While Emilio tries to regroup and put back together a life for himself the Jesuits put together another party to go.  They have Emilio contract to work with this party on language and culture of the species that he met on Rakhart to better prepare them.  And in the end he ends up joining the group and facing the events of his past.

When they arrive on the planet they have a big surprise in how things have changed in the years since Emilio was last there.  A revolution had taken place with the whole structure of society changing dramatically so that the ruling elite are almost extinct.  Emilio is able to take this information and interpret it in ways that impact his faith and moral understanding of what has happened in his life and why.

This book did not quite meet the standards set by The Sparrow, which is one of my favorite books.  Yet Mary Doria Russell does some things very well and I again appreciated the care and skill that she put into character development.   Each character is very believable and I enjoy them individually and their relationships with each other.  I also like the way that she explores issues of faith, which is again a central focus in this book.

The Sparrow is written as if in 2059 where the Society of Jesuits are questioning the sole survivor of a mission in 2019 to Rakhart, a planet in another solar system that had been transmitting music that was picked up on Earth.  Emilio, a Jesuit priest, and a group of friends and other Jesuits come together to go on this expedition sponsored by the Society of Jesuits to try to make contact with the beings transmitting the music.  As the government was slower on putting together a mission they were the first to make contact on this planet.  There are people of faith and people who are not and there is much discussion about what God ordains to happen as well as why God would allow other things to take place.  Questions most people deal with.

The party meets the inhabitants of the planet and tries to adjust to life on the planet while transmitting their findings and research back to Earth.  Emilio is a linguist and works hard at communicating and trying to understand society on Rakhart.  Things end badly and Emilio is eventually rescued by a second party sent from Earth and sent home alone as the sole survivor from the first party, after being discovered in unfortunate circumstances.  His story of his time on the planet and the misunderstandings that took place come out as he is questioned in 2059 for others to try to find answers from him of what had happened.

Every character in this book was well developed and very interesting.  The issues that it tackled were very real and somewhat heartbreaking as many of us feel that we are surprised by consequences while trying to do good.  I would also recommend Children of God, the sequel to The Sparrow.