Mary Doria Russell writes literary and historical fiction that places characters inside unfamiliar cultures, moral dilemmas and situations where good intentions produce difficult consequences. The Sparrow follows a Jesuit-led expedition that travels to another planet after detecting music from an alien civilisation. The surviving priest Emilio Sandoz returns physically and psychologically damaged, and the novel reconstructs what went wrong through alternating timelines. Children of God continues the first-contact story and develops the social consequences on the alien world. Russell has also written historical novels such as A Thread of Grace, about Jewish refugees and Italian resistance during the Second World War, and Doc, which reimagines Doc Holliday and Dodge City. Her work is character-led, research-heavy and interested in faith, language and cultural misunderstanding. The Sparrow is the clearest entry for readers of literary science fiction; A Thread of Grace suits those who prefer wartime historical fiction. Read more Less
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