F/SF

This was a fun book full of ideas about quantum mechanics, religion, and deep-space colonization. It is the story of a colony of humans 75 light years from Earth, who have to decide how to react to the imminent arrival of thousands of new colonists: will they be welcome or is the threat of their new majority too much to stand? Then there is a scientific religion that is discussed throughout, with the interesting premise that God is humanity in reverse--while we are heading away from the Big Bang toward the Big Crunch, God is us heading away from the Big Crunch toward the Big Bang. Hard for me to explain well, but an intriguing idea. There are also dope-smoking rebels, a corrupt government, a deaf/mute child who communicates with his own personal God, and a mysterious Mercury-like planet called Hades that may be more than it seems. Yes, there is a lot going on in this book and at times it jumps around quite a bit, but for me it touched on all the story lines adequately and had a satisfying conclusion. ( )

I will preface this review by admitting that when it comes to science-fiction, I tend to favor the fictional elements over the scientific ones. I don't mind a book that is science heavy, but I'm pretty particular about how that science is communicated. I'm not fond of the model that has two characters casually chatting about quantum physics (much in the same way I hate commercials that show women sitting around talking about their feminine supplies).

Wharton, when he does this, does manage to give it good context (most of the time), so it doesn't get tiresome. The book is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy in its attempts to address science and theology, but Wharton's aim is different. His crafting of the Randall family is really well-done, and we come to appreciate them for their individual strengths and foibles. Daddy Randall is a preacher and believes in "God" but not the "God" of his son, Drew. Drew, who is a deaf-mute and communicates through a transmitter, has regular talks with God. Mommy Randall is an atheist, but turns out to be far more-open minded than Daddy Randall.

This would be an interesting premise by itself, but Wharton successfully places the Randalls on Mandala, a long-standing colonized planet. In fact, the whole theology of Mandalans is based around a "Journal" kept by the Captain (capital "C" intentional) of the original ship that colonized the planet, the Walt Disney. But they have become their own planet, and the news that a ship containing thousands of cryogenically frozen Earthlings is on its way to Mandala isn't received as happy news by everyone.

Where the book fails, is the Epilogue. I would like to see a law against Epilogues (I'm looking at you Harry Potter). I much prefer to leave things hanging than a quick tie-up of all loose ends in 3 to 10 pages. Wharton's Epilogue, especially after all the complex relationships he has introduced, comes off as trite.

Epilogue aside, it is a good read. The scientific reasoning is mixed with personality differences and theology which makes for much more interesting reading than your standard dialogue about semi-conductive materials. ( )

Hard-core sci-fi. Interesting stuff.