The Sparrow

Split into two time frames, 2060 sees a ravaged Emilio Sandoz, the only remaining survivor of a Jesuit funded mission to make first contact with the inhabitants of the planet Rakhat, trying to come to terms with what happened. We're also there in 2019 when, fuelled by unbridled optimism, the crew comes together to embark on the journey via asteroid to the newly discovered planet. The two stories converge in time and reveal how it went so horribly wrong.

I loved the story. It's a slow build as the author brings together the cast of characters. It's like King's The Stand in its ability to shape a huge cast of players and imbue most of them with real depth. Anne, George, Emilio, Sophia, Jimmy and DW are lovingly rendered here and it will be a while before I forget them. Sure it's got all the questions of faith, free will and colonialism but it's also a great read filled with sharply defined characters.