A Case of Conscience

by James Blish

A Case of Conscience is the 1959 Hugo award winning novel. This story examines the nature of religion, aliens, morality and science. It does this by presenting an alien race that allows the characters to examine these ideas in a way that you could not easily do so in a more traditional type of story.

The story has two distinct parts. The first part takes place on the alien world. This is generally considered to be the better part of the story. It tells the story of the four human scientists who have been sent to this world discussing what to do with it. This is a very well developed world and alien race and the argument about what to do about this. The main question is that this is a race which seems to be in an almost perfect state. There is no crime, no war, no social dissidence at all.

The second half begins when one of the alien children is returned to earth with the four scientists. This is generally more about humans than the aliens with the alien now being the outsider who is exploring a new culture. This is a world that has survived the nuclear arms race by building their cities underground.