This book was indeed strange, and very, very creepy. On the surface, it's a story of a missionary sent to a planet light years away to preach the gospel to the 'natives.' At times it was reminiscent of sci-fi stories like Avatar and District 9, but never really goes down the path of exploiting the aliens. It really focuses on the main character's relationship with the natives and how he begins to change as a result of his increasing distance from human interaction, including his wife back home on earth. It would be great fodder for dissection on what makes us human, the nature of religion, and many other heavy topics. Mainly, I kept reading because I was convinced there'd be some weird plot twist at the end. I suppose because it's a popular literary trend right now. Alas, there were a few revelations, but no major WHOA! moment.