With a title like Project Pope, I was expecting Simak to craft an intriguing science fiction tale. Certainly, in the end there are some very interesting aspects that the author broaches. However, I was quite disappointed that there wasn't a substantial, in-depth discussion on any religious principles. I thought that the book would cover how machines approach religion, and more adequately peruse questions like, "Do robots have a soul?" and "Are robots capable of love, and if not, can they truly practice faith without love?" However, in the end, a good portion of Project Pope just boiled down to religion vs. science. Sadly, this is the route that most science fiction authors seem to take in the end. The humanistic potential of machines seems to go largely unexplored, outside of a few authors (like Asimov).
However, there were some very entertaining parts of the book. I felt that different alien intelligences were written quite well; and a collection of motley people that can see into other places and times was certainly an attention grabber. The aspects of world-crossing reminded me of Asimov's classic The Gods Themselves. All in all, Project Pope isn't up there with Simak's best work. But it's not a bad read at all, really. And not many people can say that they've read a book exactly like this one.
However, there were some very entertaining parts of the book. I felt that different alien intelligences were written quite well; and a collection of motley people that can see into other places and times was certainly an attention grabber. The aspects of world-crossing reminded me of Asimov's classic The Gods Themselves. All in all, Project Pope isn't up there with Simak's best work. But it's not a bad read at all, really. And not many people can say that they've read a book exactly like this one.
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