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.