As the plot twisted revelations got wrung out of it that answered some of the questions I had.
For instance, how did the alien race come to know and revere God and have the same theology and practices as the Earthbound Catholics? I waited for the answer and when it finally arrived I was a bit surprised — it was pretty simple, looking back on it, but also an answer I didn’t expect. Plenty of well-plotted books work like that. This author is particularly good at it.
Ferguson, the military character, had some interesting, even believable assertions when he was talking to the main character. He made some good points. Which were later demolished. That made the book deeper and more nuanced.
While interesting theological assertions often came up, the book isn’t about them. It’s about the basic religiousity of some of the characters, and it was a deep pleasure to read, think about and savor.
So, yeah, I liked the book. Loved it, actually.