In "Calculating God" by Robert J. Sawyer, the story revolves around an advanced alien civilization that visits Earth to discuss theology with a paleontologist. The aliens present evidence supporting the existence of God, which challenges the beliefs of the human characters, particularly the protagonist, Thomas Jericho, who is a lifelong atheist. Throughout the book, there are philosophical discussions, debates on intelligent design, and explorations of the implications of extraterrestrial beliefs on humanity's understanding of existence and evolution. The plot unfolds through dialogue-heavy scenes that delve into complex ideas while also touching on themes of life, death, evolution, and the nature of intelligent life.
The writing style of the book is described as thought-provoking, imaginative, and well-developed. Readers appreciate the creative premise that challenges conventional views on theology and intelligent design. Despite some pacing issues and occasional philosophical tangents, the book is commended for its intriguing concepts, well-written characters, and emotionally engaging narrative. The author's ability to blend science, philosophy, and storytelling in a way that stimulates reflection and discussion is highlighted, making "Calculating God" a unique and intellectually stimulating read for fans of science fiction.
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From The Publisher:
Calculating God is the new near-future SF thriller from the popular and award-winning Robert J. Sawyer.
An alien shuttle craft lands outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. A six-legged, two-armed alien emerges, 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 (one example of these "cataclysmic events" would be the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs). Both alien races believe this proves the existence of God: i.e. he's obviously been playing with the evolution of life on each of these planets.
From this provocative launch point, Sawyer tells a fast-paced, and morally and intellectually challenging, SF story that just grows larger and larger in scope. The evidence of God's universal existence is not universally well received on Earth, nor even immediately believed. And it reveals nothing of God's nature. In fact. it poses more questions than it answers.
When a supernova explodes out in the galaxy but close enough to wipe out life on all three home-worlds, the big question is, Will God intervene or is this the sixth cataclysm:?
Calculating God is SF on the grand scale.
Calculating God is a 2001 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.
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About the Author:
Robert J. Sawyer is the Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids, the Nebula Award-winning author of The Terminal Experiment, and the Aurora Award-winning author of FlashForward, basis for the ABC TV series. He is also the author of the WWW series-Wake, Watch and Wonder-and many other books. He was born in Ottawa and lives in Toronto.
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