middlesex by jeffrey eugenides

It's fine. I've read books with the Greek -- fate theme before, and here not all the cycles and connections are perfectly executed, but it's pretty close.

the sparrow by mary doria russell

1.  The first time I read this, I enjoyed the buildup of the missionaries' preparations - not just the linguistic aspect of it, but that so much investment in the characters paid off later for their dramatic downfall. However, I think that the author actually intended for you to sympathize with them to the point of justifying their actions, which puts a damper on it... I'm predisposed to thinking any story with cool aliens is good, but if you take the book literally, it's a bunch of educated people with good intentions (who express their multiculturalism through... imitating various accents and mannerisms...) who, taken by the beauty and art of a foreign culture, fatally underestimate the natives' savagery. Good thing we have the death of the author.

the color of the end: mission in the apocalypse 1 by haruo iwamune (trans. john neal)

 dull, unoriginal, some of the drawings are too dense/dark to see clearly, and NOTHING HAPPENS!

a planet for rent by yoss (trans. david frye)

 The main thing that comes across is anger, at having to live in an embargoed, touristified place. I really like the bitter, cynical tone and found it distinctive, but this book succumbs to the cyberpunk fault of not having a single female character who isn't a sex worker until, like 9/10ths of the way to the end.