I finished the book "Children of God" last night. It was more a book of philosophy or religion than science fiction. I really liked the narrations, and philological parts --most of the major mistakes made by the exploration party came from misunderstanding the meanings of the words, even if they knew the definition. For example, the phrase "serve others" gets misinterpreted to the detriment of one of the Jesuit priests. In the second book, many of the aliens who were somewhat vilified in the first get deeper characterization. Once you get the thought process behind them, some of their heinous decisions become tragic mistakes.

The entire world undergoes revolution. The aristocracy falls. And the ruling carnivores are almost extinct by the time the Jesuits send their second mission. One human thought to be dead turns up again on the planet. She dedicated her life to freeing the herbivores. She and her autistic son transform the planet. The ending is not a perfect "everyone lives happily ever after," but it wraps up enough loose ends to bring some comfort after two very emotionally charged books.