Tom Jericho is a paleontologist who works at the Royal Ontario Museum. Life has certainly had its ups and downs for him. Though, lately more on the down side. Getting diagnosed with lung cancer will do that to a guy. But on the flip-side, aliens have arrived, and they come in peace. In fact, one of them, named Hollus, wants to have a chat with Tom. Hollus is part of a research crew that made a shocking discovery: the universe was created by an intelligent being. A being that they have decided to call God. And Hollus can back up these assertions. What follows in an unlikely friendship blossoming between a dying paleontologist and an alien scientist. They have many conversations about science, the universe, life, mortality, and the people who make it all worthwhile.
So, who is Robert J. Sawyer? I’ve already told you he is one of my absolute favorite science fiction authors. He is also one of the finest science fiction authors Canada has ever produced. He has won numerous awards over the years. But again, this is insufficient. So, I will speak about why I love his work.
Robert J. Sawyer constantly reminds me of why I love science fiction. His works constantly deal with big ideas. Ideas that expand my horizons, and make the universe feel like an even more wondrous place. And he explains them in plain language that is easy to understand. At times, it almost feels like he’s writing especially for me. No matter if it is designing aliens, imagining alternate societies, or contemplating the social ramifications of scientific discoveries. Sawyer is science fiction at its best. And there is a strong spirit of optimism and hope throughout his work. That isn’t to say bad things never happen. But Sawyer believes that we are more than capable of overcoming the bad times. Aliens can be strange, but they aren’t hostile conquerors. They’re curious, inquisitive, and just need a sympathetic ear.
Robert J. Sawyer’s books were some of the first truly adult books I read back in my teenage years. And he was a great start. Another big thread through multiple Sawyer books is the tension between science and religion. Robert J. Sawyer is an atheist, and a big proponent of rationalism and secularism. However, the plots of many of his books deal with scientific discoveries that provide evidence for religious phenomena. This doesn’t mean Sawyer is secretly pro-religion. Far from it. Science fiction is all about asking the question what if? And Sawyer’s work is no exception to that rule. What he’s doing is going “Okay, suppose we could prove this religious phenomena. And suppose it operated within the parameters of the natural world. How would that work, and what are the implications of that?”
I really mulled over which Robert J. Sawyer novel I ought to review first. The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy was my introduction to him. But if you know this blog, you know I fully commit to a trilogy when I say I’ll review it. I’ve got way too many audio drama creators knocking on my door to make that kind of commitment. Speaking of audio drama, I’d considered The Downloaded. Combine my two loves, and kill two birds with one stone. But no, that didn’t feel right. So, that left his standalones. No shortage of great choices, but what to pick? I dithered about it, but in the end, I went with what felt right. And that was the first Sawyer standalone I ever read: Calculating God.
Sawyer said that he was inspired to write Calculating God by thinking about Carl Sagan and Stephen J. Gould. They were two men who championed science and rationality. They were also both avowed atheists who lost their lives to cancer. Sawyer said he wondered what it was like for them as the end drew closer.
On that note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say there was another reason for this review. I saw a post Sawyer made on Facebook. He said that a few years ago he was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. The good news is that, thanks to a regimen of chemo, radiation and stem cells, his cancer is in remission. The bad news is that mantle cell lymphoma has a 100 percent recurrence rate, and it’s incurable. Eventually, that remission is going to end. But Sawyer has said he has no plans of slowing down any time soon. Still, knowing that the cancer will come back sooner or later…that’s got to weigh on the guy. And I worried it would be in poor taste to pick this book under the circumstances. Still, not like this is the only of Sawyer’s books to touch on the subject. If I had picked Frameshift, we’d definitely still be having this conversation. But Calculating God no doubt was on his mind during the treatment.
Seeing that post lit a fire under me. I felt I had to get this review done so Robert J. Sawyer could see what he means to me. I didn’t want to wait too long in case…
But let us not dwell on that. Let us focus on what a wonderful book Robert J. Sawyer gave us. As I noted, much of the book is devoted to the conversations between Tom and Hollus. Naturally, this does include them discussing the evidence Hollus and her fellow scientists have uncovered. However, they also touch on other subjects as well. There’s an amusing scene where Tom introduces Hollus to Star Trek; as a means of discussing humanity’s ideas about aliens. Upon seeing Spock, Hollus essentially says “That is not an alien. That is clearly a human with pointy ears.” To which Tom says “Hey, cut them some slack. They had a limited budget.”
Robert J. Sawyer is a huge fan of Star Trek: The Original Series and Planet of the Apes. But he’s not above poking fun at both series. And the friendship that Tom and Hollus develop is genuinely quite sweet. Hollus is also a paleontologist, and has come to study Earth’s fossil record.
Sawyer certainly knows how to make some memorable aliens. Forhilnors, the species Hollus belongs to, have spherical bodies, six pairs of legs, and eyestalks. Twisting their eyestalks together is their equivalent of laughing. The books say they look a bit like spiders. But then I saw some official art of Hollus on a recent edition of Calculating God. Here, let me show you.
Robert J. Sawyer’s books were some of the first truly adult books I read back in my teenage years. And he was a great start. Another big thread through multiple Sawyer books is the tension between science and religion. Robert J. Sawyer is an atheist, and a big proponent of rationalism and secularism. However, the plots of many of his books deal with scientific discoveries that provide evidence for religious phenomena. This doesn’t mean Sawyer is secretly pro-religion. Far from it. Science fiction is all about asking the question what if? And Sawyer’s work is no exception to that rule. What he’s doing is going “Okay, suppose we could prove this religious phenomena. And suppose it operated within the parameters of the natural world. How would that work, and what are the implications of that?”
I really mulled over which Robert J. Sawyer novel I ought to review first. The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy was my introduction to him. But if you know this blog, you know I fully commit to a trilogy when I say I’ll review it. I’ve got way too many audio drama creators knocking on my door to make that kind of commitment. Speaking of audio drama, I’d considered The Downloaded. Combine my two loves, and kill two birds with one stone. But no, that didn’t feel right. So, that left his standalones. No shortage of great choices, but what to pick? I dithered about it, but in the end, I went with what felt right. And that was the first Sawyer standalone I ever read: Calculating God.
Sawyer said that he was inspired to write Calculating God by thinking about Carl Sagan and Stephen J. Gould. They were two men who championed science and rationality. They were also both avowed atheists who lost their lives to cancer. Sawyer said he wondered what it was like for them as the end drew closer.
On that note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say there was another reason for this review. I saw a post Sawyer made on Facebook. He said that a few years ago he was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. The good news is that, thanks to a regimen of chemo, radiation and stem cells, his cancer is in remission. The bad news is that mantle cell lymphoma has a 100 percent recurrence rate, and it’s incurable. Eventually, that remission is going to end. But Sawyer has said he has no plans of slowing down any time soon. Still, knowing that the cancer will come back sooner or later…that’s got to weigh on the guy. And I worried it would be in poor taste to pick this book under the circumstances. Still, not like this is the only of Sawyer’s books to touch on the subject. If I had picked Frameshift, we’d definitely still be having this conversation. But Calculating God no doubt was on his mind during the treatment.
Seeing that post lit a fire under me. I felt I had to get this review done so Robert J. Sawyer could see what he means to me. I didn’t want to wait too long in case…
But let us not dwell on that. Let us focus on what a wonderful book Robert J. Sawyer gave us. As I noted, much of the book is devoted to the conversations between Tom and Hollus. Naturally, this does include them discussing the evidence Hollus and her fellow scientists have uncovered. However, they also touch on other subjects as well. There’s an amusing scene where Tom introduces Hollus to Star Trek; as a means of discussing humanity’s ideas about aliens. Upon seeing Spock, Hollus essentially says “That is not an alien. That is clearly a human with pointy ears.” To which Tom says “Hey, cut them some slack. They had a limited budget.”
Robert J. Sawyer is a huge fan of Star Trek: The Original Series and Planet of the Apes. But he’s not above poking fun at both series. And the friendship that Tom and Hollus develop is genuinely quite sweet. Hollus is also a paleontologist, and has come to study Earth’s fossil record.
Sawyer certainly knows how to make some memorable aliens. Forhilnors, the species Hollus belongs to, have spherical bodies, six pairs of legs, and eyestalks. Twisting their eyestalks together is their equivalent of laughing. The books say they look a bit like spiders. But then I saw some official art of Hollus on a recent edition of Calculating God. Here, let me show you.
It didn’t escape my notice that Forhilnors bear more than a passing resemblance to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Knowing Sawyer, something tells me that wasn’t accidental. And Tom is the one who disputes Hollus’ claims. So, he’s Doubting Thomas. I always thought it was unfair that Thomas got singled out for doubting. If you read the gospels, all the disciples doubted that Jesus was really back.
If you’re wondering about the blue alien, that would be a Wreed. They have thirty-seven fingers, and thus use base thirty-seven for math. Humans use base ten, and Forhilnors use base 8. As a result, Wreeds can’t do any meaningful math. Thirty-Seven is a prime number, so you can’t meaningfully divide it. However, morality comes as simply to them as two plus two does to you and I. Unsurprisingly, the Forhilnors were the ones who made the ship Hollis and her fellow scientists traveled on. The Wreeds just came along for the ride.
An example of this. On the subject of abortion, Wreeds’ advice to humans is to use protection first. But if that fails, it is okay to get an abortion. Tom points out that some humans would say using birth control is immoral. This completely baffles all the aliens. Sawyer has pointed out the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church’s stance on birth control in several of his novels. I went to Catholic middle school and high school, though my family is Methodist. So, believe me, I heard it all. Amusingly, one time I drew a picture of Hollus during some down time in religion class. Turns out my mental image was a bit off the mark, but I’m still fond of that drawing. The teacher saw it, and liked it, and asked what it was. I just said it was an alien from a book I was reading, which was technically true.
One of Tom’s flashbacks hit me like a gut punch. He talks about something that happened when he was a kid. The ROM was having a contest to win a bunch of dinosaur merchandise. If it was about dinosaur trivia, Tom would have had it in the bag. But it was an art contest. Specifically, about making a marionette. Tom tried, he really did, but he just couldn’t make it work. So, another kid won, and the kids didn’t even know the correct names for the dinosaur! Yeah, that one really hit home. I had something very similar happen to me when I was a kid.
A big subplot running through the novel is that the employees of the Royal Ontario Museum are doing their best to make it a great museum. Unfortunately, the museum director has some different ideas, and seems determined to undermine them at every turn. Without getting too specific, because I like being gainfully employed, I’ve had to deal with similar things at my place of employment. Looking back often gives us a new perspective on books.
But on a lighter note, Sawyer always does a fantastic job making Canada sound like a magical place. Robert J. Sawyer is a proud Canadian and a big champion of Canadian science fiction. He said that, early in his career, he was advised to never set his novel in Canada. On the grounds that novels set in Canada wouldn’t sell. Sawyer decided to defy this advice, and he had done perfectly well for himself.
Now, Calculating God did attract a little controversy. Skeptical Inquirer published a review where they accused Sawyer of promoting creationism. They even included quotes from the book that seemed to support this. But you see, there was a slight problem. Those quotes were uttered by the villains of the novel. The ROM is putting on a special exhibit of the Burgess Shale. It is a set of exceptionally well preserved fossils from the Cambrian Era. I got to see some of them at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. They are truly quite the sight to behold. The creationists want to destroy the fossils, by shooting them, to destroy evidence of evolution. They are presented as unambiguously bad for doing this. Oh, and did I mention that one of them is named Falsey? I mean, Sawyer wasn’t being subtle about his actual views.
Frankly, that was no different than those Fundamentalist Christians who ranted about Harry Potter. The ones who quote it to claim it encouraged bad things. But conveniently left out that the quotes were coming from Voldemort. You know, the bad guy.
Now, in Calculating God, one of the big pieces of evidence the Forhilnors have is that our universe is the only one in existence. This is a variation on the fine tuning argument. The claim that the universe is uniquely suited to support life, and therefore, someone must have made it that way. But that argument falls apart in the face of the multiverse hypothesis. If our universe is merely one roll of the dice, then it isn’t all that special. Actual science supports the multiverse hypothesis. Sawyer himself has said he doesn’t believe in the fine tuning argument specifically for this reason.
However, this goes back to what I said about science fiction asking the question what if? Suppose it could be proved that ours is the one and only universe. What are the potential implications of that? That was the question Sawyer was asking. And the God of this novel is very different compared to the one Christians believe in. But that is for the spoiler’s section.
So, we’re about to get into it.
Last chance if you want to turn back.
If everyone who wants out is gone, here we go.
So, what does God look like? Kind of like a shoggoth. Black and kind of globby, but also with lots of tentacles. Like a cross between a squid and a spiral galaxy. God does save Earth from getting fried by radiation after Betelgeuse goes supernova, but for purely selfish reasons. God needs the DNA of humans, Forhilnors, and Wreeds to be combined so that it can reproduce. So, essentially, what we are presented with is a variation of the Deist idea of God. That is, the watchmaker who created the universe, and then left it alone. Only occasionally popping in every now and again, if at all. Certainly doesn’t sound like Christian propaganda, now does it?
But what might irk some readers is how Tom decides to join Hollus’ expedition to meet up with God. This means leaving his wife and son behind. The novel makes it clear that Tom does indeed love his wife and son. He constantly thinks about them, and how they’re going to handle things once he is gone. But he’s got very little time left by this point, and he is a scientist at heart. Plus, at least their final memory of him would be him somewhat healthy and functional. Better that than him being bed ridden and with a bunch of tubes and wires sticking out of him. That’s just my two cents on the matter.
And we simply must talk about the audiobook. It is narrated by Jonathan Davis. He is one of the absolute top of the line narrators in the audiobooks world. But he isn’t alone. Robert J. Sawyer personally introduces the novel before it begins. I loved hearing about the things that inspired him to write Calculating God. He has such a friendly, personable tone. It’s like he’s in the room with you. The music at the beginning and end of the audiobook is beautiful. It was performed by Michael Whalen. He has produced the intro and outro music for countless audiobooks. Quite frankly, he needs to release an album of all the audiobook music he’s made. Sometimes, I’d relisten to the audiobooks just to hear the music again. And to hear Sawyer’s introduction again.
Fun fact, this audiobook won the Audie Award for Best Science Fiction Audiobook in 2009.
A lot of people consider Calculating God to be Robert J. Sawyer’s best book. I don’t know if that is true. Like I said, there’s just too many good options to only pick one. But I do know that it is an excellent book, and that you should absolutely pick it up if you have not already.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
A lot of people consider Calculating God to be Robert J. Sawyer’s best book. I don’t know if that is true. Like I said, there’s just too many good options to only pick one. But I do know that it is an excellent book, and that you should absolutely pick it up if you have not already.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.
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