I may be too generous in giving this book four stars, because the characterization made me cringe; I about OD'd on nobility of spirit. If the handling of the religious ideas weren't of interest to me -- I never felt I had much of a stake in Emilio's theological struggle -- that may be due to my own limitations; others will surely warm to them. Nevertheless, it was an absorbing read, and the imagining of its alien world was vivid and convincing.