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Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Keanan Brand — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:57:18 -0000

This sounds like my kind of book! Thanks for the review. I'm always on the lookout for intelligent representations of faith, and for well-written fiction.

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

nancy — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:11:19 -0000

my daughter is in college..20 years young.
she is at a questioning point in her faith
she is also a physics major
and likes dune and lord of the rings kind of books.

do you think this one would be a good choice for her?

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Merrie Destefano — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:41:40 -0000

Mark,
I started to post here yesterday and got interrupted. Guess what? My copy of Eifelheim just came in the mail.

SOMEBODY at Mount Hermon told me it was just the most awesome book, so I ordered it from Amazon when I got home.

I can't wait to dig in. Disclaimer: I'm no mathematician, so I have a feeling a lot of this book will go over my head. But I already love the grasshopper alien. I mean, how cool is that? Grasshoppers do look like they come from another planet.
:)

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Marcus — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:53:04 -0000

Becky, I'd chalk that up to Flynn being literary rather than Flynn being SciFi. I think PW called him "Hard SciFi" which is when things can get string theory complicated. I like that kind of stuff, though.

Heather, thanks for the links! That idea about sentimentality is worth mulling over quite a bit.

I'll skim through the book to find another passage that isn't quite so complex. I liked this one because it was so rich. But that makes it hard outside of the larger context.

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Heather Goodman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:22:18 -0000

The Church and postmodern culture blog had a good post about art and faith the other day and how when we impose our faith, it often becomes sentimental, which I think is what we're all fighting against (being sentimental, that is, which is not faith or theology). He says the key link is liturgy and sacraments. I agree. Which is perhaps why I have become Anglican.
Notice how I deflected with a brilliant link addressing the beginning of your post and completely ignoring the dialogue you posted because if I were to make some astute comment on the dialogue, about as far as I could go would be, "Huh?"

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Rebecca LuElla Miller — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:58:50 -0000

Uh, this is why I'm not a Sci Fi fan, Mark. I'm sure all the math and science are fascinating! But, well, uh, my mind was wandering a bit. But if you say it's brilliant dialogue, far be it from me to disagree.

And I certainly concur that an example of a well-themed work is invaluable. In fact, that was my post today, too.

Thanks for the link, by the way. I've loved the discussions that came from the tour this time.

Becky

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

L.L. Barkat — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:30:25 -0000

Sorry I didn't try a little harder. It's Friday, you know?

(And yes, the thought about context crossed my mind. Still, the apple needed little context. It was a concrete image that spoke, round and sweet.)

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Marcus — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:15:59 -0000

You lose a lot without the context, and this book is certainly what I'd call literary. Still, Dietrich's philosophical discussion is really amazing.

Flynn gives us dialogue from a man who lives pre-Algebra (al-jabr).

Then, when Dietrich sees the Kratzer write down an algebraic equation Distance=1/2(speed X time), his response is to rejoice. He considers algebraic equations to be a fruit of the Spirit--which confuses the Kratzer to no end.

Later on in the book one of the aliens says something to the effect of "Dietrich, you are either quite ignorant or quite brilliant."

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

L.L. Barkat — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:03:11 -0000

I understood the part about the apple.

Reading on-screen works against me in this case, I think.