A Small and Remarkable Life by Nick DiChario (Robert Sawyer Books), 231 pp.

Tink Puddah is an extraterrestrial child from a distant planet who is orphaned in the Adirondack Mountains in 1845, when his parents are killed upon landing on Earth. As blue as Krishna, poor Tink is persecuted for looking different and struggles to survive in an inhospitable and alien land. Despite his fear of humans, Tink is a gifted healer who has the ability to cure the physical and emotional ills of the suffering.

To some, Puddah is a murderer, and to others the Messiah himself, alternately loved and persecuted. A Small and Remarkable Life, a parable about suffering, redemption and love, finds Tink living his life on the run and hiding from the cruelties of men. He is pursued by the likes of Jacob Piersol, a troubled preacher who yearns to save the alien's soul, and who, like many of the intolerant characters in the novel, is deeply disturbed by Puddah's lack of faith in God. So when the preacher learns that the tiny blue foreigner has performed miracles that have changed the lives of members of his own congregation, Piersol's life is changed forever.

Nick DiChario writes with a deft touch. Whether illustrating religious practices, a 19th-century game of baseball or the psychedelic Wetspace where Tink originated from, the author's prose reads like poetry. "Tink became the nutriment and conscious/subconscious matter of Wetspace," he writes. "Tink was mind and liquid, formless and form. All was diluted and dispersed by the inner currents of the one benign, aquatic environment of their pearly organisms." Like the Buddha, the tiny alien has the ability to see beyond the superficial face of reality straight into the heart and soul of humanity.

The juxtaposition of the future with the past is what makes A Small and Remarkable Life such an intoxicating science fiction. Thrust into a world where killing and mob justice are the norm, except for those few instances when men and women of courage make a stand to protect the odd-looking alien, Tink is mocked, scorned and subject to violence. His story offers many insights into the truth of what it means to be human.

 
 

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Sci Fi Meets Faith     Sounds good to read, to take faith from another perspective yet we are all being influenced but the tugging between one religion and another or one belief and the next. The fact that Jesus could have come from elsewhere is not new to my own world of fantasies some of which are inspired by sci fi films like Stargate in 1994. That film introduced the notion of the Egyptians having landing onto pyramid platforms from outer space. There have been attempts to like sci-fi to spirituality like in the Star trek series or even in the Star Wars saga.
Martin Dansky		September 19th, 2006
Faith, Aliens & Tolerance.     I like Science Fiction, although it's rare that I pick up a book in the library or bookstore anymore & actually read it. Lately, when it comes to this genre I've been looking for SciFi Lite: books that still have that otherworldly aspect but are played out in this world focusing on human situations. After reading the review for this novel, "A Small and Remarkable Life", my interest has been piqued. It sounds like Nick DiChario's little blue alien, Tink, is an allegory for life on this planet, even if you're from here. We've all experienced or witnessed struggles with intolerance & seen both the good & bad of humanity. There are probably other books out there that tell a similar story (the character E.T. comes to mind), but I haven't read any & this sounds like an interesting story. As for me, I'll definitely be giving this novel a second chance when I go to the bookstore next time.
Michael Osborne	{17 votes}	September 5th, 2006
~Chåpter & Verse~     An actual book review. No, strike that. An actual book review for a sci-fi novel. Now, that is rare. I've glanced through tthis section before and verry rarely do genre novels get the proverbial nod. Funny, unless it's Harry Potter most people almost seem embarrassed to admit that they dig genre material. I'm not familiar with Nick DiChario but after reading this review I must admit to being a tad curious to seek it out. The premise seems intriguing and I for one think that the mix of characters and setting offer a great opportunity to weave something familiar but unique.
Pedro Eggers	{13 votes}	September 4th, 2006
A small and remarkable life...     I am not a big fan of reading or watching Science Fiction. It just doesn't appeal to me, however, A Small and Remarkable Life does sound fairly interesting. I think it appeals to me more than other science fiction because it seems to present a social commentary, a way for us to be able to step back and look at this thing we call human from an unbiased point of view. Although the idea of an alien coming to earth doesn't seem all too novel (kind of reminiscent of ET, Superman and Coccoons), it does appear to be a somewhat interesting read.
Reena Tabing	{4 votes}	August 27th, 2006
Cool     Wow, This novel looks awesome. I mean it's star wars meets Jesus. It look crazy interesting. I have never heard of Nick DiChario, but i will defintely give him a try. It's conforting to take a serious topic like humanity and religion and turn it into a novel that reads well. Koodos.
Sasha Elickus	{4 votes}	August 18th, 2006

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