Mary Doria Russell's debut novel, took us on a journey to a distant planet and into the center of the human soul. Tiptree memorial award. Now, in Children of God, Russell further establishes herself as one of the most in...Mary Doria Russell's debut novel, took us on a journey to a distant planet and into the center of the human soul. Tiptree memorial award. Now, in Children of God, Russell further establishes herself as one of the most innovative, entertaining and philosophically provocative novelists writing today.