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A trap for humanity? The four-man team of scientists investigating Lithia are about to make their report. Two are in favour of exploiting the planet's enormous mineral wealth -- if necessary, enslaving its gentle, industrious inhabitants in the process. One recommends non-interference. The fourth is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, biologist and Jesuit priest. For him, Lithia is Paradise among the stars -- a Paradise created by the Devil himself...
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Case of Conscience
July 12, 1987, Del Rey
Mass Market Paperback
in English
- 6th Printing - August, 1987. edition
0345341252 9780345341259
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Arrow #906370.
Cover by Chris Foss.
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The citizens of the planet Lithia are some of the most ethical sentient beings Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez has ever encountered. True, they have no literature, no fine arts, and don't understand the concept of recreation, but neither do they understand the concepts of greed, envy, lust, or any of the sins and vices that plague humankind. Their world seems darned near perfect. And that is just what disturbs the good Father.
First published in 1959, James Blish's Hugo Award-winning A Case of Conscience is science fiction at its very best: a fast-paced, intelligent story that offers plenty of action while at the same time explores complex questions of values and ethics. In this case, Blish has taken on the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Lithia poses a theological question that lies at the heart of this book: is God necessary for a moral society? The Lithians are nothing if not moral. Not only do they lack the seven deadly sins, they also lack original sin. And without any sort of religious framework, they have created the Christian ideal world, one that humans would be eager to study and emulate. But is it too perfect? Is it in fact, as Father Ruiz-Sanchez suspects, the work of The Adversary? And what role does Egtverchi, the young Lithian raised on Earth, play? Is he an innocent victim of circumstance, or will he bring about the Dies Irae, the day of the wrath of God, upon the earth? The fate of two worlds hinges on the answers to these questions, and will lead to an ancient earth heresy that shakes the Jesuit priest's beliefs to their very core.
A Case of Conscience is a brilliant piece of storytelling, and it packs a lot into a scant 242 pages. Most readers will probably finish the book in one sitting, unable to stop until the spectacular denouement. But the questions posed by this little-known gem will stay with you for days afterward. --P.M. Atterberry
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- Created October 25, 2008
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January 6, 2011 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
August 19, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
April 13, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the edition. |
October 15, 2009 | Edited by WorkBot | add edition to work page |
October 25, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from University of Toronto MARC record |