FACT SF Reading Group

February 1998

February 3: Kindred Rites by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

Attendees: A. T. Campbell III, Shirley Crossland (by e-mail), Karen Meschke, Willie Siros, Lori Wolf

We had four actual attendees and one virtual attendee for the discussion of Kindred Rites, the sequel to Night Calls. Kindred Rites is a dark fantasy set in the American frontier in the early 1800s, dealing with a young girl being educated as a magic practitioner. We all found the prose style engaging and the story compelling, and we liked the book a lot. The historical period was captured well., and we appreciated that the author set her story in a place and time not overused by other fantasists. The story seemed appropriate for both teenagers and adults, which we admired. We liked the main character, Allie, a lot, and all plan to follow her through several more adventures. As one person put it, "Where was K.E.K. when I was a teenager? I know, not born yet, just my luck."

Since this was the second Kimbriel book we'd discussed, we followed our group's tradition and took the author out to dinner the following week. About ten of us gathered at Ninfa's on 6^th street on a Friday night. Ms. Kimbriel entertained us with writer's wisdom and gave us tantalizing glimpses into her future projects. Then the conversation meandered among various topics including Babylon 5, massage therapy, and beer. We all had a fine evening, and we thank Ms. Kimbriel for sharing her time with us.

February 17: The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank Robinson

Attendees: A. T. Campbell III, Shirley Crossland, Fred Duarte., Jeff Rupley, Willie Siros, Lori Wolf

We had a good turnout for the discussion of Frank Robinson's The Dark Beyond the Stars, the Lambda Award-winning generation ship novel. The novel's protagonist starts the book with amnesia, and we learn with him as he slowly peels away layers of truth about the environment in which he finds himself. We thought the amnesia worked well as a narrative device, and each level of revelation turned out to be more interesting and mind-blowing than the last. This novel is a rare book that provides intellectual thrills. The ending ties together all the plot threads in a very satisfying manner. The imagery of the book is often quite striking, and the author is clever in how he re-uses images for dramatic effect. One person commented that the book was an amazingly good take on such a hoary concept, and that he'd nominated for the Hugo the year it was eligible. We all thought this book was worthy of many awards, and are disappointed that the author doesn't have any other books in print.

-- A. T. Campbell, III