Children of God

Children of God is the second book, and the second science fiction novel, written by author Mary Doria Russell. It is the sequel to the novel The Sparrow. Plot summary Father Emilio Sandoz is a Jesuit priest who has returned to Earth and is recovering from his experiences on the planet Rakhat (detailed in The Sparrow). He believes himself to be the only survivor of a disastrous mission to Rakhat that led to a massacre of a village of herbivore Runa people by their carnivorous Jana'ata rulers, which in turn sparked a Runa revolution. This news caused a rift between the Society of Jesus and the rest of the Catholic Church, and the Jesuits are determined to return to Rakhat and help the Runa. Emilio agrees to teach the members of the second Jesuit expedition to Rakhat the Runa and Jana'ata languages, but refuses to accompany them. He falls in love with a divorced mother named Gina and is released from the priesthood, intending to marry her. Gina's ex-husband Carlo, who is working for the Jesuits and the Vatican, kidnaps Emilio and imprisons him on a spaceship bound for Rakhat. Sofia Mendes Quinn, a member of the first mission to Rakhat, survived being attacked by the Jana'ata in The Sparrow. She was pregnant at the time, and gives birth to a son, Isaac. Sofia supports the Runa in their revolution and becomes a Joan of Arc figure for them.