2017 Reading Challenge discussion

Very disappointed. Great premise, but prose is flat, ending not worth the time invested in it.

I had such a different reactions- here is my review:

This is the story of a minister who goes into space to convert the inhabitants of another planet to Christianity. The whys and hows of this story are never quite clear. There is a somewhat mysterious organization that is behind the settlement on this planet; and the individuals who work for this planet seem almost singular in their lack of motivation beyond that which they need to do for their jobs. While he is away, the protagonist's wife remains on earth. During this time, Earth basically begins to go to hell in a hand basket. And both the minister and his wife struggle with the choices they have made and the surroundings they live in. I myself have difficulty with the concept of missionaries on the whole- however, I almost found myself rooting for the preacher in his gentle manner of teaching from "The Book of Strange New Things".

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I especially liked how the communication was depicted between the husband and wife was only via typed text.