FACT SF Reading Group

September 1997

September 16: The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter

Attendees: A. T. Campbell, III; Shirley Crossland; Cyndi Dunn; Wes Dunn; Jeff Rupley; Willie Siros; Lori Wolf.

We gathered at Adventures in Crime & Space to discuss The Fortunate Fall, a recent cyberpunk first novel Although many of us had grown tired of cyberpunk in recent years, we found this story to be interesting and well-told. The characters, especially the narrator, were well-developed and the prose style was eminently readable. Carter's speculations on the future of the Internet were well-conceived and plausible, and worked well as story elements.

There were a few problems. Some of us found the constant use of 20th Century popular culture references distracting and confusing, and we were worried that it would date the book. As Wes Dunn put it, "I don't have a lot of connection with current culture." And while the political climate in this near-future book was interesting, many of us couldn't figure out how to "get there from here."

We found this book to be a strong debut, and we recommend it to folks looking for intelligent science fiction.

September 30: Pasquale's Angel by Paul J. McAuley

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

We had a good discussion of Pasquale's Angel, an alternate history set in a Renaissance Italy where Leonardo concentrated on engineering instead of art. The story starts with a series of mysterious deaths being investigated Holmes-and-Watson style by Niccolo Macchiaveli and a young artist named Pasquale. Along the way they encounter political intrigue, many other famous folks from the time period, and some amazing inventions.

We all finished this book easily, and were quite happy with McAuley's writing style. The story was engrossing and well-told. The points of departure from our own history were related clearly but subtly. The artist's lifestyle led by Pasquale seemed realistic, and it surprisingly was like the lives of contemporary artists. Interesting political issues motivated the plot.

We ended by comparing this book with Jack Dann's The Memory Cathedral, a Renaissance SF novel that we read a couple of years ago. While both books had much to offer, we all preferred Pasquale's Angel and would recommend it highly.

-- A. T. Campbell, III