A Case of Conscience

The first half of the book, originally a 1953 novella, is a very good story of the evaluation of a planet with intelligent life by a commission of four gentlemen with differing goals. This is very well done and ends with a surprise opinion from one of the four, a Jesuit priest.

In this book, as in Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow and Dan Simmon's Hyperion, religion plays a major part. As this book arrived first, one can't help but think the others were influenced by this one - and each was quite good. James Blish wrote other books connected with this one, part of a group called "After Such Knowledge", where he continues to explore the religious theme.

The second half of this book follows a path of politics. The world of Earth the commission left from is described for the first time, and it is a bit different from our own - though definitely a likely future from the perspective of the 1950s. Interactions with (and damage to) this world is not as interesting to read and also not science fiction. The closest we have to that is a description of instantaneous communication (and later vision) that predates LeGuin's ansible by 7 years. These bits of sci-fi are needed for the ultimate ending of the book, and feel forced.

The conclusion, without spoilers, is interesting. While I appreciated the combination of religion and politics, the piecemeal nature of this book was jarring. The first half by itself would rate 4-5 stars, but I can't (in good conscience) rate the entire book so highly.