Jul

20

Posted by : atcampbell | On : July 20, 1999

The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss

Six people showed up for this discussion, including one member we hadn’t seen in more than half a year. The Dazzle of Day is a science fiction novel about a generation ship filled with multiethnic Quakers. After a brief prologue set before the launch, most of the book is devoted to the generation that will reach the ship’s destination.

This book has interesting elements. The use of a Quaker society is an interesting innovation, and the book portrays it accurately as far as we could tell. The characters seem like they fit into this society. The author uses various types of personal relationships to portray cultural diversity. Gloss displays a great ability to display daily life with all its ticks. This book has more bathroom scenes than

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Jul

06

Posted by : atcampbell | On : July 6, 1999

Children of God by Mary Doria Russell

Six people participated in the discussion of Children of God, which is a current Hugo nominee. This book is the sequel to Russell’s Tiptree Award-winning “Jesuits in space” first novel, The Sparrow. The story starts as Father Emilio is finally learning to enjoy life again after the devastating first contact mission to Rakhat. Then the Catholic Church decides to send a second mission to Rakhat, and Emilio is forced to participate. When Emilio and the rest of the mission team arrive, they find that their first visit led to major changes on Rakhat as well as on Earth.

All of us found the story and Russell’s prose compelling. One person had not read The Sparrow, but he found the author did a good job of filling him in on the necessary background. Emilio is a sympathetic character, so we are pleased

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