FACT SF Reading Group

November 1999

November 2: Newton's Cannon by J. Gregory Keyes

Nine people turned up for the discussion of Newton's Cannon. Among the attendees were two first-time visitors who had recently moved to town and were interested in meeting local fans.

Newton's Cannon is an "alternate science" novel that deviates from our own history when Sir Isaac Newton makes a breakthrough in alchemy in the late 1600s. This discovery yields rapid advances in tchnology and many social changes. The main story takes place mostly in the early 1700s, with interweaving plot threads involving young Benjamin Franklin, Louis XIV, Blackbeard the pirate, a great war between England and France, strange devices, angels, powerful weapons, a secret society of women, and lots of swashbuckling action.

We thought this book was loads of fun. We liked the mix of science and magic. The historical detail was accurate and interesting, and the story played with archetypes. We liked the alchemical device called the aetherschreiber (similar to a telegraph), and appreciated how Keyes extrapolated its effects on society.

The intricate story was beautifully told. We always felt that the author was in control. The scene always changed just as a character was at a point of extreme peril, so we kept eagerly turning the pages to see what happened next.

We could not decide whether this book's genre was SF or fantasy. Some argued that the existence of natural laws unknown in our world makes it fantasy. Others felt that the rigorous scientific treatment of alchemy made it SF. Whatever its genre, we agreed that this is an excellent book.

While the end of Newton's Cannon resolves many plot points, the cover clearly states that is the first of a planned trilogy. Many of us in the group liked Newton's Cannon so much that we've already purchased the recently published second volume, A Calculus of Angels.

We liked this book, and we think you will too. Keyes is a writer to watch.

November 16: Distraction by Bruce Sterling

Bruce Sterling's latest book drew a large crowd and mixed reactions. Eleven people attended the discussion. About half of us loved the book, a fourth of us liked it, and the rest hated it with a passion. Details will be provided below.

First, let's provide a brief rundown of Distraction. This basic plot is a near-future story about a recently-elected Senator's campaign staff getting tangled up in a political situation in East Texas involving the governor of Louisiana, a rogue Air Force base, and a national lab that clones extinct animals. Sterling uses this plot as a vehicle for a humorous farce with lots of clever worldbuilding and futurist extrapolation.

Those who liked the book felt it was an over-the-top satire in the tradition of the Pohl-Kornbluth collaborations and Wibberley's The Mouse that Roared. We found the book was just brimming with clever and weird ideas (a Cold War with the Dutch, notebook computers made of straw, etc.). Favorable comparisons to Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash were made.

A few of us who liked the book also felt some personal connection to the story. People who'd spent a lot of time in East Texas and Louisiana liked how Sterling achieved a convincing local flavor with clever extrapolations. One person who was friends in high school with an aspiring politician recognized a lot of character traits in the political staffers.

Those who disliked the book were clearly looking for something different in a novel. They found the plot minimal and the characters uninteresting, and felt that the authorial distance from the characters made the book hard to read. They felt that while this storytelling approach might be successful in short fiction, for a novel it is a deadly mistake.

Distraction made for one of the liveliest discussions we'd had this year. We suggest that you give it a try. Odds are that you'll either like it, or you'll hate it so much that you'l have something to complain about for months.

November 19: James Morrow Event at Adventures in Crime & Space

Many of us attended the James Morrow appearance at Adventures in Crime & Space, which was cosponsored by FACT. We heard Mr. Morrow read excerpts from his current and upcoming books, and we were impressed by his wonderful "God voice." After the reading he signed our copies of The Eternal Footman and his earlier books. Later we took him to dinner at Ninfa's. We had a big crowd and everyone seemed to have a good time. Morrow was pleased to have so many dedicated and knowledgeable fans.

-- A. T. Campbell, III