CALCULATING

      GOD

a science-fiction novel by

ROBERT J SAWYER

TOR BOOKS

first mass-market edition (2001) (4th printing)

CONDITION:  VERY GOOD thick paperback book with minor shelfwear.

An alien shuttle craft lands outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Out pops a six-legged, two-armed alien, who says, in perfect English, "Take me to a paleontologist.”

It seems that Earth, and the alien's home planet, and the home planet of another alien species traveling on the alien mother ship, all experienced the same five cataclysmic events at about the same time, including events exactly like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Both alien races believe this proves the existence of God: i.e. he's obviously been manipulating the evolution of life on each of these planets.

Commentaries on line:

I'm VERY happy with the results of the story. It's probably my favorite out of all his works. An easy read, lovingly rational, mixing tragedy with one of the basic desires we all have: questions. Curiosity. Speculation. A desire to know Truth. 

Most novels, in my experience, seem to start out great and quickly fizzle... This one, started with a fizzle and then got great. If you liked the work of Arthur C. Clarke, you will probably enjoy this as it is an intelligently written, well thought out work, packed with grand philosophical ideas and decent interesting characterization. And most important, it is entertaining. I highly recommend it and wish there were more like it.

I read this one by Robert J. Sawyer not long after it was published in 2000. Reread it again for a science fiction book discussion. A most enjoyable read and I'm sure it'll make for a good discussion. 

If you don't mind having your core beliefs challenged ( whichever side of the fence you may find yourself on and in the nicest way possible). If you enjoy character driven stories. If you like a little hard science, made easy and mixed in with some great fictional story telling. You'll enjoy this book.

Whether you are an atheist, an agnostic, or religious, if you keep an open mind this book should give you some food for thought. I doubt it will change your belief, I don’t think that is what Sawyer wants to achieve here.

If you have never read Robert Sawyer, this is a great place to start. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

_____________________