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A Case Of Conscience (S.F. Masterworks) (Paperback)

by James Blish (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (15 Jun 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857989244
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857989243
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 119,517 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #3 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > B > Blish, James

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Product Description

Product Description

Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez S.J., is a part of a four man scientific commission to the planet Lithia, there to study a harmonious society of aliens living on a planets which is a biologist's paradise. He soon finds himself troubled: how can these perfect beings, living in an apparent Eden, have no conception of sin or God? If such a sinless Eden has been created apart from God, then who is responsible?


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
Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A Real Mish Mash of Ideas., 25 Oct 2000
By Mr. Paul J. Stephen (Leeds) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.

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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound and unsettling, but brilliantly written., 9 Mar 2001
By A Customer
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.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Case of Considerable Talent, 26 Jun 2000
By A Customer
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 live in an apparent Eden, where hatred, greed and destruction are unknown. The team have to assess whether the planet should be opened up for human visitation, from their respective points of view. As the final decision time approaches tensions grow within the team, with at least one member wanting to use the planets rich radioactive resources in the production of atomic weapons, making use of the peaceful inhabitants for labour, whether they are willing or unwilling.

One of the crew is in fact a Jesuit Priest and biologist, and he also is assessing the planet from the point of view of religious ethics, and seeing how the inhabitants fit into the scheme of things as far as religious ideology. His own startling recommendation is to quarantine the planet, and forbid future human contact, but why? Is this apparent tranquil but godless haven really the work of Satan?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A true masterwork
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. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. R. Eisner

4.0 out of 5 stars Great with occasional misfires
It's a curious assortment of several different stories set in 2050, with the two big factors in the plot being the Roman Catholic church (which Blish mostly gets right) and the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nicholas Whyte

1.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 14 months ago by plot hound

4.0 out of 5 stars 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
Published on 3 Nov 2007 by C. G. Horner

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 Mr. R. J. Hole

1.0 out of 5 stars 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

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