Explanation:
The story takes place in the next century. Radio telescopes pick up signals -- songs actually -- being broadcast from Alpha Centauri (from a planet later named Rakhat). While humanity in general tries to decide whether to send a mission to the stars, the Catholic Church quietly prepares a ship (using an asteroid purchased from the thriving asteroid mining industry) and sends a Jesuit mission to the stars. They go not to convert, but to learn. Yet, at the start of the novel, we find out that the mission has failed. More than that, the only survivor, Father Emilio Sandoz, has returned in disgrace, accused of prostitution and murder. The rest of the novel unfolds the story.
The novel works well on a number of levels:
It's a very good example of a plain old SF first contact story. It's well done and believable. The details are well worked out, the alien culture well constructed and, at its heart, alien (in ways our characters don't understand until it's too late)
The characters are very well done. Russell explores the lives of a handful of characters -- their loves, their suffering, and their attemps to come to grip with the nature of the universe and of God.
The theological and philophical issues discussed are important ones, and they are addressed in a serious and thoughtful way. They aren't just window dressing: the issues Russell explores involving the nature of God and the universe are an integral part of the novel. At the same time, they are integrated into the novel; the novel delves into these issues without being preachy and without stopping the flow of the novel.
The novel is filled with fascinating details. Russell has worked out the future Earth society in a believable amount of detail. Rakhat's flora, frauna, and intelligent species and their society are also well done. Finally, she clearly has a good understanding of the Catholic Church hierarchy; her Jesuit's and the way they interact seem quite believable. (She does a fine job, by the way, making her priests into real people, not just religious stereotypes. They experience doubt and sexual longing, like baseball, cuss from time to time, and are generally well rounded human beings.)
