What do you think?
Rate this book
Ad Limina: A Novella
War is in the air, and the first native bishop of Mars has been called to Rome. As he makes his way across fifty million miles of space, he encounters a society moving into every corner of the solar system and teeming with every kind of decadence. "We are filling the emptiness with our emptiness," he thinks. A violent fascist opposition is rising, promising to restore humanity to glory. When the bishop gets a mysterious offer to leave the solar system, he is sorely tempted. But if he goes, he may be abandoning Earth to a brutal invasion only he can prevent.
220 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2013
7 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Cyril Jones-Kellett
1 book6 followersCy Kellett is the host of Catholic Answers Live. He formerly hosted The Bright Side with Cy Kellett on the Immaculate Heart Radio network. For more than a decade Kellett was editor of San Diego’s diocesan newspaper, The Southern Cross. Before that, he taught high school in and then spent several years working with the homeless mentally ill in Massachusetts while living in a Catholic Worker house.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 15, 2025
Rereading again - for an upcoming podcast episode. Still enjoying it all over again.
==========
Reread it - in connection with the podcast episode on Walker Percy's Thanatos Syndrome, coming out next week. Believe it or not. You can see the influences of that book on author Cy Kellett. I really like this book a lot.
==========
I loved this book. The bishop of Mars has to take his regular trip to Rome to check in with the pope. This is a normal thing in the Catholic Church and I liked seeing it applied to the future when we've got colonies in outer space.
As the bishop makes his way through the vagaries of travel to Earth, he sees the wondrous things people have built, he meets people living under different political systems that dominate each society, and we see his inner growth. When he got to Earth, he had no idea what to expect and neither did I. What happened and the result was a surprise.
This book was a solid science fiction book anchored in Catholic teachings. Somehow it did it without being heavy-handed or preachy — at least to my eyes. It had moments that showed the author's real love of science fiction. The bishop's epiphany when he walked on the surface brought tears to my eyes, his difficulties adjusting showed Cy Kellet's ability to realistically consider the differences between growing up in space versus on Earth, and the bishop's ability to truly appreciate the positive about different cultures' accomplishments was evidence of his open mindedness.
My friend Scott recommend this saying that it was a bit "talky" but good. He knows I don't always love "talky" but in this book it worked perfectly for me.
Highly recommended.
==========
Reread it - in connection with the podcast episode on Walker Percy's Thanatos Syndrome, coming out next week. Believe it or not. You can see the influences of that book on author Cy Kellett. I really like this book a lot.
==========
I loved this book. The bishop of Mars has to take his regular trip to Rome to check in with the pope. This is a normal thing in the Catholic Church and I liked seeing it applied to the future when we've got colonies in outer space.
As the bishop makes his way through the vagaries of travel to Earth, he sees the wondrous things people have built, he meets people living under different political systems that dominate each society, and we see his inner growth. When he got to Earth, he had no idea what to expect and neither did I. What happened and the result was a surprise.
This book was a solid science fiction book anchored in Catholic teachings. Somehow it did it without being heavy-handed or preachy — at least to my eyes. It had moments that showed the author's real love of science fiction. The bishop's epiphany when he walked on the surface brought tears to my eyes, his difficulties adjusting showed Cy Kellet's ability to realistically consider the differences between growing up in space versus on Earth, and the bishop's ability to truly appreciate the positive about different cultures' accomplishments was evidence of his open mindedness.
My friend Scott recommend this saying that it was a bit "talky" but good. He knows I don't always love "talky" but in this book it worked perfectly for me.
Highly recommended.
July 5, 2014
Ad Limina is an excellent book with a very plausible plot. I found myself drawn into a world I have never seen before and could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. Mr. Jones-Kellett created a very visual setting far in the future where the main character, Bishop Mark Gastelum, has grown up all his life on Mars and as bishop finds that me must return to Earth for the first time for a meeting with the Pope. On the way back to earth he visits other stations and finds his transport ship kidnapped. There are various factions fighting for control of humanity and insisting that they have the best vision for the future. The entire book moves along swiftly with mystery, adventure and a good dose of serious speculation thrown in for good measure. The story never preaches but silently asks the question, "What if..." I am going to use this book as a read-aloud for my family so we can discuss the implications of some of the points Mr. Jones-Kellett brings up. Great work!
July 9, 2018
An extremely thoughtful, captivating novella that makes one consider the road that technology and science could take us down in the future. I loved that this book proved the relevance and importance of faith in every age.
August 6, 2021
If you’ve read “Canticle for Leibowitz” and want something similar, “Ad Limina” is the perfect book pairing.
Where “Leibowitz” is epically sized and epically paced, Ad Limina is short and sweet. Where Leibowitz puts hope in the form of preservation, Ad Limina puts hope in living daily.
Yes, “Ad Limina” could have been a 500-page space epic, and in my opinion one or two topics should have been made longer, but there is also much to be recommended for a quick read that one can enjoy on vacation (which was where I read the majority of it myself).
Where “Leibowitz” is epically sized and epically paced, Ad Limina is short and sweet. Where Leibowitz puts hope in the form of preservation, Ad Limina puts hope in living daily.
Yes, “Ad Limina” could have been a 500-page space epic, and in my opinion one or two topics should have been made longer, but there is also much to be recommended for a quick read that one can enjoy on vacation (which was where I read the majority of it myself).
July 28, 2021
Surprisingly well written and unique ideas, but this needed to be so much longer! Could've/ should've been an amazing epic 500+ page novel. The scenes switched so rapidly that none of the characters or settings were developed enough! Left me wanting to learn so much more about this new way of life, because it truly was so interesting. 3 stars because of this. Wish he'd rewrite it as a huge tome.... we need more truly Catholic science fiction!
July 16, 2014
Maybe a tad heavy handed, but I liked it very much. It highlights the issues facing us today as Catholics, without being triumphal AT ALL. The author is clear that suffering is to be part of all of lots in life, simply because we are who we are. Worth the read.
October 6, 2017
The book is certainly Catholic in its worldview, which is refreshing. The prose is a little stilted. I liked the concept and characters so hope the author develops as a fiction writer producing more Catholic science fiction, which is sadly in short supply.
March 13, 2025
In a distant future, the first native-born Bishop of Mars is called for his ad limina visit to Rome. Typically, bishops come to Rome once every five years but transit time takes weeks or months from Mars to Earth. Martian Bishop Mark Gastelum has been shepherd of all souls on the Red Planet for nine years before having to leave. Arranging travel is tricky. The dominant political faction, UNAC, has banned undesirable people from traveling on government-run transportation, "undesirable" being what they think of as "hate groups." Catholic views "discriminate" against "group marriages, genetically-modified people, etc." and the tolerant UNAC won't allow such people access. Gastelum books a passage on an independent shipper which takes an indirect route back to Earth.
The route is made longer when the Fascists, a high-conservative political group headquartered on Ceres, hijacks the vessel because of a spy on board. Gastelum briefly meets the spy though he only figures out he was the spy later. The spy kills himself before docking at Ceres. The bishop, through a lot of circumstances, winds up with a coded message to take back to Earth though he does not know that either. It's just a box of chocolates for the Pope. The Fascists don't find out right away either and Gastelum books a different transport. This time, he has more of a solar system odyssey that reveals the political, scientific, and social atmosphere of the future as imagined by Kellett.
Like a lot of other science fiction, the world Kellett crafts has much in common with our own. He flags up a lot of current problems, like genetically- or surgically-modified humans, fake tolerance in social and political arenas, and cyber-addiction. The bishop gives a Catholic understanding on such issues as the story progresses and he interacts with various people. Gastelum struggles with what to do in certain situations and has plenty of failings. Humanity has hardly been perfected by scientific advancements. Those advancements just present new challenges and new opportunities.
The book is enjoyable. It has some good descriptions of future colonies where people behave very differently from other places but not from other times like ours. Some of our current problems are cranked to eleven, which provides the author a chance to talk about them in a less threatening but still obvious way (like that Star Trek Original Series episodes with the guys who were half-white and half-black). Some bits are a little preachy, but hey, the main character is a bishop. Since I am sympathetic with 99% of his ideas, I enjoyed it.
Recommended.
This book will be discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast #352 in late March, 2025 (maybe it already happened if you are reading this in the future?).
The route is made longer when the Fascists, a high-conservative political group headquartered on Ceres, hijacks the vessel because of a spy on board. Gastelum briefly meets the spy though he only figures out he was the spy later. The spy kills himself before docking at Ceres. The bishop, through a lot of circumstances, winds up with a coded message to take back to Earth though he does not know that either. It's just a box of chocolates for the Pope. The Fascists don't find out right away either and Gastelum books a different transport. This time, he has more of a solar system odyssey that reveals the political, scientific, and social atmosphere of the future as imagined by Kellett.
Like a lot of other science fiction, the world Kellett crafts has much in common with our own. He flags up a lot of current problems, like genetically- or surgically-modified humans, fake tolerance in social and political arenas, and cyber-addiction. The bishop gives a Catholic understanding on such issues as the story progresses and he interacts with various people. Gastelum struggles with what to do in certain situations and has plenty of failings. Humanity has hardly been perfected by scientific advancements. Those advancements just present new challenges and new opportunities.
The book is enjoyable. It has some good descriptions of future colonies where people behave very differently from other places but not from other times like ours. Some of our current problems are cranked to eleven, which provides the author a chance to talk about them in a less threatening but still obvious way (like that Star Trek Original Series episodes with the guys who were half-white and half-black). Some bits are a little preachy, but hey, the main character is a bishop. Since I am sympathetic with 99% of his ideas, I enjoyed it.
Recommended.
This book will be discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast #352 in late March, 2025 (maybe it already happened if you are reading this in the future?).
June 11, 2024
I really liked this, a very quick and wide sweeping story. My only “complaint” is the one I share with others- this could have easily been fleshed out 300+ pages. I don’t usually say that, so I give it as a compliment to the ideas and scenarios presented in the book.
I think this is the only book I’ve read with a bishop as the main character, so props for that.
If Cy Kellett ever decided to write another book I’d absolutely read it!
I think this is the only book I’ve read with a bishop as the main character, so props for that.
If Cy Kellett ever decided to write another book I’d absolutely read it!
July 2, 2024
A futuristic Gulliver's Travels? I want more of this. I want how the Church deals with important upcoming issues. I want references and considerations only a Catholic would know. The overall plot wasn’t amazing but the individual scenes were just so incredible and enjoyable. I recommend all Catholics who like science fiction to know this novella out!
July 3, 2019
Now I just need a great book about space nuns and I think we’ll have made a real start on this whole Catholic scifi thing...
June 23, 2020
A fun Catholic novella with intrigue and posing some interesting questions that relate to our current situation as well.
July 6, 2025
Very fun little catholic sci fi novel. Would recommend!
August 22, 2013
The book tells the story of Mark Gastelum, the first native-born bishop of Mars, as he makes his first trip to Earth to make his compulsory ad limina visit to the Pope. The bishop has put off the visit for years – he has a rather parochial view of things. Doesn’t he have plenty to accomplish in his diocese? Why should he have to spend years of his life travelling to Rome, just for a brief interview with the Pope? Aren’t there better uses of his time?
When the word finally comes from the Holy See that he may procrastinate no longer, he accedes and books passage for Earth. One can imagine Bishop Gastelum as the twenty-second (or perhaps twenty-third) century equivalent of a Midwestern American bishop of the mid-nineteenth century: Rome is very distant, travel is slow and difficult, and the goings-on of the Pope and his curia seem to have little to do with the very real and constant challenges of managing a frontier diocese. But what is a bishop to do? When Rome commands, one must obey.
The journey he undertakes in the novel serves to enlarge him and his view of things, and also to expand his understanding of what it means to represent Christ to a troubled world.
Creating a Catholic science fiction novel is a tricky thing. It would be all too easy to produce a literary chimera – a repulsive mash-up that satisfies neither Catholics nor seasoned readers of science fiction. As a Catholic novel, Ad Limina succeeds very well, and there is certainly plenty here to satisfy an avid reader of science fiction.
Read my full reviews on my Sancta Futura blog and my Catholic reader blog.
When the word finally comes from the Holy See that he may procrastinate no longer, he accedes and books passage for Earth. One can imagine Bishop Gastelum as the twenty-second (or perhaps twenty-third) century equivalent of a Midwestern American bishop of the mid-nineteenth century: Rome is very distant, travel is slow and difficult, and the goings-on of the Pope and his curia seem to have little to do with the very real and constant challenges of managing a frontier diocese. But what is a bishop to do? When Rome commands, one must obey.
The journey he undertakes in the novel serves to enlarge him and his view of things, and also to expand his understanding of what it means to represent Christ to a troubled world.
Creating a Catholic science fiction novel is a tricky thing. It would be all too easy to produce a literary chimera – a repulsive mash-up that satisfies neither Catholics nor seasoned readers of science fiction. As a Catholic novel, Ad Limina succeeds very well, and there is certainly plenty here to satisfy an avid reader of science fiction.
Read my full reviews on my Sancta Futura blog and my Catholic reader blog.
December 4, 2017
This very short book weaves within a gorgeous panorama of imaginative space travel the modern-day perspectives and commentary of active Catholic issues. The book does not attempt to hide its Catholicity from the reader at all, which was something which took away from the experience for me. It seemed to be a bit too idealistic, having very much a “plan of God without man’s interference” feel to it.
That being said, the tight narrative moved through many relevant topics - modern liberal pluralism, the desire of some to right those wrongs through force, science without limits, drug usage, media, state politics, and Church politics. Each dynamic was well-developed and thought through and it showed often the slippery slope to which certain modern perspectives lead people. At times the action seemed to happen too fast, but such is story-telling in a narrow span of pages. (It also didn’t help that I couldn’t put it down!) The action which took place was all explained very well. What I liked most about the story was that it was all thoroughly logical and believable. There were no supreme oddities or coincidences - it all made sense within the author’s system of logic.
Without giving away too many details, I’ll make a final comment - I greatly enjoyed the moral dilemmas. This to me is the high point of the book because the author shows some of the real questions which faithful Catholics must navigate and attempt to answer. I think this is a wonderful book as it gives Catholic insight into the modern world and some of its big questions. While this story may be dated and heavily biased, I can recommend it as both insightful and enjoyable.
That being said, the tight narrative moved through many relevant topics - modern liberal pluralism, the desire of some to right those wrongs through force, science without limits, drug usage, media, state politics, and Church politics. Each dynamic was well-developed and thought through and it showed often the slippery slope to which certain modern perspectives lead people. At times the action seemed to happen too fast, but such is story-telling in a narrow span of pages. (It also didn’t help that I couldn’t put it down!) The action which took place was all explained very well. What I liked most about the story was that it was all thoroughly logical and believable. There were no supreme oddities or coincidences - it all made sense within the author’s system of logic.
Without giving away too many details, I’ll make a final comment - I greatly enjoyed the moral dilemmas. This to me is the high point of the book because the author shows some of the real questions which faithful Catholics must navigate and attempt to answer. I think this is a wonderful book as it gives Catholic insight into the modern world and some of its big questions. While this story may be dated and heavily biased, I can recommend it as both insightful and enjoyable.
September 9, 2013
Lovely book. I was able to imagine a lot of the futuristic technology he describes for his space colonized universe. Good story pace, good characters. I'd be willing to read another story from this universe. The Bishop of Mars was an enjoyable protagonist to follow.
**Mild Spoilers ahead alert**
The dangers of fascist society and hedonistic society were enjoyable to imagine in a future context. The only thing I had trouble with was the holographic entertainment rooms on the cruise line ship. I always imagine a sort of Lieutenant Barclay syndrome happening if the simulation is good enough, or the lure not being strong enough otherwise.
Good journey story, good Catholic story. I recommend it for anyone looking for an indie Catholic science fiction.
**Mild Spoilers ahead alert**
The dangers of fascist society and hedonistic society were enjoyable to imagine in a future context. The only thing I had trouble with was the holographic entertainment rooms on the cruise line ship. I always imagine a sort of Lieutenant Barclay syndrome happening if the simulation is good enough, or the lure not being strong enough otherwise.
Good journey story, good Catholic story. I recommend it for anyone looking for an indie Catholic science fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2019
Spectacular book. Got this for my wife's birthday and cracked it open to make sure she'd like it. Immediately drew me in and kept me enthralled throughout. Wonderful on so many levels, great characterization, potent philosophical thought, and above all the moral themes hit nearly all the societal concerns today. So many lessons for the world tucked into an intriguing quick read. Best book I've read for quite a while.
February 1, 2024
A wonderful read...
Hope. Mercy. Peace. A wonderful little book about the hope, mercy and peace of Jesus and his intergalactic missionary Church.
Hope. Mercy. Peace. A wonderful little book about the hope, mercy and peace of Jesus and his intergalactic missionary Church.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews