Firefrost
4/26/2018
Overall Rating: 4.5
Worldbuilding: 5
Characters: 4 (well done but intentionally dislikeable)
Story: 4
Unputdownableness: 5 (read in one sitting)
This book introduced some interesting philosophical and theological challenges to the main character. The author did an excellent job of exposing an interesting moral position through a well designed hard sci fi world. Impressively, he did this in 1958, and several elements of his world appear to influence other authors (e.g. an ansible like device is in this book prior to its later introduction, Stranger in a Strange land seems similar too, though more fleshed out). I enjoyed the book and found it thought provoking, though I suspect I would care more about the theological questions were I religious. The second half is also notably less well written than the first, though not to the extent I have seen claimed in other reviews. Without spoiling the ending, I believe it is a nice touch that leaves many of the central questions open to interpretation, as this book should have.