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Zusatztext “A startling! engrossing! and moral work of fiction.” — The New York Times Book Review “Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs! our prejudices! and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them.” — Entertainment Weekly “Powerful . . . The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence.” — San Francisco Chronicle “Provocative! challenging . . . recalls both Arthur C. Clarke and H. G. Wells! with a dash of Ray Bradbury for good measure.” — The Dallas Morning News “[Mary Doria] Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly and expertly builds suspense.” — USA Today Informationen zum Autor Mary Doria Russell has been called one of the most versatile writers in contemporary American literature. Widely praised for her meticulous research, fine prose, and compelling narrative drive, she is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow, Children of God, A Thread of Grace, Dreamers of the Day, Doc, and Epitaph . Dr. Russell holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology. She lives in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Klappentext A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end. Praise for The Sparrow "A startling, engrossing, and moral work of fiction."-The New York Times Book Review "Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them."-Entertainment Weekly "Powerful . . . The Sparrow tackles a difficult subject with grace and intelligence."-San Francisco Chronicle "Provocative, challenging . . . recalls both Arthur C. Clarke and H. G. Wells, with a dash of Ray Bradbury for good measure."-The Dallas Morning News "[Mary Doria] Russell shows herself to be a skillful storyteller who subtly and expertly builds suspense."-USA Today Ballantine Reader's Circle: The Sparrow (Excerpt) Chapter 1 ROME: DECEMBER 2059 On December 7, 2059, Emilio Sandoz was released from the isolation ward of Salvator Mundi Hospital in the middle of the night and transported in a bread van to the Jesuit Residence at Number 5 Borgo Santo Spìrito, a few minutes' walk across St. Peter's Square from the Vatican. The next day, ignoring shouted questions and howls of journalistic outrage as he read, a Jesuit spokesman issued a short statement to the frustrated and angry media mob that had gathered outside Number 5's massive front door. "To the best of our knowledge, Father Emilio Sandoz is the sole survivor of the Jesuit mission to Rakhat. Once again, we extend our thanks to the U.N., to the Contact Consortium and to the Asteroid Mining Division of Ohbayashi Corporation for making the return of Father Sandoz possible. We have no additional information regarding the fate of the Contact Consortium's crew members; they are in our prayers. Father Sandoz is too ill to question at this time and his recovery is expected to take months. Until then, there can be no further comment on the Jesuit mission or on the Contact Consortium's allegations regarding Father Sandoz's conduct on Rakhat." This was simply to buy time. It was true, of course, that Sandoz was ill. The man's whole body was bruised by the blooms of spontaneous hemorrhages where tiny blood vessel walls had breached and spilled their contents under his skin. His gums had stopped bleeding, but it would be a long while before he could eat normally. Eventually,...
