Various editorial reviews:
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Creationists rarely find sympathy in the ranks of science fiction
authors--or fans, for that matter. And while Robert J. Sawyer doesn't
exactly make peace with evangelicals on the issue, Calculating God
has to be one of the more thoughtful and sympathetic SF portrayals
you'll find of religion and intelligent design. But that should come as
no surprise from this crafty Canadian: in the Nebula Award-winning Terminal Experiment, Sawyer speculated on what would happen if hard evidence were ever found for the human soul; in Calculating God, he turns science on its head again when earth is invaded by theists from outer space.
The book starts out like the setup for some punny science fiction
joke: An alien walks into a museum and asks if he can see a
paleontologist. But the arachnid ET hasn't come aboard a rowboat with
the Pope and Stephen Hawking (although His Holiness does request an
audience later). Landing at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the
spacefarer (named Hollus) asks to compare notes on mass extinctions
with resident dino-scientist Thomas Jericho. A shocked Jericho finds
that not only does life exist on other planets, but that every
civilization in the galaxy has experienced extinction events at
precisely the same time. Armed with that disconcerting information (and
a little help from a grand unifying theory), the alien informs
Jericho, almost dismissively, that "the primary goal of modern science
is to discover why God has behaved as he has and to determine his
methods."
Inventive, fast-paced, and alternately funny and touching, Calculating God sneaks in a well-researched survey of evolution science, exobiology, and philosophy amidst the banter between Hollus and Jericho. But the book also proves to be very moving and character-driven SF, as Jericho--in the face of Hollus's convincing arguments--grapples with his own bitter reasons for not believing in God. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inventive, fast-paced, and alternately funny and touching, Calculating God sneaks in a well-researched survey of evolution science, exobiology, and philosophy amidst the banter between Hollus and Jericho. But the book also proves to be very moving and character-driven SF, as Jericho--in the face of Hollus's convincing arguments--grapples with his own bitter reasons for not believing in God. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Sawyer (Flashforward; Factoring Humanity), a Canadian, is one of
contemporary SF's most consistent performers. His new novel concerns the
appearance at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto of a spiderlike alien
paleontologist named Hollus. The alien has come to Earth to study the
five great extinction events that have hit our planet over the eons, the
best known being the asteroid collision that wiped out the dinosaurs.
When the museum's head paleontologist, Tom Jericho, consults with the
alien, he is shocked to discover that Hollus has proof that her own
planet and that of another alien race suffered a similar series of five
catastrophic events at virtually the same times as Earth did. More
surprising still to a 21st-century disciple of Darwin like Jericho, both
alien races see this synchronicity, along with other scientific
evidence, as proof of the existence of God. Much of the novel is
relatively cerebral, as Jericho and Hollus argue over the scientific
data they've gathered in support of God's existence, but Sawyer excels
at developing both protagonists into full-fledged characters, and he
adds tension to his story in several ways: Jericho has terminal cancer,
which gives him a personal stake in discovering the truth of the alien's
claims, and lurking in the background are a murderous pair of abortion
clinic bombers who have decided that the museum's Burgess Shale
exhibition is an abomination that must be destroyed. Finally, there's
the spectacular, if not entirely prepared for, climax in which God
manifests in an unexpected manner. This is unusually thoughtful SF.
(June) FYI: Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment won the 1995 Nebula Award
for Best Novel.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Diagnosed with lung cancer, paleontologist Thomas Jericho expects
to die within the year. What he doesn't expect is the appearance of a
spiderlike alien in his museum seeking confirmation from Earth's
prehistoric past of the existence of God. The author of Factoring
Humanity once again demonstrates his wild talent for innovative,
iconoclastic storytelling as he relates a thought-provoking, sobering,
yet wryly compassionate tale of one man's discovery of timelessness even
as his own time is running out. A good choice for most sf collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“An enthralling story…. [The] climax [is] an exhilarating and touching glimpse of transcendence.”
--Starlog
“Vigorous speculation…Sawyer ends with some grandeur worthy of vintage Arthur C. Clarke.”
--The Denver Post
“Sawyer is first and foremost a writer of ideas, some concept that can drive a narrative through to a grand conclusion, one that remains true to science but often achieves that sense of transcendence that Samuel R. Delany once said was the sine qua non of science fiction. This is Sawyer’s great strength, and it’s fully present in Calculating God….A intellectual thriller with real bite.”
--The Edmonton Journal
--Starlog
“Vigorous speculation…Sawyer ends with some grandeur worthy of vintage Arthur C. Clarke.”
--The Denver Post
“Sawyer is first and foremost a writer of ideas, some concept that can drive a narrative through to a grand conclusion, one that remains true to science but often achieves that sense of transcendence that Samuel R. Delany once said was the sine qua non of science fiction. This is Sawyer’s great strength, and it’s fully present in Calculating God….A intellectual thriller with real bite.”
--The Edmonton Journal
About the Author
Robert J. Sawyer is the Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids, the Nebula Award-winning author of The Terminal Experiment, and the Aurora Award-winning author of FlashForward, basis for the ABC TV series. He is also the author of the WWW series—Wake, Watch and Wonder—and many other books. He was born in Ottawa and lives in Toronto.
