A Case Of Conscience

From Arthur C. Clarke's "The Star" to Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz, there was something of a trend in the 1950s for bringing Catholicism into a science fiction context, usually to the detriment of the religion. But even in that company, A Case of Conscience stands out; it was the only one that paid serious attention to Catholic doctrine and theology. A Jesuit priest, who is also a world-class biologist, is part of the four-man team sent to explore the world of Lithia. The Lithians live in what seems to be a utopia, there's no crime or war, they have a highly developed moral sense and yet they have no religion. One of the team wants to exploit the planet for its mineral wealth, but the priest feels they must place it in quarantine: the absence of God means it is the work of the devil. When they return to Earth, the priest's own faith is tested as his commitment to Catholicism comes under question. But when, at the end, Lithia is destroyed, it is ambiguous whether this is the result of carelessness in the mineral extraction or because of the priest's exorcism. Why it's on the list: A Case of Conscience didn't just win the Hugo Award for best novel, but the original novella that formed the first part of the novel would later win a Retro Hugo, a unique double that speaks volumes for how powerfully this novel set scientific rationality against religious belief.