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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Children of God is a 1998 sequel to Maria Doria Russell's award-winning debut novel, The Sparrow. The novel picks up immediately after the events of The Sparrow again focusing on Emilio Sandoz' recovery as the Jesuits plan to realign themselves with the Pope and return to Rakhat. Children of God focuses on redemption, recovery and understanding why God allows bad things to happen.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
Plot
Still recovering from the suffering he experienced Rakhat, Emilio Sandoz is visited by Pope Gelasius III who encourages him to return to Rakhat for the sake of the planned mission as well as his own recovery. Despite determined encouragement from Jesuit leader, Vincenzo Giuliani he refuses and leaves the order as well as the priesthood, his faith almost completely destroyed. As a means of keeping him involved with the order, he is encouraged to repay them for his care by training the Jesuit priests who intend to visit Rakhat in the Runa and K'San languages.
Emilio learns to care for himself and moves into his own place. The transition is made easier by Gina Giuliani and her young daughter Celestina. Emilio comes to love them both and the Emilio and Gina decide to marry. Even after learning Sofia may still be alive, Emilio refuses to join another mission to Rakhat. Before he and Gina can marry, he is kidnapped by her mercenary ex husband, Carlo Giuliani, cooperating with the desires of the Jesuits and the Pope. The order, devastated by scandal, has made a deal with the pope over the church's position on birth control in exchange for the church's support for the mission and Sandoz' return to Rakhat.
On Rakhat, Sofia and her unborn child have survived the Runa slaughter but her actions have lead to rebellion among the Runa. Supari has also realized his own mistakes, realizing he has been used by Hlavin Kitheri. Kitheri ascends to leadership of Inbrokar after murdering his brothers and their children and pinning the crime on Supari. He begins changing ages of tradition and it is just the beginning of the downfall of the Jana'ata.
Sofia becomes foster mother to Supari's innocent young daughter, H'anala, named for Anne Edwards. Her own son, is stricken with autism and it is only music that seems to touch him. The true extent of the political and social strife on Rakhat becomes apparent when she and Supari find that the Magellan is still in orbit and they can go home but the transport pod is destroyed by Jana'ata patrols determined to wipe out foreign influence.
Forced to leave Earth, abandoning his fiancee and their unborn child, Sandoz is drugged into an uncaring state. The team on board the Giordano Bruno, includes priests, Sean Fein, Joseba Urizarbarrena, John Candotti, Danny Ironhorse as well as thug, Nico d'Angeli, pilot Frans Vanderhelst and mission leader, Carlo Giuliani. When Emilio is forced to withdraw from the drug, Quell, he is again overwhelmed and distraught by yet another betrayal. He nevertheless regroups and decides to break the Jesuit's monopoly on the Rakhat languages and teach all the crew as much as he can about the languages and cultures of Rakhat.
When the Giordano Bruno arrives in orbit of Rakhat however, they are stunned by the changes. The planet is covered in elaborate Runa gardens. The Runa and their vast numbers have ousted the Jana'ata from power and killed them all. Jana'ata numbers have been reduced by war and starvation and one of the last remaining Jana'ata outposts is lead by Ha'anala, who has Sofia's son Isaac with her, and her husband Shetri Laak. Under Ha'anala's influence the Jana'ata have abandoned eating Runa but their choice may lead to their extinction by malnutrition.
When Ha'anala and Shetri learn of the foreigners return, Shetri and Ha'anala's cousin, Kitheri's son, Rukeri seek them out, hoping they'll be able to convince Sofia and the Runa to negotiate with them rather than killing their emissaries. Though Sandoz is wary of trusting any Jana'ata he decides to go to the Jana'ata camp where Ha'anala is pregnant with a fourth child, and has lost two children due to her poor condition. Sandoz saves the baby but has difficulty promising Ha'anala to bring her children to her mother, Sofia. Neverthless, he manages to convince Sofia and the Runa army of the innocence of the Jana'ata children.
The second mission to Rakhat proves vastly different from the first and the foreigners are stunned by the changes to the planet and among the Runa. Some of the priests had joined the mission with the intention of freeing the Runa, only to realize they had achieved freedom for themselves. Sandoz returns home free of the terrors that plagued him for years to find he has a daughter and grandson.
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