James Tiptree Jr. Award Winner. Arthur C. Clarke Award Winner. British Science Fiction Association Award Winner. Curd Lasswitz Prize Winner. Locus Award Nominee. John Campbell Memorial Prize Finalist. On the Shoulders of Emilio Sandoz, a Charismatic Jesuit Priest and linguist, has a responsible mission entrusted to the Society of Jesus - to establish the first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization. Together with an astronomer, an engineer, a doctor, a computer specialist and three other missionaries, he goes to the planet Rakhat, but the expedition, which was intended to prove the existence of God in the universe, ends in a terrible disaster. After 50 years, the priest, the only surviving member of the crew, is confronted by with public accusations of the most heinous crimes. And now his only hope is to tell his story. “...Not one of the small birds will fall to the ground without the will of your Father...” - Gospel of Matthew “Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs and prejudices. “Small Bird” is one of these.” – Entertainment Weekly “The heartbreaking plot of Little Bird, coupled with Russell's incredible understanding of narrative structure and control over character development, makes this novel unforgettable.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Extraordinary... As for the Jesuits themselves, in many ways the author gets us right, our views, our teaching, our activities, our spirituality. An absolutely captivating story, a book that's hard to put down." – John W. Padberg, Jesuit, Jesuit Spirituality "A biography of faith...Russell describes much of the life of individual Jesuits and the order itself with uncanny accuracy and deep respect." – America Magazine “The novel is exceptionally well written, the characters are detailed, the climax is unusually moving, but it is nevertheless a solid science fiction novel that does not skimp on carefully describing how an interstellar expedition might be organized. It's also not a calming book at all. Even those who agree with its moral conclusions will inevitably find much to upset them along the way in which those conclusions were reached.” – Brian Stableford, Interzone “A remarkably gritty novel that challenges the very nature of religious faith. Despite the fact that this is the first novel, Russell managed to achieve amazing results." – Locus “An astounding, gripping, moral piece of fiction.” —Colin McCullough, New York Times Review of Books “Character, style, and theme all come together harmoniously. An extraordinarily precise understanding of science and those things that science cannot tell us: the human heart.” - NY Review of Science Fiction "Powerful and ambitious...Tackles a complex topic with grace and intelligence." – San Francisco Chronicle “A brilliant and gripping novel. Russell reminds us that even when people go into space, they will continue to ask questions about God, the difficulties and ambiguities of human relationships, and the arrogance that casts the Other into outer darkness." – Commonweal “An unusual kind of science fiction that challenges the heart even more than the mind. Breathtaking and extraordinarily beautiful." - Christian Science Monitor "A fast-paced yet thought-provoking book that will linger in the reader's mind weeks and even months later." – Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction “A powerful book... Its main character, Padre Emilio Sandoz, the only participant in the mission sent by the Jesuits to the planet Rakhat who returned to Earth, truly seeks God. We meet him in Italy... we see him wracked by pain and emotion... However, he was not always like this, as we learn from his memories of a trip that ended poorly... The author presents a difficult topic with mercy and grace.” - San Francisco Chronicle "Compelling... captivating storytelling." – The Seattle Times “A bold, challenging book... Something in the spirit of Arthur C. Clarke and Herbert Wells, with a touch of Ray Bradbury." – The Dallas Morning News “It's not often that you find a book about interstellar travel that has such deep insight into human nature and foresight of a likely future. Mary Doria Russell's clever and intelligent work creates a new world that reveals the nature of humans and extraterrestrials... A vibrant, intriguing novel." - San Antonio Express "A debut of stunning originality... immediately thought-provoking and exciting, proof of the author's special gifts and the value of science fiction as a generator of ideas." – Baltimore City Paper “A brilliant... stunningly authentic sketch of an alien culture, and at the same time an attempt at theodicy... The motives of Wells, Ursula Le Guin and Arthur C. Clarke are easily discerned with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and at the same time a wonderfully original work.” – Kirkus Reviews “A smart, sad, and gripping novel.” – The Cleveland Plain Dealer “A captivating text.” – Booklist ““Small Bird” is something out of the ordinary. Deeply humanistic science fiction, gripping storytelling, compelling characters... A smartly constructed first novel that gets us thinking!” – Alan Chase