My cousin Cody, who hosts a podcast about sci-fi books, had me in the family gift exchange, and (appropriately) got me several sci-fi books. This was the first one I read (it was already on my list), and I totally loved it.

The thing that makes this book so great for me is how absolutely human it is; it’s mostly a story about scientists, their relationships, their self-esteem. It’s also about how institutions work: research lab, governments, the UN. It starts as a slow, real science story, and then gradually evolves into a fantastic fictional story.

It’s also replete with a sense of awe; characters grappling with the size of the cosmos and of the mysteries of the universe. The book conveys (and eventually says explicitly) that science, really, is a sub-discipline of theology: humbly taking inventory of what we can learn about who created us, and why.

That’s sci-fi at it’s best! It was awesome to start the year with such a great book. I would recommend this book to anybody, not just sci-fi fans - it’s phenomenal literature. Based on the experts I read to her, Liz is excited to read it, too.