March 7, 2012

A Case of Conscience by James Blish

The novel “A Case of Conscience” by James Blish was published for the first time in 1958. The first part was published as a novella in the magazine “If” in 1953. The novel won the Hugo Award for best novel of the year. In 2004, the original novella won the Retro Hugo Award given to works published 50 years earlier.

In 2049 a human expedition is on planet Lithia, where the environment isn’t suitable for human beings but there’s an intelligent species that developed a culture completely different from those that appeared on Earth. Despite the many biological and cultural differences, humans are able to establish friendly relations with the Lithians.

The human expedition biologist, Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez, is also a Jesuit priest and is concerned by what emerges from his studies on the Lithians. They seem to have developed a perfect civilization without conflict but they don’t have a concept of divinity. Father Ruiz-Sanchez ends up getting convinced that they were created by Satan.