish was able to hold my attention easily throughout. The novel comes off as being extremely well researched, as if it was poured over to hone every sentence as best he could. This effort extends to the world building and aliens themselves. The culture of the Lithians is surprisingly deep and well explored, including their specific scientific advancements, and behavioral customs. The context surrounding human life is similarly interesting, with most life on earth existing in derelict bunkers from a prior age, that are straining the social condition of society at large. Blish is also prescient in his comments on planned obsolescence, and the power that corporations like DuPont and Monsanto will have.
The clear meat of the story revolves around the religious concerns that Father Sanchez works through in his head. Is it possible to be moral and secular, in the specific way that Christians are moral? If God and Satan are real, can Satan directly create physical phenomenon or life in the universe? Is there a difference between divine intervention and physics as we understand it / if a phenomenon is explainable by scientific standards, does it make something less divine or less like the hand of god moving through the world? These questions are explored wonderfully. There's also a satisfying conclusion that perhaps helps to answer them, but is clearly ambiguous enough that the reader is expected to do a lot of thinking on their own.
There is a brief sag towards the beginning of the second novella, when some of the titular characters spend time observing social behaviors at a party, that I struggled to get through. Other than that the novel is well paced and perfectly sized to accomplish it's goals. I compare it a lot to The Canticle for Lebowitiz, another religiously themed novel that I also greatly enjoyed. It's really hard to say which is definitively better, but they both certainly deserve a place in the highest echelons of science fiction literature.
abibliophagist's review against another edition
4.0
(5/63) In my Hugo Read-Through
A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the fifth Hugo Award for novel in 1959. This was one I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. James Blish is a critic in the writing world, and honestly just because you’re knowledgeable or good at critiquing what is good doesn’t mean you can write, or apply the same level of judgement to your own work. He also has a lot of books, and sometimes this is a sign of being just an ok writer. Also the cover through me for a loop, a dinosaur and a priest? Not only am I not good being patient when it comes to religion but I’m not a fan of fantasy, so I won’t lie, I was worried.
The general concept of the book is that a team of men went to the planet Lithia, that is currently inhabited by a reptilian species. This species (the lithians) have a very pure society based completely on the sharing of ideas and knowledge. They naturally do not have evil, they don’t have words for it or impulses for it, they are naturally just truthful, intelligent, and caring creatures. But they also have no religion, because they base their lives on what is provable, tangible science, the idea of religion or god is foreign and non-existent.
The men that have come to this planet are there to determine whether or not the planet is an asset to earth, whether as a waystation, a research outpost, military purposes or whatnot. One of the men on this trip, and the main character is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, he is both a scientist and a priest, and in the beginning he loves and appreciates this society. But soon the idea of a society that is naturally pure and good without the influence of god convinces him that Lithia in its entirety is a construction of the devil, and votes to close it of to mankind forever. Before leaving he is given a vase by a friendly Lithian, containing it’s child, to be raised on earth so that it can learn more. The book then follows the life of the planet earth, the life of the Lithian raised there and the influence that people have.
So a book told from the prospective of a priest made me nervous, and with the direction and conclusions the Father was drawing from his visit to the planet Lithia, I was finding myself very... frustrated. However as the book progressed I grew more and more interested. I wasn't sure what direction the author would take the story in, whether he would justify the Father's thoughts or find a way to convince him otherwise, if the evil would be Lithia or our effect on such a pure society. The author did a very good job of making all the characters believable in, well, their beliefs. Whether it was religious or science based I believed that the characters truly thought and believed these things, their dialogues and actions were consistent, and he balanced all of it. At no point did I feel he was really backing any of them, none felt more pushed or supported, and everything was very balanced. It made me glad that I read and enjoyed They'd Rather be Right as this books base is the philosophical idea that is presented in that book.
A moral and philosophical battle was happening in this book, as well as a dystopian potential future for us. There was also the idea of Nature vs Nurture and what happens when your feel so disconnected from your surroundings.
In conclusionA Case of Conscience This is a book that I immediately want to re-read, and ended exactly as I hoped it would. I was surprised and pleased with this. Not to mention it is beautifully written, I found myself writing down line after line, and reading passages to my boyfriend.
I had wondered if Blish could do a good story, just because you know what is good and are a critic, doesn't mean you are good, and he's an author that has written so much, it really could go either way. This book shows he does have it, that he is a very talented man both skilled in writing and creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.
A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the fifth Hugo Award for novel in 1959. This was one I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. James Blish is a critic in the writing world, and honestly just because you’re knowledgeable or good at critiquing what is good doesn’t mean you can write, or apply the same level of judgement to your own work. He also has a lot of books, and sometimes this is a sign of being just an ok writer. Also the cover through me for a loop, a dinosaur and a priest? Not only am I not good being patient when it comes to religion but I’m not a fan of fantasy, so I won’t lie, I was worried.
The general concept of the book is that a team of men went to the planet Lithia, that is currently inhabited by a reptilian species. This species (the lithians) have a very pure society based completely on the sharing of ideas and knowledge. They naturally do not have evil, they don’t have words for it or impulses for it, they are naturally just truthful, intelligent, and caring creatures. But they also have no religion, because they base their lives on what is provable, tangible science, the idea of religion or god is foreign and non-existent.
The men that have come to this planet are there to determine whether or not the planet is an asset to earth, whether as a waystation, a research outpost, military purposes or whatnot. One of the men on this trip, and the main character is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, he is both a scientist and a priest, and in the beginning he loves and appreciates this society. But soon the idea of a society that is naturally pure and good without the influence of god convinces him that Lithia in its entirety is a construction of the devil, and votes to close it of to mankind forever. Before leaving he is given a vase by a friendly Lithian, containing it’s child, to be raised on earth so that it can learn more. The book then follows the life of the planet earth, the life of the Lithian raised there and the influence that people have.
So a book told from the prospective of a priest made me nervous, and with the direction and conclusions the Father was drawing from his visit to the planet Lithia, I was finding myself very... frustrated. However as the book progressed I grew more and more interested. I wasn't sure what direction the author would take the story in, whether he would justify the Father's thoughts or find a way to convince him otherwise, if the evil would be Lithia or our effect on such a pure society. The author did a very good job of making all the characters believable in, well, their beliefs. Whether it was religious or science based I believed that the characters truly thought and believed these things, their dialogues and actions were consistent, and he balanced all of it. At no point did I feel he was really backing any of them, none felt more pushed or supported, and everything was very balanced. It made me glad that I read and enjoyed They'd Rather be Right as this books base is the philosophical idea that is presented in that book.
A moral and philosophical battle was happening in this book, as well as a dystopian potential future for us. There was also the idea of Nature vs Nurture and what happens when your feel so disconnected from your surroundings.
In conclusionA Case of Conscience This is a book that I immediately want to re-read, and ended exactly as I hoped it would. I was surprised and pleased with this. Not to mention it is beautifully written, I found myself writing down line after line, and reading passages to my boyfriend.
I had wondered if Blish could do a good story, just because you know what is good and are a critic, doesn't mean you are good, and he's an author that has written so much, it really could go either way. This book shows he does have it, that he is a very talented man both skilled in writing and creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.
pandoozled14's review against another edition
3.0
Really liked part 1, but the ball was dropped in the second part.
archergal's review against another edition
2.0
Another reviewer wrote that this is "the story of a perfectly nice planet, completely screwed over by idiotic humans, who bring their baggage with them everywhere."
I have to agree.
Maybe because I'm not Catholic (or even very Xtian anymore), but Father Ruiz-Sanchez's dilemma seemed nonsensical to me. 'Ware spoilers below:
The Lithians (the aliens on the planet he's investigating) recapitulate their evolution outside their bodies (rather than inside them, as humans do). They are also innately moral beings who have no religion, and no sense of, or need for, God. This somehow makes them creatures of Satan, and throws Father Ruiz-Sanchez into the Manichean heresy, and puts his immortal soul in danger. WUT. SERIOUSLY?
That's the first part of the book. If that particular philosophical/theological conundrum made any sense to me at all, it would have been fine. It's well written. The Lithians, what little we see of them, seem an interesting and exotic species. The priest has a dilemma; one of his co-investigators sees the planet as a crapton of resources for nuclear weapons for Earth.
Then there's the second half, where everyone is back on earth, including a hatchling freely give to the priest by one of the Lithians. The earth folks raise it, and make a horrible bollocks of the raising. Or the creature is corrupted by being on earth, or something. At any rate, the creature on earth causes a lot of disruption, and Bad Things Happen.
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is told he needs to exorcise the whole planet of Lithia. He actually tries to do this. Seriously. SOMETHING happens, but what is deliberately left ambiguous.
All I could think was: none of this makes any sense, except for the fact that humans are messed up and that they mess other things up.
The writing was good, the science and the society were a little dated, and the Catholic Church is apparently still in the 17th century. So: unsatisfying for me.
I have to agree.
Maybe because I'm not Catholic (or even very Xtian anymore), but Father Ruiz-Sanchez's dilemma seemed nonsensical to me. 'Ware spoilers below:
The Lithians (the aliens on the planet he's investigating) recapitulate their evolution outside their bodies (rather than inside them, as humans do). They are also innately moral beings who have no religion, and no sense of, or need for, God. This somehow makes them creatures of Satan, and throws Father Ruiz-Sanchez into the Manichean heresy, and puts his immortal soul in danger. WUT. SERIOUSLY?
That's the first part of the book. If that particular philosophical/theological conundrum made any sense to me at all, it would have been fine. It's well written. The Lithians, what little we see of them, seem an interesting and exotic species. The priest has a dilemma; one of his co-investigators sees the planet as a crapton of resources for nuclear weapons for Earth.
Then there's the second half, where everyone is back on earth, including a hatchling freely give to the priest by one of the Lithians. The earth folks raise it, and make a horrible bollocks of the raising. Or the creature is corrupted by being on earth, or something. At any rate, the creature on earth causes a lot of disruption, and Bad Things Happen.
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is told he needs to exorcise the whole planet of Lithia. He actually tries to do this. Seriously. SOMETHING happens, but what is deliberately left ambiguous.
All I could think was: none of this makes any sense, except for the fact that humans are messed up and that they mess other things up.
The writing was good, the science and the society were a little dated, and the Catholic Church is apparently still in the 17th century. So: unsatisfying for me.
jhouses's review
1.0
Lamentablemente, la presencia de jesuítas, no siempre mejora un libro y a veces hasta lo empeora. Un truño de cabo a rabo con pretendidas ínfulas de dilema religioso que no llevan a nada y un futuro distópico que ya era viejuno cuando se escribió el libro. ¡Huíd insensatos!
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
1.0
I am going to save you 181 pages of misery and tell you right now that this is a terrible book. How it won a Hugo in 1959, I will never know. The Forever Machine often gets called the worst book to win a Hugo award, but at least it was laughably stupid. A Case of Conscience is just mind-numbingly boring. If not for my quest to read all the Hugo winners, I would have thrown this book out my window.
The first half takes place on a planet called Lithia which is being considered for a space port for humans. The main character is a scientist and Jesuit priest. He decides that the planet is too perfect an example of evolution and logic and is therefore a trap of Satan who created the whole thing. He says the planet should be closed off forever because of that. It was a mildly interesting concept, but the writing style was pretty abysmal and stuffed with irrelevant and boring digressions.
In the second half, the main character has brought back a Lithian egg to Earth where it hatches and is raised and eventually made a citizen. Which was kind of odd that he would not just chuck the egg out the nearest airlock since he considered the whole planet a trick of Satan. Anyways, the Lithian grows up not fitting in and basically develops a following of lunatics and incites them to riot which creates massive havoc and probably the collapse of the current society. He then escapes back to Lithia. The whole book ends when the scientist/priest exorcises the entire planet of Lithia and it blows up.
Also, there's an Appendix of information on Lithia at the end. Just in case you weren't bored enough already! Not to mention the pronunciation guide in the front. For all six or so words of Lithian. That felt a bit pretentious and completely unnecessary.
So. The good stuff. What little there is. First, there was a woman scientist. Fuck yes. Considering most of the other 50s sci-fi books have women as secretaries or non-existent, this was a plus. A woman senator also gets mentioned. Also the fact that the main character was a scientist and religious at the same time was a nice change. The Earth "shelter society" was kind of interesting. Basically as a result of the nuclear threat everyone started building underground and cities developed there with their own culture.
Other than that, this book was sheer torture to read. But on the plus side, I am done with all the 50s sci-fi on the Hugo list. Good riddance. 1950 was a terrible decade for sci-fi.
The first half takes place on a planet called Lithia which is being considered for a space port for humans. The main character is a scientist and Jesuit priest. He decides that the planet is too perfect an example of evolution and logic and is therefore a trap of Satan who created the whole thing. He says the planet should be closed off forever because of that. It was a mildly interesting concept, but the writing style was pretty abysmal and stuffed with irrelevant and boring digressions.
In the second half, the main character has brought back a Lithian egg to Earth where it hatches and is raised and eventually made a citizen. Which was kind of odd that he would not just chuck the egg out the nearest airlock since he considered the whole planet a trick of Satan. Anyways, the Lithian grows up not fitting in and basically develops a following of lunatics and incites them to riot which creates massive havoc and probably the collapse of the current society. He then escapes back to Lithia. The whole book ends when the scientist/priest exorcises the entire planet of Lithia and it blows up.
Also, there's an Appendix of information on Lithia at the end. Just in case you weren't bored enough already! Not to mention the pronunciation guide in the front. For all six or so words of Lithian. That felt a bit pretentious and completely unnecessary.
So. The good stuff. What little there is. First, there was a woman scientist. Fuck yes. Considering most of the other 50s sci-fi books have women as secretaries or non-existent, this was a plus. A woman senator also gets mentioned. Also the fact that the main character was a scientist and religious at the same time was a nice change. The Earth "shelter society" was kind of interesting. Basically as a result of the nuclear threat everyone started building underground and cities developed there with their own culture.
Other than that, this book was sheer torture to read. But on the plus side, I am done with all the 50s sci-fi on the Hugo list. Good riddance. 1950 was a terrible decade for sci-fi.
exadius's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
awilderm23's review
3.0
‘We are all standing on the brink of Hell. By the grace of God we may still turn back. We must turn back- for I at least think that this is our last chance.’