Wildside by Steven Gould

On March 4, eight of us met at the FACT Office to discuss Steven Gould’s Wildside. It’s a coming-of-age science fiction story in which a group of Texas teenagers discover a gateway to a world filled with saber-toothed tigers, wooly mammoths, and other supposedly-extinct creatures. We found Gould’s prose style quite readable, and we admired the author’s intent for the book to be read both by adults and younger readers. The novel features extensive aviation scenes, which the private pilot in our group pronounced generally accurate. The characters were multidimensional and easy to tell apart, and their relationships seemed real. While we all found the basic concept fascinating, many of us wished the author had explored his world more. As one person put it, “it’s like making Jurassic Park with the dinosaurs offscreen.” Overall we liked the book, and we’re looking forward to what Gould writes next.

–-A. T. Campbell, III