Delightful little Epistle for us sinners of Corinth :)

books:

	• Letters from the Flesh Marcos Donnelly Robert J. Sawyer Books, 2004 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Completely Different

'Letters from the Flesh' is the most different SF novel I've read in years. It is full of surprises, and I'm still thinking about it months after reading it. For me, these are very good things.

Delightful little Epistle for us sinners of Corinth :)

I just got a copy of this and it's awesome. A warning, though. This is not a book for the close minded. There are things in this book that will make you THINK. There are those who might even go so far as to call it Blasphemous. If you use the word Blasphemous or don't like to think, I suggest you don't read this. It will only give you a headache. Everyone else - Let's proceed.

It's written on the model of "The Screwtape Letters" until toward the end, where the similarity fades. I got the impression reading this that Mr. Donnelly was channeling Lewis as he wrote, and that CS Lewis had either gone insane in the afterlife or had some ephiphany and in a most entertaining an fulfilling manner.
The Characters are well developed as people. Lillian was deliciously demonic in tone and Luke, my favorite character sounded like someone I had met before, some real flesh and blood person not a character in a book.

The story is concise and well executed, the timing excellent and the plot engaging. The ending took my breath away. Literally. I found a few parts of it confusing, as this book is much more philisophical in my opinion. I can't really explain that, and I suppose it's Lewis' form. If you've read his stuff, you feel like your being taught something subliminally and your wiser at the end for it, but not really sure how or what. Same here. That being said, it is still incredibly entertaining.

I usually don't read fiction, but this I devoured in about 2 hours and couldn't put it down. I can't rave enough about this and am recommending it to everyone I know.

So, what are you waiting for. Buy the book. Trust me, I'm never wrong about these things. :)

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Another excellent read

It's always a pleasure reading new fiction from Marcos Donnelly and his latest contribution to the SF world is no exception. Following the religious explorations of his first novel (as well as a number of his shorter pieces), Donnelly now turns the reader's eye to the conflict/tensions between science and religion -- in this case, Creationism and evolution -- while paying an endearing homage to C.S. Lewis' THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS in the process.

The book tells its tale through two sets of seemingly unconnected letters: One set from Dr. Lillian Uberland, a biology professor, to her sometimes bull-headed cousin Michael, and the other from Paul of Tarsus (after a fashion) shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus two thousand years earlier. What emerges from these alternating storylines, apart from brilliant plotting and characterization, is an unrelenting examination of the passions of belief that is certainly refreshing to find in SF, much less the wider world of mainstream fiction.

Intelligent, engrossing, and blazingly (and brazenly) hilarious in parts, LETTERS FROM THE FLESH is a wonderful read through-and-through, and most assuredly does not disappoint.

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What If?

This tale sets a new dimension in science fiction and examines what we think we know about our past, present, and future. Kudos to Marcos Donnelly for giving us a very interesting and original story.

Very clever; a fitting debut for Rob Sawyer's new logo

This book started a bit slow, as the author set the context in perhaps too much detail, but is well worth perseverance. As the complexities grew, I feared that the author would fall into a common SF weakness of an abrupt, elaborate and unconvincing ending. Fear not; the ends are tied up neatly, and despite a playfulness that may offend some readers, cleverly leaves an opening for (broadminded) Christian beliefs.
Althought this could hardly be called a conventional novel with conventional pot or characters, Donnelly evokes interest in and sympathy for the characters, to the point where I let out a fervent "Oh, no!" at one plot twist.
This book would be excellent fodder for a discussion group.
PS A tip for Donnelly: The consistent repetition of Lilian's annoying e-mail salutation is NOT one of the highlights of the book!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Letters from the Flesh, the second book by new SF novelist Marcos Donnelly, sets a breathtaking pace, tackling far-reaching themes like evolution, fundamentalism, quantum realities, and the very core of human nature. The novel is a fictional collection of two sets of letters united by a single secret, but separated by two thousand years: - the first-century epistles of a non-physical alien entrapped in the body of St. Paul the Apostle, accidentally triggering the birth of Christianity; - the emails of microbiologist Dr. Lillian Oberland, a young college adjunct writing to her cousin Michael, a public school biology teacher facing the wrath of Creationist parents. The letters reveal a relationship far deeper than passing coincidences-and signal that cousin Michael's unexpected conversion to fundamentalism might have interspecies consequences that cross the millennia.

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