FACT SF Reading Group

May 2002

May 7: Wheelers by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen

Fifteen people attended this meeting, which was held at the home of Judy Strange and Jeff Hurst. Our topic was Wheelers, a first novel by British scientists Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. The authors were previously best known in the SF community for their contributions to The Science of Discworld with Terry Pratchett. The story of Wheelers starts in the 23^rd century when maverick archaeologist Prudence Odingo discovers alien artifacts on one of the moons of Jupiter. Returning to Earth to report her find, she quickly gets involved in a turf war with rival "respectable" scientists trying to usurp her discovery. Eventually the rivalry subsides when an alien threat to Earth arises, and a solar-system-wide effort is made to save the human race. Everyone at the meeting had at least started the book, and all but two had finished it.

We thought this book was brimming with cool ideas: nifty alien devices, space travel by throwing rocks, monks in outer space, political factions within the alien invaders, and more. The world of science was vividly described, with an insider’s insight into academic politics. The scientist characters seemed like believable researchers, and their interactions with each other and with their families were interesting.

About half our group enjoyed this book a lot and considered it a success for its creativity, characters, and pacing. The rest of the group simply found this was not the type of book they expected or wanted to read. Those who disliked Wheelers complained about boring social commentary, excessive infodumps, too many plot threads, and obnoxious characters.

While we came to no consensus about the merits of Wheelers, we did have an interesting discussion. After the meeting we had dinner at Baby Acapulco’s.

May 21: Passage by Connie Willis

Elaine Powell hosted this meeting as a pool party at her house. Eighteen people showed up, including one first-time participant. The topic of discussion was Passage, a recent Hugo-nominated novel by Connie Willis. The book is a contemporary medical thriller involving two medical researchers, Joanna Lander and Richard Wright, who are looking into near-death experiences. They collect some data by interviewing patients who’ve survived such events, and also by subjecting volunteers to a drug that simulates the experience. One of their main obstacles is a new age guru who tries to get to patients first and fill their minds full of his preconceived ideas of the afterlife. Eleven of us had started the book, and all but two had finished it.

The two published authors in our group loved Passage, which one felt was "the most ambitious book I’ve read in a very long time". They raved about the construction of the novel, citing "structure that takes my breath away", "shocking twists", and "artful misdirections". They praised the themes of "attitudes about death" and "search for truth", and thought they were elegantly woven into the story. They liked seeing how the two researchers came to similar conclusions through entirely different thought processes, and how preconceptions flavored their lives.

Most of the rest of us had more mixed feelings about the book. We agreed that Connie Willis’s prose style was excellent and she developed several wonderful characters, particular the patients in the hospital. However, several of us felt that Richard and Joanna did not come across as believable researchers. They didn’t seem like the types of personalities who go into research, and they had much more free time than most real researchers do. The details of their research project didn’t make a lot of sense. Many of us felt betrayed by a major plot twist about 2/3 into the book, and found it a chore to continue reading afterward.

Three people simply hated Passage. One said it was "boring" and "it read like a Victorian romantic comedy". Another felt it "seemed like a mainstream novel" and was disappointed because she "expected more of a Hugo nominee". The other member of this contingent had several complaints: "it seemed to have a fast pace, but a slow plot", "the last section was boring", and "when I got to the end, I realized I had been bludgeoned by metaphor".

While our opinions about Passage varied widely, the discussion was fun. After the discussion, we ate pizza delivered from Double Dave’s and hung out around the pool.

-- A. T. Campbell, III