A Case of Conscience (Hugo Award–winning novel)
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A Case of Conscience is a classic science fiction novel by James Blish that explores profound theological and ethical questions through the story of a Jesuit priest confronting an alien civilization whose apparent moral perfection challenges his religious beliefs.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| A Case of Conscience | 0 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
novel
ⓘ
science fiction novel ⓘ |
| author | James Blish NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| awardReceived | Hugo Award for Best Novel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| awardYear | 1959 ⓘ |
| basedOn | A Case of Conscience (1953 novella) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
ethics of contact with alien civilizations
ⓘ
free will and predestination ⓘ the conflict between religion and science ⓘ the nature of sin and moral responsibility ⓘ the problem of evil ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| criticalReception | widely acclaimed as a classic of science fiction ⓘ |
| expandedFrom | A Case of Conscience (1953 novella) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| explores |
Catholic theology
ⓘ
Jesuit moral philosophy ⓘ colonialism and imperialism ⓘ cultural relativism ⓘ |
| featuresSpecies | Lithians ⓘ |
| firstPartSetting | Lithia GENERATED ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1958 ⓘ |
| genre |
philosophical fiction
ⓘ
science fiction ⓘ theological science fiction ⓘ |
| hasISBN | 978-0-345-33310-0 ⓘ |
| includedIn | many lists of the greatest science fiction novels ⓘ |
| influenced | later religious science fiction ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | Golden Age of Science Fiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter | Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| narrativeStructure | two-part novel ⓘ |
| nominatedFor | Retro Hugo Award for Best Novel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
depiction of a morally coherent alien society
ⓘ
integration of rigorous theology into science fiction ⓘ |
| originalFormat | paperback ⓘ |
| originalMedium | print ⓘ |
| partOfSeries | After Such Knowledge NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| plotElement |
bringing an alien child to Earth
ⓘ
debate over whether an alien world is a satanic trap ⓘ first contact with an apparently sinless alien society ⓘ |
| protagonistOccupation |
Jesuit priest
ⓘ
biologist ⓘ |
| publisher | Ballantine Books NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| secondPartSetting | Earth NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| seriesNumber | 1 ⓘ |
| setting |
future Earth
ⓘ
planet Lithia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.