MsB’s Reviews > The Book of Strange New Things > Status Update

I’ve actually really enjoyed this. It’s quiet and thoughtful. There’s a subtle exploration of imperialism and colonialism through religion, alongside a critique of money, power, and the destruction of the earth. I also find the central question really interesting, how do you make a religion, so rooted in human Earthly experience, meaningful to an entirely different species on a different planet?

This is actually quite moving. There’s a real tenderness to it, especially in the way the Oasans talk about life and the soul. I found parts of it unexpectedly affecting. I also liked the reflection on how humans, out of a desire to be known and remembered, work so hard to be special. It feels quietly profound.

I like it. It feels like there’s a mystery at the heart of it that we’re only just scratching the surface of.

Enjoying the characterisation so far. Peter feels sincere and interesting to spend time with. Slight lingering worry that the aliens might end up functioning as some kind of allegorical stand-in (I briefly had a Dune thought), but it’s far too early to say. Curious to see where it goes.