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Calculating God

Robert J. Sawyer

First published 2000 · 431 pages

A thought-provoking blend of paleontology, cosmic mysteries, and quiet human mortality that asks massive questions over a cup of coffee.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like sitting down for a long, fascinating conversation with a brilliant friend who is eager to debate the deepest mysteries of the universe. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, balancing the grand, awe-inspiring scale of cosmic design with the intimate, bittersweet reality of a protagonist facing his own mortality. It is a deeply earnest and intellectually stimulating experience, wrapping complex discussions of evolution, theology, and astrophysics in clear, accessible prose. The mood is both contemplative and surprisingly warm, anchored by a touching cross-species friendship that grounds the lofty philosophical stakes. It will delight readers who crave 'big idea' science fiction that challenges the mind while keeping a firm, empathetic grip on the human heart.

Mood
  • contemplative
  • awe-inspiring
  • bittersweet
Tone
  • earnest
  • philosophical
  • conversational
  • inquisitive
Pace
brisk
Themes
intersection of science and faith · confronting mortality · cosmic design · cross-species empathy
The writing
Clear, pragmatic, and highly conversational, designed to make complex scientific and theological concepts easily digestible.
The arc
The journey shifts from startling intellectual discovery and personal despair to a profound, bittersweet acceptance of our place in the universe.
Who it's for
Fans of 'big idea' science fiction who enjoy deep philosophical debates wrapped in accessible, character-driven narratives.
Content notes
  • terminal illness (cancer)
  • existential dread
  • religious debates

About the book

Calculating God is the new near-future SF thriller from the popular and award-winning Robert J. Sawyer. An alien shuttle craft lands outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. A six-legged, two-armed alien emerges, who says, in perfect English, "Take me to a paleontologist." It seems that Earth, and the alien's home planet, and the home planet of another alien species traveling on the alien mother ship, all experienced the same five cataclysmic events at about the same time (one example of these "cataclysmic events" would be the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs). Both alien races believe this proves the existence of God: i.e. he's obviously been playing with the evolution of life on each of these planets.

From this provocative launch point, Sawyer tells a fast-paced, and morally and intellectually challenging, SF story that just grows larger and larger in scope. The evidence of God's universal existence is not universally well received on Earth, nor even immediately believed. And it reveals nothing of God's nature. In fact. it poses more questions than it answers.

When a supernova explodes out in the galaxy but close enough to wipe out life on all three home-worlds, the big question is, Will God intervene or is this the sixth cataclysm:?

Calculating God is SF on the grand scale.

Calculating God is a 2001 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.

Description from Open Library.

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