- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books Inc.; 1st Impact Ed edition (5 Sep 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345438353
- ISBN-13: 978-0345438355
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 1.3 x 21.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,887,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is a dedicated man--a priest who is also a scientist, and a scientist who is also a human being. He has found no insoluble conflicts in his beliefs or his ethics . . . until he is sent to Lithia. There he comes upon a race of aliens who are admirable in every way except for their total reliance on cold reason; they are incapable of faith or belief.
Confronted with a profound scientific riddle and ethical quandary, Father Ruiz-Sanchez soon finds himself torn between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity. There is only one solution: He must accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy--and risk the futures of both worlds . . .
Confronted with a profound scientific riddle and ethical quandary, Father Ruiz-Sanchez soon finds himself torn between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity. There is only one solution: He must accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy--and risk the futures of both worlds . . .
About the Author
SALES POINTS * #30 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written. * Winner of the Hugo Award in 1959 * Brilliants as fireworks J. D. Scott, Sunday Times * Blish brings to this case of conscience one of the most powerful intellects and one of the most diverse stories of knowledge, I would say ever to apply itself to science fiction Brian Aldiss
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The stone door slammed. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
The stone door slammed. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have to say I was disappointed with this book.
It is only around 190 pages long and this means that there is very little scope to develop plot or characters. The premise of the story is that a planet inhabited by a Reptillian Race are monitored by a group of four scientists who each have a different fields to ascertain whether a relationship with Earth should ensue. One of the characters is a Jesuit who really does not know whether this Garden of Eden is all it seems -- Is Satans' work at hand??
Certainly the first 80 pages or so are interesting enough and sets the story up but all the religious arguments really become bogged down and I don't think really go anywhere. The final half really becomes silly and abit of a mish mash. It does become jumbled and seems to jump forward without a real explanation of whats happening.
This book is really for the Masterwork Completist and would not recommend to the casual reader.
Decent premise but ultimately a disappointment.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a confirmed atheist who has always had trouble understanding how some people can be religious but still believe in evolution, I approached this novel with trepidation, and was close to giving up on a couple of occasions. However, the brilliance of Blish's earlier entry in the SF Masterworks series - Cities in Flight, persuaded me to continue, and I have to say that I'm very glad I did. Some people would say that religion has no relevance to science, and it is an opinion that the priest Ruiz Sanchez hears a great deal throughout the novel. By giving the character the chance to defend himself throughout the story, I have started to understand one thing about science and religion - that a person's beliefs do not have to be at odds with their skills as a scientist. Ruiz Sanchez is a biologist who believes in God, and as he points out himself in the book, that belief is a constant whether he is praying on earth or praying on a distant planet. He has reconciled the theory of evolution with the theory of Adam and Eve, and sees his faith and his science as being irrevocably intertwined, to the point where he is prepared to face eternal damnation for his decision about Lithia. As for the ending of the book : I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, but who can really say what is responsible - the science of man or the hand of God ? A perturbing book but fabulously insightful, both for those with faith and those without.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have long known 'A Case of Conscience' as a rather long "short story", and did not realize that Blish had later added a second part to make it into a novel. I am still reading the latter, and finding it a little difficult to get into, but the first part is reason enough to buy the book. I ordered it for a Catholic priest friend of mine, since the hero is a Catholic priest, and I want to know what my friend thinks of Blish's theology (which, oddly for a science fiction work, is crucial to the plot - without making it a religious work, Blish himself having been agnostic). Now I have to finish the second part before I can give it to him, so that I can either recommend it in full or dismiss the second part!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Starts out Great, ends up merely Good
This began this book after finishing Man Plus (S.F. MASTERWORKS) and I think I liked it for reasons similar to Man Plus, it is has a good religious character, a Jesuit scientist,... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Lark
Enjoyable & thought provoking
Judging by the reviews this book polarises opinion ,i thought it was great,the whole idea if life was discovered on another planet what would the religious view on this be ? . Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. S. Sample
An example of religious nonsense that first shocked me in my teens
In this novel, a group of astronauts which includes a priest come across a perfect primitive society in space which while happy and morally superior to that of Earth has not... Read more
Published 20 months ago by F. Seed
Extrememly dull.
Intellectual meanderings on religion.
I struggled to finish this book.
It focuses on religious doctrine and philosophy and deep intellectual thoughts on both and... Read more
I struggled to finish this book.
It focuses on religious doctrine and philosophy and deep intellectual thoughts on both and... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2008 by plot hound
Pretty good
An interesting novel.
I'm quite puzzled by the remarks of some of the reviewers here - they seem to assume that if one cannot agree with the religion of the... Read more
I'm quite puzzled by the remarks of some of the reviewers here - they seem to assume that if one cannot agree with the religion of the... Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2007 by C. G. Horner
Why so highly regarded?
I read this book because it seems to be highly regarded, appearing in various lists of 'best' SF novels, etc. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2002 by R. J. Hole
A staggeringly bad classic.
Perhaps in 1958, the time of the book's original writing, the juxtaposition of religious concerns with the machinery of hard SF was enough to startle the audience out of noticing... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2000
A Case of Considerable Talent
A Case of Conscience mixes Catholic Doctrine with planetary exploration. A team of 4 scientists are sent to survey a new world inhabited by intelligent dinosaur-like creatures, who... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
