The Book of Strange New Things

Very interesting concept, and I love the author's other work, but this one constantly felt like it was on the cusp of something without delivering it. There's colonialism, space travel, climate change, missionary work, alien languages, exploration of cultural differences, religious belief, religious transformation, long-distance communication - so much to grasp onto. There could be a thriller version of this which focuses on uncovering the company's mysterious strategy to secretly create a haven off earth, populated and serviced only by carefully selected emotionally docile and passive personnel. There's the social scifi version which tries to understand how the Oasians history and beliefs and how their world changed through the encounter with the people from Earth. And there's the allegory one where Earth's explorer's are mirrors for biblical characters spreading the word of God. But maybe this is just a story about how to communicate with one's loved ones in order to maintain a healthy relationship.

So this book leaves me slightly confused and disappointed, despite having such an intrigueing setup. I also have to confess that I just really disliked the main character from the moment he stepped onto the planet and revealed that he literally had done zero research into the world and its inhabitants which he set out to indoctrinate.