Whoops, my bad about -B. Although in my defense, Son of God is a pretty famous figure what with Christianity and all.
What I mean by him being expositiony is that he doesn't feel like a character to me. When he shows up, all he does is say how disturbed he is at his father's death and kills the cultists. There isn't anything for me to empathize with, because a character isn't a real person, so I need something more than just one scene of them being affected by a sad event.
The other thing is that, unless it went over my head which is very possible, I didn't get that bit about them creating the solar system or being an entire species. There was just the description of the one and what the cult did to it. I don't think vague themes work when the theme itself requires a lot of discussion and analysis. Just dropping it on the reader's lap doesn't really do anything because I can get the same experience without reading the piece and just mulling over a concept that is pretty common.
The interview kinda highlights this. The discussion is just two or three lines, which doesn't really say anything constructive on the matter, and the Dr. not being interested in it doesn't really help. She's not a person, but a character which can be written in any way. Having her be interested in the concept enough to discuss it is something you can do as the author, which would help bring forth the themes.
As it is, for me the story feels superficial, because the characters don't feel like real people which means there isn't enough for me to connect with, and when one of the themes is loss or family relationships, that lack of connection kills the narrative for me. The themes of divinity vs common entities need further exploration to really feel worthwhile.
The best bit of the article was hands down the history table. That, I felt, did make the main idea shine brighter because I could see the connection between the entity and the concept of divinity and scientific degradation. I understood the effect of the reverence towards the entity and its role in history without any need of dialogue, and I do think the piece would be better if it focused more on the effects it had on history and told the story indirectly through that.
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