A Case of Conscience

James Blish — 1958

The sin of reason... Father Ruiz-Sanchez was a dedicated man--a priest who was also a scientist, and a scientist who was also a human being. He found no insoluble conflicts in his beliefs or his ethics until he was sent to Lithia. There he came upon a race of aliens--reptilian in form--who were admirable in every way except for their total reliance on cold reason; they were incapable of faith and belief. On Lithia, Father Ruiz-Sanchez also found a scientific riddle, and he was presented with an ethical problem that reached across two worlds! Father Ruiz-Sanchez was then torn in a struggle between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity., There was only one solution. He had to accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy--and in accepting that heresy, he risked the futures of both worlds! HUGO AWARD WINNER!

Reviews

Kelsey Lynn@abibliophagist

Aug 25, 2022

(5/63) In my Hugo Read-Through A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the fifth Hugo Award for novel in 1959. This was one I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. James Blish is a critic in the writing world, and honestly just because you’re knowledgeable or good at critiquing what is good doesn’t mean you can write, or apply the same level of judgement to your own work. He also has a lot of books, and sometimes this is a sign of being just an ok writer. Also the cover through me for a loop, a dinosaur and a priest? Not only am I not good being patient when it comes to religion but I’m not a fan of fantasy, so I won’t lie, I was worried. The general concept of the book is that a team of men went to the planet Lithia, that is currently inhabited by a reptilian species. This species (the lithians) have a very pure society based completely on the sharing of ideas and knowledge. They naturally do not have evil, they don’t have words for it or impulses for it, they are naturally just truthful, intelligent, and caring creatures. But they also have no religion, because they base their lives on what is provable, tangible science, the idea of religion or god is foreign and non-existent. The men that have come to this planet are there to determine whether or not the planet is an asset to earth, whether as a waystation, a research outpost, military purposes or whatnot. One of the men on this trip, and the main character is Father Ruiz-Sanchez, he is both a scientist and a priest, and in the beginning he loves and appreciates this society. But soon the idea of a society that is naturally pure and good without the influence of god convinces him that Lithia in its entirety is a construction of the devil, and votes to close it of to mankind forever. Before leaving he is given a vase by a friendly Lithian, containing it’s child, to be raised on earth so that it can learn more. The book then follows the life of the planet earth, the life of the Lithian raised there and the influence that people have. So a book told from the prospective of a priest made me nervous, and with the direction and conclusions the Father was drawing from his visit to the planet Lithia, I was finding myself very... frustrated. However as the book progressed I grew more and more interested. I wasn't sure what direction the author would take the story in, whether he would justify the Father's thoughts or find a way to convince him otherwise, if the evil would be Lithia or our effect on such a pure society. The author did a very good job of making all the characters believable in, well, their beliefs. Whether it was religious or science based I believed that the characters truly thought and believed these things, their dialogues and actions were consistent, and he balanced all of it. At no point did I feel he was really backing any of them, none felt more pushed or supported, and everything was very balanced. It made me glad that I read and enjoyed They'd Rather be Right as this books base is the philosophical idea that is presented in that book. A moral and philosophical battle was happening in this book, as well as a dystopian potential future for us. There was also the idea of Nature vs Nurture and what happens when your feel so disconnected from your surroundings. In conclusionA Case of Conscience This is a book that I immediately want to re-read, and ended exactly as I hoped it would. I was surprised and pleased with this. Not to mention it is beautifully written, I found myself writing down line after line, and reading passages to my boyfriend. I had wondered if Blish could do a good story, just because you know what is good and are a critic, doesn't mean you are good, and he's an author that has written so much, it really could go either way. This book shows he does have it, that he is a very talented man both skilled in writing and creative. I look forward to reading more of his books.