Most of all though, it's the conceit of the novel that stands conventions on their collective head. By the end of the book we care about them both and have a vested interest in their fates. Moreover, they develop a genuine and touching friendship. Honestly, I will not hurt you-or your cattle, for that matter.'įor another, both Tom and Hollus are fleshed out as full and interesting characters, unlike the rather cardboard figures of many a space opera. You humans do have some crazy mythology about extraterrestrial visitations. Hollus's eyestalks did their S-ripple again. I tried to raise my nonexistent eyebrows. There were gasps from the small crowd that had assembled in the lobby.

'Of course, if you want, I could give you an anal probe.'

Gesture with one of his hands, as though motioning for me to turn around. 'Forgive me, but you possess little my associates or I might desire.' Hollus paused, as if thinking. Laughter? 'No.' And the two arms spread wide. The eyestalks rippled in an S-shaped motion. 'Then what? You're not.you're not an invader are you?' The eyestalks moved closer to each other, then held their position there.

'I have been studying your world that is why I am here.' For one thing, it's very amusing, especially the dry wit God, in a joyful science fiction tale that defies all of the anti-human, technophiliac, hard science trends that have been stifling the genre in recent years. I would like to see a paleontologist.' Thus is Thomas Jericho, of the Royal Ontario Museum, embarked on an adventure that will bring him 'face-to-face' with That we live in a created universe is apparent to anyone with sufficient intelligence and information.Ī spider-like alien lands in Toronto and says: 'Excuse me.

Calculating god