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Title:	Calculating God
Author:	Robert J. Sawyer
Copyright Date:	2000
Publisher:	Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

September 2004

Reviews

Calculating GOD, is a calculated mess.

In my cerebrum, I enjoyed this book. I relished the 'what ifs' and the thought of meeting God, the architect of the universe. However, there was a lot of potential expressed in this book that did not come to fruition. A really, really good story could have come from this idea.

Gripe #1: Tom Jericho Tom being an atheist makes perfect sense in that he is a scientist. Why make him fifty-four, with a six-year-old, and a wife? Why the cancer? With these, he does not become a more intriguing character. While not quite a caricature, he is a sketch, not quite flesh. There are attempts to make him more interesting, more real, ie:the attempt to make amends with his friend, but nothing comes of it. We don't know what happened between them to begin with. So what was the point of that? He mentions a brother and his brother's family, yet we are never introduced to him and we're to believe that this man is dying? His friends, his colleagues should be treating him with kit gloves, people should treat him like he's dying. People with cancer look different, they look ill, act ill, are ILL. We get only passing mention of how Tom feels to be dying. Yes he breaks down with Hollus, but that feels fake, forced as if the author needs to add it.
Gripe #2: Hollus being a girl Why make the distinction toward the end of the book? If it were important why not have Hollus correct Tom's assumption from the beginning.
Gripe #3: Cooter and J.D. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! This annoys me so much I don't know where to begin.
First, why did they have to be from America? Doesn't Canada have its own crazies?
Second, why did they have to be from the SOUTH? This is so trite its not even funny.
Third: They had to be Christian's, didn't they. Can't make 'em Mormon or cultists or something. Nooooo! Fundamentalist Christians, too. That really chaps my @$$.
Gripe #4: The Governments The Canadian government, American government and the UN, don't ban together to shoot the aliens out of the sky. Much as I wish that we were that advanced and mature as a race, we aren't. Somebody would have tried something to get the aliens to do what we wanted them to. If there is anything humans are collectively, its stubborn.

I believe the word that best describes this book for me is "Unimpressive". I was really looking forward to something spectacular but I got a whimper instead of a roar. It was like paying to see a bengal tiger but only getting a bobcat. More impressive than a house cat but nowhere near the expectation set.

Although, the story did have it's good moments. Even though I recognize them as cheesy, I still enjoyed the various references and allusion to America's popular sci-fi culture. I embarrassed myself by knowing most of them. I have not ascended to the level of Geek-dom that allows the ability to quote Star Trek episodes like chapter and verse from the bible.

Gripe-time

I'm sure you missed it for last month.

Gripe #1: X-files, Eh?	The government gave up way to easy. You expect me to believe that the Canadian government would allow even a holographic alien to roam Earth unsupervised. And no, I don't consider a paleontologist qualifies as the supervision.
Gripe #2: Cancer Man	I felt the entire cancer sub-plot to be contrived. Designed to draw unwary readers into sympathizing with the main character. It also provided him with a viable (yet questionable) reason for leaving his family behind.
Gripe #3: Closure?	What the hell was with the call to his friend to make amends. This did nothing for the plot. The Sub-plot could use it to suck more readers in but it died because we aren't told what they did IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
Gripe #4: Coincidencing God	I hated the presentation of the "science" in this fiction to PROVE the existence of GOD. The argument that it is statistically impossible for the universe to support life does NOT prove it was created. But no matter what science says, it can't prove something or someone didn't create it.
Religious Disclaimer	I have to say that I am Christian (Catholic, even) and that I share the belief that God created the universe. I stray from my faith in that I don't believe the Old Testament is an accurate portrayal of history (as most Creationists do). I feel it is more of a guiding book of morals given to us to teach the tenets of faith. But that's a whole different issue!

Gripe #1: Tom Jericho	Tom being an atheist makes perfect sense in that he is a scientist. Why make him fifty-four, with a six-year-old, and a wife? Why the cancer? With these, he does not become a more intriguing character. While not quite a caricature, he is a sketch, not quite flesh. There are attempts to make him more interesting, more real, ie:the attempt to make amends with his friend, but nothing comes of it. We don't know what happened between them to begin with. So what was the point of that? He mentions a brother and his brother's family, yet we are never introduced to him and we're to believe that this man is dying? His friends, his colleagues should be treating him with kit gloves, people should treat him like he's dying. People with cancer look different, they look ill, act ill, are ILL. We get only passing mention of how Tom feels to be dying. Yes he breaks down with Hollus, but that feels fake, forced as if the author needs to add it.
Gripe #2: Hollus being a girl	Why make the distinction toward the end of the book? If it were important why not have Hollus correct Tom's assumption from the beginning.
Gripe #3: Cooter and J.D.	AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! This annoys me so much I don't know where to begin. First, why did they have to be from America? Doesn't Canada have its own crazies? Second, why did they have to be from the SOUTH? This is so trite its not even funny. Third: They had to be Christian's, didn't they. Can't make 'em Mormon or cultists or something. Nooooo! Fundamentalist Christians, too. That really chaps my @$$.
Gripe #4: The Governments	The Canadian government, American government and the UN, don't ban together to shoot the aliens out of the sky. Much as I wish that we were that advanced and mature as a race, we aren't. Somebody would have tried something to get the aliens to do what we wanted them to. If there is anything humans are collectively, its stubborn.