Incredibly ambitious. Really likable and yet alien aliens. Contemplates life, the universe, and everything.

The entire subplot with the fundamentalists could and should have been dropped to focus on the sudden threat that arises 80% through, which initially disgusted me.

But...I won't say it pulled off the ending perfectly, but damn it was a ballsy ending. Points for that.

Entertaining, some hard science, usually satisfying. The "human angle" re: Tom's life, career, and future was a little boring compared to the sweet, realistic friendship between Thomas and Hollus, the greatest triumph here.

I have been meaning to read Calculating God for quite some time, but never quite got around to it. I am now very glad that I finally did so. I enjoy novels which are set in real locations (most of the action in this one takes place at the Royal Ontario Museum) because you can find out more about those places online and view maps and photos while you are reading. Reactions to this novel seem to be polarized. If a reader has a prior commitment to either purely naturalistic evolution or young-earth creationism, it is unlikely that the message of the novel will go down well. However, for people who have no such commitments and can see the shortcomings of both arguments, the speculations which run throughout this work of science fiction take a fascinating middle road. Of course, this is a fictional account of visits by aliens to our planet, and it is not entirely clear where the author himself stands on some of the issues presented, but I feel that the story does no disservice to the true spirit of scientific inquiry. In a slightly weaker subplot, religious extremism is condemned, although this may just be a device used by the author to prove to readers that he has no desire to support traditional religious ideas of creationism. I feel that the story is well-written, the characterizations (even of the principal alien character) are convincing, and the fact that it addresses some of the perplexing issues related to the human condition make it a captivating read. ( )

I love that most of this book takes place in the Royal Ontario Museum, with a protagonist who shares my views on the dumbing-down of the displays over the last 40 years. The first chapters with the alien's occasional hilarious misunderstanding ("Are not all your paleontologists humans? Would they not therefore all be vertebrates?") coupled with a rather wicked sense of humour are priceless. The pace slows down somewhat during the middle chapters, with a lot of talk about the existence of God as perceived by two alien races and Tom Jericho venting about his terminal cancer diagnosis. It then picks up again and builds towards a completely bizarre denouement. Well worth reading. ( )

One of the best and most interesting " First Contact " SF novels written. ( )

This was a clever and thoughtful book about death, life, evolution, and God. The "God" referenced is not the Christian God; instead, the book tells the story of a Canadian paleontologist named Thomas Jericho who meets extraterrestrials with indisputable evidence that the world was created (and is still maintained) by a powerful and intelligent entity. Thomas, a lifelong atheist, struggles to reconcile this information with his own convictions, and with his impending cancer diagnosis. Also, there are some crazy American fundies who don't really contribute anything except making it clear that the book doesn't endorse Christianity. The book would be better if their subplot had been cut out entirely, but it's still very well-written and thought-provoking. ( )