Irreantum Winter 2000-2001

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IRREANTUM
EXPLORING MORMON LITERATURE
MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR MORMON LETTERS

WINTER 20002001 $3.00
Dave Wolverton, science-fiction and fantasy novelist

Speculative fiction by M. Shayne Bell,
Russell William Asplund, Thom Duncan, Diann Thornley Read,
Melva L. Gifford, and Lee Allred
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IRREANTUM
MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR MORMON LETTERS
E D I T O R I A L S T A F F
Tory Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fiction editor Kent Larsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .News editor

Susan Barnson-Hayward . . . . . . . . .Photographer Scott R. Parkin . . . . . .Speculative fiction coeditor
Christopher K. Bigelow . . . . . . .Managing editor Marny K. Parkin . . . . .Speculative fiction coeditor
Gideon Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Essay editor and AML-List Highlights editor
Harlow Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Poetry editor Todd Robert Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . .Essay editor
Tracie Laulusa . . . . . . . . . .Assistant review editor Jana Bouck Remy . . . . . . . . . . . . .Review editor
A M L B O A R D
Cherry Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President Jana Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Board member

Gideon Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President-elect Gae Lyn Henderson . . . . . . . . . . .Board member
Marilyn Brown . . . . . . . .Annual conference chair Carol Quist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Board member
D. Michael Martindale . .Writers conference chair Neila Seshachari . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Board member
Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury . . . . .Board member
A M L S T A F F
Lavina Fielding Anderson . . .AML ANNUAL editor Scott R. Parkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Awards chair
Christopher K. Bigelow . . . . . .IRREANTUM editor Benson Parkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Listowner
Terry L. Jeffress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Webmaster Brandi Rainey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Treasurer
Jonathan Langford . . . . . . . .AML-List moderator Melissa Proffit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Secretary
IRREANTUM (ISSN 1528-0594) is published four times a year members. This magazine has no official connection with or
by the Association for Mormon Letters (AML), 262 S. Main endorsement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Street, Springville, Utah, 84663, (801) 714-1326, www.xmis- Saints.
sion.com/~aml. 2001 by the Association for Mormon Letters. IRREANTUM welcomes unsolicited essays, reviews, fiction,
Membership in the AML is $20 for one year, which includes an poetry, and other manuscripts, and we invite letters intended for
IRREANTUM subscription. Subscriptions to IRREANTUM may be publication. Please submit all manuscripts and queries to irre-
purchased separately from AML membership for $12 per year, antum2@cs.com. If you do not have access to e-mail, you may
and single copies are $4 (postpaid). Advertising rates begin at mail your text on a floppy disk to IRREANTUM, c/o AML 262 S.
$50 for a full page. The AML is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organiza- Main Street, Springville, Utah, 84663. Except for letters to the
tion, so contributions of any amount are tax deductible and editor, submissions on paper are discouraged. Upon specific
gratefully accepted. Views expressed in IRREANTUM do not nec- request to irreantum2@cs.com, we will send authors two com-
essarily reflect the opinions of the editors or of AML board plimentary copies of an issue in which their work appears.
Winter 20002001 3 IRREANTUM

IRREANTUM
Winter 20002001 Volume 2, Number 4
C O N T E N T S
Editorial: Many Modes of Poetry

Mormon Expression, Scott R. Parkin . . . . . .5 The Missionarys Return, Michael R. Collings .77
Celebration, Michael R. Collings . . . . . . . . . .77
News of the Association for Mormon Letters . . .6 Christ of Universe, Michael R. Collings . . . . . .78
*Blothisojan, Michael R. Collings . . . . . . . . . . .78
Positronic Love Affair, Linda Paulson Adams . .79
Interviews Madwomans Bane, Linda Paulson Adams . . . .80
Dave Wolverton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Breadcrumbs, Jane D. Brady . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Mary Clyde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Summer, Darlene Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
How to Make a Dragon, Sapphire Hodges . . . .81
Sin and Simile, Gideon Burton . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Essays
Nietzsche Was Right and Other Pitfalls in Reviews
Depicting Evil in Fiction, Lee Allred . . . . .28 Disoriented, by Michael Ritchey . . . . . . . . . . .82
Fantastic Journeys: Mormon Authors Say Reviewed by Preston Hunter
Faith Informs Their Science Fiction, Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card . . . . . . . . .86
Kimberly Winston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Reviewed by D. Michael Martindale
Ingathering: The Complete People Stories, by
Zenna Henderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Fiction Reviewed by Preston Hunter
And All Our Banners Flying, M. Shayne Bell . .36 The Gathering Storm, by Kenneth R. Tarr . . . .93
The Glowing, Thom Duncan . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Reviewed by Jeff Needle
Dead People, Russell William Asplund . . . . . . .52 Selected Recent Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Holy Wars: Book One of Sergeyevs
Covenant, Diann Thornley Read . . . . . . . .55 Mormon Literary Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Take out the Trash, Melva L. Gifford . . . . . . . .63
For the Strength of the Hills, Lee Allred . . . . .65 AML-List Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

E D I T O R I A L and how-to books. These works contain facts,

direct statements, clear directions, and guidelines.
Many Modes of Mormon Expression We want truth, or at least something very close
to it.
By Scott R. Parkin Fiction in general attempts to illustrate truth by
showing real people struggling with some fairly
It may seem odd that a magazine devoted to basic questionswho am I, whats really impor-
Mormon thought should include speculative fic- tant, and how do I deal with the challenges I face?
tion as an ongoing feature. What do wizards and The problem is that fiction is necessarily specific;
time machines and ghosts and spaceships have to it deals with one characters situation and experi-
do with the expression of Mormon issues or ideas? ence even as it attempts to portray that experience
Why devote one story per issue to speculative fic- as a general truism. The author attempts to create
tion, no less this entire issue? What does this made- verity through accurate details and real situations in
up stuff have to do with me as a Mormon reader, order to connect with the reader. But if my own sit-
and why should I keep reading this issue? uation is different, the story may not speak to my
A flippant answer is, Why not? Mormons read interests or concerns. If my own experiences or
science fiction and fantasy as much as anyone else assumptions are different, the story may actively
(in fact, recent statistics suggest that Utah readers contradict my own hard-won beliefs, becoming a
consume more fantasy per capita than nearly any well-wrought lie that leaves me angry at the author
other state in the union). More than a few for having lied to meor at least for having told an
Mormon writers are making a very successful living incomplete truth. In either case, the story becomes
at it, such as Orson Scott Card, Tracy Hickman, irrelevant for the reader and is rejected.
Dave Wolverton, and David Howard, not to men- Speculative fiction offers an interesting solution
tion the so-called Mormon Battalion of over thirty to this problem. The fantastic elements create an
up-and-coming SF writers with multiple national intellectual separation from the details of the story,
sales. Mormons are both reading and writing SF. giving the reader separation from the realistic ele-
Besides, more variety increases the chance of reach- ments and allowing him or her safe distance from
ing more readers. which to contemplate the characters reactions and
But the question remains: What does SF have to thoughts. Few of us have direct experience with
do with the expression of Mormon thought? I how a starship captain reacts in a given situation, so
would argue that SF is as effective a method for we cant reject the characters reaction from our
Mormon expression as any other and that it offers own experience or deny that the characters reac-
some unique avenues for addressing Mormon tions are representative of the broad class of star-
issues. ship captains. This enables the SF writer to present
Mormons tend to seek orthodoxywe want to social, cultural, or philosophical elements in a situ-
know what the most correct doctrine is, what the ation where the reader is willing to entertain poten-
right thing to do is, and what the true facts are. We tially alien thoughts far longer than they would in
want reliable inputs so we can determine reliable a realistic setting.
action. We want the real. So we tend to mistrust In other words, the irrelevance of setting or situ-
fiction in general, and speculative fiction in partic- ation (fantastic or speculative elements) gives the
ular, as unreliable; how can made-up things be as SF writer an ability to suspend the readers disbe-
true as the direct experiences of real people? Thus, liefand potential rejection of the core concepts of
as readers we tend toward essays, journals, histories,

the storyfor much longer. A sort of conceptual uses time travel to look directly at issues of
Trojan horse that keeps the reader from closing the Mormon faith and proof and personal intent. In
gates before the infectious idea is delivered. his essay, Lee Allred analyzes his own struggle to
Thus, a speculative fiction writer can tell a story reconcile his Mormon mindset and esthetics with
of a fifth-century Celtic mother trying to use natu- the demands of writing for the national SF market,
ral magic to revive an injured child and can reason- then shows us how the Mormon experience can
ably hope to hold a readers interest while exploring form the basis of fiction with a broad national
the nature of a mothers love and both the sources appeal. Diann Thornley Read gives us traditional
and the applications of power. But a similar story science fiction action adventure with some decid-
about a mother attempting to give her child a edly Mormon details, while Russell William
priesthood blessing might be rejected out of hand Asplund and Melva Gifford offer stories that look
by many readers as being outside their view of at good people trying to deal with the business of
Mormon doctrinal orthodoxy, reducing the daily lifewith a fantastic twist.
authors effectiveness in exploring faith in the con- But all of these pieces express Mormon thought,
text of a desperate mother trying to save her child. be it through overt reference or broad concept,
The speculative story gives the author license to through specific detail or general mindset.
deal with issues more directly without alienating What does this issue have to do with the expres-
the audience too early. sion of Mormon thought? Everything. In this issue
Many Mormon writers have found this ability to I think youll find much that speaks to what it is to
deal with Mormon concepts dressed in fantastic be Mormon, even if that expression is often outside
clothes to be freeing. They feel more comfortable our traditional modes, and even if it fails to use the
telling deeply Mormon stories that touch on the traditional language of Mormonism.
spiritual or the difficult precisely because the fan- Enjoy!
tastic elements give the readerand the writera
safe cognitive distance. Speculative fiction provides
some writers with the tools to tell stories they A M L N E W S
might not have attempted otherwise and provides
another outlet for Mormon thought. Presidents Message
In this issue, weve tried to include content that
shows some of the wide variety of approaches to I feel like a swan making a last-ditch effort to
speculative fiction. There is humor, contemporary sing, though at every nuance I am painfully aware
fantasy, time travel, alternate history, and military that singing seems to be the medium of some other
space opera. There are spaceships and wizards and bird.
ghosts. There are stories and essays and book Yet I have the right to make some grateful (joy-
reviews, and all of the standard features of this ful) noise in public for this honor of having been
magazine. There is beautiful writing, and there is the titular appointee on the cusp of the millenni-
action adventure. um. On my watch as president of the Association
More importantly, there are powerfully Mormon for Mormon Letters, I have seen the second suc-
thoughts and ideas in these pages. M. Shayne Bell cessful AML writers conference, a burgeoning
writes about a heritage of authority and a sense of AML-List, and a budding IRREANTUM grow from a
potential that resonates with the very Mormon tiny xerox copy format to a bigger Docutech copy
practice of the patriarchal blessing. Thom Duncan format.

We are growing and succeeding. Our John Parkin is still hanging in there, admirably filling
Bennion, last years AML president, has published Dennis Clarks shoes; Lavina Anderson will thank-
a novel with Signature Books, Falling Toward fully always be with us; and Read Leaf Books has
Heaven; Benson Parkinson has come out with his been so much help with our book tables. Another
second missionary novel, Into the Field; Jack development is the addition of our permanent
Harrell of BYUIdaho won the first thousand- address: 262 S. Main, Springville, Utah, 84663.
dollar prize in the AML unpublished novel contest Its been a remarkable year for which I can hon-
and also placed his work with Signature Books; and estly say, Yes, Virginia, there is a Mormon litera-
one of our runners-up, Alan Mitchell, has success- ture. And the words, sentences, and sentiments
fully published his novel, Angel of the Danube, with often sound like your own as you truly think and
the up-and-coming Cedar Fort family of imprints! feel and operate as a cultural peculiarityeven a
(Where I am assiduously plodding in behalf of all believing, obedient, active Mormon in an organ-
of you, along with Lyle Mortimer, Lee Nelson, and ized church you love. A church that you hope to
others!) Other AML members who have employ your talents to represent in a way that
announced their work this year are Margaret establishes connections with other good human
Young, Darius Gray, Linda Adams, Sharlee Glenn, beingsand hopefully to furnish an art that edifies
Ed Snow, Rachel Nunes, Lisa Peck, and others. the souls.
We have also grown as an organization, success- Marilyn Brown
fully adding prime AML board and staff members:
Jonathan Langford (AML-List), Michael Martindale
(writers conference), Brandi Rainey (treasurer), IRREANTUM Fiction Contest
Darlene Young and Melissa Proffit (secretaries),
Carol Quist, and new board members Gae Lyn The Association for Mormon Letters is pleased
Henderson, Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury, Neila to announce the first annual IRREANTUM fiction
Seshechari, and Jana Erickson. Our president-elect, contest. Because IRREANTUM is a literary quarterly
Cherry Silver, and president-elect-elect, Gideon dedicated to exploring Mormon culture, all contest
Burton, stand ready to move into position as admin- entries must relate to the Mormon experience in
istrators. Let me introduce Cherry to you. She is a some way, either explicitly or implicitly. As long as
Harvard graduate originally from my old hometown an entry doesnt exceed 8,500 words, any fictional
of Denver, Colorado. With her Ph.D. and years of form will be considered, including short stories and
experience in organization, she is an astute and excerpts from novels, screenplays, and play scripts.
wonderfully capable officer who will add so much to Any fictional genre is welcome, including literary,
the position of president of the AML board. mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, histori-
Those members who have graciously moved cal, and horror. The first-place author will be
from the board must be thanked heartily for their awarded $100, second place $75, and third place
service: Carol Ottesen, who is now in China, and $50 (unless the judge determines entries are not of
Henry Miles. Leaving us also soon are This Peoples sufficient quality to merit awards). Winners agree
Tessa Santiago and Deseret Book editor Cory to give IRREANTUM first publication rights. To facil-
Maxwell. Well miss them all greatly. itate blind judging, entries should be submitted
Though Benson Parkinson has asked to be a bit with a removable cover sheet that includes the
more quiet, he performed a coup to get Jonathan authors name, address, telephone number, e-mail
Langford as our new AML-List moderator. Scott address, and manuscript titlethe authors name

should appear on no other page of the manuscript. Mormon OConnor. He has used his complex fas-
Stories should be double spaced in easily readable cination with the American West that is his home
type. Entries will not be returned. Submit manu- and with the tragedy and guilt that informs the
scripts by May 30, 2001, to IRREANTUMs fiction human experience there, especially in his own
editor, Tory Anderson, P.O. Box 445, Levan, Utah, Mormon tradition, to create, as OConnor did, fic-
84639. tion that is profoundly theological as well as
regionally insightful. However, in his best work, he
Marilyn Brown Novel Contest has moved beyond a mere intense revelation of sin
and pain to a moving exploration of the beliefs
If your novel manuscript is ready, you could win about God and graceand the specific healing
the $1,000 Marilyn Brown Unpublished Novel actions and visionsthat can effect change, even
Award, which is administered by the Association redemption. Where the religious crises and failures
for Mormon Letters. Manuscripts must be post- OConnor depicts are harrowing and spiritually
marked by July 1, 2001, and mailed to: Marilyn tough, those Peterson explores are mostly tender
Brown Novel Award, 125 Hobble Creek Canyon, and often successful.
Springville, Utah, 84663. Please submit manu- After growing up in the still frontier-like and
scripts copied on both sides of the paper and wilderness-bound Snowflake, Arizona, Levi attended
bound with a comb binding. To facilitate blind BYU, completed an LDS mission, and earned a
judging, put no author identification on the man- Ph.D. at the University of Utah. His dissertation
uscript and include a sealed envelope containing was the basis for his first scholarly publication, a
your name, address, phone number, and manu- review of the major Western novels in which he
script title. Include a self-addressed envelope for focused on their affirmation or rejection of the
notification of contest results, and provide suffi- primitive Western values of freedom, lawlessness,
cient postage if you want your manuscript and violence. He concludes that although the con-
returned. The contest, which takes place every flict over the relative worth of the primitive and the
other year, was won last time by Jack Harrell, civilized was resolved historically in favor of civi-
whose winning novel manuscript is under contract lization, it continues to this day on the level of
with Signature Books. Honorable mentions went myth, in the minds and feelings of Americans.
to Dorothy Peterson, Laura Card, and Alan R. Levi then went on to make himself into the major
Mitchell, whose novel manuscript has been pub- mythmaker concerning that conflict as it appears in
lished by Cedar Fort as Angel of the Danube. Western Mormon experience. In both his nonfic-
tion and his fiction, he has masterfully explored the
Lifetime AML Member: Levi S. Peterson fruitful collisions of the primitive and civilized; of
punitive, dogmative religion and more liberal, even
Following is the citation for Levi Petersons dissenting, kinds; of wildness and humane living.
Association for Mormon Letters Honorary Lifetime His first effort was an essay published in 1966 in
Membership Award, which was presented at the AML which he argues that, in The Mountain Meadows
annual meeting in February 2000: Massacre (1950), Juanita Brooks had not only
The entry on Levi S. Peterson in the Dictionary established the ethical and professional standard for
of Literary Biography claims that in him Western future Mormon historians but did her church and
literature and Mormon literature finally have their people an incalculable service. He shows that
Flannery OConnor. But Levi is not simply a through the influence of her work, as with classic

literary tragedies, intolerable pain and guilt can be Soil (1990), where he effectively demonstrates his
healed by honest recognition and artistic expres- mastery of the literary power of grotesquesthe
sion. physically or spiritually wounded and marginalized
Levi began teaching at Weber State University in humans who paradoxically can touch the very cen-
1965 and gradually began to write stories. He pub- ter of religious and ethical experience and feeling.
lished a few in the 1970s and won prizes from the He continues that exploration in another novel,
Association for Mormon Letters and the Utah Arts Aspen Marooney (1995), where he further sharpens
Council. He then submitted a book-length collec- his focus on expiation as well as guilt. The novel
tion to the Illinois short fiction contest in 1981 and won praise, even from some critics of The
won first prize, which included publication by the Backslider, for the warm, even generous, spirit of
University of Illinois Press. The Canyons of Grace a writer who is a preservationist of marginal
(1982) thus became the first collection of clearly lives and peripheral points of view that might be
Mormon stories published nationally in nearly lost.
twenty years, one that set a new standard of quality Throughout his career, Peterson has steadily
not only in Mormon fiction but in Western litera- published work that complements his fiction with
ture. more discursive ways of exploring his troubled reli-
The stories are a successful realization in the gious questing. This nonfiction has helped develop
twentieth century of the problematic but funda- a more liberal and open Mormon culture and a less
mental connection between wilderness and salva- self-destructive popular Mormon theology. It has
tion that energizes the best work of the nineteenth defended the contributions of devout Mormon
century American Renaissance, from Bryant and dissenters like Juanita Brooks and Lavina
Cooper to Dickinson and Melville. They also give Fielding Anderson. It has also increasingly focused
fictional voice to what may be the deepest religious on his complex love affair with his pioneer and
conflict for moderns: obedience to the ordering of family heritage and with wilderness. His biography,
divine grace versus integrity to the independence Juanita Brooks: Mormon Woman Historian (1988),
of human grace. Peterson was thus the first to and his essays about Brooks have done much to
explore so fully the insights and complexities of articulate the reason she is held in near reverence by
Mormon theology in fiction designed for a nation- many Mormon historians. They look to her as a
al audience. mentor for having unflinchingly confronted
Just four years later Levi extended his theological painful aspects of Mormon history in a mood of
range by creating protagonists that are attractive reconciliation and recovery. His personal essays,
human beings not in spite of their Mormon-ness, especially A Mormon and Wilderness (1979), A
but because of it, even some who experience whole- Christian by Yearning (1988), and The Art of
heartedly the deep ravishment of sincere Mormon Dissent among the Mormons (1994), where he
faith in Christ. His first novel, The Backslider speaks with unusual directness and vulnerability,
(1986), is a masterful study of sin and redemption have provided ground-breaking contributions to a
that many consider the best Mormon novel yet. It form that is especially congenial to the spirit of
explores the effects on two people living in rural testimony-bearing, self-examining, salvation-
Utah, one a Mormon and one a Lutheran, of vari- anxious Mormonism.
ous notions about what God is like, what he For his genial courage, proven over many years in
expects of us, and how he helps us with his grace. reasoned support of innovative ideas and thinkers;
Levi published more of his short stories in Night for his carefully developed literary skill and unique

achievement in full mastery of a range of genres; 1994 to 1995 he worked with Gibbs Smith Publishing
and for his generous, devoutly questing spirit, as a procuring agent for their science fiction and chil-
which does credit to his Mormon heritage, the drens picture book lines. In 1999 he earned a spot in
Association for Mormon Letters is honored to the Guinness Book of World Records for the worlds
award Levi S. Peterson an honorary lifetime mem- largest book signing with A Very Strange Trip. He has
bership. previously worked as a prison guard, supermarket
manager, and manager in a software manufacturers
documentation department. Currently he teaches writ-
I N T E R V I E W ing part time at Brigham Young University.
Dave Wolverton IRREANTUM: Youve written a wide variety of

different types of stories within science fiction
As a student at Brigham Young University, Dave and fantasyfrom quasi-military science
Wolverton won several writing contests, and in 1987 fiction to swashbuckler novels, soft science
he received the International Writers of the Future fiction in Serpent Catch and Path of the Hero,
Gold Award, the highest honor available to an ama- juveniles, Star Wars stories, and now fantasy
teur writer of science fiction and fantasy. Within two with your books published under the name
weeks he was offered a three-novel contract with David Farland. What do you think are some of
Bantam Books. His first novel, On My Way to the advantages of writing across such a wide
Paradise, hit number three on the Locus science fic- range? Are there some disadvantages?
tion and fantasy bestseller list and won the Philip K. Wolverton: You forgot to mention a few. Ive also
Dick Memorial Special Award. Wolverton first made written literary short stories, comedy (in the novel
the New York Times best-seller list (at number seven) A Very Strange Trip), and I am working on some YA
with his novel Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess horror (with the Mummy series.) I also write in a
Leia. His 34 books have been translated into 17 lan- number of mediums: I design and script video
guages and are sold in over a hundred countries, and games, am working on some movie scripts, have
his readership numbers in the millions. Writing as written poetry and music lyrics, and so on. And of
David Farland, Wolverton is being promoted in course I write for people of all ages. I have a chil-
England as the new king of fantasy, and in the drens picture book Ive been half-heartedly trying
United States his Farland books have hit number one to market and have now written fourteen middle-
on several bestseller lists. He recently started designing grade books, two YA novels, and another ten adult
intellectual properties for multimedia, stories that can novels.
be transferred from books to movies, television, comics, Of course the primary disadvantage to writing so
video games, and other mediums. He helped design the broadly is that it can make it hard to develop an
story line, monsters, and weapons for StarCrafts audience. If I had just written cyberpunk military
Broodwar, and he created Xena: The Talisman of SF, I might have a staunch following of hard-core
Fate and helped create Saffire, which has been turned fans. Instead, it seems to me that people are dis-
into a best-selling comic book series and will soon be covering me all over the place. In the past month
published as a video game and book series. Ive gotten fan mail on every adult book Ive writ-
Wolverton was invited in 1991 to judge the Writers ten.
of the Future Contest, the worlds largest science fiction On the other hand, I think that writing broadly
and fantasy writing contest for new authors. From has its advantages. The works of Orson Scott Card

and Zenna Henderson are more powerful precisely At the same time, I realize now that in all of my
because you never know what direction one of their hundreds of pieces of writing, Ive never written
stories might twist. Their work might be funny one about a Mormon character. I dont think it is
moment, horrific the next, heart-warming a third. because of an act of cowardice on my part. Im glad
I love that kind of surprise, the suspense that comes to be Mormon, and I am glad to tell others about
from not knowing what to expect. it. I think, rather, that the reason is twofold.
So I like to write different pieces to fit my mood, First, I try to write for a wide audience. My audi-
and I want to be versatile. But with me, I suspect ence isnt the five million Mormons who speak
that it goes even deeper. Ive had hard-core science English. The pool includes all seven billion people
fiction fans ask, Why dont you write more books living today, and hundreds of more billions who
like On My Way to Paradise, instead of that fantasy, have yet to be born.
or those kids books? The answer is simple: Beyond that, I dont write about Mormons partly
Everyone is entitled to read great fiction. due to the fact that Im a convert to the Church. I
joined at age sixteen, and I have never really felt as
IRREANTUM: Readers have commented on the if I were culturally a Mormon. Perhaps I should
strong moral element in many of your books. explain that. Whether you are aware of it or not, to
How do you feel that your Mormon-ness is some degree young converts are ostracized from the
reflected in your fiction? Church. Some parents are leery about letting their
Wolverton: I try to write what feels true and right daughters date recent converts, and so on. You will
and good to me. I tend to think of the action, the of course hear children comparing how long their
world, the characters (and in some cases the magic families have been in the church, and even adults
systems) as metaphors that help me explore a theme. do it. For example, in the last issue of IRREANTUM
Id like to put the emphasis on explore, because I I noted that Terry Tempest Williams is a fifth gen-
dont approach my tale with the idea that I have a eration Mormon. Why was that pointed out? Is it
message to cram down the throat of the world. a matter of pride, or a marketing ploy? I served a
Instead, the tale normally focuses on some moral mission. Ive been a member for twenty-six years.
issue, and during the months or years that I spend Does the fact that shes a fifth-generation Mormon
writing, I find myself meditating on that issue time mean shes more of a Mormon than I am?
and time again. The result is that I find I cant plot It may surprise you, but I think the answer is yes.
a novel until I understand how the action can be In order for us to attain Zion, we have to create a
successfully resolved within the confines of the Zion society that is vastly different from the society
controlling metaphors. And almost without fail I we now live in. We have to learn to see the world
finally come to understand what it is I want to say and think about it and feel about it differently from
and how the story should resolve while contem- what we now do. We have to purge ourselves from
plating the scriptures. the violence, greed, lust, and laziness that are intrin-
A friend once told me he had a dream in which sic to modern American culture. It is a work that
someone told him all my books tend to simply will be accomplished not in decades, but over a peri-
rehash the plan of salvation. In a sense, I think he od of generations. I think there is a valid reason why
may be right. My best stories are like vast, complex so few of our general authorities are converts.
parables or allegories that hopefully will help you In observing members of the Church, Ive felt a
understand life even when youre in the act of try- sense of want. Ive wished that I were born in the
ing to escape from the daily pressures of the world. Church, that I had the kind of family that held

family home evening and family prayer. As a young IRREANTUM: A lot of Mormon writers seem to
member of the Church, I was keenly aware that my be attracted to science fiction and fantasy. What
family life was nothing like that of most other do you think are some of the reasons for that?
members. My grandfather ran away from home Wolverton: I could name a dozen contributing
when he was thirteen and joined the mob, and for factors, but in the end I think theyre attracted pri-
much of his life he ran whorehouses and gambling marily because science fiction and fantasy are liter-
casinos and worked as a smuggler. The advice he atures that allow you to express moral themes. I
gave me to live by was not the kind of thing you first fell in love with science fiction while reading
normally got in family home evening. For example, C. S. Lewiss Perelandra, and soon after that I dis-
when I was eleven he told me, Never commit a covered fantasy with Lord of the Rings. Both
crime with an accomplice. Hell always rat you authors were deeply moral people, and I think best-
out. Or, Remember that the sole purpose of a life sellers today remain so. Look at authors like Terry
of crime should be to maximize your potential Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and Stephen Donaldson;
income while minimizing the risk of incarceration; all of them are wonderful, deeply moral people.
and always remember that the risk of incarceration On the other hand, I really believe that if you
for a crime rises in proportion to the level of vio- tried to write an LDS brand of moral fiction in the
lence in the crime. literary field, selling to magazines like The New
My father ran away from home when he was Yorker, you wouldnt find any buyers. The editors
thirteen. He managed to avoid a life of crime, but in those fields have been trained to believe that
his parenting skills left much to be desired. As a moral literature is somehow tainted or suspect.
child, I always felt I was on unstable ground. My
father was extremely violent and abusive. As a five- IRREANTUM: Ever since your days at BYU,
year-old child I was convinced that either he would youve been actively involved in a community of
kill one of us kids or wed have to kill him in self- Mormon science fiction and fantasy writers and
defense. I often wished my mother would find the fans. How do you think that involvement has
courage to leave him. affected your writing? Youve also been involved
So Ive got a dark past. I have a strong testimony in several writers groups. Could you describe
and love for the Church. Ive served a mission, what a writers group, at its best, can do for a
taught seminary, and so on, but Ive never felt I writer? How can you tell if the writing group
completely belong because I was not raised in this youre in is a good oneat least, for you?
culture. Wolverton: To some degree were all products of
I was surprised to read Richard Dutchers inter- our environment. Ive learned a lot from all of the
view in IRREANTUMs last issue, because he obvi- people Ive worked with and hope theyre better off
ously does feel acculturated, even though he also for knowing me.
was raised in less than perfect circumstances. It may I suspect the ideal writers group would be
be the age at which he was brought into the smallfour or five people at the maximumso
Church. He joined at age eight. But psychologists you could get through a critique session in less than
say most kids begin developing their self-identity, an hour or two. Your companions would be people
forming their worldview, at around age ten or who care passionately about what they write, and
eleven. By then I had certainly realized I didnt they would be committed to become the best artists
belong to any group I could see, and Ive always of their generation. These people wouldnt just read
maintained a strong sense of individuality. books on writing, they would invest time to

discover things that no one else has yet learned. smaller reviews during the mid-80s, it soon became
Beyond that, they wouldnt just study the craft of apparent that the editors rarely published formal
writing but would discuss issues of career manage- storiesstories having a beginning, middle, and
ment. end, along with some internal coherence. Now, this
If your writing group doesnt fit that mold, then proscription against formal stories arose in an intel-
you should see if you can change it, or change to lectual climate influenced by Social Darwinists,
another group. But there are two kinds of writers existentialists, and the secularism of post-
groups you definitely ought to get out of. The first structuralist thought. Critics pointed out that
one is the group where destructive personalities are since, in their view, there is no creatorsince life is
involvedwhere writers constantly belittle one really just a meaningless, random series of events
another. If you really feel people are picking on that our minds only struggle to make sense of
you, get out. The other destructive group is the one then it is wrong to write formal stories, to create a
where no one is a real writer, where people go series of events designed to lead to a certain emo-
month after month never finishing a story but still tional, intellectual, or moral conclusion.
come to weekly meetings to talk about writing. Well, in certain critics eyes, this proscription
seems reasonable. If you dont believe in God and
IRREANTUM: Some of your earliest story publi- if the purpose of your work is to depict the universe
cations were mainstream stories in Inscape as you perceive it to be, then it makes sense that
(BYUs student mainstream literary magazine), you shouldnt write formal stories.
and at one time you were working on a main- Seeing this, literary writers began to abandon
stream novel. Do you think youre ever likely to form in the 1920s. They either wrote slice of life
return to writing mainstream fiction? pieces in the style of Virginia Woolf; or they trun-
Wolverton: You used two terms in the same sen- cated stories, cutting off the beginning and ending
tence, mainstream and literary. I dont think of to create a slice of life effect, as Hemingway did in
them as the same. Literary stories are written for a A Clean, Well-Lighted Place; or they sought
small audience that is trained to criticize your work other means to purposely obfuscate the form and
according to a certain set of conventions. On the meaning in their stories, such as to leave the ending
other hand, the mainstream audience is the huge unresolved.
mass of uneducated readers who consume stories Of course, this abandonment of form didnt take
for pleasure. place all at once. It has gone in and out of style over
When I was in college, I did write some literary and over again in the past eighty years, but when I
pieces and even won a few awards, but the stories was writing literary fiction, it was definitely out.
felt false to my sensibilities. I soon began to realize The problem is, Im not a Darwinist. I know for
that I didnt just dislike literary fiction, I found it a fact there is a God and our lives have meaning
morally repulsive. The reason was that as I studied, and purpose. I believe that there is an order to the
I recognized that in order to publish one had to toe universe, that we perceive stories because we live in
the line when it came to a number of literary pro- a world of cause and effect, and that the Lord
scriptions, literary rules. Many of these rules were expects us to learn from our experiences. So I
first devised to promote literatures that are contrary bridled at the proscription against form. It seemed
to my own worldview. obvious to me that form is a useful tool and that
Let me give you an example. When I was reading one can write a formal story so beautifully that the
heavily in The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and form is difficult to see for the casual reader.

I also dismissed the entire realist movement dont feel a driving need to prove Im smarter or
because it was obvious to me that the father of more talented than anyone else. I write for other
modern American realism, William Dean Howells, reasons. I want to write stories that move, enlighten,
was merely a socialist who used his position as the and entertain my readers. Sometimes I want to
editor of the most prestigious magazine of his time write stories because the words themselves seem to
in order to reward others for writing his kind of crave release.
economic fiction. Im not a socialist. Im not a cap- And I believe that when one is purposely obfus-
italist, either. Im a consecrationalist. cating the meaning of a tale in order to exclude
I dismissed impressionism because it was those who arent trained to read it, its reprehen-
designed to appeal only to intellectual elitists, not sible. When one is writing artsy storiesoverly
to communicate with real readers. Indeed, for stylized talesin order to receive the praise of crit-
awhile it seemed to me that this appeal to elitism ics or win the Nobel Prize, and thereby receive
was the primary motivation for the emphasis on monetary reward, its a shame.
style in the literary markets. Almost without fail lit- So, at age twenty-five I decided to have nothing
erary writers would purposely try to elevate their to do with literary fiction.
fiction so that it could not be understood and Over the years my views on literary fiction have
appreciated by the average man, woman, and child. softened somewhat. Certainly, intelligent people
Now, let me make this point: I find elitism to be have the right to communicate at their own level.
reprehensible in any form. People who imagine they Yet I wonder why any writer who is trying to make
are better than others simply because they wear the a living feels he has to exclude ninety-nine percent
right clothes, or have more money, or more talent, of mankind from his audience. Why not write on
or are stronger are just plain wrong. An invalid multiple levels, in the manner of Frost and
drooling in a nursing home is a child of God, with Shakespeare, so that the masses can enjoy it too?
the divine potential to father worlds. The welfare As for the emphasis on style, Im convinced more
mother down the street is a glorious being. than just elitism is at work. The emphasis on style
We have been smart enough to outlaw certain is a matter of survival for literary writers. For any
forms of elitism. We dont allow kids to pummel story to feel safe to an audience, and therefore
one another in the streets in order to prove who become accessible, there must be a fantastical ele-
is better. We dont allow multimillionaires to use ment to it. If, as is so often done in literary fiction,
their wealth to bludgeon the poor into submission your characters are restricted to common sorts of
to prove that they are better. Yet intellectual elit- folks, and if your setting is restricted to a contem-
ism runs unchecked in intellectual circles. Critics porary setting, and if your conflicts are restricted to
pummel one another with words, trying to prove the common types of conflicts that your readers
their arguments in order to gain prestige and will face, then the only fantastical element left to
money. They try to ruin one anothers careers and play with is the style in which you depict the tale.
sully one anothers reputations. Ive seen critics and In such cases, the authors flair and personality
college professors shouting at one another and call- becomes a primary draw to the taleotherwise, no
ing each other idiots, each claiming to have an sane reader would suffer through the story.
IQ higher than the fellow sitting next to him. Because of these and other observations, I decid-
I found this intellectual barbarism to be so preva- ed to quit writing for the literati. I enjoy beautifully
lent in literary circles that I just didnt want to have told tales as well as anyone, but I dont go looking
anything to do with literary writing anymore. I for them in The New Yorker. Eventually I decided I

had to try to strip away all of the false precepts I was combined. In the U.K., back in Tolkien country,
learning in college and figure out how to write in my early sales record has far outstripped that of
ways that really can touch common peoplewhile Robert Jordan, and Im being touted there as the
holding to those principles that worked. To a large new king of fantasy.
degree I had to unlearn how to write. But Im not sure it has to do entirely with the
I discovered Im a formalist and Im a fantasist. name change. Im also writing to a wider reader-
Beyond that Im trying to develop my own ship, and I feel more morally centered in fantasy
philosophies, trying to discover for myself how to than I did in science fiction. I think readers notice
create more powerful stories. it too. It makes sense that if you write better books,
youll sell more copies. Heres the opening from a
recent review: It seems that about once a decade a
IRREANTUM: For your fantasy Runelords series, writer of traditional fantasy arrives on the scene
you adopted the pen name of David Farland. who stands head and shoulders above the competi-
What were your reasons for doing that? Has it tion. Steven Donaldson and Robert Jordan come to
been successful in accomplishing what you had mind. Last year, David Farland joined that elite
hoped for? order with The Runelords. The second volume,
Wolverton: Scott Card once raved about my Brotherhood of the Wolf, will serve to cement his
third novel in his Books to Look For section of reputation (Suffolk County News, Sayville, New
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. At the York, April 22, 1999). As I say, I feel more at home
end of the review, he said, Make sure that you in this genre, and the critics are taking notice.
look down on the bottom shelf, where Wolvertons
work is wont to be. When I read that line, I
recalled that years ago the Campbell Soup IRREANTUM: Theres a lot of violence in some
Company had commissioned a study in which they of your work. Are there people you would steer
found that ninety-two percent of shoppers wouldnt away from reading your fiction?
stoop over at the grocery store to pick up their Wolverton: No. I dont want to offend anyone,
favorite can of soup from the bottom shelf. but Im reminded of an incident last Christmas. I
So I began to study the shelf life of novels by was in the store shopping, and a woman whod had
such fine writers as Roger Zelazny and Gene Wolf, the Runelords recommended to her stopped me.
and I noticed that the chains didnt reorder those She was very sensitive to violence. While trembling
authors works very well. I decided that having a and with tears in her eyes, she told me it had been
last name that begins with the letters T through W hard for her to read my novel because certain pas-
has prematurely ended many an authors career. So sages were emotionally overwhelming. I really
I decided to change my name. thought she would reprimand me. She then added,
I had a friend named Greg McFarland, and I Yet Ive never read a novel that had more beauty
thought his last name would make a wonderful pen and truth in it. Its one of the few books that I
nameexcept that it would put me on the shelf wont read just once. I plan to read it again and
along with McCaffrey, McKillip, and all the other again.
Mcs. But then I remembered an old friend named So, I dont want to steer anyone away from that
Jennifer Farland and decided to simply use Farland. book. I write about violence because I have a vio-
It has worked out very well. My first two Farland lent past. I write about it because I know it inti-
novels have earned more than all my other books mately, and I hate it.

But lately Ive been giving a lot of thought to Wolverton: Why does that question bother me
what constitutes a moral hero, and I realize I want so much? Why does it make me mad?
to write a story that isnt so shocking. I suspect in Its because youre asking the wrong question.
the near future Ill be writing some gentler, kinder The question shouldnt be, Do we receive the
fiction. recognition and respect we deserve? It should be,
Are you confused enough and worldly enough to
IRREANTUM: What kinds of responses have you care if the literary community respects your work?
encountered from readers who discovered you First, let me say I dont know that this genre
were LDS? deserves any more respect than romance or west-
Wolverton: Nothing spectacular. No one has erns or horror or childrens literature. Everyone
thrown eggs. One or two fans have begun investi- deserves to read great books. I said that before, but
gating the Church after learning that I was LDS, let me expand upon the point.
nothing more. Back when Spencer W. Kimball gave his address
urging members to take up the arts (The Gospel
IRREANTUM: What kinds of responses have you Vision of the Arts, Ensign, July 1977), he said that
encountered from Church members who discov- he envisioned a day when Mormon artists would
ered you were a science fiction and fantasy take a lead in every field of the arts. I really believe
writer? he meant it. I dont think he was saying we should
Wolverton: It depends. If they like the genre, settle for a few highly placed writers in the field of
theyre excited. Otherwise they think Im proba- science fiction. I believe he meant we should have
bly some kook who wears Spock ears in the bath- comic screenwriters working on television (have
tub. you noticed how pervasively vile it has become?),
and childrens writers leading the industry in pic-
IRREANTUM: You were coordinating judge of ture books, and romance novelists teaching the
L. Ron Hubbards Writers of the Future contest world what true love really is, and video game writ-
for several years. What do you think are some of ers creating something better than another shooter
the major mistakes beginning writers make that game like Rainbow Six. The Lord wants us to write
prevent them from being publishedor if they for every age group, in nearly every genre, and for
are published, from finding enthusiastic read- every medium. Everyone deserves great literature. I
ers? dont think this is just me talking, I think this is the
Wolverton: The single biggest problem is that Lords view on the matter.
most new writers dont want to invest the time it And if I could share one thing Ive learned about
takes to develop a writing talent. They dont want writing, its this: forget about respect. Most of the
to read; they dont want to study; and they dont world is made up of nonreaders. Only one in fifty
want to practice. I dont know of another art form people on the street will read a science fiction book
(other than possibly filmmaking) where people this year. So forget about fame. Forget about being
approach the work with such gonzo expectations. lauded by legions of fans.
More importantly, forget about seeking the
IRREANTUM: Within the Mormon literary praise of men. Lehi taught that the one defining
community, do you think science fiction and characteristic of those who belong to the church of
fantasy receive the recognition and respect they the devil is that they seek the praise of the world
deserve? and crave the flattery of men. I believe that to the

extent any Mormon artist seeks the praise of the In the books, men are able to take endow-
world, he will begin to mimic the art of the world, ments of attributes from others. These attributes
and anything in his work that is good and beauti- include brawn, wit, grace, stamina, and so on.
ful and better than what the world has to offer will Those who take endowments are called Runelords,
therefore be diminished. while those who give up their abilities are called
I see this happen time and again. At times its Dedicates.
almost funny. I went to Sundance last year and When a Runelord takes an endowment, he grows
walked into the Writers Cafe. Everyone there was in attributes, while the giver is diminished. Thus,
dressed the same: black turtlenecks, black pants, Runelords can become stronger and stronger, wiser
black bomber jackets, funky goatees, and little silver and wiser, almost godlikewhile those who give up
stud earrings. I took one look at them and my heart their attributes are diminished. For example, those
sank. Look at all these people, I thought, trying who give up their wit become fools, while those who
to be creative while dressed exactly the same! give up brawn become weak as kittens, and so on.
Whenever you try to be part of the in-crowd, When a Runelord takes an endowment, he takes
you immediately begin writing out of fear. You it for lifeuntil either he or his dedicate is killed.
begin mimicking others in order to win their If the lord dies first, the endowment returns to the
praise. But remember that the prophet didnt say, dedicate. If the dedicate dies first, the lord loses the
I want all of you people to go out and mimic the use of that attribute.
world. He said, I envision the day when Mormon Given the fact that dedicates are weak and sickly,
artists are leaders in every field of the arts. given the costs involved in taking endowments,
Were to become leaders. I believe that so long as and given the fact that a lord will lose his powers if
we struggle to learn the true principles behind good his dedicates die, it becomes incumbent upon the
storytelling, the Lord will guide us. As in any Runelord to care for his dedicates.
endeavor, it isnt enough to simply pray about it. Thats the basic concept behind the magic sys-
We need to study what has been done in the past tem. In many ways, it is similar to our economic
(maybe even take the danged college classes), and system. Employers search for employees based
then prayerfully approach our work. upon their qualifications. For a day laborer, the
So I dont write for the critics. I dont write for main qualification needed might roughly be called
the literati. I think I would be perfectly happy if I brawn, while for an accountant the main qualifica-
never won another award. Instead, I write for my tion might roughly be called wit.
audience. That is enough. We enter into an unwritten contract under
which the employee promises to work for his
IRREANTUM: Some Mormon readers have seen employer continuously so that he and his family
your magic system in the Runelords series as a might be supported. Greedy men are then in a
commentary or critique on our current econo- position to take advantage of their employees. The
mic system from a gospel, law-of-consecration goal from a business perspective is to get as much
perspective. Do you agree with this interpreta- work from an employee as possible while paying
tion? (In your response, it would be useful if you the least amount in wages. Under such a system,
could explain briefly the basis of your magic sys- employers may become richso rich that men like
tem for those who havent read your books.) Bill Gates lead lives far more elegant than any
Wolverton: Absolutely! The central themes of emperor of ages pastwhile everyone around them
the novels deal with economics and morality. becomes diminished in the process.

Thats part of what Runelords is about, and if I unethical. By subverting a man to your own ends,
were to keep it at that level, as a simple vilification even as a benevolent employer, you immediately
of capitalism, it would be no deeper than Orwells place him in a situation that limits his ability to
Animal Farm. grow spiritually.
Orwell, of course, wrote about communism, but How can an employee who is working for me
somehow its easier to criticize another persons twelve hours a day to meet a deadline possibly take
beliefs than our own. We live with capitalism. proper care of his family? How can he continue
Many Latter-day Saints believe that, like the U.S. to study the scriptures or continue on his mission
constitution, it is a system inspired by God. But its of developing his godly potential?
not. Working for another man, dedicating your life To me it seems like a valuable thing to write
in order to enrich him, is nothing at all like dedi- about, though few of my readers consciously
cating yourself to building the kingdom of God. understand what Im getting at. Still, Ive received
Its nothing like living a life in which every hour of dozens of letters from nonmember fans who point
service is offered in an effort to seek the eternal wel- out that my hero, Gaborn, is a decent person who
fare of others. Capitalism robs every one of us. Ive is trying to live within a corrupt society. They talk
heard rich men say that the greatest blessing of about it as if they discovered it themselvesand
being wealthy was that it gave them time to study that delights me! It delights me because the mes-
the scriptures, to ponder and pray more. Yet most sage gets across without my having to hammer
poor people dont recognize that their greatest curse people in the head.
is that they dont have time for those things. I sus-
pect that if we as a people moved closer to the IRREANTUM: How strongly does your sense of
Lord, if we all had the proper time to devote to our the evils of buying anothers labor affect you
families and our community and to the mainte- when you need to hire someone?
nance of our spiritual lives, most of the problems in Wolverton: I typically hire people for short peri-
our society would melt away. But were so close to ods to do a specific job. I try to allow them to set
capitalism, weve lived with this abomination so their own schedule and usually pay them more
long, were blinded to the suffering it brings. than they ask, giving a bonus at the end of the con-
So, in the novel I explore questions like, Why tract. It seems to me to be the only ethical way to
do men perpetuate this system, both as employers resolve the question.
and employees? and How can a person who is
good but who is born into a corrupt society man-
age to live within the system without becoming IRREANTUM: Most of us dont live in an econ-
part of the problem? omy where we can work for ourselves. Is it pos-
Now, this all might sound a bit preachy, but its sible to hire peoples labor at a price that allows
not. In my own mind, Im legitimately trying to them to take care of their lives and require no
figure out under what circumstances it is ethical more time from them than, say, agrarian labor,
to hire someone to work for you full time, to make which has a long off-season?
someone dependent upon you as a means of sup- Wolverton: This question is not as easy as it
port, to take the best part of him and subvert it to sounds. First, Im convinced that the average man
your own purposes. could be self-employed if he wanted to, but too
The answer is: I suspect that regardless of how many people are beaten down and lack the faith in
well meaning you are, the practice is at its heart themselves to try self-employment.

Second, far too often instead of attending to our example, a few weeks ago I received an e-mail from
eternal needs, we work long hours to build junky a young lady who felt that after reading my latest
cars or CD players or televisions in order to com- novel she had experienced some breakthroughs and
pete with other guys who are building junky cars, finally understood the relationship between free
CD players, and televisions. Then we waste mil- agency, the creation of real properties, and the moral
lions of dollars advertising our wares so that people way in which time and properties should be trans-
will be convinced they need our junk. Our time is ferred. I have no idea what religion she is, but her
wasted in mindless materialistic pursuits. How hastily jotted fifteen-page essay convinced me that
much time is thus wasted? I think the answer although her thoughts are coming swiftly and are
would surprise you. First, imagine we lived in a therefore unrefined, she is experiencing a real break-
world where we didnt build inferior products. Add through, and she will be a more moral person for it.
to that a system where the poor didnt labor to
enrich the wealthy and the corrupt. How much less IRREANTUM: Does the story allow you to state
work would you have to do? Im fairly certain that your views more strongly, or does embodying
you could more than cut your workday in half. I your views in characters moderate them?
believe you could cut it by as much as seventy-five Wolverton: Both. I can state my views more dra-
percent. matically, and thus more strongly, in a story. Thats
part of the reason for storytelling. At the same
IRREANTUM: Did you intend the endowment time, there are moments when a writer needs to
system as an economic metaphor from the back off from the potential of a story. A story can
beginning, or was it something you discovered be too powerful for your audience.
as part of the writing and revision process?
Wolverton: I intended it from the beginning. IRREANTUM: What is your typical writing
I knew I wanted to write about economics, and I process? For example: How many drafts do you
considered a number of possible magic systems and go through? How much planning occurs before
how they might work. After months of delibera- you start writing? Are there any particular for-
tion, the idea for the Runelords hit me. mats you favor for your planning? How impor-
Immediately I saw its potential as a metaphor. tant are readers comments, and what role do
they play in your revisions?
IRREANTUM: How does writing this as a story Wolverton: I like to plot my stories. I think first
rather than an essay affect the way you explore about my audience, what they might like and need
your ideas about economics? in fiction. People seldom really understand why
Wolverton: An essay might be the best way to they read what they do, so this can become an
explore ideas, but I tell stories in order to elicit an involved process. I look for what I call the draws
emotional response to those ideas. Its the emot- to the work, the often subtle emotional triggers
ional response Im after. Recently I was speaking that authors in that genre are pulling. Once I feel
with Tyler Moulton, an editor at Covenant, who grounded in my audiences hidden needsand to
mentioned that psychological studies indicate real me that is often the most important point, the
learning may not be able to take place without an motivating factor for writing at allI will begin
emotional stimulus. Hence, what we read in essays plotting a story.
typically seems rather bland and is easily forgotten. Now, getting grounded might take me only a
Meanwhile, a story literally transforms you. For couple of hours, or it might take weeks, months, or

even years. If Im writing a story similar to one Ive from the chimeras of On My Way to Paradise to
written before, one for a known audience, then the endowment system of the Runelords series.
plotting is easy. But if Im trying to break into a To what degree do you see human behavior as
new market, it might force me to study bestsellers determined by biological and environmental
in the genre. influences? How are those reconciled with free
At that point, I may also consider the theme I will? How can fiction serve as a tool to explore
want to deal with, or I may just be content to let interactions like these?
the themes come out as I write. But once I feel Wolverton: At one time I studied medicine with
grounded, I can sit down and plot. This process can the idea of becoming a genetic engineer. Ive heard
go quickly. It typically takes me about an hour per doctors describe human beings as a complex set of
hundred pages of finished text. chemical interactions. In short, there are those
Once I have my outline I can begin writing who believe we are only biology, that even the soci-
immediately, but I prefer to let the story gel for eties we have developed are an outgrowth of our
three or four months. The outline may change, but biological needs. To a great degree, thats true. So
typically I arrive at a point after about four months much of how we perceive the world and react to it
where I must write. When I reach that point, I write is biologically motivated.
straight through, usually twenty to forty manu- Then, of course, there are the behaviorists who
script pages per day. recognize that much of our behavior is attributed
Sometimes I write my novels in thirdscom- to conditioning. We think and act as we do usually
plete a third, do a rewrite until it feels solid, and because that is the way weve seen it done before.
then move on. But at other times I write it all in a But, of course, we have free will. Were not pin-
rush. balls doomed by gravity and inertia to trickle down
I typically write three story drafts. I call them a certain slot. Our senses may tell us that a fire is
story drafts because early on I try not to think too hot and that we should not touch it. Yet I can stick
much about language and word choice. Im far my hand into a flame and burn it to a crisp, if I so
more interested in the larger elements of plot, pac- desire. I can override my biological impulses. The
ing, characterization, and theme. I may throw out flesh may be tired, but I can still choose to get off
characters, combine characters, or decide the my duff and go home teaching.
theme requires a whole new beginning to the novel I can also override my sociological conditioning.
or a whole new end, and then I do whatever is I can decide to eat popcorn for breakfast even
required. though my mother would never have approved. I
Once Ive got the story down, I make two to four can choose to pay tithing, even though my parents
more passes where I concentrate primarily on the might never have done the same.
sentence-by-sentence elements of the tale: the tone, Ultimately, every biological urge and every
character voices, beefing up descriptive passages, socially induced behavior can and must bow to free
tightening excess wordage, and so on. will. It is the single greatest gift God has given us. I
As for reader comments, I dont seek them out believe that we must learn to restrain evil urges and
anymore, so they dont play a part. My readers usu- magnify our righteous desires. We must recognize
ally consist of my publishers editorial staffs. the ills in our own society and overcome them. Our
ability to become gods is limited only by our inter-
IRREANTUM: Youve played a lot in your fiction est in exerting free will in order to remake ourselves
with variations on what it means to be human, in the image of God.

So thats what I think about biology, behavior- I dont think so. Our biological impulses have
ism, and agency. long served as shackles to mankind. Were entering
But for a long time Ive been fascinated by the an era when even our basic chemistry will bow to
possibility of redefining ourselves, by exerting our free will.
agency to fix our biological weaknesses. I dont But once we redefine ourselves in biological
think it is a sin to redefine ourselves. When God terms, will we truly be happier? Exploring issues
made Adam, he said he was good; he didnt say he like that is what science fiction storytelling is all
was perfect. We have physical ailments and frailties about. We can think about our future, about the
and room for improvement. For example, right potential directions and misdirections we might
now doctors are talking about using gene therapy take. And when I tell a story, when you see how
so that we can eradicate genetically transmitted ail- such a world might feel, you can learn more thor-
ments, repair severed spinal columns, or regenerate oughly than if you and I merely sat down and
damaged organs such as the pancreas or liver. explored an abstract idea.
The uses for such therapy are boundless. I sus-
pect that within two hundred years we wont have IRREANTUM: Many of the activities a writer
organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous. We engages infor example, going to conventions,
will simply cure alcoholics by genetically repro- book signings, interviewscould be classified
gramming them. Even today, Id bet most people as self-promotion and marketing. How impor-
would be willing to undergo such therapy. For tant a part of an authors work do you think
example, right now there are a couple of drugs those are? Are there noneconomic benefits from
being tested that, when used in combination, will these activities, such as getting in closer touch
boost a dogs intelligence by about forty percent. I with your readers?
suspect that when such drugs become available on Wolverton: You know, ultimately self-promotion
the market, we will be forming lines to take them. may be a trap. J. K. Rowling isnt doing national
Who wouldnt want to be forty percent smarter? book tours or heading up her own fan club.
Well, a hundred years from now, gene therapy Instead, she got a big publisher, one with excellent
may be as common as pills are today. But Im con- distribution who put together a fantastic promo-
vinced that some ills arent categorized and treated tional campaign and hired publicists to help stir the
properly. pot. In short, they created the rage.
For example, suppose a drug treatment came out It may seem to outsiders in the industry that the
on the market that would cure you of excess greed. Harry Potter books are a phenomenon, that
Would you take it? Would you force it upon those Rowling has done something that cant be dupli-
who steal? And what of the consequences? What if cated, but just remember that Scholastic (her
you do remove your own greed, so that your only American publisher) also happened to be the
desire is to serve others, to live like some holy man backer for the Goosebumps series five years ago, the
in India, wearing only rags for clothes and eating series through which R. L. Stine suddenly acc-
only rice that other beggars would not touch? ounted for about fifty percent of all sales in the YA
Issues like this fascinate me. What are the conse- market! Scholastic also happens to be behind
quences of knowing too much, or wanting to work Animorphs, the Babysitters Club, and every other
too hard, or even of having a heart empty of fear? apparent phenomenon.
If we reengineer ourselves so we can reach such The truth is that if you want to beat Rowling,
goals, does that mean we have given up free will? you have to wait for the furor to dieit will begin

to die about six months after the first movie comes is to be a good host, to tell you a story you will
outand then go push an equally good product enjoy, or hopefully love, and to make the time you
with Scholastic. They seem to be the only publisher spend looking at the world through my eyes worth-
on the planet that has the clout to do it. Let them while.
turn you into a superstar. But more important than that, in every story I
As for getting in touch with my readers, I just write, I have characters who must become more
put my web site and e-mail addresses in the back of decent, more compassionate, and stronger in order
my books now. I may get as many as a dozen pieces to reach their goals. Thats not an accident. I sus-
of fan mail a day that way, and Im learning more pect that as my readers undergo the protagonists
than ever before just exactly what my readers like vicarious spiritual journeys, their hearts will also be
and dont like about my work. (By the way, my changed, and they too will grow.
website is at www.runelords.com.) I would hope my readers would learn to hate the
evils I hatethe greed, the violence, the lust and
IRREANTUM: Whats your view of the fiction laziness that are so prevalent in our societyand
writers role in the building up of Zion? Or, to that, just a little bit, my readers will grow.
put it another way, what do you think is the
value of fiction both for communities and for IRREANTUM: In what ways do you think youve
individuals? developed as a writer during the course of your
Wolverton: Im not a prophet. I dont write career? Are there things you can do now that you
scripture. Yet that doesnt free me from the necessity dont think you could have pulled off success-
of being a moral writer. fully when you were first starting to write? What
I think that when you as a reader pick up a piece do you do to keep developing as a writer?
of fiction, to a certain extent you take an intimate Wolverton: Oh my gosh, is that a loaded ques-
journey into another persons mind. For awhile at tion. When I first began writing, it was the first day
least, when you read my book, you see the world as of class in the first grade. The teacher asked me to
I see it and think about it as I direct. If I am on a write my name. I didnt know how, so I asked the
higher spiritual plateau than you are, then this can girl sitting next to me. She said, this is how: N-A-
be uplifting. However, if Im in a spiritual sewer, N-C-Y. When I look back at my first book, I feel
you probably really dont want to jump in with me. as if I just wrote N-A-N-C-Y.
One problem we have is that we are all at differ- Learning how to write is a continual process.
ent levels of spirituality in different areas. For There are things I dont know yet, things I wont
example, you might be a very honest person. You have time to learn in this life. I rarely read maga-
might be a perfect ten when it comes to telling the zines like Writers Digest because the articles for
truth, even hard and ugly truths. At the same time, beginning writers tend to rehash ideas Ive heard a
you might be only a four when it comes to compas- thousand times. But I do study intensely. Over the
sion. So when a reader picks up your book, she past three years Ive devoted thousands of hours to
might look at it and say, You know, this author delving into audience analysis and studying ways
seems really cold and distant. This author is on a one can imbue a work with epic quality. Ive
low spiritual plane, and shed be perfectly right learned a lot about both topics, but you cant find
in part. much of what Ive learned in textbooks. I have to
Unfortunately, Im not a perfect ten on all levels get it through direct observation and analysis.
of spirituality. So, at the very least, one of my goals

IRREANTUM: Whats ahead for you? Whats The Mummy Chronicles #1. New York: Random House,
coming out in the near future, what are you forthcoming April 2001.
working on now, and what will you turn to next? Of Mice and Magic #1. American Fork, Utah: Covenant,
Any interest from Hollywood? Any career twists forthcoming October 2001.
ahead you can discuss?
Short Stories
Wolverton: As for upcoming projects, my novel After a Lean Winter. Magazine of Fantasy & Science
Wizardborn will be out in April in the United Fiction 47 (March 1996): 14060. Reprinted in War
States, United Kingdom, and Germany. It just got of the Worlds: Global Dispatches, ed. Kevin J. Anderson,
picked up as the main selection for the Science 24262. New York: Bantam: 1996. Reprinted in Years
Fiction Book Club. Also, I have four young adult Best SF 2, ed. David G. Hartwell. New York:
Mummy books (based upon the upcoming movie HarperPrism, 1997.
The Mummy 2) coming out this spring. The first A Free Quarren in the Palace. In Star Wars: Tales from
one will come out in April, and the rest should fol- Jabbas Palace, ed. Kevin J. Anderson. New York:
Bantam, 1996. Reprinted in Star Wars Tales, ed.
low bimonthly thereafter. Im working to put
Kevin J. Anderson. Garden City, N.Y.: GuildAmerica
together a movie company with John Lee, presi- Books, 1997.
dent of the Entertainment Business Group, so we Charley in the Wind. Inscape (winter 1985): 220.
can take Runelords to the screen. And Im putting In the Teeth of Glory. In David Copperfields Tales of the
together a fantasy series, Of Mice and Magic, for Impossible, ed. David Copperfield, Janet Berliner, and
Covenant. Im especially delighted to be working Martin H. Greenberg. New York: HarperPrism, 1995.
on this series, since it promises to be a lot of fun. My Favorite Christmas. In Christmas Forever, ed.
The first book should be available this fall. David Hartwell. New York: Tor, 1993.
No Bird. Inscape (winter 1986): 4660.
On My Way to Paradise. In L. Ron Hubbard Presents
Bibliography of Dave Wolverton Writers of the Future, vol. 3, ed. Algis Budrys,
364420. Los Angeles: Bridge, 1987.
Novels Payback: The Tale of Dengar. In Star Wars: Tales of the
On My Way to Paradise. New York: Bantam, 1989. Bounty Hunters, ed. Kevin J. Anderson. New York:
Serpent Catch. New York: Bantam, 1991. Bantam, 1996. Reprinted in Star Wars Tales, ed.
Path of the Hero. New York: Bantam, 1993. Kevin J. Anderson. Garden City, N.Y.: GuildAmerica
The Courtship of Princess Leia. New York: Bantam, 1994. Books, 1997.
The Golden Queen. New York: Tor, 1994. The Sand Tender: The Hammerheads Tale. In Star
Beyond the Gate (The Golden Queen, book 2). New Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, ed. Kevin J.
York: Tor, 1995. Anderson, 13153. New York: Bantam, 1995.
Lords of the Seventh Swarm (The Golden Queen, book Reprinted in Star Wars Tales, ed. Kevin J. Anderson.
3). New York: Tor, 1997. Garden City, N.Y.: GuildAmerica Books, 1997.
The Runelords: The Sum of All Men (as David Farland). Siren Song at Midnight. In Ultimate Dinosaur, ed.
New York: Tor, 1998, Martin H. Greenberg and Robert L. Silverburg,
Brotherhood of the Wolf (as David Farland). New York: 6476. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Tor, 1999. Skyfish. Inscape (fall 1986): 3667.
The Rising Force (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice, book 1). New The Sky Is an Open Highway. Leading Edge 10 (fall
York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1999. 1985): 3651. Reprinted in Isaac Asimovs Science
A Very Strange Trip. Los Angeles: Bridge Publications, Fiction Magazine 12 (July 1988). Reprinted in Leading
1999. Edge 24 (September 1991): 17289.
Wizardborn (as David Farland). New York: Tor, forth- The Smiling Man. Inscape (winter 1987): 86103.
coming April 2001.

The Stone Mothers Curse. In Return to Avalon, ed. stories was anthologized in Best Stories of the South
Jennifer Roberson and Martin H. Greenberg. New 1999. Her collection Survival Rates won the
York: DAW, 1996. Flannery OConnor Award and was published last
To Caress the Face of God. In Hotel Andromeda, ed. year by the University of Georgia Press. She lives in
Jack L. Chalker. New York: Ace, 1994.
Phoenix with her husband and four of her children.
We Blazed. In Peter S. Beagles Immortal Unicorn, ed.
Peter S. Beagle, Janet Berliner, and Martin H. In addition to conducting this interview, John
Greenberg. New York: HarperPrism, 1995. Reprinted Bennion, a recent president of the AML, reviewed
in VB Tech Journal (April 1996). Mary Clydes Survival Rates in a special AML issue of
Wheatfields Beyond. In Washed by a Wave of Wind: Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 32, no. 3
Science Fiction from the Corridor, ed. M. Shayne Bell, (fall 1999): 15558.
127. Salt Lake City: Signature, 1993. Reprinted in
Tomorrow: Speculative Fiction 2 (June 1994): 3245. Bennion: How did you begin writing?
Clyde: I liked telling stories to my brothers and
Poetry
sisters. They were usually patient listeners. In the
Man of Corn. Inscape (winter 1987): 27.
The Sleek Silver Man. Inscape (winter 1986): 67. fourth grade my aptly named teacher, Mrs. Page,
encouraged us to fill composition books with
Nonfiction poetry. My outpouring was the most prodigious of
Gifford, Melva. Interview with Dave Wolverton. her many, near-retirement years of teaching. It was
Leading Edge 34 (February 1997): 2232. terrible stuff. But I was on the road to being a
The Problem of Portraying Good in Fiction. In Deep writer. I graduated from BYU and went on to the
Thoughts: Proceedings of Life, the Universe, & University of Utah for an M.A. in English litera-
Everything XIV, January 31February 3, 1996, ed. ture. I didnt write much until after the birth of my
Marny K. Parkin and Steve Setzer, 115. Provo, Utah:
fourth child. Then I began with a short short story.
LTU&E, 1998.
Rant Fantastic: On Writing as a Fantasist. Tangent, In spite of it also being terribleor maybe because
no. 18 (spring 1997). [interview] it wasit felt like Id come home, like writing was
Why Im Writing Fantasy Instead of Science Fiction. what I was supposed to be doing or, at least, what
In Deep Thoughts: Proceedings of Life, the Universe, & I wanted to supposed to be doing. It was like falling
Everything XVI, March 1214, 1998, ed. Marny K. in love. I wrote with increasing dedication, and
Parkin and Steve Setzer. Forthcoming. Provo, Utah: some of my stories began to be accepted in literary
LTU&E, 2001. journals. Thus encouraged, I enrolled in Vermont
Writing and Selling Your First Novel. In L. Ron Hubbard Colleges M.F.A. in Writing program. Survival
Presents Writers of the Future, vol. 7, ed. Algis Budrys,
Rates received the Flannery OConnor Award for
38086. Los Angeles: Bridge Publications, 1991.
short fiction and was published as part of the prize.
Bennion: Who did you study with at Vermont

I N T E R V I E W
College?
Clyde: The program is structured so that you
Mary Clyde work directly with four mentors. Mine were all
Interviewed by John Bennion excellent: Darrell Spencer, Sydney Lea, Francois
Camoin, and Sena Jeter Naslund. I also had work-
Mary Clyde has published short fiction in the shops with Phyllis Barber and Bret Lott, among
Georgia Review, Boulevard, American Short others.
Fiction, Quarterly West, and elsewhere. One of her
Bennion: Who are the writers you draw from? girlfriends closet from her family, a girl who
Clyde: Ive drawn a great deal from the teachers watched her youth leader die in a fall from a ski
I mentioned. Ive learned from Darrell Spencer, lift. These are sad cases. What brought you to
both from how he teaches and how he writes. Im this material?
amazed at his use of language and detail. I con- Clyde: Some of my stories began with my own
sciously and unsuccessfully imitate him. Ive experience. My daughter has ulcerative colitis. She
learned from Melissa Pritchard that every word is had an ileostomy. My husband had thyroid cancer.
important. There isnt an and or a but that is super- I kept wondering about suffering, about the conse-
fluous. I remember her pointing out in a students quences of it, how it mattered, what it meant. I
story a line Melissa said must have been left over worried about it. I dont worry about happiness. It
from the first draft. I thought, Oh no, you cant hasnt kept me up at night.
even have one line from your first draft? Well, you
probably shouldnt. You reexamine all of it. I Bennion: I noticed that in the title story,
admire James Agees A Death in the Family. I love Survival Rates, and in other stories theres a
The Heart of Darkness, Middlemarch, Death Comes feeling of terror about whats outside the culti-
for the Archbishop, and contemporary writers such vated yardsfear of wilderness and whatever
as Peter Taylor, William Maxwell, Toni Morrison. else is beyond human control.
Clyde: Someone pointed out to me that the
Bennion: You mentioned your fourth child javelina are like cancer.
(you have five now, I believe), and I know youre
married. Writing is such an isolated actjust
you and the paper or computer. One of my
struggles is making time to write and still hav-
ing a life with my family, friends, and church.
How have you done it?
Clyde: Its always a huge struggle. Yet its life
itselffamily and relationshipsthat fuels the
writing. Of course, there isnt any way to stop real
life while you dash over to your desk and make fic-
tional lives. I frequently work up complicated writ-
ing schedules: days on, days off, hours of the day,
up early, up late. Living always interferes with writ-
ing. I take some small comfort from the fact that
this dilemma is shared by every writer I know.
Bennion: Many of your stories deal with ill-

ness of the body and the spirit. Your characters
include a girl whose nose was bitten off by a
dog, two young women who have had
ileostomies, an infant whose burial urn is aban-
doned roadside, a man dying of cancer, a young
man so petrified of people that he hides in his

Bennion: Yes, a frightening image. But you they begin at the end of a traditional plot line.
turn the bats in A Well-Paved Road into The dust jacket of your book covers says that
something that signifies wonder. your stories explore not so much what has
Clyde: Wonder and freedom. happened already, but what happens next. In
terms of story, why begin at the end, after the
Bennion: This wariness about what is out physical action?
there is linked to another aspect of your stories. Clyde: I think part of the reason is that in life the
The landscapes of the desert seem to bear physical action is often forced on us. We dont have
human habitation reluctantly. a lot of say in thyroid cancer or ulcerative colitis or
Clyde: I think thats a typical western kind of sometimes in accidents or divorce. But what we
awareness. Water is precious. Cactus are inhos- start to have a say in is what happens because of
pitable. These deprivations make the land spirit- those events, how we move on or how we dont. I
ually important. Robert Frost (hardly a westerner) was recently rereading A Member of the Wedding. In
pointed out the loneliness of nature that corre- that book so much suspense is built up about the
sponds with the desert places within us. wedding. The young narrator is obsessed with it.
Well, the wedding takes place offstage. When we
Bennion: I find that in your stories the haz- finally get to learning about it, the narrator is on
ards of the world correlate with inner hazards, the bus going home. Of course, what happens at
such as when you have the character say in the the wedding itself isnt what matters. Its whats
last story, In jumping, we saved ourselves. In around it.
the action, we exercised an option; we made an
exclamation. We said, We have survived. Why Bennion: Its the girls response.
are you so interested in the act of survival as a Clyde: Its her response, and before that its her
subject of fiction? anticipation.
Clyde: Im interested in how we survive surviving.
To that particular character it means that while she Bennion: Many of your characters are stuck in
had witnessed and experienced pain, she was able to pitiable situations, but the characters themselves
do something that made her feel less hopeless. She never seem pitiful. The stories are not sentimen-
also feels the sweetness of survivalof life. Surviving tal, the pity never turns into condescension, per-
isnt happily-ever-after. Sometimes it provokes haps partly because you give them agency and
despair. At first the narrator of Survival Rates does- hope.
nt look at his cancer as much of a problem. To him Clyde: I have a fondness for my charactersa
its his wife looking at the cancer thats the problem. certain admiration for them, as I do for real people
He kind of brushes it off. The poignant moment for when they struggle and find ways to go on. I dont
me is when he confesses he could die. He realizes feel sorry for them, even the little girl whose nose is
hes given up more than he knew he had; hes given bitten off. Theres the moment she makes a connec-
up the assurance that he will live. Understanding tion with the doctor and I think, Oh, shes going to
your mortalitythat youve only escaped for a be fine. Ive never been able to create a good bad
whileis part of surviving. guy because I dont understand them. I feel that I
understand people like me, who mean well but mess
Bennion: Ive heard Darrell Spencer say one up in varieties of ways. Im not all that interested in
characteristic of contemporary writers is that villains. Its a failure of imagination on my part.

Bennion: I think that some contemporary, Bennion: I think your stories are full of com-
linguistically based stories avoid traditional passion, of Christian empathy for your charac-
characterization and moral dilemmas in any tra- ters. How else does your Christianity play into
ditional sense. your writing?
Clyde: I think theres a certain condescension in Clyde: I think it does in a number of ways, often
some contemporary fiction, something superior in ways Im not aware of. Someone pointed out to
and negative, as if the characters dont really mat- me that my writing contained an unusually large
ter. If the characters dont matter to the writer, why number of biblical allusions. I hadnt noticed. In
write about them? And why would they interest the the broadest sense, my stories contain the philoso-
reader? That kind of fictional world feels empty phy that there is hope, that we can go on.
and seems to imply that life itself is meaningless. I
think when those linguistically based stories first Bennion: In your fiction these moments of
started to appear, we thought they must be brilliant hope, when a character realizes she can go on,
because we didnt understand theman are quite focused. In Against Epiphanies,
emperors-new-clothes syndrome. Also they were Charles Baxter warns against the dangers of hav-
surprising, and because they were so different they ing an all-encompassing and focusing world
interested us. Now theres kind of a the-emperors- view that is distorting in some ways, some times.
naked backlash. We want more depth. But, your stories do bring characters to a clear
and specific realization at the end.
Bennion: Im interested in the how of what Clyde: Im a sucker for an epiphany. Sometimes
weve just been talking about. How does a I consciously try to get away from them, but Im
Christian writer move beyond pity? never very satisfied because I do believe a story
Clyde: Thats an interesting question. Perhaps by means that something happens. I think the best
definition, characters who have the possibility of thing that can happen is that the character ends up
making choices are not pitiable, even if the choice knowing something. Sometimes thats not only the
is pitiable. One of the characters you mentioned is best thing, but its the only thingall there is left.
so intimidated by his girlfriends family that he
hides in a closet. Thats a pretty pathetic response. Bennion: The character in the closet that
But somehow, given who he is, to me it is an weve been talking about responds to his girl-
understandable, even a reasonable action. And I friends beckoning by stepping toward her.
rejoice when he emerges. I think hes kind of heroic. Thats his epiphany. But its a quiet epiphany
We all are in our own way. not something earth-shaking.
Clyde: Yes, and I guess the epiphanies we (and
Bennion: Even when the characters are not Charles Baxter) are really offended by are the ones
heroic, you make them appealing because you with turn arrows, road signs, flashing lightsand
care about them. everythings different forever. But I think the right
Clyde: I remember when I wrote Farming level of epiphanyif epiphanies have levelsis
Butterflies. There that kid stood, doing that weird something more subtle, maybe just some kind of
thing with the rivets in his jeans. I was worried movement, a shift in gears, a quiet breeze. And
about him. Anxious that hed find his way in the after all, it is the reader who needs to have experi-
crazy situation. enced something because hes read the story, more
so than the character.

E S S A Y
Bennion: I think your epiphanies are very
humane and rational and quiet ones. Nietzsche Was Right
Clyde: I hope so, because most of lifes epipha-
nies are like that.
and Other Pitfalls in Depicting
Evil in Fiction
Bennion: The important ones are. Theyre By Lee Allred
very quiet.
Clyde: I suppose we could both point to work Can Mormon authors depict evil in fiction?
where the writing is self-consciously shaped by a Should they? And what moral obligations does a
writers beliefs, and it ends up feeling didactic and Mormon author have to readersor are there any?
obvious, not artistically successful. Yet a Christian These questions are familiar ones. Mormon writers
aesthetic famously informed Flannery OConnors have asked them in numerous essays; AML-List
short stories. Her work feels haunted by her reli- members have debated them frequently and at
gion. She expresses a sharp disappointment in great length. Perhaps for other writing communi-
mans failure to act according to Christian princi- ties the asking of such questions might well seem
ples. In my own work I feel as if my characters and bizarre.
I stumble toward discovery. Im not trying to sell Non-Mormon SF writer Judith Moffett, in her
anything. I dont have many answers. But I do essay on the Utah SF writing scene in Nebula
believe that man can grow and that belief in pur- Awards 31, marks Mormons use of morality as a
pose is more important to me than a story where critical tool in writers group critiques as perhaps
the language is everything. the most striking (if not startling) aspect of our
writing culture. Striking? Startling? I do not find it
Bennion: One of the advantages is that more thus. If anything, a writing culture that does not
is at stake than language. There is a moral struc- ask these questions seems startling. Mormon writ-
ture to work against, something rock hard ers, I believe, must ask such questions. I, as a
your Christianity. Mormon writer, surely must. Moffett is incorrect,
Clyde: Some core of me informs me that this is however, in categorizing these questions as merely
what I believe. I dont think theres any way to one more critical tool in our writing quiver, com-
deny it. Whatever I do, its always there, always mensurate to other tools such as plot structure and
pushing me. pacing. They are more than that, more than just a
pleasantly diverting academic exercise. These ques-
Bennion: You offer your characters the possi- tions are real-world dilemmas that every Mormon
bility of hope through your basic technique; you writer must find an answer for one day. That day
focus on what happens to the spirit when the for me came during the summer of 1999.
body is failing. I unexpectedly received an e-mail query from
Clyde: Of course, that is where we are ultimate- science fiction author S. M. Stirling: would I be
ly all vulnerable. What it comes down to for all of interesting in contributing a short story for an
us is that our undaunted spirit is fighting the decay anthology set in the fictive universe of his Draka
of our lives. Isnt this the problem all good fiction novels? Stirling, a top SF author, is very adept at
forces us against? creating bleak, sociopathic cultures in his alternate
histories and military science fiction novels such as
The Chosen (Baen, 1996, with David Drake) or Go
Tell the Spartans (Baen, 1991, with Jerry Pournelle). subject, claiming to have answers. Yet in the clutch,
His best-known solo efforts in this respect, how- when it ceased being an exercise in academics and
ever, are his Draka novel series: Marching through rhetoric, did I really have any answers at all?
Georgia (Baen, 1989); The Stone Dogs (Baen, Once in an AML-List column Id quoted Orson
1990); Under the Yoke (Baen, 1991); and Drakon Scott Cards answer:
(Baen, 1995). Stirling says it best in describing his Art is not moral when it never shows ugli-
Draka dystopia: Suppose that everything turned ness; art is moral when it shows ugliness
out as badly as possible. Think of a world where honestly. . . . The illusion of truth
Hitler and Stalin and Pol Pot were mere also-rans, demands that there be evil, or his [the
a society where slavery, sexual perversion, cruelty, writers] readers will cease believing in his
and sadism are the expected norms. Multiply your characters and toss the book away. (Orson
imaginings tenfold. That is the novel universe of Scott Card, The Problem of Evil in
the Draka. At the time I had not yet read all of the Fiction, in A Storyteller in Zion [Salt
Draka novels; I still have not yet done so. My read- Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993], 72)
ing threshold only goes so far. Yet, here I was being Id flippantly replied at the time that my own aes-
asked to contribute to that body of work. thetic approach ran more along the lines of truth
Now, a not-so-small number of national market demands that there be an illusion of evil. I argued
SF writers would laugh at such reluctance and the that rather than thrust into the readers faces a vivid
naivet behind it. Unsolicited invitations to con- depiction of evil, trust that [the readers] have
tribute to an invitation-only anthology are a career experienced pain and suffering in their lives and
boost to beginning writers like myself, and a career can, by extrapolation, picture evil and ugliness far
affirmation for established writers. Publish or per- more vividly than anything the writer could put
ish is not solely confined to the halls of academia. down on paper.
Declining Stirlings invitation wouldnt really jeop- At one point (getting ahead of my tale) in my
ardize my SF writing career any. Stirling himself Draka story, the main character, after receiving a
had given me an easy outthe delivery deadline beating, looks up at a Draka propaganda banner
was quite soon. He wrote hed understand if I with the Nietzsche quotation, I want gremlins
declined. around me for I am courageous, and this charac-
Deadlines werent my concern. ter thinks how well and good for someone to
Eugene England has noted that the paradox of bravely write such aphorisms when safely tucked
selfhood, the dichotomy between the individual away in the serenity and sanity of the Swiss Alps,
and a Zion community, is the centrality of not facedown in the mud surrounded by sadistic
Mormon literature. This tension applies, I believe, killers. Hadnt I done the same? Hadnt I safely
not only to Mormon fiction but to Mormon fiction written from the Switzerland of literary criticism
writers. Ours is a culture where the idea that a my own aphorisms? What would happen if I did
writer has moral obligations to ones readers is nei- come down from lofty peaks and got facedown in
ther a foreign concept nor one easily dismissed. the mud? Time to put up or shut up. Therefore, I
And so, to paraphrase my own first paragraph, would write a Draka storyone that would not
could I depict the Draka in fiction? Should I? What only satisfy my stated aesthetic approach, but my
were my moral obligations? In a number of papers obligations, both to my readers and to myself. I
presented at AML and other venues, and in my on- e-mailed Stirling, accepting the assignment, but
line columns and posts, Ive pontificated on the stated up front, however, that I might be too

mild a writer for the Draka milieu. Stirling grant- surface, a story where the bad guys win. The
ed that mild was okay. Lamanitesdespite the efforts of Samuel on the
In accepting the assignment, my first and pri- wall, or Enos on his knees, or all the other men and
mary obligation was readily apparent: the readers women of good intentdestroy the Nephites as
who would be paying for the anthology would be thoroughly as the Draka will, despite the efforts of
expecting to read a professional-level, national SF my character, destroy the British and in time the
market Draka story; I had an obligation to give rest of the world. This gave me a model to work
them what they paid for. Regardless of whatever from and became the undergirding structure. The
experimentation I did with the story, that obliga- tension between my beliefs and the Draka world-
tion came first. view became the overarching theme. That tension
Deciding on the main character was easy: the afforded me enough drama to fashion a plot where
good Draka trying to mitigate the evil around him. the sadistic cruelty and violence of the Draka was,
The setting, too, sprang immediately to mind in the words of one of my characters, a more cere-
(proving that the mind of a science fiction writer is bral approachno sex, no profanity, no vio-
a strange thing, indeed). During World War II, lenceyet, for all of that, my mild story (much
Britains Channel Islands endured a relatively to my chagrin) might be one of the more intense
benign occupation by Nazi Germany. What would stories in the volume.
a benign Draka occupation of those same islands Well, nearly no violence in the story.
be like? And so I set out to write a meticulously I am not suggesting here that fictional violence
researched straight-up alternate-history shared- in and of itself is necessarily evil. I do think, how-
world anthology PG-rated story about the ultimate ever, that violence, fictional or otherwise, is an
evil society, told without sex, profanity, or violence inescapable byproduct of evil. In a fictional setting
in a way that explored Mormon literary aesthetics such as the Draka, violencewhether brutal, thug-
but left out all the Mormon bits. A nice, simple, lit- gish, or indifferently amoralis an ever-expanding
tle unambitious story. feedback loop. Stories build to a climax, and if you
And I found I couldnt do it. use violence to build to that climax, that level of
My same story character who dismissed the violence must by definition escalate. In a milieu
Nietzsche banner quotation is himself somewhat such as the Drakas where casual brutality is the
obsessed with Nietzsche. At one point he quotes norm, the introduction of violence is a dangerous
Nietzsche: You must become what you are. As thing. The level of violence to which the writer may
this character was later to wail, Nietzsche was have to escalate in the telling of the story could very
right all along. . . . Right about so many things. quickly overwhelm any intended restraint. I did
I am a Mormon writer who believes in happy not want to put myself or my reader in that situa-
endings. The worst thing about the Draka series is tion. I needed also to ascertain whether evil, as I
that at the end, the bad guys win. The Draka take had asserted, could be portrayed by illusion.
over the entire world. They enslave everybody, Recently, one of the cable channels ran a docu-
everywhere. I, as a Mormon writer, believing in the mentary on Alfred Hitchcock and a discussion of
stone cut without hands, simply could not authen- his movie Frenzy. When the movies killer-rapist
tically work with that mindset. Paradoxically, the attacks his first victim, Hitchcock has the camera
answer was in that same belief. Become what you follow the killers every move. When the killer
are. I realized that the greatest work of all Mormon enters the apartment of his second victim, the apart-
literature, the Book of Mormon, was, on the ment door is closed on the camera. The camera

slowly pans backward, down the stairs, out of the twit! or, Good luck in the salt mines. This reply
apartment building, and into the bustling workday worried me as much as it reassured me. It worried
London street. The second murder is more horrific me because questions again came to mind as to
to the viewer, even though nothing is shown of the what moral obligations writers have in showing
crime, because the viewer knows what is happening ugliness honestly, and would readers misread the
up in that apartment and can do nothing to stop it, cautionary depiction of evil as the celebration of it?
can shout no warning to the passersby strolling past It reassured me because I was still grappling with
the apartment building. the broader question of whether or not I should be
This was how I intended arranging events in my working in the Draka canon at all. By its creators
story. Stirling had gone into such great detail in own estimation, that canon was a moral one. Or so
describing the fate of the Drakas new conquests I inferred.
that I could infer his previous brutalities without In her review of The Dark Valley: A Panorama of
actually showing them. Violent events specific to the 1930s, Misha Glenny of the Irish Times wrote
my story were either obliquely inferred to have that the European values of tolerance and com-
happened, and happened off-camera at that (I do passion only made it through the 20th century by
admit to a puckish literalism of the phrase off- the skin of their teeth. The nightmarish prospect
camera in one crucial scene) or were suggested by that those values, and other humanistic ideals,
the tension of checked violence (weapons drawn might not have survived (and might not yet survive
and brandished). What had happened and what the twenty-first century) is one that, I think, alarms
would happen in the story were left to the imagi- Stirling. He writes in his introductions and other
nation of the reader. My intent therefore was to supplementary material that the world of the
have absolutely no overt on-camera violence, and Draka is a funhouse mirror held up to our own,
I nearly made it. Late in the story it became neces- that the Draka are almost a caricature of Western
sary to show, not tell, the true nature of one of the civilization, a culture without the humanitarian-
characters. The only way I could come up with was ism phase of the Enlightenment, without the soft-
to have that character commit two acts of violence. ening rule of the middle classes, without the
The nominal villain is slapped in the face, then Romantics.
shoved out of his chair, onto the floor. Benign If you understand a thing to its depths, Nietzsche
though these acts may be in the Draka world, the wrote, seldom will you remain faithful, for bringing
fact that I agonized (and still do) over this small the depths into the clear light of day reveals that
failure is indicative of the effort I expended in grap- what is in the depths is not pleasant at all. The
pling with the issue of depicting evil. Draka dystopia is Stirlings attempts to bring to the
Perhaps the most famous Nietzsche aphorism is surface the depths of Faustian power lust. Using
the one that warns, Whoever fights monsters Cards formation, the Draka series is moral because
should see to it that in the process he does not it shows ugliness honestly. That same formation,
become a monster. The longer I worked on the however, dictates that Nietzsches writingswith
Draka story, the darker it became. During the writ- his brutal honesty in describing the evil that stared
ing process I indicated my disapprobation of all back at him from the abyssare moral. Nietzsche
things Draka to Stirling, who e-mailed back: Glad was right as far as a few select aphorisms are con-
to hear you say so! The only fans who really wor- cerned. But, taken as a whole, his writings are far
ried me were the ones who wanted to move there. from moral. (He would be the first to agree, I think:
Theres no polite way to say, Its a dystopia, you Morality is the herd-instinct of the individual.

Indeed, he called morality the most pernicious The biggest weakness of Stirlings Draka books is
error.) that he does not make a compelling case that a
I grant Nietzsche his honesty about evil. How Draka-like society sweeping across the whole world
could he not honestly depict the horrors of the is avoidable. The brittle humanistic ideals Stirling
abyss that gaped beneath him? No aphoristic hor- cites as the counter to Drakanism are broken reeds
rors these; the horrors of the abyss were a reality to in and of themselves. The forces that sustain good
Nietzsches syphilis-sodden brain. But his honesty people in a long, protracted struggle against evil are
was selective. He could not or would not describe morality and religion, forces that have little or no
goodness honestly. When he speaks of heaven, he place in Stirlings worldview. Unseen to both the
brands it with the same horrific term used for evils Draka and Stirling, the greatest danger to
abode: O heaven above me, thou pure, thou deep Drakanism are the ideals and dreams of
heaven! Thou abyss of light! [italics mine]. Drakanisms true antithesis, the stone cut without
I am reminded of John Gardners summary dis- hands, rolling forth to fill the entire earth.
missal of Nietzsche in On Moral Fiction: The storys titleThe Greatest Dangeris
[N]owhere in all of [Nietzsches or Kierkegaards] fortuitous, also, in that it also connotes what I feel
writings, he writes, do they show that they is the greatest risk to the current bootstrapping
clearly understand . . . even so basic a matter as effort by the AML and others to nurture Mormon
whether or not there can be rational goodness. literature. In striving to grow and mature (in the
Irrational evil, yes; Nietzsche knew all about that. nonprurient sense), there is a tendency to disparage
But to him, goodness was an undiscovered coun- the good in Mormon culture in the guise of elimi-
try. For him, good and evil were but the same nating the treacly. I think it is incumbent upon us
meaningless coloured vapour, equivalent in his to cast an honest eye upon the ideals Mormonism
monocular sight. Ironically, Gardner opens On has to offer, unrealized though they may be in
Moral Fiction with the following governing many cases.
metaphor: he relates the myth of the god Woden It has often been wondered if Mormonism can
who, seeking a final victory in the cyclic war of produce great writers. I think that it can and will
good against evil, seeks out the Troll King for the and that the key in part lies in Madeline LEngles
secret knowledge that will ensure that victory. The notion that it takes a firm grounding in the love of
Troll King sells Woden the secret for the cost of God for a writer to go into the darkest depths of
Wodens left eye. The secret? Watch with both the human heart. Mormons, more than any other
eyes. people, should therefore be able to stare into the
My own governing metaphor used in my Draka abyss and honestly portray the evil therein.
story was that of Archilochoss famous proverb: Mormons, more than any other people, should also
The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog be capable of learning the corresponding great
knows one great thing. I had set out writing the hedgehog trick of depicting honestly things virtu-
story like the fox, trying to learn many things about ous and lovely and of good report.
depicting evil in fiction. Instead, I came to learn Not that I consider my story great in any respect.
the hedgehogs one great thing: a writer has to I failed to conclusively find the answers I had
watch with both eyes. It is not enough merely to sought after; however, I do take solace in the fact
cast an honest eye at ugliness. Art that shows only that I was at least partially successful. Judging from
ugliness honestly is incompletely moral. An honest reader reviews on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk,
eye must be cast towards the good as well. I seem to have struck the right chord with readers

of the regular Draka series. Perhaps most gratifying alternate history story which will be appearing in a
is one reviewers comment of chilling, which at future issue of IRREANTUM. He has twice cochaired
least partially validates my aesthetic experiment: it Life, the Universe, & Everything, BYUs symposium on
seems it is indeed possible to be good and still be science fiction and fantasy, and has conducted SF and
good. genre fiction sessions at Association for Mormon Letters
Nietzsche did not think so. He exhorted writers conferences. Lees latest fiction can be found in Drakas!
to write with blood. The full passage, of course ed. S. M. Stirling (New York: Baen Books, 2000).
write with blood, and thou wilt find that blood is
spiritmeans to write with a single-minded pas-
sion to overthrow status quo morality, not neces- E S S A Y
sarily to cram fictional violence into every page, but
far too many writers, I fear, equate the two mean- Fantastic Journeys: Mormon Authors
ings. Writing with blood (in the first sense) or an
equivalent fixation on the vices is far too often a
Say Faith Informs Their Science Fiction
lazy way for a writer to pretend that what is being By Kimberly Winston
written means something, that it is art rather than
simplistic dreck. [This article is reprintedwith some factual correc-
It is interesting to note that in medieval times the tionsfrom the Dallas Morning News, where it
vices were often personified in miracle plays by a originally appeared on October 21, 2000.]
clown or buffoon dressed in a threadbare mockery
of kingly raiment, from which came Hamlets The young man stared at the plates of gold and
proverbial phrase a king of shreds and patches. the odd clear stones given to him by the angel.
Ironically, according to Brewers the phrase a king How could he unlock their secrets? Grasping the
of shreds and patches in our own time has come to stones like spectacles, he peered through them at
mean a literary hack. The fact that Mormon writ- the precious metal. And there it was, opening
ers wrestle with depicting evil and violence and all before hima saga of a past no one had heard
the other vices embodied by the Draka is not a sign before, and a blueprint for the future as it could be,
of hackwork or our literary parochialism. To the as it should be.
contrary, I think it is a measure of how certain it is Science fiction? No, its the story of how Joseph
that one day we will indeed produce not patchwork Smith Jr., a western New York farm boy, deci-
kings but Shakespeares and Miltons of our own. phered golden tablets given to him by the angel
Can Mormon authors depict evil in fiction? Should Moroni in 1827. The writings, he said, directed
they? What moral obligations does a Mormon him to found a religion and, ultimately, a utopian
author have to readers? In a literary sense our great- civilization.
est danger and our greatest blessings as Mormon Now, more than 170 years later, The Church of
writers lie within the answering of these questions. Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the church that
Like Jacob and Enos of old, we should wrestle with Smith founded came to be called, finds that among
these questions til morning. its members are a surprising number of high-profile
Lee Allred won first prize in L. Ron Hubbards Writers science fiction and fantasy writers.
of the Future contest for his story For the Strength of Most religions are based on beginnings that,
the Hills, which was also a finalist for the 1997 when told in secular terms, sound fantastic. Yet
Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He has another somehow, it seems Mormonism has been a partic-
ularly fertile faith for science fiction writers. Is there

something about its theology, history, and tradition Once Like Us

that shortens the leap to what has come to be called Mr. Card has written and spoken often about the
speculative fiction? link between his Mormon beliefs and his writing.
Mormons are theologically not so far removed Portions of his Tales of Alvin Maker series include
from science fiction, said Orson Scott Card, a scenes from the life of Joseph Smith. The five vol-
Mormon who has won the coveted Hugo and umes of his Homecoming series, about a race of
Nebula awards for his science fiction. We literally earthlings guided to a promised land by the
believe that God has created sentient beings on Oversoul, is a retelling of the Mormon trek to
other worlds, that there really is faster-than-light Utah.
travel and that God can go hither and yon. In He said one reason for Mormon affinity for sci-
many cases, we are writing about a universe we ence fiction is that Mormons view God as a highly
have already thought about from childhood on. developed man, not as a supernatural, ethereal
The LDS church counts about five million being. He is the kind of highly evolved creature
Mormons in the United States and eleven million much of science fiction is founded on, Mr. Card
worldwide. According to adherents.com, a website said.
that tracks religious affiliation and lists speculative We believe in a physical, corporeal being who
fiction writers by faith, there are 175 published moves through time and who was once like us, he
writers in that genre who are current or former said. We believe he is accessible but also bound by
LDS members. natural law, just like us. So the God we believe in is
Compare that with Catholicism, which has already fifty percent of the way towards being the
twenty-six million baptized followers in the United God science fiction can accept, so it is a lot easier
States, but just thirty writers of speculative fiction for us to move the last fifty percent without com-
on the list. There are no Hindus or Muslims on the promising any of our other beliefs.
list, one Buddhist, and seven Baptists. The link between Mormonism and speculative
Mormon theology does dovetail with science fic- fictionespecially science fictionis well rooted
tion quite nicely, said Preston Hunter, the Dallas- in Mormon cosmology and theology, said Dr.
based computer programmer who created adher- Marion K. Smith, retired professor of science fic-
ents.com and compiled its list of speculative fiction tion writing and literature at Brigham Young
writers. They have similar outlooks on God and University. He notes that:
the universe that other Christian churches do not. Mormons believe that human beings are liter-
Mormon speculative fiction writers range from ally Gods children and that he populated many
some of the most popularsuch as Mr. Card, worlds with his offspring.
author of about fifty booksto those less well- Mormons believe in a premortal existence as
known, such as B. Franklin Thatcher, who has spirit children and that by eternal progression
served as an LDS bishop. In between are writers they can evolve, becoming at some point like God.
including Tracy Hickman, Anne Perry, Zenna The Mormon scriptures tell great sagas of wars,
Henderson, and Russell Asplund. Their subjects lost tribes, and vanished civilizations, Dr. Smith
range from futuristic interplanetary war to the rise said. Those scriptures include a Bible retranslated in
and fall of fantastic animal kingdoms. Many keep spots by Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, the
Mormon thought out of their work, while others Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants.
write openly about their faith, albeit transferred to So the concept of lost civilizations, of alien races
another world. and other cultures, is not foreign to us, Dr. Smith

said. And that is a backbone of science fiction, I think what happened is there were a lot of per-
that there are people who have unusual knowledge sonalities that were ready to go, said Scott R.
and act upon it. Parkin, an LDS member and writer who has com-
But Mr. Card said there is another reason that piled a bibliography of Mormon science fiction. It
Mormons feel comfortable with science fiction: was a time when, in 1976, the prophet challenged
They have often been considered aliens in main- the [Mormon] community to create Shakespeares
stream culture. Because of their different ideas of and Miltons of our own. There was this big renais-
God, Christ, and the universe, and their early belief sance in Mormon culture, and this class happened
in plural marriage, the first Mormons were soon after that.
hounded out of Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In In addition to living the same faith, many of
1846, there was an exodus to Utah. these writers live in the same state: Utah. Mr.
This sense of being different is so embedded in Parkin counts about thirty Mormon speculative fic-
Mormon culture that Dr. Michael R. Collings, a tion writers who live along the Wasatch Front
professor of English at Pepperdine University and between Ogden and Provo. There are so many
an authority on the science fiction of Mr. Card, Mormon science fiction writers in Utah that
sees it as the one chord sounded throughout the Signature Books, an independent Mormon pub-
work of all LDS writers of speculative fiction. lisher, published a volume of their work, Washed by
I dont see another common theme other than a Wave of Wind: Science Fiction from the Corridor.
at the base where, whether spoken or not, there is
that core of experience that Card so aptly describes Between the Lines
as being an alien in ones own homeland, Dr. Do Mormons say the reading or writing of spec-
Collings said. Some of us use science fiction as a ulative fiction affects ones spirituality?
way of bridging that difference or of modulating Dave Wolverton said his science fiction writing
it. has deepened his Mormon beliefs. He said he is
constantly tapping into them to work out the
Cultural Renaissance moral issues confronting his characters.
The Mormon boom in speculative fiction began I find that my writing helps encourage my spiri-
in the late 1970s when Mr. Card agreed to return tual questioning, he said in an e-mail interview. I
to Brigham Young University, his alma mater, to find that I meditate best in front of a keyboard now.
teach science fiction writing. When Mr. Card had Mr. Card scoffed at the idea that his writing
to cancel, Dr. Smith stepped in. enhances his faith. This is just my job, he said.
The course has been offered every year and is My life as a member of the Church, as a husband
always filled to capacity, but that first class has been to my wife, as a father to my children, thats what
the most prolific. It included M. Shayne Bell, deepens my spirituality.
author of Nicoji and Lock Down, and Dave Dr. Smith said he thinks reading and writing sci-
Wolverton, author of Lords of the Seventh Swarm ence fiction can serve, in at least a peripheral way,
and The Courtship of Princess Leia. as a spiritual aid.
Members formed reading groups, e-mail lists, I am quite satisfied that there is an influence,
and started a magazine, The Leading Edge, which but I am just as satisfied that I can never prove it,
current students still publish up to three times a he said. Certainly, many people will read this sci-
year. They have begun to call themselves the class ence fiction and say, Ah, that helps me understand
that would not die. the theology a little better.

But Bradford Verter, assistant professor of reli- Pembroke, once, signed the form and handed it to
gion and culture at Williams College, cautioned the clerk. He looked at me as if he thought I had
against saying that Mormons have a greater con- potential as a soldier. As soon as he okayed the
nection to science fiction than people of other form, I walked out of the office. I shoved my hands
faiths do. He suggests that their work may stand in my pockets and stood on the sidewalk in the
out more because Mormon culture and beliefs are morning summer sun for a while, thinking.
more distinct from the cultural mainstream. The war had dragged on and onwhile I got
I can think of so many science fiction books older and older and was now draft age. If I stayed
that have Christian themes, he said, listing C.S. here, I would be drafted. I believed that. What the
Lewiss The Chronicles of Narnia, about a Christ- clerk inside didnt know was that I didnt have to
like lion, and James Blishs A Case of Conscience, stay in America. My mother was a citizen of Europe,
about Jesuits in space. There are even a number of with a United Kingdom passport. I was half Euro-
Jewish science fiction writers, including Isaac British. At eighteen I had to choose to be either
Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Phillip Klass, and even European or American, and if I chose to be
Woody Allen. European I wouldnt be drafted. Most of my friends
But those [Judeo-Christian images] dont stand thought I should take my chance and go to Europe
out because we are so accustomed to those images and forget this place. I was the one who was not
and references as part of the larger cultural fabric, sure. I thought I wanted to be an American, though
Dr. Verter said. I did not want to have to fight to keep Indonesia
Still, Mr. Parkin said, speculative fiction has together. No one had lifted a finger when Indonesia
more directly communicated Mormon thought had forced the Mindanao Partition, then took over
and experience than any other literary genre. New Guinea, Palau, the Solomons, Sabah.
Science fiction gives you more philosophical Indonesia threatened Singapore, Brunei, and the
breadth than mainstream fiction, he said. rest of Malaysia in the short term. The corporations
Because we can work with allegory and metaphors running America had argued that unification
in science fiction, we are able to reveal more of made the East Indies more stable. They offered
what it is we believe or hope in a direct narrative increased trade as proof. A country like Indonesia
that doesnt have to be about being Mormon. could quiet down the region and organize its
advance into sweatshops and ecological devastation.
Kimberly Winston is a freelance writer in northern But the independence movementsin the con-
California. quered territories and on other islands: Borneo,
Bali, the Moluccas, Timorkept growing stronger,
with covert Chinese, Japanese, and probably Thai
F I C T I O N help, and now America was once again defending
vital interests (oil, cheap goods) in Asia.
And All Our Banners Flying I walked down the sidewalk thinking that, were
By M. Shayne Bell it not for my mothers nationality, the course of
my life would have been out of my control. For
In the summer of that year, on my eighteenth three years in a row Id watched pudgy military
birthday, I drove into Alma, Idaho, to register for officers on TV spin a Vietnam-era basket with
the draft for the Indonesia War. I filled in all the three hundred sixty-six little plastic capsules that
blanks on the form, printed my name, John Arthur held slips of paper with dates printed on them, one

for every day of the year and February 29. The If you had looked at Emily and Clayton and me
officer would pull out the capsules one at a time, that summer, you could not have known what all
open them, and read off the dates. The guys born of us would go on to do with our lives. I look at the
on the first two hundred twenty-five were drafted. old photographs Aunt Alice took of us together and
Not all of them came home. For three years my see young people with nothing to set them apart.
birthday was one of the first two hundred twenty- Clayton and I were barely shaving, maybe every
five, and I had to sit there, with my high school other day, and I still had half an inch to grow,
math or geography homework unattended in my Clayton maybe an inch and a half. But one thing
lap, watching a fat officer represent chance deter- about Emily has never changed: in those old pho-
mining my fate. But thanks to my mother, chance tographs and in the pictures of the woman I now
would not determine my fate where this war was see in the netzines, her long, black hair is wild,
concerned. I would. windblown, as if she spends the better part of each
I drove our Ford pickup home, parked it in the day walking along the Somerset coast with the
shade, and walked slowly to the house. I needed to wind off the sea blowing her hair.
change back into work clothes and start hauling hay. At the time, Aunt Alice was a newly elected
Mother was stirring a cake in the kitchen, the birth- member of Parliament, but Parliament was in
day cake wed have with dinner that night, and she recess, and Emily was on holiday from her board-
looked up at me with worried eyes. She wiped her ing school. They picked me up at Heathrow, and
hands on her apron and hugged me and wouldnt let we drove across the moors to Somerset and the
me go change for a while; she just held onto me. family ancestral home on the west bank of the
That night, for my birthday present, she and Parrett River, near where it empties into the sea. I
Father gave me a ticket to England to visit my Aunt could smell the sea when I got out of the car.
Alice, Mothers sister; Aunt Alices two children, And apples. The house was surrounded by apple
my cousins Emily and Clayton; and Uncle Harold, orchards, and the apples were ripe and falling. The
Mothers brother who had never married but who ground was littered with golden and red apples. A
had tramped all over the world as she would put handful of workers holding remotes walked around
it, explored the dark corners he would say. under the trees. I did not understand what they
Mother was so happy that I would finally get to see were doing till I saw a flash of silver metal moving
the places she loved, the house she had grown up high up in one of the nearer trees. I stared, then.
in, the England of the Arthurian legends shed told The workers were guiding robots picking the
me when I was a boy. apples. No one I knew in Idaho had robotic help in
But it was more than that, of course. I lay in bed the fields. Central American human labor was still
that night and realized my parents present to me cheaper for us.
was more than a ticket. It was a chance to look Those are rare apples, Aunt Alice said. She
around England and make my choice. My parents came to stand by me. Some of the varieties are,
had said nothing about this over dinner. Wed perhaps, found nowhere elseand its a good thing
talked about it plenty of times before. But my someone has them. Apples are in a precarious way
choice had been with us through the meal. I knew worldwide. People grow ten percent of the varieties
Mother considered herself blessed to be able to give our ancestors grew just one hundred years ago. A
her son what all mothers would have given if they disease could destroy any species that reduced. I
could: a sure way out of war, to life. feel our rarities might someday be important for
grafting strength back into the main stocks.

She talked with me easily about her orchards. Emily crossed to the windows and pulled back
She had always talked to me, even when I was a boy the drapes. In the sudden light, I could read this
during her visits: even then she would take the Latin: Excalibur.
time, and I loved her for it. Now, as then, I found You men are so predictable, Emily said. I
myself interested in whatever she wanted to talk asked Mother whether I would find you in this
aboutCentral Asian politics, Uzbeki terrorists, room looking at this sword, or whether I would
modern poets, apples. Her breadth and sincerity, find you in the library looking at the books. We
always clear to me, were what eventually made her both decided on the sword.
foreign secretary to two prime ministers in I never saw the library, I said, a little annoyed.
Brussels. But I always remembered her worry about Let me show you where it is.
the apples and was not surprised years later at her I followed her and never asked, then, about the
treaties with Kazakstan, and her work to preserve sword and its fanciful inscription. The library was
the ancient apple forests there where apples had down the hall, and it was enormous, paneled in the
first evolved. same dark wood as the room with the sword. All
Emily will show you the orchards after you the bookshelves were made out of that wood. I felt
unpack, Aunt Alice said. the rough finish on the shelves while Emily again
Servants came to help carry in our bags. Aunt crossed to the windows to open the drapes.
Alice gave me a room on the third floor, with win- Lyonnesse wood, Emily said, watching me.
dows looking out toward the sea, which I could see Ive never heard of it.
beyond the trees. Id seen the sea only twice before, Here. She carefully took a book down from its
in California, at Malibu and Laguna Beach, and I shelf: Richard Carews The Survey of Cornwall, pub-
suddenly wanted to get down to this sea and walk lished in 1602. She set it on the table. The book
along this beach. I unpacked quickly and thought I crackled when she opened it, but it was not dusty.
should tell Aunt Alice where I was going. I hurried She turned the pages to an account of a sunken for-
down to the main floor, looking for her. est between Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
The house was quiet and cool in the afternoon The wood from this forest used to wash up on
heat. I kept thinking of my mother growing up the beaches, even as far north as here in Somerset,
here. I tried to imagine her as a little girl and later she said. People gathered it and made things out
a young woman on these stairs, walking these of it, like this house.
hallways, opening doors into all these rooms. I This house is built out of driftwood? I asked,
walked through an open door into a great room incredulous. I didnt know what to make of Emily
paneled in dark wood. An enormous stone fire- then. I couldnt decide whether she were teasing
place stood in the far wall, and over the mantle metelling me fables to see whether I were simple
hung a sword. I walked to the sword. It looked enough to believe themor whether she were
heavy and old. The hilt was worn, but the blade telling the truth.
had been kept polished and it shone even in the Oh, not just the house, she said. Some of the
dim light. Latin words were inscribed on it near furniture, too. We have a table made out of it.
the hilt. Youll see. Tristan came from the land where these
Do you read Latin? forests grew.
It was Emily, standing in the doorway. I decided not to ask if she meant the literary
A little, I said. Id taken a Latin class in high Tristan, but I had an idea that she did. All of this
school, the standard beginners course. was starting to come together in my mind to make

me see the great joke I was being led up to: a sword Oxford. The waves crashed on the shore and
inscribed Ex Calibur, wood from a sunken land, sprayed us with water. Emily wore no scarf, and I
mention of a knight of the round table. Id like to had no hat. We let the wind blow our hair.
walk down to the sea to look for some of your drift-
wood, I told her. Clayton and Uncle Harold drove down from
Emily reshelved the book, and while she did she Oxford that evening. Clayton was in his first year
quoted part of a poem to me: reading mathematics at Oxford, and Uncle Harold
lectured there on history. They arrived just before
Say if we three dinner. Clayton and I looked a little alikeyou
Will go to the sea could tell we were first cousins. Uncle Harold was
To gather dark wood on the beach. as tall and thin as I remembered, with white hair, a
white mustache and trimmed beard, and bright,
What is that from? I asked. happy eyes.
A poem Im writing, she said. Lets do walk to Tell me about Mary, he said, and I told him
the beach. It will inspire me. Ill tell Mother where about my mother and gave him a letter shed sent
were going. with me for him. He had me describe our farm:
She left, and I walked over to look at the books how many thousand acres it had now, how many
shelved near the Carew, all of them in sunlight near head of cattle, the value of the land per acre. It was
the window. The first were medieval books written more than just polite interest, I knew. He and Aunt
in Hebrew. Some had apparently been translated Alice had invested a small fortune in the farm when
into Latin, a few into English: Legends of the Jews, Mother married, took her inheritance, and went to
The Book of the Gests of Alexander of Macedon, King live in America.
Artus. Other nearby shelves held books in other After we had talked for maybe ten minutes,
languages: Robert de Borons Joseph dArimathie, Uncle Harold got up and rushed around the house:
subtitled Roman de lestoire dou Graal, Eschenbachs he ran up the stairs to unpack; he ran back down to
Parzival, a book titled Queste del Saint Graal. Of the library to quickly read my mothers letter, stuff
course I found Mallorys Le Morte d Arthur. it in a pocket, then pull books from the shelves and
Tennysons Idylls of the King lay open on the table. sit at the table, reading, following his fingers hur-
All this began to explain my mothers fascination riedly along the lines; he hurried to supper when
with Arthurian legend. She had grown up sur- Aunt Alice called us.
rounded by all these artifacts. Someone in the And, of course, the dining-room table was
past had loved the legends of Arthur and had col- round. It was made out of the same dark wood as
lected these books and the sword. My mother had the paneling and shelves. I stood there smiling at
loved them in her turn, and shed made me inter- the table until Aunt Alice asked me to sit between
ested. Emily and Uncle Harold.
Emily came back for me, and we walked through This is the table I was telling you about, Emily
the orchards and picked apples and carried them to said.
a rocky beach strewn with driftwood, though none Made out of wood from a sunken forest, I said,
of it dark like the wood in the house. We spent the touching its ebony, polished surface. I expected
afternoon gathering driftwood into a pile taller someone to laugh, but no one did.
than our heads for a bonfire wed burn one night It could be that old, Aunt Alice said. At least
after Clayton and Uncle Harold came down from its old enough to be wobbly. The wood certainly

came from the sea. No trees with wood this dark it, convert any survivors to Islam on the point of a
grow in England. swordcan you imagine it? In this age?
Theres a darker wood in the Celebes, Uncle Two women came in and took away the dinner
Harold said. Rare now. And he began a story plates, then served dessert.
about how he had once worked his way through Have you considered studying at Oxford?
the interior of Sulawesi, looking for a rumored Clayton asked me, and I realized they were all won-
Malay city in the highlands that had never submit- dering whether I had come just to visit or whether
ted to the Dutch or to the independent Indonesia, I had come to stay. I looked at the dark paneling
and which had already been Christian before the and the dark furniture and the bright, kind, intelli-
Dutch or even the Portuguese had sailed to gent faces around the table, and felt I would be wel-
the East. On his way there, Uncle Harold and his come here.
porters had come across a small, black tree growing Ive considered Oxford, I said. My father and
alone on a barren hillside. The porters had cut it mother recommend applying.
down, carried it with them, and sold it for a for- We talked, then, about the war in Indonesia and,
tune in Ujung Pandang when theyd returned to typically European, they were all against it.
the coast. Aunt Alice and Emily went up to bed soon after
But what about the Christians? Aunt Alice dessert. Uncle Harold went back to his books, and
asked. Clayton and I played chess in the room with the
The conversation went on like that through din- fireplace and the sword till he couldnt stay awake
ner. Uncle Harold had lived a remarkable life, some any longer and went to bed. I couldnt sleep. It was
of which I had followed in his letters to Mother morning in Idaho, and my body hadnt adjusted to
and much of which Mother had told me about: the new time. I sat at the chess table and looked at
years with the Army of Europe in North Africa the sword above the mantle. On an impulse, I got
when Europe had been forced to secure its south- up and took it down and tried to hold it.
ern border and liberate the peoples of North Africa It was heavy. With both hands on the hilt, I
from the thugs whod ruled them. Hed crossed the could lift the sword above my head and even swing
Sahara three times, become lifelong friends with it, but I tried to imagine fighting with itthe
Coptic monks, and wrote a history of their order; weight would have made it unwieldy in my hands.
later, hed spent years exploring the Himalayan The men who had fought with swords centuries
foothills in India and Nepal, looking for signs of before had held them in only one hand and a shield
the NestoriansOr the Yeti, he said, with a or battle ax in the other. If I had had to fight on a
smileand poking into Bhutan and Mustang, medieval battlefield, with weapons this heavy, I
Sikkim and Tibet, and finally the outer islands of would have been killed in short order: I could not
Indonesia, writing the histories of little-known have handled my weapons.
places and forgotten peoples. But I kept thinking I put back the sword and decided I should go to
about war. He had fought in a war. Eventually I bed to try to sleep and get accustomed to the new
asked him about it. schedule. On the way to the stairs, I passed the
Everyone looked at me. Those were glorious library. No one was in it. Uncle Harold had gone.
years, Uncle Harold said, after a pause. Never But the room was lit with one guttering candle
have good and evil been so clearly allied with oppo- on the table. The sight of those books in their shad-
site sides in a modern conflict. Those lunatics with owy shelves and the pool of candlelight on the dark
nuclear bombs had meant to take over Europe, loot table strewn with papers and books has remained

etched in my memory. I walked to the table and and bread would kill me. He wasnt a writer at all,
saw that someone had turned Idylls of the King to a he just had a writers name. I kept talking to him
new page. Uncle Harold had pulled down old anyway, telling him I had been a farmer and that
Dutch books on the East Indies, and one of his my family had crops in the field that needed to be
own, his History of the Celebes and the Outer harvested, and eventually I asked him not to kill
Moluccas. His book was left open on the table, and me. He looked at me oddly, but stepped back, and
he had taken a pen and crossed out three para- we stopped fighting. I shouted at my friends to
graphs in chapter nine about the early Christian stop, and the baker shouted at his, and eventually
missionaries and penciled notes in the margin. He everyone did stop fighting and our two sides sepa-
must have been preparing the book for a reprint- rated and went to the bonfires to cook supper. I
ing. The papers at the far end of the table were would not sit by a fire to eat, because I did not trust
poems of Emilys, in progress. The top paper read: the peace to hold, and I hurried through the
crowds looking for a blacksmith. I wanted to ask
Say if we three him to draw off some of the metal from my
Will go to the sea, weapons to make them lighter so I could handle
To gather dark wood on the beach. them
And I woke. I looked at my watch. It was four in
Wed burn it at night, the morning. The moon shone softly through the
To tame with the light window. I lay there remembering my dream. The
The creatures that haunt us in dreams. guns Id carry in Indonesia would be as heavy as the
old sword downstairs, and many times more
I put down the poem and thought I should not deadly. It wouldnt be like in my dream. If I went
look at Emilys papers like this. I walked up to my to war Id first be taught how to handle my
room and went to bed. When I finally slept, I weapons.
dreamed I was with armies of men fighting with And I would have to learn that, I realized. I
swords and battleaxes on a Somerset beach where would have to learn how to use deadly weapons. I
great bonfires burned. My opponent was potbel- decided that, lying there in the dark. America had
lied, but strong. I could barely lift my sword and been my country all my life: it would be my coun-
shield, they were so heavy, but he could handle his try for the rest of it. It needed people who would
quite well. All I could manage to do was parry away do what I was going to do. I did not support the
his thrusts and stabs and keep backing up toward war. If America were fighting to protect an ally
the sea. from tyranny I would join the army, but that was
He was going to kill me. not what this war was about. So the army of my
Who are you? I asked him, breathless. country would have to draft me to get me to fight
Robert de Boron, he grunted, and I thought, its current battles. What mattered was what would
good, if hes Robert de Boron, the writer, maybe I come after.
can reason with him, so I tried to keep him talking. I sat up and saw myself darkly in the dresser mir-
Why do we have to fight like this? I asked. We ror. I would have to live with this decision and
shouldnt be here. What kind of work did you do remember it every time I looked in a mirror the rest
before the war, anyway? of my life. People back home would support me at
I was a baker, he shouted at me, and my heart first, before they knew what I was going to do. The
sank to think that a man who had baked pastries peace movement was not loved, yet. It didnt

matter. I would go to war, then come home to I decided not to say anything about my decision
work for the peace movement. Id have more cred- for a few days. I wanted to enjoy a little more time
ibility if I had seen war and afterward worked for in England before facing my relatives questions.
peace. It was the only way I could think to make it Uncle Harold was not at breakfast. Aunt Alice was
work. Insisting that ones country live up to its in a hurry to get back to Brussels and Parliament,
highest ideals was not unpatriotic. which had been called into session to debate an
I resented being eighteen and forced to make American request for logistical support in an ongo-
decisions like this. But when, I wondered, in the ing offensive. Emily and Clayton and I tried to stay
history of humankind hadnt eighteen-year-olds out of her whirl of activity and waved good-bye to
been forced to make decisions about killing and her from the steps. When she was gone, Emily and
being killed? Clayton looked at me, and we all went inside and
A wind was blowing, and I could hear the sea met Uncle Harold in the hallway.
crashing on the beach. I got up to look out the win- You have just enough time to make your ban-
dows and saw Uncle Harold pacing back and forth ners before we set off, he said.
on the lawn, out toward the orchards. His hair and To where? Emily laughed.
beard were white in the moonlight. He would pull The beach, a bonfire, and your fates! he
on his beard, then gesticulate with his hands as if he answered.
were carrying on some argument in his mind or I laughed, but servants came in with poles for
attempting to convince someone of a course of each of us to fly banners from, and Emily took
action he feared or found preposterous. I thought Clayton and me upstairs to the second-floor sewing
he looked like Don Quixote, parted, somehow, room where she pulled out boxes of scraps of mate-
from Sancho and Rocinante. Or maybe Sancho was rial of all kinds and colors, and we actually started
sleeping in the orchard and this pacing of my making banners to carry before us on a walk to the
uncles was some knightly vigil he had to keep to beach.
honor a vow. It was slow going for Clayton and me, since the
I watched him and thought how he had fought sewing we had done up to that point amounted to
in a brutal war for ideals he believed in, and hed sewing buttons back on shirts. Emily found three
seen his side triumph. The North African War had long strips of white cloth, sewed them around the
been a grand effort, so different from what I would end of her pole, and left to pack a picnic lunch.
be called to take part in. Clayton wanted a red banner because hed become
I watched Uncle Harold and thought of his a Marxist, as he called it, at Oxford, but we couldnt
interest in Arthurian legendof the interest of all find any red scraps, so he had to settle for bur-
my British family in those legendsand how it gundy. I cut equal lengths of blue, orange, green,
was not the Arthurian wars they cared about, and purple cloth and made a banner that would fly
despite the swords place of honor above the man- like a rainbow.
tel. It was the love in the Tennyson poem; the I finished last, and when I got downstairs I saw
magic, in Emilys poem. I began to wonder, given Uncle Harold taking the sword down from above
Uncle Harolds delving into the histories of the mantle. Clayton had found towels and swim-
Nestorian and Celebes Christians, whether his suits for the men and a tall umbrella. Emily came
explorations and studies were a continuing quest from the kitchen with a picnic basket, sunscreen,
for the Holy Grail. and her towel and swimsuit under her arm, and
Uncle Harold led us out, sword held before him,

the three of us following along behind with our Your Great-Uncle George brought your moth-
banners blowing in the wind. ers and me to this beach thirty years ago and
We picked apples off the ground in the orchard knighted us: Alice to the work of state, that she
to take with us. I carried the picnic basket. When might preserve the political integrity of this land;
we came to the beach, Uncle Harold had us post Mary to the nurturing of farmland, which would
our banners on three different peaks of rock around blossom for her and increase the fortune of the
the driftwood Emily and I had gathered. We spent family; me to the pursuit of knowledge forgotten in
the day swimming, laughing, lying in the sun. We the West, but kept alive in hidden places of the
ate the picnic lunch late in the afternoon. world.
At dusk we lit the bonfire, and it roared above us. He went on to tell us the history of our family
We had to stand back quite far until it burned and how the dream of Camelot had been kept alive
down and we could sit on rocks close to it. Uncle through generations, not centered on a place, but
Harold suddenly stood and thrust the sword into realized through the lives of its descendants who
the sand in front of Emily, Clayton, and me. He had worked to benefit humankind, who had given
stood there with his hands on the hilt, looking at their lives to high causes. To be knighted with
us, knightly, somehow, the way Don Quixote must Excalibur would be to accept a mantle of obligation
have looked even as an old man. I didnt know what to humanity. More than that, we had been drawn
to expect. Emily and Clayton looked a little bewil- inexorably to our lives works, he told us. We would
dered, too. do what this age needed most. Everything about
I am the oldest in our family, Uncle Harold our lives had been fated.
said, finally, and as such I have brought you here Step forward, Emily, he said, and kneel before
to perform a sacred duty. This night I will knight Excalibur.
you into the order of your family. She did so, and her white blouse and black hair
This was unexpected, but theatrical, and I found blew back in the wind. I knight you, Emily, to the
myself wanting to go along with my uncles fun. So work of poetry, Uncle Harold said. I give you the
I didnt laugh. Our banners snapped in the wind in power to slay all dragons of despair, sloth, or rejec-
the rocks above us. tion standing in the way of your insights and suc-
First hear the history of your family, he said. cess. I bless you with the ability to bring written
And believe it. You are descended from Arthur, beauty to the lives of people who need beauty.
King at Camelot, he of legend. He drew Excalibur from the sand and solemnly
And Guinevere? Emily asked. She looked touched Emilys shoulders with the blade of it, first
startled, as if this talk of Uncle Harolds were con- the left, then the right, then the left again. He
firmation of a history she had guessed at. touched the sand in front of her with the tip of the
Yes, Uncle Harold said. Emily brushed back sword to complete the shape of the cross, then he
her hair and looked at the fire. Her reaction sur- thrust the sword back in the sand. Emilys eyes
prised me. It was hard for me to take this seriously. shone. She stood slowly, almost regally, and did not
Clayton was watching Uncle Harold intently but sit down again. She folded her arms and watched
said nothing. the rest of us, her hair blowing wildly.
Uncle Harold looked at me till Id stopped smil- Uncle Harold called Clayton to kneel in front of
ing. None of us spoke. I could hear only waves the sword. I knight you, Clayton, to the theories
crashing on the rocks and the bonfire burning till of physics, Uncle Harold said, that you might
Uncle Harold spoke again. lead humankind to the stars. He drew the sword

out of the sand, touched Claytons shoulders, and apples so fragrant in the night. For the first time in
had him stand back by the fire. England I remembered my mothers stories of
I was next. I wondered what Uncle Harold Avalon and its apple orchards, and I shivered again
would knight me to. He did not know me like he and looked at the moonlight gleaming on the blade
knew Emily and Clayton. I knelt before the sword. of the sword my uncle held. I lifted my banner
I knight you, John Arthur, to the work of peace, higher, then, at the sight of it, for Emily and
that the world might rest and be blessed. And he Clayton and I brought along with us our dreams
drew the sword out of the sand and touched it to now, bright and alive in us, and all our banners fly-
my shoulders. The blade gleamed in the firelight ing.
or was it the moonlight?for an instant, and I
shivered. I stood and took my place around the fire. Since winning first place in the Writers of the Future
All four of us stood there quietly. contest in 1987, M. Shayne Bell has published short
How had he known? Hed confirmed my deci- fiction in Asimovs, Fantasy and Science Fiction,
sion. Suddenly it was as if I saw myself marching Tomorrow, Amazing Stories, Gothic.Net, Inter-
with thousands of others and speaking to crowds zone, Science Fiction Age, and Realms of Fantasy,
and writing works that transformed nations and plus numerous anthologies, including Starlight 2,
sent all bakers home from the battlefields. Future Earths: Under African Skies, Simulations:
I charge you, Uncle Harold said, to call Fifteen Tales of Virtual Reality, Isaac Asimovs
together the young of the family when they are of Mothers Day, Vanishing Acts, and War of the
age to knight them in their turn. Worlds: Global Dispatches. He published stories in
Theyd planned this, I suddenly knewmy each of the three Star Wars short story anthologies. His
mother and my aunt and uncle. This was why I had short story, Mrs. Lincolns China (Asimovs, July
had to come to England. I did not question, then, 1994), was a 1995 Hugo Award finalist. He pub-
whether Uncle Harolds history of our family were lished a novel, Nicoji (Baen Books, 1990), and edit-
true. Facts did not matter to me at that time: I ed the anthology Washed by a Wave of Wind:
wanted his story to be true. I suddenly wanted the Science Fiction from the Corridor (Signature Books,
sword to be Excalibur; the round table in the din- 1993), for which he received an Association for
ing room, if not the original, at least patterned after Mormon Letters award for editorial excellence. In
it; and all the dark paneling truly from the sunken 1991, Bell received a creative writing fellowship from
forests of Lyonnesse. the National Endowment for the Arts.
Gather your banners! Uncle Harold cried, and Bell has a masters degree in English literature from
we scrambled into the rocks after them. I felt closer Brigham Young University. He enjoys hiking, back-
to Emily and Clayton then, different from the way packing, and climbing. He has backpacked through
Id felt about them before: from that day on we Haleakala Volcano on Maui, from the summit to the
were more than family; we were knights on a quest sea, retracing an expedition Jack London went on at
together. I could sense the beauty and adventure the turn of the century. In the fall of 1996, Bell joined
and hope we would each bring into the world an eight-day expedition to the top of Kilimanjaro, the
before we had done it. highest mountain in Africa. He lives in Salt Lake
Uncle Harold led us back through the darkness, City.
guided only by moonlight, through the orchards of

The Glowing Professor Theodore V. Orkney smiled at this sud-

By Thom Duncan den outburst from his young graduate assistant,
Brian Crowell. Hed expected such a reaction.
[This story originally appeared in the first anthology of I said Im going to use the time sphere to go
LDS science fiction, titled LDSF: Science Fiction by back and witness Joseph Smiths First Vision.
and for Mormons, ed. Scott Smith and Vickie Smith Butyoucant Crowell seemed at a loss
(Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Millennial Productions, for words. Orkney looked out the window behind
1982)]. the young man. The bronze statue of Brigham
Young, founder of this great university, stared back
Not far from the farm of Joseph Smith Senior in at him. For a moment, Orkney had the impression
upstate New York on April 1, 1820, an oblong- that that crusty old prophet and pioneer was also
shaped glowing light about six feet high and three trying to dissuade him, if by nothing more than his
feet wide appeared. A man walked out of the light stone-faced silence, expressing reproof. But, just as
and stepped down to stand on the springy forest fleetingly, the sensation passed.
floor. Orkney looked back at Crowell. Of course I
No one saw this strange occurrence because no can, Brian. You know I can.
one, except the man, was in the forest. Today. Crowells arms flailed in the air. Yes, Dr.
But soon Orkney, I know that the time sphere is now oper-
The man stood looking at the trees around him. ablethat its now possible for a human being to
He had visited this place before, but in his own use it to travel in timebut what I mean isyou
time, nearly two centuries in the future. He had cant go back to see that!
been impressed with it then. But it was nothing Why not?
compared to the emotion that welled within him Becausebecause its
now, as he contemplated the singular event des- Sacrilegious? said Orkney.
tined to take place any day in this humble grove of I wasnt going to say that.
trees. No, but you were no doubt thinking it. Dont
The hiss and crackle of temporal forces caused be embarrassed. I thought so myself at first.
the man to turn and watch the glowing oblong And what Mormon, good, bad, or indifferent,
shape through which hed journeyed to this time. would not have similar feelings? For members of
Though it was receding, soon to disappear, not to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
return until the mans visit was over, it was still so the First Vision of Joseph Smith was the second
bright that he couldnt gaze upon it directly. He most pivotal point in history, after the resurrection
witnessed its death throes through squinting eyes of Jesus Christ. The belief in the literalness of
and an upraised protective hand. Josephs claimsthat he had seen and talked with
Bright, yes, this glowing. Brilliant, almost blind- God the Father and the resurrected Lord Jesus
ing, of coursebut as a candle to the sun com- Christformed the very basis of Church member-
pared to the Glowing that would shortly come to ship. So basic was it that a man could be excom-
pass. municated (and some had been) for maintaining
The man turned and walked out of the Sacred that the Vision was other than realperhaps it was
Grove, toward the city of Palmyra. an outgrowth of Josephs imagination, valid
nonetheless in the truth it symbolized, but an
Youre going to what? inward awareness instead of an outward reality. No,

something that fundamental and sacred to the ori- In the end, Orkney had decided to arrive as early
gin of the religion should not be profaned by the in the spring as he could and simply wait for the
presence of an outsider. day. Hed go to the Sacred Grove every day, camp
But that was just an initial defensive reaction, there if need be, until the young Joseph made his
continued Orkney. When I thought about it logi- appearance.
cally, I could justify no reason why I should not. Then he would follow him into the grove
After all, it isnt as if I intend to interfere in any
way. I merely want to observe. Orkney woke early in the Manchester City
Why? said Crowell. You ought to be more Hotel. Dawn was barely touching the horizon by
concerned with bringing something back from the the time he walked down the stairs into the lobby.
past to prove youve been there. The kindly old man who had checked him in last
I intend to do just that. But given the opportu- night was again at his desk. Orkney wondered
nity to visit the past, what Mormon could possibly slightly when the fellow ever slept, but there was
resist the time of Joseph Smith? I may be a scien- another question on his mind that was far more
tist, Brian, but I am also a human, Orkney added important.
with a slight smile. Then he stood up. Of course, Mr. Shaver
I expect you to keep this little aspect of our exper- The old mans head shot up suddenly, his eyes
iment quiet, as you have everything else. When I wide circles behind his horn-rimmed glasses.
come backthen well reveal the secret of the time Orkney realized that Shaver had been asleep at the
sphere to the world. desk.
Orkney turned toward the door. Tomorrow, Shaver looked at the grandfather clock against
then? the far wall, compared his pocket watch with it.
Crowell nodded and started to leave the room. Land sakes, youre an early riser.
Just beyond the threshold, he stopped and faced Everybody gets up this early in Uter,
the physics professor. Connecticut.
Dr. Orkney? If you want breakfast, Mrs. Houston next door
Yes, Brian? makes great ham and eggs.
Uhwill youwill you tell me what it was Thanks, Mr. Shaver, Ill eat later. But right now
like? Id like to ask you a question. Do you happen to
know the Joseph Smith family?
The choice of Joseph Smiths time was no acci- Why, sure. They came here about four years
dent. Orkney had always been a Church history ago. Nice people. I dont know about that son of
buff. From his earliest youth in Farmington, Utah, theirs, though, that Joseph Junior.
hed always been thrilled by those events that stood What about him? Orkneys heart leaped to this
at the unfolding of the Dispensation of the Fullness throat. Was he too late? Had Joseph already had his
of Times. vision? Why was Shaver now shaking his head in
The choice to be present at Josephs first vision seeming consternation?
was not so easily arrived at, however. The date was Hes about the most rambunctious young un
not documented. It was on the morning of a beau- Ive ever seen. Always into things. Never does any-
tiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hun- thing mean, mind you, but always into something.
dred and twenty was all that Joseph Smith had Orkney remembered Josephs own words
said about it. describing his youth: I frequently fell into many

foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, Well, Ive set it so that it will appear in the
and the foibles of human nature. Sacred Grove at the end of April. Its up to you to
Funny thing, though, concluded Shaver. be there. The Sphere will stay open for two hours.
Whats that? Ill be there, Brian. Orkney stood up, Oh,
Lately, I been noticing hes been actin a little anduhBrian?
differnt. More serious-like. Like somethin real Yes, sir?
important is goin on in his head. Orkney handed his assistant and envelope. In
What do you expect thought Orkney, relieved, the event that I dont make it back
from a boy as confused about religion as he is? Hes Dr. Orkney, dont even think
probably very close to making that most significant If I dont make it back for some reason, give this
short trip from his home to the grove of trees. envelope to the assistant dean. It explains what Im
Hey, how come you heard of the Smith family doing, why, and absolves you of any guilt.
way down there in Connetikit? That is where you Crowell frowned. Guilt?
said you was from, aint it? Brian, Crowell said, imagine what would hap-
Orkney smiled and gave his prepared answer. pen were I not to return. Murder would immedi-
Im thinking of buying their farm. ately be suspected and you would be the principal
Shaver seemed to accept that explanation. suspect. No one would believe that Ive gone back
Didnt know it was for sale. Hope theyre not plan- in time based on your word alone. This affidavit
nin on movin out of the area. Nice people. explains everything.
Well, thank you, Mr. Shaver, said Orkney, Crowell took the envelope as they left the room.
heading for the door. Ill see you later on today. It was past midnight, but the fact that all their
Orkney waited at the grove of trees until three experiments had been conducted under the veil of
oclock in the afternoon but Joseph never came. darkness coupled with the anxiety of the coming
mornings singular event kept them wide awake.
A last-minute inventory satisfied Orkney that They walked in silence from the new science
everything was in readiness: the nineteenth- wing where Orkneys office was located to the older
century clothes he would wear to remain as incon- part of the building. Orkney and all the science
spicuous as possible, the supply of period money professors had rejoiced with the new wing had fin-
obtained at great risk from a friend at the Utah ished completion in 1994. Though its location had
State Historical Society, and a camera. This he literally destroyed the old quad in front of Big X,
would use to obtain any candid photos of the the Administration Building (to the consternation
young Joseph in his daily life that he could. of many who felt that BYU was swiftly becoming
Thus assured of his supplies, he looked up from one giant campus of buildings and parking lots),
his desk into the anticipation-filled face of Brian the science faculty looked upon their new place-
Crowell. ment, in front of the statue of Brigham Young, as
The time spheres ready, sir. somehow symbolic. For was it not Brigham Young
All the calibrations are set for April 1st, 1820? who had said that truth, wherever it was found, was
Yes, sir. part and parcel of Mormonism? A more apt
Will I land in Manchester? description of what science was all about could not
Youll land in the Sacred Grove. be found.
Thats a nice touch, Brian. And its timed to Orkney had had an additional reason for
bring me back at the end of the month? applauding the new wing. Most of the important

activity, the publicized events of the science faculty, Sir, I was wondering would it be appropriate
would shift their base of operations thereleaving towell, give a prayer?
the other wing virtually deserted except for the Orkney had found Crowell somewhat overbear-
freshman classes and Orkneys experiments. ing at times.
The room that held the segment of the time A prayer. No fanfare. No speeches. A simple,
sphere and the equipment necessary to call it up humble prayer. Somehow, it was appropriate. Why
was a small one, not at all the kind of room one hadnt Orkney thought of it before?
would expect for such an auspicious voyage as Why, of course, Brian. That would be entirely
thisthe breaking of the last barrier, time. The appropriate. Would you like to give it?
glory of such a feat should not be housed in a They went to their knees. Crowell began to pray.
deserted lab in a dark corner of a religious institu- Orkney immediately opened his eyes to a tight
tion inof all placesUtah. squint and looked at the sphere segment. His own
Please lock the door, Brian. Orkney had to mind echoed the words Crowell had just used to
look askance at the glowing thing in the middle of begin his prayer: Our Father in Heaven
the room. Countless times before hed seen it,
though never through unshaded eyes, and count- April 5, 1820. For five days, Orkney had come to
less times before that, hed imagined it. Yet every station himself behind the same bush at the out-
time it was as though he were viewing it anew. skirts of the Sacred Grove, from where he could see
What else but awe could fill a man who daily the Joseph Smith farm. For five days, Joseph had
looked upon the very fabric of eternity? not come. Periodically, Orkney had been able to
And at this, the latest viewing, all these old emo- make out figures on the farm that stood at the
tions, these old thoughts, came backand a new other end of the lush green fieldnot clearly
one, perhaps inspired by this momentous occasion: enough, however, to tell which was Joseph.
Im looking at the glory of God! Then, suddenly The camera hung around his neck. He had taken
Orkneys thoughts took a new direction, one that three rolls of various views of Manchester, the farm
he would have never anticipated, one that his strict from a distance, but as yet had no image of the boy
Mormon upbringing never would have permitted: prophet captured on film. Orkney wondered why
No! Im looking at a glory greater than God! For he hesitated to approach the farm and perhaps
time was not created by God; time is Gods work- catch a glimpse of Joseph, to mold his image into
shop. He operates within its limits to bring to pass eternity and celluloid. Was it not for the same rea-
his purposes. In a way, isnt he subject to it, as are son that once, as a boy, he had stood rooted to the
all men on earthall men, that is, exceptexcept Tabernacle floor while the rest of his family went to
Theodore Orkney? shake hands with President Spencer W. Kimball?
The staggering implication of this concept Not from fear had he done this, actually.
nearly swept Orkney away. Am I, he thought, Unworthiness?
more powerful than God? Perhaps it was fear. And yet, not fear that he
Crowells voice, when Orkney finally heard it, would approach the young Joseph and not talk
seemed to come from the other side of the universe. with him, but fear that he might.
Sir? After all, its not as though Im going to inter-
With the greatest of efforts, Orkney pulled his fere. Just observe. Those had been his words to
mind from contemplation of deity. Are you ready, Crowell. Orkney could not in any way reveal his
Crowell? presence to Joseph Smith. Who knew what would

be the ramifications to his own time if Orkney par- him ignorant of this Protestant version of gospel
ticipated in the least degree in the already-written singing, so he didnt know the name of the hymn.
pages of the past? The rhythm was engaging, however, and Orkney
Then, on the other hand, hadnt the future hummed along.
already occurred? It could not be changed. Nothing At one end of the tent stood a raised platform.
would alter the events of Orkneys own time, would Before it, stretching out to the entrance, the many
it? Orkney did not know. That aspect of the nature rows of wooden benches were fast filling up with the
of time had never been tested. Indeed, how could it people who had entered before Orkney. Instead of
ever be? sitting down, Orkney decided to stand at the back
Orkney had all but decided to consider his fifth where he could get a better view of young Joseph.
day of waiting in vain when some commotion But his search was cut short by the entrance of a
down on the Smith farm caught his attention. As man with a very arresting presence, so arresting
much as he could tell, the front door opened and that even Orkneys eyes were drawn to him. The
several individuals came out, boarded a buggy, and man was dressed impeccably in the style of the day
drove off. One of the figures appeared to be the one and carried an open bible in his left hand. The man
Orkney had decided might be Joseph. said simply, Im choosing for my text today the
What would it hurt to follow along, see where fifth verse of the first chapter of James, which reads
they were going, and possibly get a picture of thusly: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
Joseph? As long as he didnt speak to him, he could God
be assured of nothing going amiss. Orkney could not see Joseph but he was sure he
He put the camera in his knapsack and started was there. After the meeting he left to camp out in
along the road the Smith family had taken. his hiding place by the Grove.
He hadnt been on the road for more than a half-
mile before he heard the approach of a second coach In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Brian
behind him. Its driver and his family were kind Crowell opened his eyes.
enough to offer Orkney a ride in the general direc- Orkney mumbled his response and stood up. He
tion the Smiths had been going. While he drove, the had not listened to the words of the prayer. His
driver talked. There was to be a revival meeting on total attention had been elsewhere: the convolution
the outskirts of town. Thus, Orkney knew he of temporal forces into which he would soon step.
was going in the right directionwhere religion Brian spoke at his side. Are you ready, sir?
was taught, there would be the Smith family. The answer was not long in coming. Orkney had
It appeared as though everyone in Palmyra was been prepared for this moment from the day hed
there, as well as half the towns nearby. Horses and decided to do it. There was no hesitation, no sec-
buggies were parked wherever there was a tree or a ond thought.
fence post to tie them to. People were queuing up Yes, he said.
at the entrance to a large tent set about one hun- Then good luck.
dred yards in from the dirt road. Orkney thanked Orkney clutched his equipment close to his side.
the family and quickly joined the end of the line. He stepped toward the time sphere. He paused,
Looking about, he failed to find the Smiths among then walked into the past
the throng.
Inside the tent, a rousing hymn started up. The glowing was all encompassing. It wasnt as
Orkneys traditional Mormon upbringing had left though he saw it; his perception of the brightness

had passed beyond the usual realm. He felt it. The doubts such as most Mormons experience from
glowing entered into every pore of his flesh, per- time to time). A man of his stature in the LDS
meated the marrow in his bones. He was the glow- community must harbor no misgiving but forever
ing. be an example to the weaker in faith. It had been a
The bright light brought Orkney instantly difficult mantle to wear, but nownow there
awake, a frightened thought hanging on the end of would be, could be no more doubt! He will have
his consciousness: that light! Josephs having the seen with his own eyes! His testimony would be as
vision and I slept through it! the Rocky Mountains that were his home.
It was the sun. Still low, intensified by the early- Hes coming! Hes actually coming! As he
morning mist, it seemed to light up the very air scrunched further down behind the bush, his mind
about him with a hazy, dreamlike quality. Orkney recalled the words that this boy would later use as a
stood up from his sleeping bag, quickly rolled it up, man to describe this same event: At length I came
and put it back in his knapsack. As he turned to to the conclusion that I must either remain in dark-
look back at the Joseph Smith farm, a covey of ness and confusion, or else I must do as James
robins took to the air. Orkney could almost hear directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the
the words of the hymn Oh, How Lovely Was the determination to ask of God, concluding that if
Morning. he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and
Tradition had it that Josephs theophany had would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might ven-
taken place somewhere around mid-morning or ture.
closer to noon, so Orkney had to wait, if indeed So, in accordance with this, my determination
today were to be the day. to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make an
However, he wasnt one hundred percent certain. attempt.
Normally, he would have taken time to eat, but Joseph was still quite a distance away, but
Orkney found he was not hungry in the slightest, nonetheless Orkney could sense a certain dogged
though it had been yesterday noon the last time determination far beyond the boys years. It showed
hed eaten. in his bearing, in his surefooted walk through the
He was surprised at the anxiety that began to tall grass. Orkney had forgotten his camera, though
well up in him. He had anticipated a certain he wouldnt have been able to raise it to his eye. He
amount of emotion, but his feeling approached the couldnt do anything but sit there and stare through
rush an adolescent might experience contemplating the leaves.
his first date. It was all very peculiar to Orkney. His heart began to beat wildly. The anticipation
Suddenly, it came to him. Orkney knew what of what he would soon experience had dried up his
was causing this strange feeling: whereas all his fel- mouth and moistened his palms.
low Saints of the twenty-first century had faith and Orkney could now distinguish the face of the
their individual testimonies on which to base their prophet-to-be. In that face he could see traits that,
belief in the Joseph Smith story, he would be the in future years, would rivet mens attention. The
only one among them to have actually seen. No blue eyes that could pierce a mans soul. The strong
mere hoping to believe based on the testimonies of aquiline nose and sharply chiseled face that would
others. No verbal declaration without true, inward so strike Brigham Young. The thick auburn hair,
commitment. No more doubts. with the sun shining on it, seeming to encase
Yes, Orkney had doubted. It was something he Josephs head in gold. Even at his age, Josephs body
admitted to no one (albeit they were harmless was massively formed. Those muscles would some

day stand him in good stead. Joseph now entered All the strength had suddenly left his body.
the Sacred Grove and walked so close to Orkney Standing became an ordeal. He shuffled back to his
that he could have stood up and touched him. position behind the bush. And then he did some-
Orkney waited a couple of minutes and then thing that he would never admit to any man.
started to go into the trees. His feet crunched the He wept.
leaves, and suddenly he heard Joseph call out,
Whos there? He hid himself for a moment. The sun was lowering in the sky when even the
He was afraid. strength for sobbing had left him. He lay face down
It was a new fear, one that he had not been aware in the grass, virtually a lifeless hulk. If life had
of before. One that, even in his moments of doubt, indeed left him at that moment, he would not have
he had never considered. cared.
He was not afraid of what he might see in the All sound and movement had ceased about him.
grove. He was afraid of what he might not see. The robins that had so cheerfully greeted him this
What if what if Josephs vision had not act- morning were now mute. The warm gentle breeze
ually occurred? What if it were a figment of a had vanished.
young religious fanatics frenzied imagination? Is this what happens before you die? thought
What if, what if, what ifOrkney realized with Orkney.
some chagrin that he didnt have the inner strength But then there was a sound. In the near vacuum,
to put his doubts to the test. He had to admit to it was greatly intensified, but Orkney knew it was
himself that he just wasnt sure that the young boy the sound of Joseph leaving the grove. (He had cer-
was in there having a revelation. tainly been in there long enough to have experi-
But Orkney had had one. A painful one. enced what he said he had.) Joseph walked by the
He understood for perhaps the first time in his bush a few paces then stopped. Orkney forced his
life that his testimony had never been a spiritual face up from the grass and looked in the direction
one. He had made all the declarations of faith, bap- of the boy. For some reason, Joseph had stopped
tism, a mission, even a temple marriageall with and was looking back. With a surge of strength,
the sandiest of foundations: the word of others who Orkney rose up on his forearms and peered
had said they knew it was true. Those rushes of through the bush.
emotion at testimony meetings? They could have Josephs face glowed like a miniature sun. Before,
been nothing more than empathy. Those surges the reflection of sunlight had crowned him in gold;
of belief as he read passages from the Book of now his face radiated a brilliance that came from
Mormon? Hed wanted it to be true so much that within. It was the most beautiful sight Orkney had
hed talked himself into believing it. ever seen. He closed his eyes.
And yet there had always been the thought: what The glowing was all encompassing. It wasnt as
if it is true? But now, faced with the possibility of though he saw it; his perception of the brightness had
totally destroying his basis of belief, he couldnt passed beyond the usual realm. He felt it. The glowing
take the chance of finding out for certain. entered into every pore of his flesh, permeated the mar-
A silent, secret part of him felt ashamed. He had row in his bones. He was the glowing
used the great secret of time travel for what? Not A new glowing grew. It began as a tiny ball of
for helping mankind, which had always been the warmth in the exact center of Orkneys chest, then
scientists unwritten commission. Instead, he was slowly, increasing in speed, radiated outward to
trying to shore up the nicks in his own leaky faith. the tips of his fingers, the bottoms of his feet, the

underside of his skin. Then it seemed to burst thrill of his life was when someone wrote him an e-
beyond its physical boundaries to envelop his body mail over twenty years later and asked, Are you the
in an aura of fire. He no longer felt supported by Thom Duncan who wrote The Glowing? He says,
the ground, but had the sensation of floating in the The story deals with issues of faith versus knowledge,
air, curiously detached from all things terrestrial, which I still struggle with todaythirty years later
completely surrounded by an all-consuming flame as I undertake turning The Glowing into a novel.
that merely warmed him. Such exquisite joy
accompanied this experience that he felt incapable
of supporting it. Just at the moment he considered Dead People
his last, the feeling receded as slowly as it had come. By Russell William Asplund
When it was finally gone, he felt only a tingling on
his skin, a peace in his heart. The thing about dead people, the ghost hunter
He opened his eyes. That was why the sensation says, is that theyre dead. Thats the thing most
had moved away. The young man was no longer people forget.
there. Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, was going He walks around the room placing his traps on
home. the bedroom dresser, on the nightstand next to the
copy of Good Housekeeping and the Kleenex, next
On the last day of April, the oblong-shaped light to the shoes in the closet and in the bag of sweaters
appeared in the Sacred Grove, just as Orkney had tucked up on the highest shelf.
designed it to do. The professor from the future You never can tell, he says, just where theyre
was there waiting for it. In his hands he held all the going to appear. I mean, if it were you or me wed
paraphernalia he had brought with him, plus one just walk through the door, but then again, were
bag of carefully picked items. These and the color alive and they arent, you see. They dont think like
photographs of 1820 Palmyra he had managed to that. After all, if you can walk through walls, whats
take would be sufficient proof that Orkney had to say you cant walk up through the floor, or down
actually been there. through the ceiling?
They would have to examine those souvenirs, He pauses for a moment, stooped down halfway
test their authenticity. They would take them from under the vanity in the master bath, one hand just
him and he would never see them again. pushing aside the plastic grocery bag full of empty
It doesnt matter, Orkney said to himself, step- rolls of toilet paper, clumps of hair, and crumpled
ping into the time sphere. Theres one souvenir soap wrappers. To tell you the truth, Im pretty
theyll never be able to take from methe glowing! sure that even up or down is too limiting. They
have ways of moving that we dont even have names
The Glowing was originally written over a weekend for. After all, theyre dead.
in 1982, after Thom Duncan read a tiny paragraph When he is done the room looks almost the
in a California newspaper requesting science fiction same. You can just barely tell that anyone has been
stories of interest to LDS people. The editor of this pro- there. A pad of paper moved here, the curtains
posed anthology, Scott V. Smith, was paying $100 for somewhat out of alignment, but the ghost hunter is
each story regardless of length. Duncan had previously a professional, and he has booby-trapped the room
sold a short story to the Childrens Friend, but this with a minimum of fuss.
was his first science fiction sale. He says that, next to But will the dead notice? How can you be sure?
seeing this story in print for the first time, the biggest After all, they are dead, now, arent they? Maybe

they can see the fingerprints like big neon signs, or hastily scrawled on pieces of junk mail, the shelf
possibly smell the small traps. full of unread manuals. The whole thing is a fire
Oh no. The ghost hunter shakes his head and hazard.
smiles ruefully, as if he gets this kind of misunder- The ghosts avoid the computer. It is the antithe-
standing all the time. Dont get me wrong, ghosts sis of ghosts. They are the life that lasts even after
arent all that smart. Theyre just different is all. death, while the computer is the nameless death
Dont expect them to think like you do, thats that swallows ever-increasing portions of your life.
all, but you dont have to worry much about them You can lie on the bed between the picture win-
either. Im not even sure they notice when theyve dow and the computer and hope that neither
been caught. notices you, and for a while it works. You leave the
And with a smile the ghost hunter leaves, pulling TV on downstairs and pretend it is all you hear
up the collar of his coat against the early snow. while you are asleep. Not the ghosts at the picture
Makes you feel like Christmas, dont it? he says, window, or the sound of the computer when it
though it is not yet Halloween. thinks you are asleepthe low-pitched hum and
Christmas ghosts would be nicer. clicks, like a car on a frosty morning.
The traps will work. The ghost hunter promised,
It is dark when the ghosts come; it is always dark and he should know.
when they come, even when the lights are on. You
can leave the light on in the bathroom and the Who are the ghosts? If we knew that, maybe we
halogen lamp over the desk glowing its over-bright, wouldnt need the ghost hunter at all. But we dont
full-spectrum light, and still it will be dark. And know anyone that has died, not recently. There
the ghosts will come. may have been someone once, when we were
Detailsdetails are important. The bedroom is twelve, but we barely knew him.
above the living room, the bed sitting right over There have been some people you might have
where the TV is. If you leave it on you can hear the wanted dead, certainly, but sadly, they are still alive.
sound right through the floor. Almost a comforting At least, as far as you know. On Monday you will
sound until the dark comes, and then it just go to work, and then you will know for sure.
reminds you of the ghosts. The ghosts are cold, and they make it difficult to
The bed is a king-sized waterbed, over-warm in sleep, especially when the bed is over-warm. You
the summer but just right for cold winter nights. In take the covers off, but then youre cold on top and
October it is almost always either too warm or too still too warm on the bottom, and youre afraid one
cold, depending on how you set it. The green and of the ghosts will touch you. So you roll over
red comforter barely covers it at all, but it was closer to the computer, but the humming of the fan
cheaper to buy a queen-sized blanket, and it does keeps you awake.
the job well enough. The bed is eighteen inches So you open your eyes and look at the ghosts,
from the big picture window. there in the darkness of the bedroom with all the
The ghosts love the big picture window. lights still on. They look like glowing strands of
The desk sits between the bed and the far wall, spider webs hovering by the window. The neigh-
away from the window. A computer, out of date bors have their porch light on again, over-bright
but still functional, sits on the left side of the desk, and pointed right at your window. It lights the
papers cover the resthalf-finished drafts and early ghosts from behind, makes them glow like the neg-
manuscripts, bits of correspondence, passwords atives of silhouettes.

Male or female? How can you tell from behind? the rushing of leaves or water over stones, and all
They have heads and torsos, and an occasional arm around you the ghost hunters traps are going off,
will rise up and gesture, pointing not out the win- even where you have never noticed ghosts before.
dow, but over to the left, between the bathroom Even the one over by the desk, although it is the
and the closet, or up toward the vaulted ceiling. last, gives off a faintly audible pop, and for the first
But if you get up and look, nothing will be there at time in days, or at least for the first time in nights,
all. the room is silent. The light overhead burns
Tonight you sit up and watch them, but brightly and you have to blink in the sudden light.
they dont seem to notice. Why did you think they Even the computer is no longer humming.
would notice you at all? You are not dead, at least Downstairs you can hear someone praising the
not yet. And if they get rid of the ghosts, perhaps latest in fitness technology. You slip downstairs and
you will not want to be anymore. shut off the television, then come back upstairs,
Have they always been beautiful, or is it just a shutting off the lights as you go. You pause to drink
trick of the light from the neighbors house? If you from the tap in the bathroom, then shut off the
knew their names you could call them and ask lights there before crawling into bed.
them to shut it off, tell them it was keeping you But the neighbors porch light is still on, and the
awake. But then they would want to know why bed makes you sweat. Eventually you fall asleep
your lights are still on, and how could you tell them anyway.
it was dark enough in here even with the lights on?
Who knows how dark it would be if you shut them The trick is, the ghost hunter says, to set the
off. bait right, but you never know what the right bait
The ghosts dont seem to be moving toward the will be. The trick is to be thorough.
traps, so you clear your throat a little. They dont The ghost hunter is thorough. He doesnt even
move, dont even notice. All those nights you spent check his notes, and he manages to retrieve each of
too terrified to move, wasted. You were expecting the traps he set the other day, even the one you had
them to act as if they were alive, the ghost hunter to move to get to your shoes.
would say. Do you think we got them all? he asks.
You shift a little in your sheets, and you see the You know that he has gotten them all, and you
ghosts sway slightly with the breeze. So you lift thank him briskly. He is not as careful removing
your covers and let them fall. This sets one of the the traps, and it looks like a thief has rifled through
ghosts floating off toward the bathroom, and you your room.
flap the sheets a little harder. The ghosts drift away You know you should be more grateful, but the
like a bank of fog in a stiff breeze, scattering ghost hunter does not seem at all surprised as he
through the room. You huddle back under the leaves you his card. You follow him out the door,
sheets as the cold hits you, like an echo of the locking it behind you, hoping you will sleep better
breeze you made. tonight, but suspecting that it wont, after all, make
The first one disappears with a popping sound, that much of a difference.
like a balloon in slow motion, and suddenly the
bathroom is empty. You can even see a faint glow Russell William Asplunds fiction has appeared in
from the light bulb on the ceiling. The two near the Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine, Realms of
closet go next, sighing into the traps the ghost Fantasy, and the World Fantasy Awardwinning
hunter set. Suddenly the room is full of sound, like anthology Silver Birch, Blood Moon. Russell is the

father of five, a literary omnivore, an ex-rock guitar bound him to the protection and defense of Sostis
player, and a fully employed computer nerd. He dis- and its own colony worlds.
covered the secret to literary success when he noticed He shifted his attention to the binary glows of
that all great male authors possessed facial hair. his squadron mates twin engine nozzles. Eleven
CeTra-45 fighters flew before him and four more
behind in a loose-trail cone formation. They would
Holy Wars: Book One of attack the station in pairs, with simultaneous
Sergeyevs Covenant arrival and attack times, but their slightly varied
By Diann Thornley Read flight paths against individual targets would bring
them off the station ten seconds apart, all on the
[An excerpt from an unpublished novel] same egress heading. Each two-ship element would
strike at one docking armor, more precisely, at
Chapter One the antispacecraft guns guarding the arms.
A quick pip in Luzhans earphones announced a
From eighty kilometers away, Ensign Luzhan call from his element leader, Lieutenant Junior
Sergeyev thought the Chadic space station resem- Grade Bergen Dakhov. You know, Berg said, I
bled a lurking desert spider. Eight docking arms, really dont think this is what our parents had in
each a kilometer in length, extended like legs from mind when they wanted us to go on missions.
the equator of its cylindrical command core. Each Luzhan couldnt help chuckling at the feigned
docking arm held at berth a full battle group of bemusement in his buddys tone, undiminished
planetary assault ships and troop transports. over their ship-to-ship laser comlink: typical Berg,
Chadic military engineers had constructed the with his laughing eyes and easygoing confidence, a
station over the last several months. Adrift in deep wisecracker for every occasion as far back as Luzhan
space between the Issel and Na Shiv star systems, it could remember. He let his tense grip on his
would provide a logistics depot and staging base fighters side-stick controller loosen a little, and he
from which the invaders could strike any of the grinned behind his oxygen mask. Answer to
inhabited worlds along the spiral galaxys Lesser Eleven, he called. Hey, were still destroying evil,
Arm. arent we?
According to Intelligence, the loading activity The military draft imposed by World Governor
that had been observed at the space station over the Sauvere Renier of Sostis hadfor the duration of
last few days had ended. That meant the Chadic war the war, at leastput a halt to their churchs prac-
fleet would likely launch within the next twenty tice of sending out its young people as missionaries.
standard hours. Intercepted transmissions had con- Between themselves, Luzhan and Berg joked that
firmed that its target was the world named Issel. the draft had come as a divine intervention on
The Chadic had already occupied Adriat and its their behalf, preempting the spiritual duty that nei-
two colony worlds, Ganwold and Na Shiv, but they ther of them had been eager to fulfill.
had declared their real objective to be Sostis. Issel Besides, Berg had pointed out, without these
and Yan and Saede, and any other worlds of the combat missions there might not be religious mis-
Lesser Arm that dared to oppose them, would be sions of any kind in the future. The Chadic had
seized for bases from which to support their advance. bombed and burned churches and sanctuaries of all
Luzhan set his mouth in a determined line under beliefs in their capture of Adriat, accusing them of
his helmets oxygen mask. His commissioning oath being either apostate or idolatrous.

Spike Flight, check in, called the flight com- designed the station as a staging base rather than a
mander, Spike Lead, over the general comlink, and war machine. Staging base or not, it bore the elec-
Luzhan listened as each pilot snapped out his or her tromagnetic shielding of a battle station, and it
position number. bristled with a variety of weapons emplacements.
Eleven! Berg clipped out, resolute and solid, Its expected interceptor squadron had not yet
and Luzhan echoed Bergs firmness with his own arrived, but long-range missile systems jutted out
response: Twelve! from four of its eight docking arms and close-range
Thirteen! he heard, and then in turn, laser cannon stood guard along all eight, like the
Fourteen! Fifteen! Sixteen! toxic spines on a desert spiders legs.
Before him and somewhat off to his port side, The cannon were not intended to protect the
the stations docking arms stretched out across an station alone. That left gaps in their fire coverage,
unfamiliar constellation, reinforcing the image of a and the ensign had explained how to take advan-
menacing spider. tage of the gaps to avoid being hit. To ensure
Attack headings, ordered Spike Lead. against firing on their own docks or on ships
Two by two, the fighters in front of Luzhan berthed there, the cannons laser projectors could
rolled out of their cone formation and swung out, not swing to lower than forty-five degrees from
swung wide, to line up for their runs against their parallel to the docking arms. Because the cannon
designated docking arms. Luzhan locked his teeth, were mounted on turrets, they left a fire-free corri-
watching the seconds blink away on his cockpit dor sixty to seventy meters deep along the length
chronometer. Three, two, one, zero. A tone cut of each docking arm. The pilots retinal displays
through his headset: the signal. would show them the arc created by the guns low-
Ahead of him and to starboard, Bergs fighter est angle; flying on the deck beneath that arc
banked around. Luzhan banked his own with it, would keep them clear of the firing envelope. The
synchronized as a shadow. On completing the run, most difficult part, she had warned, would be pen-
the fighters would egress the station along its per- etrating the corridor.
pendicular central cylinder at ten-second intervals. Cockpit chatter filled Luzhans earphones:
With the attack timing so tight, each run had to be Spike Two over target, surface guns all active!
flawless. One gun down . . . two . . . Its a kill!
Display active, Luzhan requested of his ships Spike Four, missile at your one-eighty-five!
computer. Decoys, jamming, break left, dive!
A diagram appeared, floating at arms length in Bergs engines flared as he came out of his bank,
front of him, a display projected from inside his lining up his fighter on docking arm six, and
visor through his pupils and onto his retinas. Even Luzhan followed, guarding Bergs flank.
after months of training with it, he still blinked each Spike Seven over target. Eight, watch for fire
time it came up. This one placed a virtual overlay of from
docking arm six on his physical view from the cock- Sudden silence, and a fireball where Spike Seven
pit, plotting his ingress route with a luminous had been.
pointer that slipped from side to side if he wavered Luzhan swallowed reflexively. That was Cutter!
off course and highlighting the targeted cannon, She was one of the best
with digital readouts of the distance to each. Sudden sweat around his nose and mouth caused
Ensign Angwin from Intelligence had told them smarting where his oxygen mask pressed against his
in her premission briefing that the Chadic had face. He had to force away the thoughts, ignore the

irritations, to fix his whole attention on the target splitting the cockpits rail like an axe driven into a
before him. block of wood. The frames buckling had resulted
Just lost Cutter! Berg gasped it, his disbelief in a fracture that snaked thirty centimeters or more
audible even through the comlink. across the bubble canopy.
Another explosion lit up Luzhans cockpit, a vio- Eleven? Spike Leads query rang high with a
lent blossom of super-heated gas and heavy debris note of urgency, even through Luzhans earphones.
that erupted without warning or sound in the vac- I just lost your datalink!
uum of space: a direct hit. His reflexive gasp stuck Luzhan touched his helmets intercom toggle.
in his throat as the meaning of the fireball regis- Lead? Spike Twelve. He fought a tremor in his
teredeven as he arced his fighter away from the voice. Spike Elevensgoneand Ive got dam-
storm of spinning metal where Berg had been. age.
He couldnt maneuver far enough fast enough to Condition? asked Spike Lead.
escape the debris. A mass of wreckage smashed into Luzhan swallowed dryness, though sweat
his cockpit canopy, slamming his fighter into a streamed in itching rivulets down his sides and
tumble. G-forces wrenched him into his cockpit plastered his suits insulated lining to his skin. In
harness. Right hand tight on the side-stick con- peacetime his condition would be Limp home,
troller, he wrestled the ship out of its erratic roll. but he was coming up on target to take out enemy
A red light flashed on his instrument panel, seiz- defenses. The first wave of the main strike force,
ing his attention, and the flight computers emo- three minutes behind Spike Flight, depended on all
tionless female voice warned through his ear- of them. Bad, but attacking, he replied. His flight
phones, Electric Bus B failed, switched to A. commander would understand.
Cockpit depressurizing. Main and backup oxygen Coming up on target alone.
generators failed. Luzhan shoved back the thought; he had no time
Teeth clenching, Luzhan slammed a square pad for it. Not here, not now, with three laser cannon
on his pressure suits upper chest with one bulky blazing along docking arm six. The cannon had to
glove, activating its self-contained life support. The be taken out, to give the strike force a clear attack
suit had been designed to inflate automatically, but on the Chadic warships berthed along the docking
over several months his veteran instructor had drilled arm: Luzhans task now, without an element leader,
him on hundreds of emergency procedures. Always on his first combat mission.
try to beat the auto-inflate, the older pilot had said, Three bright blips speckled his threat scopes
both for backup and for that one percent of the dark display, confirming the virtual map of the
time when it might fail. That may save your life. laser cannon emplacements along docking arm six.
The suits sudden expansion took Luzhans Two blips held a steady yellow but the nearest had
breath as if hed been gripped, neck to feet, in a gone orange and begun to blink. The scanners that
giants fist. A new retinal readout appeared at his controlled the laser cannons fire had picked him
upper right periphery: the countdown of his emer- up, were about to lock on.
gency oxygen supply. He had enough for three Just like they locked on to
hoursthree hundred short minutes in Standard Luzhan squelched the thought. Decoys active,
Time. he clipped.
Luzhan needed only a glance to find the breach Green lights on his instrument panel showed
in his cockpit. The impact had jammed the four general-purpose decoys in active mode. Fire!
canopys frame through its seal with the fuselage, he snapped.

His fighter gave a slight jolt as the decoys shot backdrop of black space. Luzhan blinked away
from their internal fuselage pod. Luzhan glimpsed afterimages as his fighter knifed through the fire-
the momentary flares of their rockets through his ball. Its a kill! he hissed through his teeth.
tinted canopy and glanced again at his threat scope. The second turret, to port this time, swung around
The trio of blips, nearest to farthest, turned as Luzhan fixed his stare on it. The acquisition tone
orange as the scanners tracked the decoys. sounded in his earphones; the reticle in his retinal dis-
Targeting active, Luzhan ordered. Check laser play flashed red; he squeezed the firing stud.
cannon charge. Another cannon burst ribboned the dark. An-
The CHARGE light came up green on his instru- other fireball roiled up before him.
ment panel, along with the READY chime in his ear- One gun left.
phones, and a 3-D targeting reticle appeared, sharp A lock-on beep split the distant chatter in his
white, in the air before his face: another retinal pro- earphones. Luzhan checked his threat scope.
jection. Luzhan shifted his vision once left, once This danger lay directly behind him, at his one-
right. The reticle tracked his gaze, seeming almost eighty, by the position of its symbol on his scope,
to anticipate his line of sight. Targeting and cannon and it was no laser cannon. The flashing figure des-
were ready. ignated a shipborne scanner, the type used for fire
Lead? Twelves in hot, Luzhan called in. control of missile launches from Chadic destroyers.
Roger, Twelve, Spike Lead acknowledged. Some ship-launched missiles were heat-seekers,
Luzhan nudged his side-stick to roll in on the effective for tracking fighters in the deep cold of
ventral side of docking arm six. He eased his ship space; others rode laser beams or broadband elec-
lower, lower, until he could almost imagine the tromagnetic pulses to their targets, far older than
searing friction of its fuselage against the docking Sostish technology but still deadly.
arms hull plates. His right thumb hovered, rigid, Four moreno, fiveorange blips lit up around
over the laser cannon stud on the side-sticks grip. the red one, and a piercing trill replaced the beep:
His threat scope lit up: orange blips going red, missile launched!
their blinking accompanied by the beep that Jammers up! Luzhan snapped, sweating again.
warned of impending lock-on. Just ahead, mottled Launch heat decoys now!
by docking strobes and the ragged shadows of war- Too close! Too close to evade! His heartbeat
ships at berth, the nearest cannon turret swiveled throbbed in his ears.
toward him. Stilettos of ruby light reached out A new symbol appeared at the left edge of his
Luzhans breath stopped in his chest, his vision peripheryjammers activated to counter an elec-
locking on the turrets quadruple laser projectors. tronic guidance systemas eight decoys jettisoned
A new tone sounded in his headset: TARGET to front, sides, rear. Luzhan glimpsed the decoys
ACQUIRED. His thumb mashed the firing stud. flares dispersing in all directions as he wrenched his
The bursts from the turret arced over his fighter, fighter into a high-G near-vertical climb: insurance
unable to aim lower. Answering pulses lanced out that the missile would find nothing but the heat
from beneath Luzhans nosecone, red laser needles decoys to pursue. The maneuver shot him straight
perforating the narrowing distance. up off the docking arm; for two or three seconds he
The turret disintegrated in a soundless red-white paralleled the stations cylindrical core.
explosion, practically in his face. Its brilliance Above or below himhe wasnt quite certain
briefly illuminated the row of docked warships, whichrapid bursts of energy caught his periph-
bristled with their own weapons, against a eral vision.

The last gun! Spike Flight, check in, the flight commander
Luzhan fired his yaw-thrusters, swinging his called.
fighter around to point its nose cannon back at the Luzhan listened as the others responded, one
docking arm. Hurtling backwards in the vacuum of after another, in clipped syllables:
space, he fired a strafing volley in the gun turrets Two.
general direction. With a twist of the stick he yawed Three.
once more, firing his main engines to throw off the Silence.
aim of the gunners return bursts, and wrenched his He made a mental list of the missing: Spike Four,
ship into a spiraling lateral dive through a gap Spike Seven, Spike Ten, Spike Eleven. Good
between two berthed troop transports. friends, all of them. Especially Spike Eleven, Berg.
Too late. Deadly ribbons of light lashed at him; Twelve, Luzhan said.
energy raked his fuselage. Luzhan tugged his ship Thirteen, he heard.
out of its spin, barely clearing the nearest trans- Longer silence, then, Sixteen.
ports hull with one wingtip. No Spike Fourteen or Fifteen?
Shooting through, past the docking arms dorsal Twelve, called Spike Lead, Im not receiving
side, he rolled his CeTra-45 free, into the solitude any data from you.
of space. Luzhan scanned his instruments for the panel
It rolled sluggishly. Gulping oxygen through his that identified datalink status. Dead. Lead, he
mask, sweat streaming down his temples and jaw said, Ive got damage, datalink down.
under his helmet, Luzhan examined his damage Roger that, Twelve. Verbal report then.
display. Two of three guns confirmed destroyed on ven-
Seven warning lights blinked red and twelve tral side of arm six, Luzhan said. Third may be
more amber of the twenty-six that made up his damaged.
damage display. Two of his four aft steering The inbound strike force would be listening as
thrusters were gone, his port engine operated at well as his flight commander, Luzhan knew, so he
only forty percent power, and short-outs riddled added, I took fire from the ships at dock. Theres
his electrical system. Flashes from arcing compo- a swarm of scanners up, and theyre launching mis-
nents beneath the instrument panel teased his siles!
peripheral vision, and he could imagine the sharp Roger, Twelve, Spike Lead acknowledged, and
scent of their burning electronics stinging his nose. queried once more, Four, Seven, Ten, Eleven,
He felt amazement that any of his instruments still Fourteen, Fifteen, check in.
functionedand in the next instant wondered No response.
how reliable they might be. Luzhan checked his one-eighty.
Check Weapons Safe, he panted. The multi- Secondary explosions still ripped their way
colored Weapons Status panel darkened but for one along three of the enemy stations docking arms,
small word: SAFE. and flames plumed from a long rupture in the
Ahead of him, the binary glows of fighter engines ventral section of its central cylinder: internal
marked the rest of Spike Flight forming up for the atmosphere and debris combusting inside and
return legwhat ships remained, at least, after their escaping. Its ethereal glow diminished the constel-
own defense suppression runs against the other lations beyond the station and cast the two
docking arms. Luzhan spotted holes in the forma- remaining fighters behind Luzhan into sharp
tion as he eased his stricken fighter into its position. black silhouettes.

Though the Chadic station still lacked a fighter mindful of it through the flight home. He had two
squadron, that offered no guarantee Spike Flight hundred eighty-seven minutes of oxygen remain-
would not be pursued. Any of the docked warships ing.
could be launched, not only to eliminate the sur- And with two steering thrusters lost, hed have
viving fighters but to hunt down their spacecraft to watch his vector constantly, making certain he
carrier as well. Vise Flight, the other flight in stayed on course. Even small variations from the
Luzhans squadron, would have already launched flight profile would expend fuel he couldnt spare
from the carrier Venture. Though they would pro- to make a course correction.
vide a defensive screen, for the carrier as well as the At least my astrogation computer is still working
returning fighters, Spike Flight still would have to I hope.
rearm, refuel, and be prepared to launch again in The binary glows of the others exhaust nozzles
minimum time. seemed to have drawn away from him when he
Which meant they wouldnt have the luxury of looked up. He checked his power readouts. The
an inertial-trajectory coast home. Instead, on the port engine had dropped to thirty-two percent.
flight commanders order they cut in maximum Cmon, cmon, he urged under his breath, and
acceleration away from the target. The thrust as cautiously nudged its throttle forward a fraction,
Luzhan opened up the throttles pushed him firmly then another, to coax just a little more thrust from
down into his acceleration seat. the faltering engine.
He eyed his astrogation display as the initial pres- He felt the pop rather than heard it, and the
sure let up. A plot of the flight profile and his cur- schematic on his instrument panel lit up red:
rent coordinates, based on the major stars in this engine blown. Luzhan shut it down, shut off its
sector, glowed back at him. fuel. He would have to transfer what fuel remained
The Chadic would likely pursue along Spike to the starboard engine.
Flights general path, using sensors to follow their Lead? Twelve, he called then. My port engine
trail of ion exhaust and small damage debris across just blew. Im still underway but Im on emergency
empty space. So, at twenty thousand kilometers oxygen and he glanced at his retinal display,
out from the target station, they would change Ive only got two hundred seventy-nine minutes
course abruptly and throttle back to max-efficiency- left.
accelerate for half of the distance home. Then they Roger that, Twelve. Spike Leads voice crackled
would pitch one hundred-eighty degrees and cut in his earphones. Alerting Combat Search and
back to max-efficiency-deceleration for the rest of Rescue now. Report status changes.
the way. Total flight time back to Venture would be Luzhan acknowledged, and scrutinized his star-
two hundred thirty-eight minutes. board engine schematic. If it failed too, hed be
Assuming Luzhans port engine didnt give out nothing but a ballistic speck shooting past the
completely. If it did, hed be cutting it close with spacecraft carrier into the endless emptiness of
his life support. Though his cockpit chronometer space. Search and Rescue would be overloaded with
showed only five and a half minutes elapsed since going after damaged ships that still had some abil-
the deployment of his pressure suit, the counter in ity to maneuver and assist in their own rescue; he
his retinal display showed thirteen minutes of oxy- wouldnt have even that.
gen spent. That was the cost of exertion, from his Please keep it working, Eternal Father! he
heightened pulse and respirations, Luzhan knew; prayed, a mere whisper under his breath. Then,
hed been drilled on that, too. Hed have to be drawing several slow, deep breaths to steady

himself, he began a mental computation of his tra- him in, he knew, but he had only three minutes of
jectory equations, as a backup to his astrogation oxygen left now.
equipment, and nudged the thruster toggles to He took a moment to steady his breathing, tried
make a minor course correction. to slow it. Base, he called, Spike Twelve. Fuel is
zero, Ive flamed out, and oh-two is down to three
His retinal readout showed six minutes of oxygen minutes.
remaining by the time he recognized the spacecraft Roger, Spike Twelve, the controller replied.
carrier Venture several kilometers ahead of him. The Arresting net is deployed. Your flight vector is
rest of Spike Flight had long since been recovered good. Luzhan heard a long pause, and then: After
there, Luzhan knew. He resisted the reflexive urge we snag you, youll be pulled directly into your
to blow out a breath of relief; he flicked his short- hangar bay for pressurization. Were recovering
range comms switch instead. Hammer Squadron, too.
Base, Spike Twelve coming in, he said. My The second wave of the strike force already? It had
port engines blown, and Im down to six minutes taken him longer to get back than hed thought.
of emergency oh-two. My electrical systems short- But he called out, Negative on pressurization! My
ing outtheres sparking from the instrument instruments are sparking
paneland my canopys damaged. Im probably Roger that, Spike Twelve. No other option, the
going to need help getting out. controller responded. All pressure-suited crew are
Roger, Spike Twelve. The controllers voice handling other emergencies; we cant get them to
rang through Luzhans earphones with reassuring you in less than five minutes. Well send in a rescue
clarity. Youre cleared for ramp two; emergency crew as soon as theres minimum pressure to sus-
personnel are standing by. tain them.
Luzhan acknowledged, and studied his position Tchak! Blast! Luzhan spat through his teeth,
against the expanding bulk of the carrier. He would then called aloud, Just make it fast. Im already
need one more course correction to line himself up roasting in here, and this thing is ready to blow!
with the bright pinhole that was ramp two. He Sweating hard, he turned his attention to emer-
eyed his fuel readout, watching the digits spinning gency landing and egress procedures: Check ord-
away faster than his oxygen. It would have to be a nance podsempty. Laser cannondischarged.
short, precisely timed burn. He took his lower lip Fuel linesdepressurized. Electrical systems
between his teeth, adjusted his sweat-soaked grip emergency. Landing clampsextended. Torso har-
on the side-stick, fixed full concentration on his nesstight as possible for impact with the arrest-
chronometer and the alignment markings on ing net. Canopy locksunlocked and ready for
his attitude and heading indicators. release.
Three seconds on, one off. Two seconds on Too Only his starboard landing clamp remained
much! Luzhan fired braking thrusts, one second. intact, if the diagram on his instrument panel
The markers on the indicators lined up. He eased could be trusted; both the nose and port clamps
the throttle forward. were damaged, inoperable. Luzhan called it in,
He felt a short burst of braking thrusttoo watching the approach guidance lights around the
shortthen nothing. A swift check of his fuel ramps square mouth all the while.
readout, all zeroes, confirmed his suspicion: flame- The lights stayed green; his alignment was good.
out, with ramp twos approach guidance lights still Not that he could do anything about it now if it
nearly a kilometer distant. Momentum would carry wasnt.

His crippled fighter struck the arresting net near cold sweat this time, despite the electric sparking
the port side, close to the docking bay bulkhead: and mounting heat in his cockpit.
little more than a controlled crash. The fighter spun Sit tight, the deckie said. Well have you out
sharply to port and pitched down, briefly blurring of there in time. Luzhan heard him scrabbling at
Luzhans vision red as negative G-forces shoved him some point just behind the canopy for what
up hard in his harness. The lurch smacked his head seemed half an eternity before he pushed clear of
into the right canopy frame with enough force to the fighter and signaled with a wave. The arresting
drive his teeth into his tongue, to make his ears ring net dropped; the fighter jerked, and glided forward.
and lights flash behind his eyes in spite of his hel- Thirty-nine seconds . . . thirty-eight . . . thirty-
met. The sudden iron taste of blood on his tongue seven . . .
seemed to heighten its throbbing. The tow bar swung the fighter wide to starboard
Pain arced along his right arm and shoulder as and drew it into its hangar bay like a hand into a
well. A glance in that direction confirmed his fear: glovewith just about the same fit: no room for
the crumpled canopy frame had slashed open the deck crew in pressure suits.
outer layer of his pressure suit. If it gouged the rest From the corner of his eye, Luzhan saw the pres-
of the way through, he wouldnt live long enough sure door slam down behind his ship. He knew
to have to worry about a fire in his cockpit or run- what it meant even before the voice in his ear-
ning out of oxygen. phones said, Stand by for pressurization.
His fighter tumbled in the snare of netting and He closed his eyes, bracing himself in his seat
skidded sideways to a halt. He felt the acceleration into artificial gravity and
Mindful of his torn suit, Luzhan kept his right heard the whoosh of incoming atmosphere like a
arm tucked to his side while his left hand raced warning half a heartbeat before his cockpit erupted
over the instrument panel. Thick-gloved fingers in flames.
threw switches to safe remaining weapons and shut
down all remaining systems. In spite of that, power Diann Thornley Read grew up in northern Utah.
surged in bright arcs through the electrical compo- Her career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force has
nents, spattering his pressure suit with beads of taken her to Texas, Ohio, Italy, and Korea and to serve
molten metal. as a peacekeeper in Bosnia-Herzegovina. She is inter-
He startedalmost gagged on hot welling ested in high-performance aircraft and anything relat-
bloodat a whine through his earphones and a ed to medicine. She has three science fiction novels to
blinking at his upper periphery: fifty seconds of oxy- her credit, and her short fiction has appeared in The
gen . . . forty-nine . . . forty-eight . . . Leading Edge, the student science fiction magazine at
Movement at his left snagged his gaze. A pres- BYU, and in the 1993 anthology Washed by a Wave
sure-suited deck crewman drifted up to his ships of Wind. She served a mission in Washington, D.C.,
leading edge and pulled himself around to straddle and has served in Primary and Young Women, as a
the canopy. You all right, ensign? his voice rattled Gospel Doctrine teacher, and as an officiator in the
through Luzhans earphones. Anchoring himself, Chicago and Logan temples. She and her husband
he reached up to swing down a tow bar from its Jon, who is a physicist at NASA, live in Dickinson,
overhead track. Hows your oh-two? Texas, near the Johnson Space Center. Dianns website
Luzhan swallowed blood, and winced. His is located at www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/
tongue had already begun to swell. Forty-four sec- 2871/uwhome.htm.
onds, he slurred. Hed begun to sweat again too, a

Take Out the Trash By now Im an old pro. Too many incidents from
By Melva L. Gifford other apprentices trips to the vac have taught me
to take precautions. I step up to the net. Its higher
Here I am, the ideal student, sitting over my than my head. A good reduction spell should cut
easel, treating the scroll before me like the priests the thing down to size. So I cast the spell and watch
holy wine. Im studying a levitation spell, chewing as the occupants shrink to the size of a small bush.
away on a mecca root when ol Stop-and-Go Pordal The thing keeps moving since some of the spells
struts in. within it havent fully deactivated.
Playvell, your turn to take out the trash. Now its the size of something I can handle. I
Then, he strides off like he owns the world, bend over the bag, leaning back a minute to let one
thinking hes hot because hes senior apprentice to particularly powerful wisp of odor pass. Hades, its
the Master Wizard Morvirall. Just because strong. Whammys and zaps almost spill out of the
Morvirall is the sharpest wizard at weather manip- bag, some barely hanging over the edge. When I
ulation, youd think ol Stop-and-Go knows the begin to close the top several fall out and immedi-
entry spells to the chambermaids quarters. ately activate, stinging and singeing my feet. My
I yell after him, telling him Ive already had my resulting list of obscenities is varied and detailed.
turn and its someone elses, but he ignores me. He Thankfully, most of the zaps fall back into the bag
thinks Im nothing but trolls scrap because Im when I shake the net. Zaps and whammys, in their
only a second-level apprentice, and until I claim solid state, look much like frozen lightning bolts.
my wizard sense, Ill be treated like troll scrap. So They always seem to find a way to poke you in the
what could I do? I wish I could find some kind of ribs when youre taking them to the vac. I seal the
personal project to keep me busy. bag with an echo patchthe most powerful sealing
Emptying the trash wouldnt be so bad if it was spell I know.
just the scrap spells from the more experienced Seeing how the potions and powders seem to
trainees; but no, they have to dump the first year- always settle at the bottom, I try to put as much
lings rejects in with everybody elses. Have you ever echo underneath the bag as I possibly can. Feeling
smelled a half-conjured demon fermented for over reasonably protected, I touch the nets surface,
a week? No wonder so many of the masters beards probing with my fingers. Every kind of spell seems
are white. The Psi nets are never strong enough. to be in there. Yep, they must have gone through a
Theyre always leaking or losing something along full session of Wizardry 101 to get all those rejects.
the way to the vac pit. It takes me only a minute to find what Im search-
I walk into the room, and just as I expected, the ing for.
bags filled to overflowing. The area is a mess: there Hes a big one, hardly deflated at all.
are demons, zaps, fireballs, whammys, giants, drag- A giant.
ons, potions, and Hades knows what else; spells that Why cant everyone deflate their giants fully
never came into full realization. Theres a monstrous before throwing them away? A giant is eighty per-
tentacle weaving itself lazily above the rim of the net, cent air. If you have a deflated giant in the trash, it
acting like its already high from the demons fumes. can help you with the lifting. All you have to do is
After taking one whiff myself Im sure of it. Why just give it a gentle tap on the headjust enough
me? Nothing to do but throw the lot of them in the to aggravate it so itll puff up. When the giant rises,
vacuum pit. The trick is getting the thing to the pit, then of course the entire bag will rise, too. Makes it
especially when the Psi net usually doesnt work spit. easier to carry the thing outside.

Of course, you have to watch that you dont hit end up weaving all over the place trying to get to
them too hard. Heard a story once where a first the vac pit.
yearling was taking out the trash. Made the mistake Oh, no! I feel a cool dampness from inside the
of giving the giants a royal whack and it got em bag, kinda soggy and mushy. Feels like its begin-
mad. Puffed em up all the wayall of them. Got ning to seep through onto my arm. My heartbeat
the rest of the spells activated too. The yearling quickens. If its a fireball Im in trouble. Improperly
soon found himself floating up in the air, hanging deactivated fireballs turn into a cold liquid which
onto that bag for dear life, yelling at the top of his acts as a powerful adhesive. It took the Masters sev-
lungs. What a sight! The giants were having a hey- eral days to separate a students leg from the Psi net
day of a fight up there. Thankfully, a couple of when some firejuice leaked onto him.
apprentices were also archers. Got their bows out Not knowing which is the most dignified way to
and started shooting. Said it was great to have a panic, I slowly move my hand away from the wet
moving target like that. Course the bag came spot.
down, and the yearling came down. It took a week Ribbit.
for the school to clean up and catch all the mess. Oh, Hades!
Made a school project of it. I contemplate fainting from relief; but the trash
Its best to just give the giants a nice, gentle tap is in the way. Ill faint later. I probe the bags sur-
on the head to fluff them up. face, recognizing the outline of a frogseveral
So anyway I lift the bag. Cant levitate it. You can frogs. There must be a mini-course on witchcraft
only levitate stationary objects. The dragons inside going on at the school. Maybe theres something to
keep shifting from side to side as if theyre sitting on my classmates increasing complaints about warts.
a hot pile of gold. Its hard getting a firm hold Though they shouldnt leap to conclusions.
on the net; the Psi shield is already wearing thin in I start up the path in a reasonably straight line
some areas, especially at the bottom. I would try to (dragons permitting), when I hear something.
add another echo patch, but I have to see what Im A voice?
doing and the bags in my way. Hades, I remember What now?
what happened the last time a bag broke open. It comes from the trash bag. Clutching the con-
There was a student once who took out the trash tainer against me, I place my ear next to the bag.
without trying to patch up any leaks. There was an Its a voice and he is quoting
unusual amount of love potion at the bottom. He Shakespeare?
went almost the entire length of the path before he Apparently this frog is still trying to turn into a
got a whiff. Then it was too late. He went under. It prince. The mind was willing but the bodyit
was love at first sight. A guy looks kind of silly kiss- wouldnt make it. Guess its trying to find a role
ing the ground like that. Took the Masters a while model.
to get him under control. Then the path had to be I press on, ignoring the frog as he proclaims: To
repaved. Got rid of the soil by putting it under the be, or not to be.
mattress of a man who complained of insomnia. A dragon hiccups and I lunge to the right, trying
He loves to sleep now. to keep my balance. Im getting annoyed.
Keeping the bag in my arms isnt a problem yet, Not too much further to go. I try to hurry but
even though giants and monsters can complicate then, just as Im on the verge of reaching the vac
things if they are too close together in the bag. If pit
they start fighting they wake the dragons, and you The giant burps.

Down goes the bag. With new purpose I start back to the study
That things heavy when you have to rely on your room.
own strength. With the giants levitating air gone, I now have important things to do.
mass returns, and I almost gag when the Psi net
tears as it hits the ground. I hear protests from the Melva Gifford has written over 150 short stories and
dragons and another giant wakes up, along with two childrens books, and she is starting her second
two more monsters. I dont take time to see what movie script, a romantic comedy. She has held many
kind. The contents of the bag begin attacking one positions on the staff of The Leading Edge, a science
another. fiction and fantasy magazine at BYU, and has served
The rip in the net widens. If anything gets even as head of the writing, academic, and art tracks and
partially outside the net, itll return to normal size. as cochair of BYUs science fiction and fantasy sympo-
Then the real fun will begin. sium, Life, the Universe, & Everything, which occurs
The bag moves of its own accord. I hear the out- annually in March.
cries of several monsters and giants as they wallow
at the bottom. A dragon bellows. The battle shakes
the entire bag. It starts to lean. For the Strength of the Hills
Hades! By Lee Allred
I pray for a miracle.
Nothing happens. Panic appears to be the only The resupply column reached the blackened
alternative. If I try to touch the bag Im certain the remains of Fort Bridger, flags flying, brass bands
netting will totally dissolve. playing. Even the brackish dust billowing majesti-
If I can convince the monsters and giants that cally across the prairie behind them joined the cele-
theyre being challenged by something fiercer then bration. Fifteen hundred U.S. Army Regulars
they are marched west across the vast Utah Territory toward
I levitate, move to the center of the pit, and Fort Bridger. A line of ox-drawn wagons, two thou-
begin imitating their various calls. But my verbal sand strong, followed behind. The line curved east-
challenge can hardly be heard over the din. ward over the sage-dotted horizon, the first supplies
I strain my voice to its full capacity. to reach Fort Bridger since the snows of autumn.
The bag turns, moving toward me, closer and From the dugout revetment on the banks of the
closer until tiny Black Forks Creek, just outside the fort pro-
Down it goes, into the vac. per, the starving men of B Battery watched the
What a relief. column approach.
I float carefully back to the edge, glad to stand on Capn? The soft, timid voice belonged to
firm earth again. Then realization dawns. Ive fin- young Private Danby, of courseyoung enough
ally found something to do with my spare time his face was still as smooth as the brass cannon bar-
until I acquire my wizard sense. I can work on rel he stood polishing. The twelve-pounder
something that could make me rich, famous, even Napoleons gleamed in stark contrast with the rest
popular! of the muddy, derelict fort.
Ill create a double-ply Psi net with an echo in Captain Peck turned and looked down from
between. That could hold nearly anything, guaran- atop the mud-plastered log wall of the revetment.
teed never to leak. The apprentices would certainly Pecks once-proud blue army uniform had faded.
be gladso would my money belt. Patched and patched again, his ragged tunic hung

loose over his starved frame. Three disastrous the ground if we do make it through to Salt
marches down Echo Canyon and three hellish Lake.
Bridger winters had chiseled a cragginess to Pecks Ferguson nodded and spat again. Danby, you
face until it seemed carved out of the same rocks remember how much food you brung with you last
that lined the Echo. spring, boy? Danby had arrived the year before in a
Supposing theyre here to spell us off, Capn? procession even grander than the one they watched
Take us home, I mean. Or at least Ft. Leavenworth, today. How many sacks of them beans are left?
maybe? Danby nodded dully. The beans had run out in
Peck remained silent. He looked back toward the December, the mules and the oxen that freighted
approaching wagons. them had run out in February. Corn meal paste
They are here to spell us off, I mean, arent they, mixed with bark and what scarce game they could
Capn? Danby persisted. shoot had been the only food theyd eaten these past
Rufus Ferguson, the batterys grizzled sergeant- few months. A tear trickled down Danbys cheek.
major, pushed back his thread-worn cap with a He wiped at it with a grimy, bandaged hand. You
dirty-looking thumb, tattooed by years of burning mean weweoh, Capn! Another winter, Capn?
gunpowder. He squinted at the billowing dust Peck turned away. He looked to the west, past
clouds. Too many wagons, boy. He spat on the the mesa, toward the Echo where the Mormons
ground and rubbed it around with a worn boot. waited patiently, hidden, fortified in the narrow
Too many wagons. Too much food in em. Naw, sheer-walled canyons, their hands poised on the
they aint taking us back. cranks of their mechanical Browning repeating
Danby looked first at Ferguson then back at his rifles. Worse, son. Far worse. Another summer.
captain. Too much food! he sputtered at last. The
look in his eyes said it all: too much food for Hours later, Peck and his men were still at their
Johnstons Army? How could anyone who wintered post, manning their guns. Drunken laughs and
in Bridger ever consider there being such a thing as shouts and camp songs echoed from inside the
too much food again? walls of the fort. Mercifully, the bitter west wind
Peck slowly eased himself from the top of the kept the smells of the cook fires away from the
revetment wall back down into the muddy gun pit. starving men. The men in the first wagons to arrive
He laid a steadying hand on Danbys trembling had passed out some beef jerky to the starving men
shoulder. He means, son, that there are more sup- while they started the cook fires going. Peck had
plies coming in than wed ever need if we were sim- kept his men from eating theirs. As starved as they
ply pulling out. were, the jerky would do little goodonly cause
Peck stopped there, wanting to be kind to the their empty stomachs to swell up painfully and ren-
boy. Ferguson, however, had never been delicate der them unfit to man their guns.
about a soldiers feelings. Hmpf, the old sergeant Eventually an orderly strolled out to the revet-
snorted. Too much food to pull back with, and ment. The orderly was almost as young as Danby.
not enough to go ahead with. Not enough by a jug- He saluted Peck clumsily, his hand buried deep
ful. Not if Johnston has us make another try down inside an oversized tunic sleeve of a crisp new uni-
the Echonot and still have any food left when form. The sleeve unrolled as he saluted. General
winter sets in, even if we do push through. Johnstons compliments, sir, and youre to report to
Peck slowly shook his head. No. Not if the him soonest. The boys breath hung heavy with
Mormons keep their pledge to burn the city to the smell of cheese.

Peck returned the boys salute. He turned to horse colonellight colonel at that!breveted
Ferguson. I was wondering how long before our over his head. Curse the day Jeff Davis and the War
esteemed Albert Sidney sent for me. Take charge of Department ever saw fit to promote that skunk.
the battery, Rufus. He glanced at the setting sun. The poor orderly glanced nervously in the direc-
I imagine youve still time for one more practice tion of Johnstons headquarters. Excuse me, sir,
drill. but the general did say soonest.
The young orderly looked up from rolling back Peck looked at his guns, then at his starving,
his sleeve. Oh, I almost forgot the next part of the ragged men. Ferguson followed his gaze. He spat,
message. He screwed his face in concentration. then pushed back his cap and hitched up his
His voice took a singsong quality as he parroted: britches. Dont worry about us, Capn. Figger me
B battery is to be hereby relieved from duty until and the rest of the boysll join in the doins sitting
further notice on myI mean General right here. Sunset ought to be mighty purty
Johnstonsauthority. tonight.
He what? Ferguson exploded. Peck nodded a curt thanks.
Peck motioned him to be quiet. Relieved? By Course, Ferguson said, clearing his throat,
whom? he asked. maybe you should send Danby to bring us some
The orderly gulped. Uh, my guessd be nobody, of that there grub. And some plug. He grinned.
sir. Truth is, youre the only ones left at their post. Oh, an something stronger than crick water to fill
Everybody else is beginning to celebrate, like. All our canteens withsome moral suasion to rinse
the other men, well, they think youre crazy sitting this joe-fired prairie dirt outa our craw. An some
out here in the wind and not joinin in the doings. blankets to keep the night chill off n us. And
Crazy are we? Crazy? Well, someones crazy some new boots. Ones with the soles stitched on,
around here, and it aint us, Ferguson said. These not glued with that Connecticut glue that washes
guns were crazy enough to keep manned are the out when it gets the tiniest bit wet. And . . . his
only things keeping the Mormons from swarming voice trailed off as he grinned even wider.
over the flats and taking this ramshackle excuse for Something else? Peck almost smiled.
a fort. Not unless they brung a Kansas City woman in
The boy gave an adenoidal snort. Reckon one of those wagons, winked Ferguson.
theyd be fools to try anything now, what with two A red flush crept up the orderlys face. Uh, best
whole fresh infantry regiments marching in. And not wait to get them boots or new uniforms, cause
nearly as many cavalry troopers as well. theyre going real fast.
Ferguson took a deep breath and sighed. Son, Naw. Ferguson spat in the direction of the
when Buchanan started this Utah War, there were large cemetery outside the stockade. Im thinkin
only eight regiments in the whole U.S. Army. The the War Department planned on a few more of us
Mormons have chewed up four already and lost being here than what there is. Therell be more than
nary a man doing it. What makes you think theyre enough extra new uniforms to go around. He
going to be a-scared of a mere regiment or two? turned to Peck. Go on, Capn. We can handle
No need to chew at the boy, Rufus, Peck said. things here.
Its not his fault our second Napoleon hasnt an As soon as I straighten this mess out, Rufus, Ill
ounce of sense. have a proper relief sent out to youthat is if our
Second Napoleon, Ferguson hooted. Albert Albert Sidney doesnt throw me in irons first, now
Sidney Johnston aint nothin but a sawed-off Texas he most likely has a replacement for me.

Ferguson wiped the corner of his mouth and fort as well. Peck shook his head. Most likely
grinned. Haw. That aint too likely, what with you Johnston didnt want any of the enlisted rabble dis-
being the chief of staff s godson. Johnstons too turbing him while he and his bootlickers sat smok-
promotion happy. Hell gum a bit, but he aint ing cigars as their dinners cooked.
gonna bite much. He frowned. Cant say the A peculiar gun carriage sat in front of the cabin.
same about them trucklin pea wits around him, Prairie mud, cracked and dry, coated its wheels a
though. Ferguson stared down at his boots and goodly way up to the hubs. The mud shouldnt
scuffed them around in the mud. Best watch yer have been that deep, thought Peck. Then he
back, Capn, just the same. And your temper. noticed both wheels and carriage were too small by
Youre worsen I am sometimes. He grinned. half. Small, but heavy. The canvas tarp draped over
Peck smiled, too. Only around Johnston. He the gun bulged oddly, not the shape a cannon
clapped the old sergeant on the shoulder. Peck should bulge at all. Peck had never seen the like of
climbed out the revetment and followed the ord- this gun before.
erly toward the fort. Peck wondered what new deviltry President
Buchanans munitioneering cronies had foisted
Peck pushed his way through the camp, possibly upon him. Hopefully, the strange gun would be of
the only man inside the fort sober and possibly the more use than those white elephantine Parrot guns
only one not singing some camp song or another at the War Department had tried sending them last
the top of his drunken lungs. The most popular, year. The huge five-ton siege guns had been aban-
of course, was that Brigham Young song some doned somewhere near the North Platte. The
reporter from back East had brought out a couple Indiansassuming they could ever budge them
years ago with the 58 expedition. were welcome to them as far as Peck was concerned.
Imagine trying to drag those siege guns down
I drug the Saints to the desert here Echo Canyon once theyd made it to Bridger. What
(A profible prophet am I!) was the War Department thinking anyway? Blast
Just crickets and seagulls, no baccy or beer. the doors off the Mormon Tabernacle indeed. No
(A profible prophet am I!) doubt whatever was under that tarp probably
I grew a beard to cover my face would turn out just as useless as the Parrot guns.
To hide the shame of choosing this place. If only the Army would send something practi-
Im building a Temple to cap the whole case. cal, like a couple dozen mountain howitzers. Peck
A profible prophet am I! could throw one on the back of a mule and its car-
riage on another mule or twoor if necessary, his
Peck headed for the crude adobe cabin slumping men could carry them up mountain slopes and
against the low stone wall the Mormons had built flank the Mormons positions. That would be the
when theyd bought the fort from Bridger himself. only way theyd ever break through to the Salt Lake
The cabin served as Johnstons headquarters. The Valley. They certainly werent going to do it going
closer Peck got to it, the thicker the drunken mob up against Brownings with only muskets.
he had to push through. Next to the cabin, how-
ever, the crush of singing, shouting men abruptly One wifes a horrible, mortible sin
thinned. A picket of armed guards, new arrivals (A profible prophet am I!)
from the look of their full, beefy faces, had cor- Us Mormon tomcats, we spread ourselves thin.
doned off the cabin and the northeast corner of the (A profible prophet am I!)

So come join my harem, its not a bad place, shrewd head as well. When the Creator had fash-
I send off to Europe for converts and lace. ioned Albert Sidney Johnston, hed set a pigmy-
If the devil wants sinningThis-is-the-Place! sized head atop a massive torso. Ferguson once said
A profligate prophet am I! the reason Johnston hadnt had a new idea in years
was on account of there being no room for one to
A sentry posted at the door of Johnstons cabin squeeze inside his tiny skull.
snapped to attention as Peck stepped up on the Peck latched the door behind him, stepped for-
flimsy wooden porch. The porch swayed and ward and saluted. Captain Peck, reporting as
groaned with the added weight, but held somehow. ordered, general.
Peck pulled on the doors crude rope latch and Johnston looked up from his papers. A glass of
stepped inside. brandy and cigar sat in one hand, a copy of his new
orders in the other. Ah, gentlemen. However
The Army is coming to learn us a lick. pedantically precise Johnstons speech was, his
(A profible prophet am I!) Texas drawl was red-clay thick. Our illustrious, if
Johnstons a sly one, but Im Brigham Slick. somewhat tardy, Captain Peck has arrived. Captain
(A profible prophet am I!) Peck, actually Lieutenant Peck, has been acting as
Ill block off the canyons and dig up the dirt, artillery commander since Johnny Phelpss unfortu-
Jump in a big hole and then lie there inert, nate demise. Brevet captain, I should say. His pro-
And just hope my harem dont gossip and blurt. motion is only temporary. Very temporary.
A pitiful prophet am I! The major, an artillery major Peck now noticed,
turned sharply to stare at Peck. I shouldnt won-
Inside the cabin, the air hung heavy with the der. A lieutenant commanding a battery?
homey smells of cigar smoke and coffee as General Hobsons choice, Im afraid, Johnston said.
Johnston and his gathered staff gratified vices denied Until your arrival, Major Willis, Peck here was the
far too long. Gathered around Johnston were his only artillery officer I had in my command, regard-
various toadies come to teach the Mormons a lick: less of what, ah, irregularities exist up his family
Ben Butler, the Massachusetts politician somehow tree. Oh, how careless of me. I forgot introduc-
still corpulent after a Fort Bridger winter; spit-and- tions. Peck, Major Willis here is your new artillery
polish George McClellan, the Napoleon of the dis- commander.
patch paper; Texan cavalry cronies from Johnstons Major, Peck said stiffly.
earlier days; and several scruffy Missourians out to And this is Colonel Stuart, Second Cavalry.
avenge the Francher party. Colonel Stuart will be keeping the lines of com-
Three new faces sat to one side of the rooma munication back to Ft. Leavenworth open for us.
colonel, a youngish major, and a fat greasy-looking Pecks face brightened. Stuart had been a class-
civilian in a butternut jacket. The blue tobacco mate at the Point, class of 54. Peck started to step
smoke was so thick, Peck could hardly see their forward to shake hands, slap his old friend on the
faces. back, but a cold, icy glare from Stuart caused Peck
General Johnston bent low over his dispatch to step back. Colonel.
papers. His face was all frown and moustache, a Stuart didnt answer.
weasel face jutting out from beneath a head of hair Johnston chuckled. He pulled a quick draw off
borrowed from Stephen A. Douglas. Too bad the cigar. Now, Colonel Stuart. No need for that.
Johnston hadnt borrowed the rest of Douglass When I mentioned those family irregularities, I

didnt mean the kind that would rightly shame any drunken brawl outside. Surely you know the
son of the South. No, Peck here has a sister that Mormons can see everything that goes on in this
went and ran off with the Mormons a few years camp from the mesa.
back. Tends to make him here a bit softheaded The mesa was really three small mesas clumped
towards them. together about four miles from the fort. It jutted up
I do my duty. from the prairie like an inverted T, giving any
Perhapsafter a fashion. You do your duty spyglass-carrying Mormon atop it a commanding
but only that. Johnston drew on the cigar again. view down into the camp. Old cantankerous Jim
Colonel, weve much to discuss tonight. Shall we Bridger had died trying to chase them off it. Hed
act like gentlemen and finish the introductions so been found facedown, a Mormon Bowie knife
we can get on with it? stuck in his gut. Camp rumor held that the knife
Stuart looked at Peck. Im not sure Id sooner had belonged to none other than Porter Rockwell
his family not had the other kind of irregularities. himself, but Peck knew better than to believe in
Smoke curled from Johnstons smirk. Come, that supernatural Danite nonsense. That was for
colonel. Youre a better man than he. fools and Back East reporters. Mormons were only
Stuarts eyes flicked towards Johnston and back. humanonce you took away their Brownings.
Lieutenant. Johnston smiled and nodded. Of course the
Johnston nodded, satisfied. Now then, Peck, Mormonsll see it. And theyll also see the two reg-
this distinguished-looking civilian gentleman is iments of fresh infantry troops that arrived today.
Mister Agar. Hes connected with the War And that strong cavalry screen of Colonel Stuarts.
Department, you might say. Peck, the camp is in no danger whatsoever from a
Peck eyed the mans silk shirt and well-fed mid- couple of Porter Rockwells boys sitting up on that
dle. Well connected, I should say. mesa with homemade spyglasses.
A broad grin snaked its way across Johnstons An empty bottle shattered against the outside
face. He turned to the major. You see, Major wall of the cabin. A large whoop from a drunken
Willis, what Ive had to endure from our Captain group of soldiers accompanied it.
Peck? Major, the most pleasant aspect of your Peck jerked a thumb at the noise. If the rest of
arrivaland that includes fresh victuals and these camp is as drunk as that, a couple of men is all itd
wonderful cigarsis that I no longer have to pay take to overrun the fort.
any heed to Hobson or his horse at allor to Pecks Johnston leaned back and laughed. Peck, stop
high horsery, either. your fretting. Major Williss men will take over
Peck stiffened. Johnston held up a hand, sloshing your guns tonight.
his brandy a bit as he did so. I believe our captain is The major squirmed. Ah, general, with all due
about to protest my ordering his men from their respect, Peck and his troops do know the local sit-
posts, an order Im sure hes already ingeniously cir- uation better than I do. Wouldnt it be better if his
cumvented. Peck here is quite conscientious about men got together with mine and
his duty. At least, conscientious with what he feels his Johnston fixed his eye on Willis, his voice sud-
duty to be. Sometimesrarelyhis self-assigned denly low. Dont you ever question my orders
duty even manages to match my direct orders. again, Major Willis. Understand? He stubbed his
General, Peck said slowly, I must indeed cigar out. He tapped a forefinger at the dispatch
protest. Those wagons lined up like ducks for the papers. Gentlemen. My orders are to march down
shooting; my men to be pulled off their guns; that the Echo and take Salt Lake City and crush

Brigham Youngs vile rebellion against the Union. expert on the Mormons Brownings I have. He
To do so, it is my dutyour dutyto put the jammed the cigar in his mouth. Peck, inspect the
drive, the determination, the fire in the belly that weapon.
will enable the men of our army to do so. I aim to Peck stepped over to examine it. He ran his hand
do just that using every and any means possible. down the slim barrel. It looked so delicately
That drunken scene outside, as distasteful as it is to attached that the slightest touch would snap it off,
us gentlemen of proper breeding his men but it held firm. Only a single barrel? he asked
around him smiled and nodded to themselves is Agar. The Mormon gun has six barrels; the barrels
necessary to raise the common soldiers common rotate as the handles cranked.
spirit. Gentlemen, you have my word that tonights Agar frowned. Richard Gatling out of North
celebration and my liberal dispersal of spirits will Carolina tried that approach, Captain. Alignment
prove the key to inspire our army to victory. A cold problems in trying to synchronize feeding in the
smile crossed his face. The key. My solemn word. cartridges caused him to have to scrap the design.
Johnston pushed himself out of his chair. And Funny, the Mormons dont seem to have that
now, gentlemen, shall we retire outside? I believe problem. Or if they did, they solved it.
Mister Agar has something to show us. Agars face reddened. The War Department
judged my uncles design superior.
Agar proudly whipped the tarp off the strange- Try lasting a winter on the sort of rations
looking gun. It wasnt a cannonthat much was Secretary Floyds cronies sell the Army and then see
certainbut Peck, for all his years as an artillery what you think of the War Departments so-called
officer, had never seen a gun quite like it. A long, judgment.
slender gun barrel protruded from a gear-filled Captain Peck! Johnston snapped. Youre
mechanical box with a hand crank on its side and a appraising the weapon, not the War Department.
tin hopper on its top. Through a complicated gear My apologies, Mister Agar. Agar signified gracious
arrangement, the gun could swing side to side as forgiveness with a flutter of his hand.
well as up and down. Peck peered into the open crank mechanism.
McClellan brushed his moustache with the back How do you keep the grit out? Agar hemmed
of his finger and sniffed. Butler grunted, Looks and hawed. Peck ran his finger across the hoppers
like a coffee grinder with a gun barrel sticking out interior and extracted gritty black grime. Just as I
of it. Of course Butler would compare it with thought: you dont. Ammunition?
something edible or potable. Agar handed him a steel-cased cartridge from his
Instead of being offended, Agar took that as a pocket. Uses a .58 caliber. Dump a whole box into
compliment. Precisely, he beamed. He patted the hopper. Fires one hundred and twenty rounds a
the tin hopper on top. Gentlemen, may I present minute.
the War Departments answer to the Mormons If it fires.
miracle gun: the Agar Rapid-Fireor, as we like to Oh, it fires. Indeedy it does. Agar snapped his
call it, the Agar Coffee Mill. The worlds finest fingers. A private nervously approached with a
mechanically operated repeating rifle. He had to small wooden box of ammunition. He pried it
shout a little over the yelling and singing nearby. open and dumped the cartridges into the hopper.
Johnston examined the end of his cigar. Major Johnston pointed at the charred east wall of the
Willis, I must confess that you were at least partial- stockade where the planked logs had started to
ly correct: Peck, here, is the closest thing to an tumble down. Aim there. They wheeled the

carriage into position. Johnston had the milling Another year or two and Jonathan Browning
troops shooed out of the way. Agar removed his may well design a weapon as light and as easy for a
butternut jacket and rolled up his silk shirtsleeves single man to carry as a Sharps repeater. The
with a showmans flair. He spun the elevation and thought of each Mormon rifleman carrying the
traverse wheels furiously to aim the gun. firepower of a Browning made Peck shudder.
Never mind that, Johnston said. Just fire. Johnston ordered the tarp replaced over the gun.
Agar cracked his knuckles and grabbed the crank Were not here to worry about the future. Mister
handle. He stood waiting for Johnstons signal. Agars weapon seems to work well enough for our
Johnston nodded at McClellan who drew his purposes, limited though it perhaps is. Peckyour
Navy Colt and began firing into the air. As if on analysis?
cue, the drunken men in camp cut loose with their Peck rubbed his chin. Its unreliable, general.
own weapons, firing volley after staggered volley, No way to keep it from fouling with grime, not
whooping and yelling. Above it all, however, a deaf- with that open hopper. The single barrel design is
ening racket arose from the Agar as the fat man lighter, thougheasier to carry up and down the
cranked it: a steady clack-clack-clack of the Wasatch. He looked back at the gun. And if the
machine gears and chug-chug-chug of the shells. A Mormons dont suspect we have them . . .
stream of bullets traced a pattern on the log wall, And now you know precisely why I ordered this
throwing flame-blackened splinters flying. Has a celebratory din, Peck: to drown out the noise of the
range of a thousand yards, Agar yelled over test firing. And they cant see down into this part of
the din. While he cranked steadily, methodically, the camp from the Mesa. My cabin blocks the view.
the private kept the hopper full. A small pile of The Mormons will never even know we have that
expended steel cartridge shells formed at Agars weapon until the next time we fire it. And next
feet. time we fire it will be in Echo Canyon, down their
Agar cranked a full minute, a minute and a half, rebellious throats. Well see how they like being
then suddenly there was a clang and crash of metal surprised for a change. He smiled again. As I said,
parts grating on each other and the Agar stopped Peck. My solemn word.
firing. The intoxicated random firing by the men in
camp dwindled away. Agar nursed a set of bloody Peck sat in the dark, alone, slowly eating his
gear-chewed knuckles in his mouth. With his good food.
hand he slapped the private away from meddling Hed walked back to the revetment, only to find
with the hopper. Keep away, you fool! Want to that Major Willis had taken over command of the
blow your fool hand off? It could be another hang- guns. None of the new men seemed to know a cais-
fire. son from a cascabel. Well, that was Williss worry.
Another? Peck shook his head. How often So Peck had wandered down by the creek to eat
does this happen? And how long does it take to alone. He sat there on a small white stone hidden
clear the weapon when it does? in the rushes and young cottonwoods listening
An hour or two, Agar admitted. Have to take to the creek babble. Better by far than listening to
the gear box apart. He wrapped his bloodied Johnston or his cronies babble.
knuckles with his frilly handkerchief. You have to After a while Peck heard someone blundering
understand of course that the weapon really is still through the underbrush toward him. There you
in the prototype stage. We were rather rushed. are, Peck, Jeb Stuart called. I knew youd be some-
Another year or two where off by yourself. He unslung a bottle of

whiskey he had cradled under his arm and tossed it today, the one confirming your brevet rank, cap-
to Peck. Catch. The bottle plonked in Pecks out- tain. Johnston was just stickin it to you one last
stretched hands. time in front of Willis before he had to acknowl-
Stuart sat down on a rock next to Peck. He ges- edge em.
tured at the bottle. Figured I needed to make Its still a long ways from captain to light
amends for the way I treated you back there in the colonel, Peck said as he took another drink.
cabin. Didnt want you to think I wasnt talking to Only brevet. Sole reason I got it was that there
you anymore. wasnt another ranking cavalry officer left to give
When Peck didnt answer, Stuart clapped him on them to besides me. Same deal as youHobsons
the shoulder. You still riled over that crack bout choice.
your sister? You know that doesnt make a lick of Peck lowered the bottle and looked sharply at
difference between us. Didnt at the time she run Stuart. The Army cant be that low of men, can
off. Doesnt now. it?
Then why the whole routine? Why, thank you. I have a high opinion of you,
Stuart shrugged. Obvious even before you too.
showed up that Johnston hates your guts. He You know what I mean. Weve taken a lot of
smiled. I wasnt about to go agin him back there losses here, but not that many. Surely theyre
for the sake of your ugly Yankee hide. Thought Id recruiting the Army back up to strength, arent
come pay my respects on the quiet later on like. they? Whats happening back there?
Peck uncorked the bottle with his teeth and took Stuart reached for the bottle. I sorely wish I
a healthy swig. He wiped his mouth with the back knew, old son. Yup, theyve been recruiting up a
of his hand and passed the bottle back to Stuart. storm back home. Just that our old commandant
You always were the ambitious one, Jeb. Granny Lee took an marched them and just about
Stuart laughed. Not like you. Funny. Third in whats left of the entire U.S. Army onto the entire
our classany commission you wanted was yours U.S. Navy and sailed off for who knows where.
for the asking. Cavalry. Infantry. Something with California, nodded Peck. Coming at the
promotion attached to it. And whatd you ask for? Mormons from the west, the flatter ground wouldnt
Artillery. Stuart took a slug. Thats where they favor their Brownings as much.
put the bottom-of-the-barrel cadets. Why, the top Thats my guess too. Sailing around the horn.
artilleryman in the whole Armys only a colonel. They ought to be arrived a short space back.
What ailed you, son, to go asking to be put with all Stuart snorted. Johnston wasnt happy when he
the misfits? read that set of dispatches! I dont think he wants
Peck reached for the bottle. Artillery misfits like anyone beating him into Salt Lake City. Hes trying
Braxton Bragg, Ulysses Grant, Thomas Jackson to keep it a secret, but it wont last long.
even our old West Point Commandant Robert E. I dont think Johnston has figured out that the
Lee? Seems to me it was artillery that decided most problem isnt so much getting to Salt Lakeits
of the battles in the war with Mexico. So maybe I whats to be done after he gets there. Shoot all the
just prefer serving where I can do the most good to Mormons on sight? Pardon them all? Shoot some,
where I can collect the most gold braid. pardon some? What?
Stuart looked down at his shoulder and laughed. Stuart grunted. Thats more thought than hes
Dont be fretting over these oak leaves too much, given the matterand more than the politicians
old son. Ive seen one of those orders Johnston got back home, either.

Peck sat quiet for a moment. Jeb, whats it like Peck stood. Dangerous for whom? For the
back home? Three years. Three years nowus Mormons, certainly. The only reason Buchanan
marching down the Echo and getting slaughtered. started this war was to try to get the countrys mind
How long can this keep going on? off slavery.
Stuart sighed. Not too much longer. Oh, the Well, it hasnt exactly worked, has it? Stuart
newspapers and the politicians are still carrying on, took a pull on the bottle. Let me ask you a ques-
but plain folks are pretty sick of the whole mess. tion: are you the kind of Northerner whod be as
Especially down South. The Republicans up North glad to tackle the second barbarism as you seem to
of course yelling about rootin out them twin bar- be the first?
barismspolygamy and slavery. Its making us Peck hesitated. Id obey my orders, the same as
Southerners start worryin that if the Yankees can Im doing now, regardless of my feelings.
twist things so the entire U.S. Army gets sent to put You didnt answer my question.
down one barbarism, whats to stop them from Peck looked at him. No, he said slowly. I
trying to do the same with the other? Fact is, lots of guess I didnt.
folks down South are beginnin to hope the Stuart swung the whiskey bottle back, ready to
Mormons win. strike at Peck. Then he realized what he was doing
Are you one of them? and slowly lowered his arm. He poured what was
Stuart forced a laugh. Just like a Yankee to go left of the whiskey on the ground. Congratu-
and ask that! You know me, old son. Long as its lations on your promotion, Captain, Stuart said
the one twin barbarism were putting down, and through clenched jaws.
not the other un. Pecks former friend turned his back and walked
You didnt answer my question. into the night.
No, I guess I didnt. Stuart slowly got up. I
dont think much of the Mormons. The way they Mormons sneaked into the drunken camp dur-
live in Utah is a sin before God and manbut I ing the night and torched the supply wagons. The
imagine you know all about that with your sister fires leapt from one canvas wagon top to another. A
and all. Peck said nothing. No, old son, what I giant fireball, noonday bright, exploded high up in
like even less than Mormons is the idea that folks the night sky. Orange tendrils of flame showered
from one state can call in troops to make folks of over the canvas-topped wagons. Then another and
another behave. another wagon erupted as kegs of powder went up
Utah isnt a state. in flames.
Only because your Missouri Compromise Drunken men streamed from their tents to form
wouldnt let them into the Union. bucket brigades. Through the choking sulfurous
Our? You Southerners rammed that mon- smoke they manhandled the unhitched wagons out
strosity down the nations throat of the path of the flames with sheer brute force.
Our quarrels with you Northerners have always The Mormons escaped unscathed in the confu-
been as much about state rights as they ever was sion.
about slavery. Youre the ones who insist the fed-
eral government can limit what the states can do The sun rose before theyd put the last fire out.
inside their own borders. This whole war sets a very As the last bucket of water was thrown on the smol-
dangerous precedent. dering wagons, Johnston ordered the troops to
assemble.

The men gathered. Peck went up to Johnston to By all thats holy, hes answerable to God!
report that the Mormons had spiked two of the That, Peck grimaced, is precisely what the
cannons in the raid. A pennys worth of iron Mormons have been saying. Peck laid his hand on
driven into a guns vent, and a half-ton bronze can- Agars plump shoulder and led him back to
non was useless. Johnston.
Never mind about that now, Peck. Theyre Well, Mr. Agar? Johnston asked as he casually
Williss problem, snapped Johnston who was snipped at his beard. I trust Pecks explained the
preening himself in a mirror held by the young situation to you. What shall it be?
orderly as his cronies, old and new, gathered round. Agars jaw trembled, his double chin wobbling
Peck was glad that at least Stuart wasnt there. The like a turkey gobbler, but before Agar could or
cavalry was off chasing Mormons. would answer, Johnston looked up sharply from
An aide handed Johnston a pair of scissors to the mirror, not at Agar but at the troops behind
trim his beard with. Peck, Im putting you in him forming up by companies. McClellan! he
charge of the Agar guns. Guard them. Nothing is barked.
to happen to them, understand? He gestured at McClellan approached and saluted. Johnston
Agar with the scissors. Take him along, too. He handed the scissors to his aide. Did I say to form
can be explaining the mechanism during our them up? We havent time for that nonsense. He
march to the Echo. motioned a half-circle with his finger. I said I
Agar looked up startled. During the march? wanted them gathered around like this. A horse-
With all due respect, general, Im a civilian. I may shoe. A mob. Thats what I want. A milling mob.
deliver the weapons, but I dont go off to war with This brought a snort of derision. To Pecks sur-
them. I shall be starting back to South Carolina prise, it came from McClellan. A mob?
today. McClellan sputtered. Thats precisely what youve
Johnston paused from trimming his beard. He got! A ragged, starving mob!
lowered the scissors and smiled like a crocodile. You forget yourself, major. I am your com-
Ah, but with all due respect, sir, you shall not. manding officer.
Rather, you shall be marching down the Echo right Exactlythe commanding officer responsible
along with the rest of us. Now whether you march for losing almost our entire food supply the very
as a temporary lieutenant and technical advisor or day we get it!
a twenty-year private mucking out cavalry stalls Are you saying that I am to blame for this?
makes no never mind to me. Thats treasonous talk, major.
You cant do this! The crowd around Johnston suddenly fell quiet
Peck pulled the fat man aside. Quiet, you fool. and began edging away from McClellan.
But he cant! He cant do this! Agar mopped his Thats precisely what Im saying, McClellan
sweating face. said, the cords in his neck taut, his face leeched
He can do anything he pleases. Hes military white. I think you all but arranged for the
governor. Buchanans declared the Utah Territory Mormons to burn our wagons on purpose.
under martial law and suspended habeas corpus. My own men? Sir, Johnston hissed through
My uncle gritted teeth. I demand satisfaction.
wont be able to do a thing. Out here, Then you shall have it.
Johnstons judge, jury, and executioneranswer- Johnston smiled. As challenged party, you have
able to no one but himself. the choice of weapons.

Pistols shall be entirely acceptable. There was a ragged cheer. Peck noted it came
Johnstons smile grew wider. And I have the mostly from Johnstons cronies.
choice of time and placeand I choose here and Our new Agar guns survived intact, continued
now! The Texan drew his Navy Colt. In one Johnston. With these new weapons and with the
smooth motion, he swung the barrel up, then strong right arm of God behind us, we shall take
down and fired pointblank into the chest of the back what they have taken from us!
astonished McClellan. This time the assembled men erupted in a true
Johnston reholstered his gun even as McClellans cheer.
dead body fell to the ground. A traitors death for The Mormons have proved they will submit to
a traitor. Drag him away and bury him with those no government but their own. It is a usurpation of
two other traitors, Cummings and Kane, the people of the Union to have to endure the erec-
Johnston said coolly. He pointed to two men. tion of a government in their midst neither loyal
Bring a wagon over here. An uncovered one. Pile nor acknowledging any allegiance to the Federal
some crates up in the bed. I want a sort of tower I Government. We must either stand by and allow
can stand on to speak to the troops, otherwise this to happen, or compel them to submit. I say
theyll never all hear me. compel them! Compel them with the sword and
He looked sharply back at Peck. Peck! Unless the cannon and the torch! We shall march down
you want to join McClellan, get to those infernal that canyon, we shall march into their city, we shall
Agar contraptions and stay there. And take your march into their temple and pull their counterfeit
rabble with you. He looked at Agar. You, too, kingdom to the ground. They wanted rebellion,
Private Agar. we shall give them repression. They wanted war, we
shall give them hell!
From the Agar guns, Peck and his men could The assembled men frenzied. They surged
plainly see both Johnston and the mob of troops toward the wagon. They began chanting Johnstons
circled around him. Johnston clambered up the name, over and over. Johnston stood before them,
rickety makeshift platform in the wagon bed and arms raised high, sword outstretched. The crush of
stood facing his troops. Wisps of smoke still curled sobbing, shouting troops crashed and broke against
from the burned wagons. The glow of sunrise the wagon like a living ocean wave with no other
haloed behind him. Johnston drew his sword and thought but vengeance. Vengeance on the Mormons!
held it high. The sunrise glinted blood red on the Johnston lowered his sword. At the signal,
blade. So silent was the crush of the gathered men buglers blew Roast Beef, the call to assemble the
that the scraping of the sword against its scabbard troops for meals. Cold corn mush, after yesterdays
could be plainly heard. promise of decent abundant food, served to recast
Men, Johnston began, his voice a clarion in the their heated anger into cold, hard rage.
chilly prairie air, youre too cold, tired, hungry,
sick at heart at what has happened during the night To Be Continued
for speeches. I know that. I am, too. But we must
put aside our weariness. The Mormons have burnt Biographical notes on Lee Allred appear after his essay
most of our food, most of our ammunition. They earlier in this issue.
think that in one night, they have defeated us. But
they have not!

P O E T R Y And I am left a stranger

In a different world.
The Missionarys Return
But I am content.
It was the best two years My mission was a grand success.
Ive ever spent We baptized many,
Two years (subjective time) in preaching And that suffices me
To distant peoples, For all things I have lost.
Living as one with them in distant lands.
If called again to go
It is a joy I would not hesitate.
To stand before you to report,
And see my family Michael Collings
Assembled here.
Celebration
Grandsons and great-grandsons
Of my brothers On that night
Administer the covenants that night of all solemn nights
As always, without change. a thousand million faces blossomed skyward
Their sisters sing in sweet concord like moonflowers (silvered
Those hymns I knew before I left, by the light of one moon,
Holding antique hymnals with gentle force. touched with shadow
by the second)
In front, my mother and my father eye-trajectories
In holograph to the Wing.
Smile and nod as if they were alive, In worship, yes. But not
As if their eldest had not traveled in lush idolatry.
Half a hundred light years The Wing held no sacred hopes
At just below the speed of light itself;
To preach the gospel of their Lord. its arc of stars
pinioned planets
So now I close. opening into other quadrants
I would bear my testimony of their galaxy.
In that language that I served,
In that language that I love, They could count the Twelve Suns
If I but could and see the darkness
But microsurgery to restore ripe beneath the Wing,
My throat to human speech darkness wherewhen the night
Closed off those sounds, was still, just soand eyes
squinted to tight lines
As my mission has closed off crossing faces lost in awe
Memories of who I was,

then, perhaps, one in a thousand Each Bright, smooth bearers took the path to
could see that blot of light Christ
that was The Galaxy. of Universe and laid at ParentChildBodySoul
their offerings, while sowers toiled among
And on that night,
a thousand million faces the stalks. Each Dark, sowers retraced the way
two thousand million eyes and bowed in darkness to Christ of Universe
celebrated and lipped the SingSong of Quadrinity,
The Coming on a distant world
too many thousand years ago to count ParentChildBodySoul. Bearers burrowed
A Coming, heshe young while sowers bowed.
and an End. Later, beneath the ever-solid black of night
when glolights diedwhen heshe bearers
Each dweller on the planet opened hirmselfs to living seedwhen heshe
each on myriads of worlds sowers sought other fertile fields
Knew of Him, spoke of Him,
saw Him, felt Him, they could not see, but knew beyond the hillock,
loved Him. Christ of Universe stood comfort over heshe,
eyestalks poised, eight-finger splayed.
But on that night,
with faces glowing as bright buds Michael Collings
and eyes like slits of deep black faith,
they sawperhapsa smudge that was
the Galaxy that bore hidden in its womb *Blothisojan
the yellow star
that saw Him born. Blood-blessing
Germanic heritage in childlike
Michael R. Collings blessedness
Christ of Universe Druidic oak-grove blood

Wine-dark on cold-stone-hollowed pagan
Christ of Universe, eight-finger-splayed ritual
resemblance of heshes stern Quadrinity,
stood comfort on a hillock just beyond [God bless Mommy,
God bless Daddy,
the swell of pallid blades. Corved of liquid God bless
aurum in a stasis-field, it towered God bless...]
over heshes node. Waters met there.
Blessing-blood
Heshe chose the place of waters for their life-sap weeping from the world-ash
node, accreting with each generation cross . . .
body-lozenge-fundament for heshe spawn.

Light till he said

behind a shadowtrapped within its okay, I
the word think they
screw back in
Michael R. Collings
so I picked
[Authors note: This poem was written shortly after I up the brains
found out that the word blessing is historically relat- still glinting
ed to an ancient IndoEuropean word that originally tiny metallic
meant blood-sacrifice. The asterisk preceding blinking lights
Blothisojan indicates that the word itself is not his- flashing in random
torically recorded, but is a reconstruction. The fact neon colors
that the word blessing has such an ancient progenitor I twisted
suggests its centrality in human cultures. A much dif- my screwdriver
ferent version of this poem appeared in Studia one more time
Mystica 7 (winter 1984): 68.] swung the top of
his cranium
Michael R. Collings is professor of English, director of back on its hinges
creative writing, and poet-in-residence at Pepperdine inside I could see
University, where he has taught for over twenty-one the socket
years. His professional interests include poetry; science looked easy enough
fiction, fantasy, and horror literature and theory; epic (no more difficult
theory and practice (he is the author of a full-length than your
Renaissance-style epic drawn from Book of Mormon ordinary
narratives); and writing in any of its forms. He has light bulb)
written studies of fantasists including Orson Scott so I started
Card, Stephen King, and Dean R. Koontz, as well as fitting it in
definitive bibliographies for Card, King, Peter Straub, then he said,
and others. Collings is the stake organ specialist in (wincing just
Thousand Oaks, California, where he lives with his a little)
wife in close proximity to their four children and two you have to push
grandchildren. the tiny blue
button first
Positronic Love Affair on the left,
see it?
After I oh, I said
screwed his pushed once
brains out I (he looked
felt a little quite relieved)
guilty while okay, he said
standing there now try it
breathless

twisting in his Will be the victory! Victory we claim! But:

brain pulsing with Flapping stunted wing, it sucks upon its scars.
those random
neon flashes, She kicks the beast straight toward its feast;
it slid smooth Catching scent, the flesh begins to peel.
turning 360 Its claws dig in. With wicked grin she squeals:
into the Enjoy your feast! But rememberBEAST!
single socket and YOU MUST LEAVE ME THE TEETH!
those lights lined
up in a Linda Paulson Adams
magnificent
perfect rainbow Linda Paulson Adams lives in Jackson County,
as it clicked Missouri, has been happily married for twelve years,
into and has five young children, including a three-month-
place old baby girl. She graduated from BYU in 1990. Her
ahhhhhhhh first novel, Prodigal Journey, was recently released by
he sighed, now Cornerstone Publishing. Shes hard at work finishing
that the sequel for a summer 2001 release. Her work has
feels appeared previously in IRREANTUM and other literary
wonderful periodicals such as Limestone Circle, Buffalo Bones,
and Lynx Eye.
Linda Paulson Adams
Breadcrumbs
Madwomans Bane
I write the things I have to tell you
Release the beast! the madwoman shrieks, on torn pieces of paper
Spinning on stilettoed heel, the back of an envelope
The pot is boiling! The steel drum beats: the back of my hand
The victims blood will soon congeal! the back of my mind.
The cage lowers down on ratcheting chain, I stand on my hill and release the messages into the
Fangs gleaming through the bars, wind.
As the madwoman rattles her childhoods bane: Will you receive?
The teeth of young men sealed in jars. Will you partake?
Will you make me whole?
Again she shrieks: Release the beast!
Servants turn a clattering wheel. I break
The drooling creature sniffs for his feast: and bless
An eyeless thing, it roots around by feel. and leave you
pieces of me
Go on! Go on! she howls, Tear! Maim! Cut, as your sacramental breadcrumb trail.
Bruise, ravage, and destroy! Then ours
Jane D. Brady

Jane Brady lives on the side of a hill in Cedar Hills, A Blind Mans Eyes
Utah, with her husband and three children. She has a 2 Teaspoons Fires Light
masters in English from Brigham Young University, 1 Liter of Nightmares
where she currently teaches Honors 200 and edits The A Rubys Blood (if desired)
Restored Gospel and Applied Christianity. She is A Liquid Emerald (2 pints recommended)
the editor of Mourning with Those Who Mourn 4 Cups of Sleep without Dreams (if possible)
with Steven Walker and Colloquium: Essays in 2/9 Tornado
Literature and Belief with Richard Cracroft. 8 Teaspoons Sky
1 Snake Claw
Summer 3 Black Rose Petals
A Sigh
Giggling on the grass 1 Quart Anger
Two toddlers tumble bumble rumble romp toward 1 Gallon Wisdom
me
Pink pandemonium. Recipe:
Im a matador waving a red flag (come! Put in cauldron and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 100
No, stop! What about grass stains broken bones years. Heat in volcano lava. Gather ashes and let
messy hair bad habits mad neighbors and me) cool. Pour in dragon mold at dawn. Chant spell* at
Bible-braced, I dont dodge. sundown. For a female dragon, open under a full
I close my eyes moon; for a male, open under a moonless night. If
And dragon is used as a pet, a sea lilys thorns will pro-
Slam, bang, tect against fire if crushed and applied evenly to
Topple tussle grunt skin. Do not use thorns on warts.
Squeeze squish squeal and kiss
* For spell, see page 53 of the Witches Manual.
Then theyve rolled beyond me
Puppies cresting golden in the sun Sapphire Hodges
I catch only my breath
And watch the dust settle. Sapphire Hodges is sixteen years old, the oldest of five
in an LDS family, and lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
Darlene Young An aspiring writer, she hopes to publish a childrens
book. This is her first published poem.
Darlene Young served this past year as secretary for the
AML. She lives in Salt Lake with her husband and Sin and Simile
two and a half children.
My teachers gave me metaphors for sin:
How to Make a Dragon a nail we hammer harshly in a board,
a lump of gum no longer crisp and thin,
Ingredients: a stain, an oily river we must ford.
Scorpion Milk Repentance fares the worse within these forms.
1 Tablespoon of Wind Though godly grace can heal a sinners heart,
Pinch of Blue Lightning perhaps it cannot tame those vicious swarms

of stinging similes, whose venoms part many might describe the novel as contemporary
us from forgiveness calm. The fear of God fantasy. But the fantastic elements are not inten-
is humbling awe before his peaceful might. ded to be fantastic in the sense used in mainstream
To threaten us with images seems odd, fantasy literature (in other words, nonrationalized
for God would have us filled with hope, not fright. magic and such).
We vie with sin to try to name it best; The fantasy elements of Disoriented are not
One Word alone suffices for our rest. derived purely from the authors imagination or
from ancient mythology. Rather, they are exten-
Gideon O. Burton sions of contemporary LDS theology as well as folk
belief, especially the distinctive teachings regarding
Gideon O. Burton is assistant professor of English at premortal spirit life and life after death. These sub-
Brigham Young University, where he teaches jects have long been used as central plot elements in
Renaissance and LDS literature. He is president-elect much of LDS fiction. Disoriented might be classi-
of the Association for Mormon Letters. fied as a spiritual thriller. Specifically, it fits into a
subgenre one could call LDS spirit fiction. It is
similar to the popular musical Saturdays Warrior,
R E V I E W S the classic Samuel W. Taylor novel Heaven Knows
Why, and less well known novels such as Kenny
Disoriented Kemps I Hated Heaven, Arvin S. Gibsons Loves
A review of Michael Ritcheys Disoriented Eternal Legacy, and Alice Morrey Baileys Stellarian.
(Cornerstone, 2000)
By Preston Hunter Plot
Set a few years in the future, Disoriented begins
What kind of book is Disoriented? with a Mexican fishermans encounter with a
Disoriented is published by LDS publisher mysterious and deadly force that mangles his emot-
Cornerstone and marketed to the LDS market. It is ional state and then sucks the life out of him. This
a novel that straddles a few traditional mainstream languid-turned-horrifying opening has an almost
categories: it could be classified as a thriller, a sci- Delaney-esque quality to its narrative voice. Oddly
ence fiction novel, or even a romance. Clearly it is enough, this stylists voice ends with the first chap-
a religious novel, written by an LDS author for an ter, and the rest of the novel utilizes straightforward
LDS audience. storytelling, told from the point of view of a vari-
For the first half of the novel, Disoriented is very ety of characters.
much a science fiction thriller/adventure. It is set in Were quickly introduced to Tara, a generally
the near future (a few years from now) and features together but emotionally isolated graduate ecology
some speculative technology and some very myste- student doing research on ants in the Superstition
rious yet scientifically observed phenomena. But Mountains near Mesa, Arizona. The world has suf-
although its science fiction elements are strong fered an accelerated ecological crisis for three or four
(including the use of two scientists as the primary years. Numerous plant and animal species have
protagonists and the significance of theoretical par- become extinct, and topsoil erosion has increased
ticle physics), Disoriented taken as a whole is not tremendously. Taras research of desert ant behavior
best classified as science fiction. Looking at the is a long-shot part of an international effort to
book within the context of speculative fiction, determine the cause of the ecological crisis.

As it turns out, ants have nothing to do with the few surprises, and significant character development
crisis, but Tara happens upon the real cause: Some for many secondary characters, including the assas-
force is causing matter to lose molecular cohesion sin trying to kill Ryan. But for the two main char-
and literally dissolve. Surrounding this effect is an acters around whom the plot revolves, the book
invisible, layered boundary that alternately offers little more than action after its first half.
induces fear, euphoria, and nausea as one passes The relative lack of development for these char-
through it. acters or their relationship seems particularly sur-
Tara recalls these discoveries as she flies to Dallas prising considering the rather major change that
to attend an international conference on macro- happens in Ryans life soon after he and Tara are
ecology, convened to discuss the ecological crisis married: he dies. Only halfway through the book,
and its possible causes. Tara also reflects on the fact Ryan and the assassin die. This comes as quite a
that she has for many years rejected God because, shock, especially with so many pages left. The ques-
despite a happy Protestant upbringing, she found tion about how the main character can die halfway
no comfort after the sudden deaths of both her through the book is soon resolved as we realize that
high school best friend and later her college Ryans spirit is still quite alive and well, and is able
boyfriend. Hmmm to tarry with Tara. Because of the extreme impor-
Enter the second protagonist: Ryan McKay, a tance placed by the powers that be on resolving the
young particle physicist working for a private firm, causes of the ecological crisis, Ryan is given a spe-
Molecular Dynamics, in Denver, Colorado. Ryan is cial operating status that lets his spirit be with Tara
professionally and financially successful, a returned continually. She can see him and talk to him, but
missionary, and an active Latter-day Saint, but he without a body he cant touch her or anything else,
bemoans his single status and decreasing prospects and nobody else can see him or hear him.
of ever getting married. Tara and her ghost husband, with the help of
By now anybody who has ever opened a Jack some family and friends, must find and stop the
Weyland novel should suspect that Tara just might powerful, highly placed people causing the ecolog-
meet Ryan, join the Church, and marry him. These ical crisis for their own nefarious purposes. Tara has
suspicions might be strengthened when Ryan no training as a female James Bond, but having an
barely escapes an assassination attempt and decides invisible husband who can walk through walls and
to leave early for a planned tripto the same sci- read peoples surface thoughts comes in handy and
entific conference in Dallas that Tara is going to. helps in their mission.
Does Tara meet Ryan, fall in love with him, have In a way, Disoriented is very much two books.
some objections to the LDS Church he introduces The strongest part is the first half, which combines
her to, overcome those objections, and then marry a rather compelling science fiction mystery and the
him? Well, yes. But the surprising thing is that action and suspense of a thriller with a very read-
the objections last only about three minutes, the able romance between two likable and interesting
happy couple is married rather quickly, and one is characters. Perhaps my main complaint about the
still only one-third through the book. The nice book is that this part is over too soon and is fol-
thing is realizing the entire book isnt a retread of lowed by the weaker ghost husband half, which
Charly. But what, one wonders, are Tara and Sam reads like a detective story road trip.
going to do for the rest of the book? As mentioned before, there are some nice aspects
Fortunately, the rest of the book has some inter- in the books second half, including some
esting premises explored, some engaging scenes, a humorous scenes and lines resulting from Ryans

ghost status. Theres even a surprising bit of sensu- Best of all, Disoriented is refreshingly nonpre-
ality between the untouchable Ryan and his corpo- scriptive. The protagonists are moral; Ryan is a
real wife. Its surprising because its in the book at faithful member and Tara becomes one. (Even hid-
all, and also because it is executed in a conservative ing out from a national conspiracy intent on killing
way. Its like finding a bit of Heinleins Stranger in a them, they manage to attend church regularly.) But
Strange Land in a Chris Heimerdinger novel. Ritchey is not trying to change the world, the LDS
But although we learn much of the physical Church, or LDS or non-LDS people. Hes telling
mechanics and parameters of Ryans spirit/ghost an entertaining story for himself and his people.
existence, there is very little exploration of the LDS readers may find the book inspiring and very
impact his status has on his and Taras psyches, their positive because it features likable, talented compa-
relationship, and those around them. Its handled triots as protagonists and because the discoveries
too matter-of-factly, when this could have provided made by the characters reinforce the communitys
so many interesting ways to develop and reveal worldview. But if one views the novel within its
these characters. Instead we learn more about sup- cultural context and within the LDS literary tradi-
porting characters who are having much less tion, one realizes Disoriented is not at all didactic,
unusual experiences. and not even subversive.
(By the way, I think authors who are trying to
Who Should Read Disoriented? change the world are wonderful. I appreciate the
Theres a select audience for this book. honesty of science fiction writers such as Card
This is Michael Ritcheys first novel. Like many and Canadas Robert Sawyer who come right out
Latter-day Saints, he is a fan of literature, espec- and say thats what they want to do. But nobody
ially fantasy and science fiction. Ritchey has essen- should be subjected to a first-time novelist out to
tially written something that he himself would change the world. World-altering novelists should
enjoy reading. The novel attempts to fill a need for wait at least until theyve honed their craft to the
entertaining, thrilling science fiction/adventure point that their pen doesnt look like a billy club.)
which doesnt have offensive language, gratuitous The reader who will probably most enjoy
sex, etc. and does have characters an LDS reader (or Disoriented is one who enjoys LDS fiction, such as
Christian reader in general) can identify with. by Gerald Lund, Jack Weyland, or Rachel Ann
To Ritcheys credit he writes unapologetically Nunes. Plot-wise the book has some similarities to
from his own perspective and he doesnt try to be Weylands A New Dawn crossed with the Whoopie
something hes not. Disoriented is completely hon- Goldberg/Demi Moore movie Ghost (or maybe Bill
est, unfiltered LDS storytelling. Ritchey doesnt try Cosbys Ghost Dad). Readers will probably like
to be literary or flowery. He isnt trying to mimic Disoriented if they enjoy thrillers such as Marcums
any type of mainstream American style of novel White Out as well as spirit novels such as Taylors
(although the book does embody elements of many Heaven Knows Why! Disoriented is a successful mix
genres). Nothing in Disoriented is left out or of a thrillers fright, conspiracy, and action with a
changed in anticipation of a non-LDS audience. romantic comedys warmth, good nature, and
This makes the novel very inside, similar to humor.
Dutchers film Gods Army. For the non-LDS As stated before, Disoriented has nothing offen-
reader, the results can be confusing, perplexing, or sive in terms of language, sex, violence, etc. Its very
simply bizarre, but they should definitely provide clean. Readers who like the clean language and
an unusual and unexpected experience. chaste stories of Asimov, Bradbury, and H. G.

Wells and who find even Wolverton or early Card Q-Squared or Wolvertons The Courtship of Princess
too racy will certainly appreciate Disoriented. Leia), then you will certainly hate Disoriented
Fans of mainstream (national market) science fic- whether or not you are LDS.
tion authored by LDS writers such as Card,
Wolverton, Thornley, Henderson, Bell, Raymond Final Word
F. Jones, etc. might enjoy Disoriented. But they Ritchey has skill and talent as a writer. He
might not. Ritchey doesnt match the sheer artistry was willing to open himself up and write what was
and inventiveness of the best of these mainstream- inside him. Some people would not like or under-
published LDS authors. But he exceeds them in stand or believe what they see there, but its gen-
choosing to write about characters and ideas that uine. Most people who would not like Ritcheys
will be completely familiar to LDS readers, yet with perspective wont bother to read Disoriented at all,
some interesting twists and adventurous applica- or they wont be able to finish it. Theyll think hes
tion. a Pollyanna or simply myopic. Theyll say hes a bad
Science fiction readers well versed in the works of writer, which hes not. They simply wont be able to
Orson Scott Card and top contemporary non-LDS tolerate the diversity represented by an author
authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, C. J. Cherryh, whose views are so radically different from their
Ben Bova, etc., should not approach Disoriented own. This is too bad, because there are at least a few
and similar novels expecting the same type of liter- layers to the book and its author that arent revealed
ature. This is a type of book that may not have until the end.
broad appeal but will be immensely appreciated by The right readers for this book will love
its target audience, especially given the fact that Disoriented. There is much in Disoriented to rec-
there is so little other literature similar to it. ommend it. The first half is fresh, interesting,
An LDS reader who is well versed in non-LDS breezy, and original. The second half has some
science fiction can enjoy Disoriented in the same strong points but suffers from the static nature of
way a person might read both Hugo-winning the main characters, along with decreased levels
LeGuin or Zelazny and a good Star Trek novelby of suspense and wonder.
understanding that these are different kinds of Disoriented seems to have missed several oppor-
books and provide different kinds of experiences. tunities to go beyond simply scratching the surface
The comfortable familiarity Star Trek fans have of its premises and really exploring them. Still, it
reading books featuring characters they enjoy represents something of an untapped or barely
watching on television is somewhat similar to the tapped niche: an all-out science-fiction thriller told
enjoyment LDS readers might derive from books from an entirely LDS perspective. I hope Ritchey
with familiar-seeming LDS characters and themes. writes more fiction along these lines, but I hope
Neither the media tie-ins nor a first-time authors hell maintain better pacing and push himself to
LDS-market science-fiction novel presume to be explore concepts more fully and with greater com-
the literary equivalent of the best national science plexity.
fiction. But all of these have their place in the over-
all market for literature, and some readers enjoy Preston Hunter lives in Dallas, Texas, one of the main
both kinds. But if youre a Delaney or Wolfe purist settings of the novel Disoriented. He works as a com-
who would not be caught dead reading a media tie- puter programmer for a biotech research institution.
in book (even the good ones like Peter Davids

The Shocking Truth To his distress, he finds it was all true: the leaves
Behind Happily Ever After that magically part, the chasm with the womans
A review of Orson Scott Cards Enchantment (Del shape, and the churning leaves that move toward
Rey, 1999) him. This time he stays and ends up in a deadly
By D. Michael Martindale confrontation with a giant bear, which he realizes
he cannot win. So he draws on information every
And they lived happily ever after. Isnt that how child knows from the fairy tales:
Sleeping Beauty ends, after the handsome prince
kisses her out of a magical slumber? In the twisted As the bear heaved its chest up onto the
caverns of Orson Scott Cards mind, of course not. pedestal, Ivan knelt beside the bed, leaned
The boy Ivan Petrovich Smetski, nicknamed down, and kissed the womans lips.
Vanya, suddenly, when the Soviet Union begins They were soft and alive. She kissed him
allowing Jews to emigrate to Israel and his family back.
owns up to their Jewish heritage, is supposed to call Her eyes opened. Her lips parted. She gave
himself Itzak Shlomo. After the usual interminable a soft cry, drew her head away from him.
delay, the family finally gets their exit visa, and He knelt up to look at the bear. Its hind legs
Ivans father promptly takes them to America. were now scrabbling for purchase on the
But on the way, they make a stopover at Cousin pedestal.
Mareks farm in Poland. Ivan, who has always loved She stammered something in some lan-
to run, runs through the near-primeval forest sur- guage. A Slavic language, but very oddly pro-
rounding the farm and stumbles into a clearing full nounced. He knew he should understand it.
of leaves. Magically, the leaves part for him as he After a moment, it registered on his brain.
enters, and only because they do so, he narrowly Though the accent was unfamiliar, she had to
avoids stepping into a chasm that was completely be speaking a dialect of proto-Slavonic, closely
camouflaged. related to the Old Church Slavonic that he
In the center of the clearing, the unbroken car- and his father had spoken together so often.
pet of leaves rise in a mound that is shaped curi- He understood noweasily, in fact: Ask me
ously like a reclining woman. On the far end of the to marry you.
clearing, the leaves churn as something underneath This was hardly the time for romance, he
moves toward Ivan. Being a young boy alone in a thought.
strange location, he imagines a horrible monster But her gaze was fixed on the bear. It tow-
and flees. ered over them, its arms spread wide, its
In America, after growing up and becoming a mouth open as it brayed out its triumphal cry.
track star and a scholar of ancient Russian legends Ivan realized that she wasnt proposing a
and Slavic languages, Ivan has the opportunity to romantic relationship, she was telling him how
return to the former Soviet Union for research. Near to vanquish the bear.
the end of his academic pilgrimage, he visits Cousin
Marek again and remembers the haunting experi- Of course, they end up marrying. They live hap-
ence he had in the forest as a boy. He can hardly pily ever after. Except that Ivan learns the shocking
believe it ever happenedjust the wild imaginings truth behind happily ever after. Kissing Sleeping
of a frightened boy. But his curiosity gets the better Beauty is only the beginning of his troubles.
of him, and he seeks out the clearing.

Enchantment is an absolute delight to read. Card chairperson of the AMLs writers conference and mod-
makes the old fairy tale come to gritty life, starting erator for WorLDSmiths, an online writers group.
with the darker and more violent Russian version of
Sleeping Beauty. The leaf-covered clearing is an iso-
lated patch of land suspended in time, with magical Zenna Hendersons People Stories
bridges that reach to Ivans modern cen-tury and A review of Zenna Hendersons Ingathering: The
the early days of European Christianity that is the Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson
home of Katerina (the princess). The two spend (NESFA Press, 1995)
time in both centuries, and the way Card contrasts Reviewed by Preston Hunter
the two is where this novel gets much of its
enchantment (pun intended). Throw in the socio- If you intend to sample the writing of only one
pathic witch Baba Yaga as the ruthless villain, who Mormon science fiction writer, you should read
makes Hannibal Lecter look like a choirboy, and Orson Scott Card. Specifically, read Enders Game.
you have vintage Card storytelling at work. Although it is certainly not his most Mormon
Card doesnt sugarcoat anything in this fairy work, and may not be his best novel (a hotly deb-
tale of magical realism. The world of Katerina has ated point), it is unquestionably his most widely
none of the Disney romance that Western culture read. If you are going to read only two Mormon SF
imagines for such settings. The clash between writers, the second should be Zenna Henderson,
ancient and modern culture never lets up: the pre- and the book should be Ingathering: The Complete
suppositions inherent in the two are irreconcilable, People Stories of Zenna Henderson. Not only is it her
and Card avoids the chauvinistic temptation to best book, it is the only one in print.
have his modern protagonist enlighten the Ingathering is the complete collection of Zenna
ancients. Indeed, its the modern protagonist who Hendersons famous People stories. These stories
must become enlightened as he learns how the are about an alien race known only as the People
mindset of this early tribe of Slavs is necessary for whose members appear human but possess various
survival in their harsh times. psychic powers. Among their gifts (each is born
The way Card handles magic in his otherwise real- with a different set, from among a small number of
istic novel must be comparable to the way mystical possibilities) are the ability to fly, levitate objects,
Christians see Mormon theology: gritty with literal- read minds, heal, and (in rare individuals) see the
ism. Magic users seem to be everywhere in Cards future. The People fled their dying planet and a
book, even in modern times, but they also farm and handful of them made their way to Earth, where
bake cookies and their husbands become college problems during their arrival scattered them into
professors. Witch Baba Yaga must hijack a modern different groups and sometimes separate, orphaned
airline jet to magically return to her own time. One individuals. Eventually they set up two small com-
gets the impression that, if magic really did work in munities in the isolated deserts and canyons of
our world, this is how it would have to work. Arizona, where they remained largely apart from
And do the handsome prince and Sleeping the people of Earth, fearing what would happen if
Beauty finally get to live happily ever after? Youll the world knew about aliens living in their midst.
have to read Enchantment to find that out. Most of Hendersons People stories were origi-
nally published in the Magazine of Fantasy and
D. Michael Martindale works in the computer Science Fiction during the 1950s and 1960s. Six
department of Salt Lake Community College. He is stories were gathered together and published, with

additional Canterbury-esque bridging material by intelligent females. Among the People, gender
Henderson, as Pilgrimage: The Book of the People equality is a given. Both men and women sit on the
(a.k.a. Zenna Hendersons Pilgrimage; New York: council of elders that leads each group of People.
Avon Books, 1963). Later, The People: No Different Hendersons women are often outspoken, some-
Flesh was published with six other stories (New times a little rebellious, but they also cherish their
York: Avon Books, 1968), with more bridging roles as sisters, mothers, and wives. Henderson isnt
material. The stories and bridging material in these a mouthpiece for any particular contemporary ide-
two collections are so interrelated that each could ology. Readers tempted to score these stories on any
be considered a novel in its own right. Ingathering kind of liberal/conservative or progressive/tradi-
is an omnibus publication of both collections, plus tional scale may find themselves thwarted by an
a few uncollected stories, one never-before- outlook which is internally cohesive but wholly
published story, an introduction by the editor, and apart from such dichotomies.
an illuminating short essay by Henderson about Another reason Henderson stands out is that,
her creation. The volume also includes a wonderful perhaps uniquely among science fiction writers, she
timeline for all the stories, which take place represents Mormon literatures Lost Generation,
between about 1900 and 1970. rather than the aforementioned nationally promi-
I place Hendersons Ingathering second on a sug- nent Faithful Realists or locally prominent
gested reading list of Mormon SF with all due def- Home Literature writers (Lund, Heimerdinger,
erence to numerous fine writers whose background Rowley, etc.). In many literary matters, Henderson
and writing might place their work under this reflects experience from the Mormon heartland,
umbrella. Among possible choices, there may be but in European and East Coast style. She wrote
better known writers, certainly more prolific writ- exclusively for a national audience, was apparently
ers, and even a few more talented writers than uninterested in the institutional LDS Church, and
Zenna Henderson. Wolverton, Bell, Kemp, has never been prominently known as a Mormon.
Thornley, Raymond F. Jones, and others are cer- Paradoxically, Ingathering is more overtly religious,
tainly all worthy of your attention. I hate to dis- and in many ways more Mormon than the science
place Samuel Taylors Heaven Knows Why! Perhaps fiction of writers who have been very public propo-
I could move it to the top of some other list, as it nents of their faith, such as Taylor, Card, and Jones.
may be speculative fiction but isnt science fiction. By reading Ingathering you will also encounter
There is such a wealth of literature to choose the Mormon-authored stories which have had
from, and yet in reading Ingathering you will nearly unparalleled influence on the science fiction
encounter something rare, unusual, and exception- genre as a whole. Henderson was one of the first
ally worthwhile. The current generation of writers, successful openly female SF writers. Many of the
as varied as they are, nevertheless evinces certain genres most successful contemporary writers, from
similar sensibilities, not the least of which is their Kathy Tyers to Anne McCaffrey to Lois McMaster
modernity. Through Ingathering, you can cross over Bujold, specifically mention Henderson as an early
into another time and encounter a far different influence. Even Orson Scott Cards early concep-
range of experiences. tion of science fiction was profoundly influenced
Not only is Henderson the best-known woman by the People stories, although he was unaware
among Mormon SF writers, Ingathering is distinctly that Henderson shared his religious/ethnic her-
feminine, without being politically feminist. The itage. Henderson was one of only two Mormons
main characters in most of these stories are strong, included in the list of two hundred writers in

A Readers Guide to Science Fiction, published by That such content, regardless of context, is of con-
Avon Books in 1979. Henderson is fondly remem- cern to a segment of readers is evidenced by the
bered today by many SF fans. Although there were marked popularity of genre-like but LDS-safe read-
dozens of printings of her books by major national ing material by authors such as Chris
publishers, the out-of-print collections of her sto- Heimerdinger, Dan Yates, and Robert Marcum.
ries are difficult to find in used bookstores. Ive Ingathering contains not one word or sentence that
talked to a number of fans, and I believe this is couldnt be read to a middle school classroom or
because those who own these books generally hang over the pulpit to even the most easily offended
on to them or pass them down to children, and congregation.
when copies are on used bookstore shelves they are On the other hand, Ingathering will not offend
quickly snatched up. Ingathering, which is current- those afraid of anything they perceive as cloying,
ly available, is published by the New England dishonest, apologetic, or intentionally faith-
Science Fiction Association (NESFA), an all-volun- promoting. There are a few stories within the col-
teer, fan-based organization, which is in itself a tes- lection suffused with a level of niceness and right-
tament to the passion readers feel for these stories. ness that might invite a sneer from cynical readers.
Finally, I recommend Ingathering not only But anyone who reads on will realize that
because it is different in content and perspective Henderson, while always hopeful, clearly knows
from Card and kin but also because it is universal the full range of human emotion. The People sto-
in appeal. Down to its last word, these stories will ries are just thatstories. Each is psychologically
delight readers of all sensibilities, young or adult, believable and honest. There is much that is inspir-
religious or not, Mormon or otherwise, consumers ing about these stories, but there are no morality
of literary or popular writing. Ingathering plays, parables, or agendas here.
should engage fans of Evensons Altmanns Tongue as In fact, there are not even any traditional villains
thoroughly as it does those who thrill to in these stories. There are a small number of despi-
Heimerdingers Nephites. Such statements will cable people (such as Mrs. McVeyin the Hugo-
surely seem like hyperbole. They are not. nominated story Captivitywho steals the
Hendersons People stories have such wide appeal money her foster son worked to earn). But gen-
partly because of the time in which they were writ- uinely unpleasant people are minor characters. Like
ten, as well as the profession of the writer. Card, Henderson seems generally bored by the pre-
Henderson was a schoolteacher, comfortable with dictability and sameness of people who are simply
communicating in language appropriate for young evil or self-serving. In Ingathering most conflicts
people in Mormon- and Catholic-colonized arise within individuals, between groups in which
Arizona where she lived and worked. She also pub- both sides have conflicting but generally noble
lished her work in the SF magazines during the goals, or between man and nature (or perhaps
1950s and 60s, a time during which a certain clas- providence). One of the most common problems
sical decorum was expected in SF and vulgar lan- faced by the main characters is trying to figure out
guage was not. The more contemporary writings of where they fit into both the tight-knit community
even such devout Latter-day Saints as Card, of the People and the broader culture of the earth.
Wolverton, and B. Franklin Thatcher (a Mormon Its a theme that will resonate with anybody from a
bishop) contain instances of strong language, vio- highly distinctive culture, and Henderson doesnt
lence, and sensuality, albeit within the bounds of force an either-or mentality or require that one side
broadly appropriate and clearly moral fiction. be the bad guys. Indeed, the ability, even need, for

the People and the natives of Earth to learn from powers. Perhaps most appealing, they are stories
each other is a central theme that runs through the about young people who feel different and find a
collection. place to fit in and be completely accepted. In this,
Many readers will appreciate the positive spiritu- the People stories have an appeal similar to the
al undertone of these stories. Henderson makes no immensely popular X-Men.
case for any established orthodoxy, but the People, With all there is to recommend these stories, if a
despite all their diversity, have two things in com- reader is still turned off by them, it may be due to
mon: a belief in the importance of looking out for an inability to accept their basic premise: that there
those within their peculiar community, and a is a place for these misfits who feel and truly are dif-
knowledge that goes beyond belief in the reality ferent. There is a community that will accept them,
and imminence of the Power, the Presence, and the in which they can grow and develop their talents
Name. The religious beliefs of the People are never among people who look out for each other, people
called religious or beliefs, but they form an who truly care, people who are not perfect but are
important, understated motivational subtext and good. Literary critics have noted that a hallmark of
source of strength for this fictional yet familiar Cards fiction is his depiction of near-utopian soci-
alien culture. That the stories are never really about, eties, something that works for him because he
and dont even hinge on, religious beliefs should really believes in such things. The same can be said
appease readers uninterested in such subjects. But for Henderson. For many authors, the premise of
Hendersons apparent unwillingness to even ques- the People stories could have been disastrous. But
tion certain tenets of the worldview of the People Henderson makes these stories work because she
marks her as thoroughly premodern. Although has seen these very human yet very wonderful com-
there are disbelievers in her stories, there doesnt munities, if not entirely in real life then in her
seem to be any disbelief. Even agnosticism is given idealized visions of what her small towns or con-
little credence. The People (and their author, judg- gregations could be.
ing from these and other stories) are theologically Yet, as much as Henderson made me believe in
traditional, if not necessarily orthodox. That the her stories, one has to admit that many of them are
small communities of People are likely surrogates resolved similarly and perhaps too conveniently.
for Hendersons experiences in congregations and The stories are often resolved when the troubled
small Arizona towns makes these stories that much characters find and join the rest of the People.
more convincing, because they are about an alien Popular LDS writers were once criticized for too
culture which Henderson has actually lived in. frequently making every story a conversion story
Hendersons use of language will please English that ended with And then she was baptized and
teachers. The faith-and-community-oriented ele- lived happily ever after. The truth is that Weyland
ments and absence of offensive material will please and others actually did this far less often than is
certain readers, while the deep human understand- supposed. But a similar charge could accurately be
ing, lyrical stylistic achievement, and literary excel- leveled against Hendersons People stories.
lence will please others. But such advantages are Henderson is widely known for her hopeful sto-
simply icing on the cake. For general readers, and ries with happy endings. Hendersons SF forebears,
for the many people who have first encountered and to a lesser extent her contemporaries, effused
these stories while young, the People stories are optimism in the ability of human ingenuity and
interesting and imaginative character-driven tales scientific advancement to cleverly and happily solve
with convincingly described, fun-to-envision any problem that should face mankind. In the

People stories, problems are usually overcome with or denomination. Pottage makes it clear that
even simpler, some would say more far-fetched, Henderson was familiar not only with flawed peo-
tools than technology: acceptance into the com- ple but also with flawed communities, probably
munity of the People. Fortunately, other important including some she had lived in.
things happen along the way in each story, and not But for the most part, even when individuals are
all stories end this way. These similarities might be in turmoil, a community of People is a happy place
explained as exploratory variations within a repeat- to be. It is fortunate then that Ingathering opens
ed plot motif, but they are bound to bother some with the Lea bridging material, because although
readers. Leas tale connects six stories with bright happy
Henderson is neither a Pollyanna nor an uncriti- endings, it does so through the eyes of a character
cal thinker, and she doesnt think that baptism who truly knows despair and despondency.
into the ranks of the People will cure all ills. This is Hendersons stories reveal hope, but they also know
illustrated by one of the most significant stories in hopelessness and at times plunge the reader into
the collection: Pottage. This story is very similar that hopelessness. In fact, Ingathering opens with
to Ararateven more similar than usual for the the suicide attempt of Lea, the main character
People stories. Both Pottage and Ararat feature of the plot frame for the first collection. Leas jump
determined and idealistic teachers coming to teach off a bridge is halted by one of the People, who
in a tiny out-of-the-way town inhabited, unbe- then drags her to a series of testimony meetings in
knownst to them, entirely by People. In both vil- which members of the community recount their
lages the teachers come to realize that they are in a stories. Leas reluctance to relinquish loneliness
place in which the people are rather different and misery in the face of the total acceptance and
they have superhuman powers, a closed culture, warmth offered by the People provides appropriate
and a mysterious past. But whereas the teacher in emotional balance and continued tension.
Ararat finds in Cougar Canyon a community of One of the joys of reading the People stories is
uncommon warmth and beauty, where she can be that Henderson writes from a palette of genuine
accepted despite her differences, the teacher in human feeling and experience that is broader than
Pottage finds the village of Bendo an oppress- what one generally finds within genre fiction.
ively sad, dysfunctional place. Rather than being Cynicism, doubt, hatred, fear, prejudice, and their
saved by acceptance into the fold, the teacher in ilk are all there. One also finds the positive emo-
Pottage becomes the hero by connecting Bendo tions more challenging for some writers to portray,
to the thriving community in Cougar Canyon. The including optimism, hope, contrition, familial
Cougar Canyon People and the Bendo People had love, loyalty to tradition, and even belief, faith, and
previously been unaware of each others existence. submission. Hendersons richly described emotion-
These two stories provide an excellent counter- al landscapes leave no doubt that she herself has
point to each other. Although both communities encountered these human extremes, the good and
were made up of People with ostensibly identical the bad, if not in herself then in her students or
cultures, histories, beliefs, and powers, one place neighbors or other people around her.
was alive and the other dead. The contrast between One of the strengths of the People stories is the
these two stories reveals Hendersons depth of degree to which they draw you in and make you
understanding of human communities. Clearly she believe they describe uncommonly real people in
believed there was more to a successful community real places. There is also Hendersons style, which is
than simply being the right species, race, ideology, unusual, often filled with fresh and convincing

metaphor and imagery, and always purposeful, through a glass darkly. There is no real attempt to
never merely experimental. The mesas outside carefully consider the world scientifically, politi-
every window seem somehow taller and flatter; the cally, economically, etc. This other world provides
cacti are lonelier; the inner thoughts of the charac- backdrop for emotional, human-oriented drama. It
ters are stormier, or more breathtakingly placid and doesnt exist for itself. Nothing in Hendersons
inviting. Her carefully crafted sentences evoke the other stories indicates she was particularly con-
schoolteachers and the People who populate her cerned with creating detailed speculative milieux,
stories in their schoolrooms and genteel communi- which is an all-too-often overly central aspect of the
ties. science fiction genre.
With her level of detail and love of place, Another science-fiction staple that Ingathering
Hendersons settings seem phenomenally real. The has in short supply is science. Some of Hendersons
open secret to the power of Hendersons People sto- non-People stories indicate a familiarity with the
ries is that she wrote exactly what and where she science of her day and some ability to write about
knew. The desert and canyon communities of it, but Ingathering has barely enough to make it sci-
Arizona are not some imagined place like Lusitania ence fiction rather than fantasy. Henderson makes
or Anee. They exist, and these stories merely trans- no attempt to explain the physics, chemistry, or
late the authors affection for these environs to the biology behind the superhuman abilities of the
printed page. People, the destruction of their planet, or much of
No writer engaged in world building can hope to anything else for that matter. In No Different
create a world as convincing and accurate and Flesh, Meris is asked about the science textbook
cohesive as the one found in the People stories, her husband has been writing for the past year, and
because Hendersons world is real. I recall this she doesnt even know his field of research. The
world myself, from my many childhood visits to same story spends pages talking about the wonder-
aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents in places ful properties of a fabric used to make a baby out-
such as Snowflake, Eager, and Flagstaff. Perhaps my fit from the home planet. This is characteristic of
own experiences make me a biased reviewer. But how the People stories treat science. Human issues
where Henderson triggers nostalgia in me, I believe are far more important, which may disappoint a
she must stir the same sense of wonder in every few technologically obsessed readers but gives the
reader that I also feel when reading her stories. She material wider appeal.
opens my eyes to a rural desert beauty I never so Her convincingly real characters are Hendersons
fully appreciated. With Hendersons vivid descrip- greatest strength, even surpassing her achievement
tions of rural Arizona and its inhabitants, the with place. While all writers base characters on peo-
People stories are set in a science-fictional setting as ple they know, Henderson at times seems to have
alien and enchanting as anything from the mind of written only about real people. Of course the alien
McCaffrey or Niven. People are not real. But she seems to make few mis-
In truth, Hendersons People stories, and her steps; I can recall only one character I didnt believe
body of work as a whole, indicate she wasnt much in (the Russian cosmonaut in The Indelible
of a world builder. The material within Ingathering Kind).
set on another world, particularly Deluge, set on Henderson lived not only in Arizona but also in
the home planet of the People prior to its destruc- Paris and Connecticut, and she worked in Japanese
tion, is not a convincing or thorough example of relocation camps. She cant be accused of ignorance
milieu creation. It seems like a world glimpsed or myopia. But in the characters and settings of the

People stories, she not only refuses to write what the stories. Or perhaps I enjoyed Hendersons
she doesnt know but she chooses to write only world because while there I could glimpse myself
about what she knows best. The result is that her and my people not as we are but as we could be.
stories capture a far greater range of real diversity
than much of the planet-encompassing but emo-
tionally shallow multicultural SF. In each of the A Messy View of the End Times
People stories, nearly all the characters are from A review of Kenneth R. Tarrs The Gathering Storm,
only one town or one People settlement. Half of volume one in The Last Days series (Cedar Fort,
Hendersons People stories actually focus on main 1999)
characters from within a single familya refresh- Reviewed by Jeff Needle
ing rarity within orphan-filled SF. Henderson
shows us the diversity within a marriage, or among A casual journey into any evangelical Christian
siblings, where people think very different thoughts bookstore will demonstrate the popularity of books
and have very different reactions and aspirations, and tapes, fiction and nonfiction, dealing with the
despite coming from an identical culture. This rather esoteric subject of eschatologythe study of
proves very interesting and allows for more satisfy- last things. As the so-called new millennium
ing character studies than yet another exploration approached, the markets were flooded with all sorts
of how Alien Race X is different. of prognostications of how the earth would end,
The People stories are about individuals who how society would come crashing down on our
have strong ties to their local communities or are heads, and how God would somehow rescue the
adrift and become a part of a community. This faithful and utterly demolish the wicked. On
contrasts with so much of contemporary science May 17, 2000, I found a book at a local Barnes
fiction, which is unbelievably peppered with polit- and Noble store explaining, with startling clarity
ically correct smatterings of iconoclasts from and accuracy, how the world would come to an end
diverse cultures and races from around the world. on May 5, 2000, when the planets would be in
Henderson is uninterested in meeting quotas or alignment. I wondered if the world had ended and
perpetuating stereotypes. Even the alien People are no one bothered to tell me.
really a reflection of the authors own culture. On There have been surprisingly few works of fiction
the surface, the People are fascinating because they in the LDS market promoting such a sensationalis-
have superhuman powers. But what make the tic view of eschatology. While there are several
People truly compelling are not their differences good volumes discussing the Second Coming of
but how similar they are to us. Christ, the LDS fiction market seems to be more
Zenna Hendersons People stories will not trans- focused on looking back than on looking forward.
port you to intriguing alien vistas or startling Frankly, I think this is a good idea.
futures. They do not predict the outcome of the And now Kenneth R. Tarr brings us The Last
latest scientific discoveries or technological Days, volume one of The Gathering Storm series. I
advances. They are really about a place not so far purchased the book mainly to see how a fiction
away, a time not so long ago, and a people not so writer would pull together the disparate ideas and
different from our own. The world of the People is writings of LDS leaders and scholars. How would
close to our own, yet going there is an undeniably Tarr bring the whole thing together?
enjoyable experience. Perhaps this is because of the The story takes place sometime in the future. Its
beauty of the prose or the emotional power of not clear exactly when, but technology has moved

nicely along, allowing for such things as widely propriety, and thus never quite reveal, until the
used picture-phones and alternative-energy vehi- end, their affection for one another.
cles. The protagonist of this book is Steven
Christopher, a translator by trade. (Tarr, by the Problems with the Book
way, holds degrees in both Spanish and French.) As mentioned, it took a great deal of concentra-
His wife, Selena, abandoned their family when she tion to keep track of all the disasters. I tried to pic-
joined a polygamist cult in Arizona. Stevens bro- ture the globe turned upside-down by the inten-
ther, John, has long been preaching that the end is sity, and close proximity, of these dreaded events.
near, that Church members ought to be getting But more, I tried to zero in on where LDS scrip-
ready, but most view him as a fanatic and an ture, or the teachings of the prophets, gives us such
alarmist. Their younger brother, Paul, has just a dire view. Yes, there are warnings and word-
returned from his mission and is ready to get on pictures of a coming judgment, but the intensity of
with his life. the concurrent events in this book seemed a bit
Soon into the story, natural disasters begin to over the top to me. It became not a picture but a
wreak havoc on the residents of Utahearth- caricature of the very serious subject of end-time
quakes, floods, etc. The Provo area is nearly events.
destroyed. A giant earthquake nearly destroys I thought there was also a problem with conti-
Japan. Soon a pair of asteroids is spotted heading nuity. Perhaps a few examples will illustrate. The
toward earth. One lands in Canada, another in the first hundred pages of the book are populated with
Atlantic Ocean, the latter causing a tsunami effect, good, loyal LDS folks discussing the crises at great
wiping out much of the East Coast. length. We even get to travel to the polygamist set-
Through all this, a violent anti-Semite neo-Nazi tlement in Arizona where Steven and his friends
lunatic is gathering his forces to bring about the rescue Stevens daughter, who had been kidnapped
destruction of the United States. His minions by her mother.
maneuver the Russians to launch nuclear bombs on We then switch to Washington, D.C., where the
Detroit and Chicago, causing extraordinary president is meeting with his advisors. The presi-
destruction. dent advises that all American citizens should be
And a deadly disease, first thought to be a new implanted with a microchip, so their whereabouts
strain of the Ebola virus, is running rampant, can be monitored continually. When the vice pres-
killing millions. And a plot to kill more than fifty ident objects on the basis that the American people
of the top leaders of the United States, including would never go along with such a plan, the presi-
the president, the vice president, and the entire dent informs him that tens of millions of
cabinet, comes off without a hitch. Americans were already implanted, something the
The nation is in chaos. Militias have taken over vice president knows nothing about.
the country, commandeering federal facilities and Now, given that this program has already
closing roads. implanted tens of millions, how likely is it that the
I think you get the picture. vice president knew nothing about it? And even
I wasnt at all sure how all these factors worked more puzzling, with all the extended discussions of
together. It was a challenge keeping all the disasters government scheming to deprive the people
straight. One thread that ran through the whole of their rights, why is this the first time weve heard
story was Stevens budding love affair with a young of these implants? The Mormons seem to know
woman in his ward. They both follow the rules of nothing of the program. It just didnt wash.

During this same meeting, the president presentation of coming events. It simply wasnt
announces that all privately owned firearms would believable.
be confiscated. Several chapters later, a guard comes And when it comes to books presenting an end-
across Steven holding a shotgun. He asks, Do you time scenario, they must be, at the very least,
have a permit for that? I dont know why the gov- believable. There are more volumes in the series. I
ernment issues permits to you Mormons. But how hope Tarr brings the story back into the arena of
could Steven have a permit for a firearm if theyve credible discourse. The subject of the end times is a
all been confiscated? Yes, he could have hidden one, serious one and deserves some study.
but when the guard discovered it, why on earth
would he ask if Steven had a permit to own some- Jeff Needle is a veteran Mormon watcher who lives in
thing that had been outlawed? Puzzling indeed. southern California. He has written nearly fifty
reviews for AML-List.
Merits of the Book
In its favor, the book raises some interesting
questions about how seriously Mormons take the Selected Recent Releases
words of warning of their leaders. It is clear that
Tarr is raising a witness and a warning to his read- Allen, Nancy Campbell. A Time for the Heart
ers. Interesting questions are raised about food stor- (Covenant). For Claire OBrian, working at an
age, knowledge of natural remedies, and the archaeological site in Guatemala is the opportunity
dependence we all have on electricity and modern of a lifetime. Unfortunately, Darren Stark, her ex-
conveniences. Could we survive if a disaster really boyfriend, funds the dig. In addition, several rare
did hit? Or do we panic when we cant watch the artifacts have disappeared. Enter Bump St. James,
evening news because the electricity is off for an private investigator. As Claire and Bump work
hour? together to unearth the mystery, their mutual
Steven makes several personal journeys in this attraction deepens.
volume. One of them is his acknowledgment that Barkdull, Larry, Lance Richardson, and Ron
he really didnt have a clue about how to survive. McMillan. Zion: The Long Road to Sanctifi-
His fanatic brother John knew just what to do cation (Evans Book). Set in the year 650, this story
how to build a generator, how to make an out- follows the missions of Enoch, the Seer, as he works
house, etc.and Steven soon learns to appreciate to establish the most successful society of peace
his brothers fanaticism. He also finds himself in ever to exist on the earth.
a difficult situation when his ex-wife leaves the Belnap, Joseph E. The Shadow Walkers (Evans
polygamist colony and attempts a reunion with Book). This work is about an ancient mythical
Steven and their children. These storylines were tribe with mystical powers to remain hidden from
quite interesting. the outside world. Stories of their promised return
give Elijah Morningstar and his people hope. A tale
Conclusion so incredible that journalist Travis Jensen could
I thought The Last Days was a little like a stew never accept it until now.
with too many ingredients. While the component Brown, Marilyn. The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass
parts of the story arent entirely beyond belief, the (Salt Press at Cedar Fort). Called a classic by
concurrence of the events transformed the overall Brigham Young magazine, this novel of the
impact from a helpful warning to a comic-like Mountain Meadows Massacre spans twenty years

of early southern Utah Mormon history from 1857 after discovering that not many authors had found
to 1877. Revealing details of polygamous life and humor in menopause. In between hot flashes she
the adversities of the Lee family, it ends with Lees captured a compendium of words designed to
execution. encourage her midlife sisters through their own
Carter, Ron. Prelude to Glory, Volume 4: The transitions.
Hand of Providence (Deseret Book). Continuing Miller, J. Dale. Lehis Legacy (Bonneville
his fictional Revolutionary War series, Ron Carter Books). This fictionalization of the Book of
re-imagines the Battle of Saratoga through the eyes Mormons first fifteen chapters begins with
of two brave American heroes, Billy and Eli. The Nebuchadnezzars attack on Jerusalem a few
story reveals the strategies of generals from both months before Lehi, a merchant caravanner, leaves
sides of the conflict and gives a flavor of the customs the city for the wilderness. To avoid being taken
of the Iroquois tribes that fought in the Revolution. captive by the Chaldeans, he and his sons hide in
Hansen, Jennie. Chance Encounter Hezekiahs water tunnel. The volume concludes
(Covenant). Thirty-five years old and single, with Lehi opening the flap of his tent and finding
Kendra Emerson believes any hope for romance is the brass ball director known as the Liahona.
as far away as the family shes driving to visit. Her Nunes, Rachel Ann. A Greater Love (Evans
plans change when she ends up stranded in a small Book). Daniel and Cristina Andrade are childless by
Nevada town. While window-shopping, she hears choice and happy. But when a young orphan steals
a crash of glass. Two armed robbers take her and a his wallet, Daniel is forced to confront his bitter
nearby child hostage. past or risk losing everything. Cristina must choose
Jenson, Marcie Anne. Whisper of Hope between Daniel and the deep longing in her heart.
(Covenant). Adopted as young children, Dennie Nunes, Rachel Ann. Tomorrow and Always
and Thes are raised in a home filled with love and (Covenant). Karissa and Malcolm seem to have the
the light of the gospel. Dennie flourishes in this perfect life. But behind closed doors, its a much
safe and caring environment. Thes is haunted by different story. They are unable to have children
memories of his painful early-childhood years in and currently inactive in the Church, and their
Chile. His untimely death devastates the family. As marriage is falling apart. Karissa finds a kindred
the family learns the truth about his accident, spirit in her neighbor and feels a growing desire to
hearts begin to mend as they embrace the Saviors return to activity in the Church. However, this
Atonement. means confessing the one sin that has haunted her
LaFlamme, Lon. Lords of Paradise (iUniverse for years and could drive Malcolm away forever.
Publishing Services). A serial killer is on the loose Richardson, David E. The Enchanted Palace
in the Promised Valley. A wealthy, power-wielding (Bonneville Books). This fantasy novel recounts the
Salt Lake City polygamist is willing, even hungry, fictional legend of Hannah, an outcast of society
to murder young women to protect his dirty little who seeks shelter from the pain of ridicule and per-
secrets. Is there a connection? To find out, inves- secution. Hannah discovers her true self, reaffirms
tigative reporter Charlie Carver invades the strange the value of service, and becomes the true love of
yet fascinating world of life behind the gray cement two princes of different time periods and opposite
walls of the Goodman polygamist fortress. temperaments.
Malucci, Terri. Menopause Pink: Midlife Weyland, Jack. Ashley and Jen (Bookcraft).
Reflections of Wisdom and Humor (Origin). Terri Jennifer Hobbs and Ashley Bailey couldnt be more
Malucci decided to write her letter to the world opposite. Jennifer runs with the cowboys at school,

talks tough with a rebellious spirit, and hates going Mormon science fiction author Lee Allreds
to church. Ashley is a model daughter and student novelette The Greatest Danger is included in a
with a perky personality, good looks, and cheerful new science fiction anthology titled Drakas!, edited
attitude. But theres a secret that binds them by S.M. Stirling (Baen Books, 2000). The Drakas
together: bulimia, which threatens the lives of its are brutal, sadistic, racist slavers that make even
victims both physically and emotionally. Nazis look good, said Allred. It was a bit of a
Wilcox, S. Michael, and Ted Gibbons. The challenge working in a milieu like that, and still
Anteater Presents Modern Fables, Stories That writing a story thatwell, lets just say a story I
Stick, Volume 1 (Evans Book). Volume one intro- could live with having written. And I wrote about
duces Arnold the Anteater and his friends as they the good Draka! Allred characterizes his story as a
get themselves through sticky situations in three philosophical grudge match between Nietzsche and
stories, full of old fashioned morals with modern- Lorenzo Snow, with tanks and guns thrown in.
day applications. There arent any Mormons in the story, butto
Young, Margaret Blair, and Darius Aidan paraphrase an old definition of science fictionif
Gray. Standing on the Promises, Book 1: One you take Mormonism out of the story, there isnt
More River to Cross (Deseret Book). This opening any story.
novel in a historical trilogy shares stories about Several books by or about Mormons have
black Mormon pioneers such as Elijah Abel, one of appeared on recent U.S. bestseller lists, including
the few Saints of African descent to receive the Nothing Like it in the World (Simon & Schuster,
priesthood before the policy concerning Negroes, 2000), Stephen Ambroses history of the building
and Jane Manning James, who converted to the of the U.S. transcontinental railroad featuring
Church under miraculous circumstances and prominent details about Mormon involvement;
resided with Joseph and Emma Smith and later Expecting Adam (Times Books, 1999; reissued by
with Brigham Young. Berkeley Publishing Group, 2000), nonpracticing
Mormon Martha Nibley Becks AML award
winning account of her decision to have a Downs
M O R M O N syndrome child in the face of opposition from her
L I T E R A R Y academic peers; Enders Shadow (paperback, Tor,
2000) and Shadow of the Hegemon (hardcover,
S C E N E
Tor, 2001), Orson Scott Cards novels developing
characters from his previous novel Enders Game,
Compiled by Kent Larsen and Christopher K. Bigelow which has also recently resurfaced on bestseller
lists; The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Publishing (Simon & Schuster, 1989), Stephen R. Coveys
Cornerstone Publishing, which recently ten-year-old personal management classic; The
acquired LDS publisher Horizon Publishers, Carousel (Simon & Schuster, 2000), Richard Paul
announced that its top-selling fiction title for 2000 Evanss story about how the love between a man
was Linda Adamss Prodigal Journey. Not only was and a woman is tested by the demands of family
it the highest in sales of fiction books for the and work; three mysteries by Anne Perry, The
year, it was a close second among all the books sold Twisted Root (paperback, Ballantine, 2000), Half
in the year, Cornerstone owner Richard Hopkins Moon Street (paperback, Ballantine, 2001), The
told AML-List. Horizon has a book that just sells Whitechapel Conspiracy (hardcover, Ballantine,
and sells all the timeEndowed from on High.
2001); and MTVs The Real World: New Orleans copies of selected articles, order books and sub-
Unmasked (MTV Books, 2000), Alison Pollets scriptions, and view submission guidelines and
inside story of Mormon Julie Stouffer and the rest information about essay and poetry contests. In the
of the TV shows New Orleans cast. near future, the site will offer a search function and
When Canadian rock guitarist Randy an index of titles, authors, and topics from the first
Bachman learned that an author was working on thirty-six volumes.
an unauthorized Bachman biography, he decided Mormon science fiction author Orson Scott
to tell his own story in an autobiography. Currently Cards new book Sarah, published in October
available only in Canada, Randy Bachman: Takin 2000 under Deseret Books Shadow Mountain
Care of Business (McArthur & Co.) documents imprint, is the first of three historical novels in a
Bachmans life from birth until a Guess Who series called Women of Genesis. Card told the Salt
reunion concert in 2000. Bachman said that the Lake Tribune that Sarah, who was married to
book took two years to write and that he tells Abraham, is a caring, complex, faithful, and some-
the truth without regard for other peoples feelings. times confused character that he created for him-
His history with the well-known bands Guess Who self, not for commercial success. My science-
and Bachman-Turner Overdrive included painful fiction audience isnt going to go, Cool! A novel
breakups, and he also relates how he joined the about an old woman from the Bible! Card said
LDS Church, what that meant for him as a rock during an interview from his North Carolina
star, and his struggles related to a temple divorce home. I cant live on these out-of-genre books; I
from his first wife. do them out of love. Other biblical women in the
Visiting Salt Lake City to interview Mayor series will include Rebekah, wife of Isaac, and
Rocky Anderson for Rolling Stone about the Rachel and Leah, wives of Jacob. I think of this as
mayors opposition to the governments DARE not something radical but as going back to the
anti-drug program, California-based freelancer roots of my career, Card said. When I was at
Dan Baum learned that Utah is a conservative BYU, I wrote playsI adapted scripture into
place and Salt Lake City is its own place. Noting drama. Later I wrote for Living Scriptures in
that Mayor Anderson supports gay marriage, Ogden and did hundreds of audio plays adapting
abortion rights, and stronger gun control and history and the New Testament. The only differ-
opposes the death penalty, Baum pointed out that ence is, with science fiction I have to make up the
the fact someone of Andersons politics leads the culture that comes before the story.
capital of one of the most politically conservative Orson Scott Card has announced he will no
states is not so anomalous: Salt Lake City hasnt longer do book-signing tours. A press release cites
had a Republican mayor in 29 years. Baum said he several reasons: His age (almost fifty) has affected
was impressed with Salt Lake City. Im thinking his resilience and stamina. Recent events have
about writing a novel with a Mormon theme, he made it very difficult for him to be away from his
said. The Mormons are pretty fascinating,and family. While on such a trip, and for the weeks
the political organization of the LDS Church is just before and about a week after, he cant write
admirable. I told my wife, Maybe we ought to anything substantial. Card said: I enjoy the act-
move there. There are all these cool people. ual signings, the chance to meet those who read my
BYU Studies has upgraded their website at books and hear what they care about and look for
byustudies.byu.edu. Visitors can now order back in the work I do. Its the surrounding problems,
issues and article reprints, download electronic like jet lag, lost sleep, lack of real exercise, and

being away from home, that are taking too high a Richard Hopkins of Cornerstone Publishing
toll. I will still do individual signings when I visit answered a recent AML-List query about
a city with enough advance notice to arrange one Cornerstone as follows: [We] distribute directly to
with a local bookstore. Please dont think that this all the LDS bookstores in the world, including
is the last chance to talk with me or get a book Deseret and Seagull. In addition, [we] are the only
autographed. Its the multicity tour that I will no LDS publisher that has membership in the CBA
longer do. Card said hes considering a series of (Christian Booksellers Association), and [we] dis-
conventions, perhaps every three years, centered tribute to a large (and increasing) segment of the
around one or another of my worksconventions national trade market. In order to accomplish this
that will be held in the summer, and to which I can more efficiently, [we] acquired a commercial print-
bring my family so were not apart. We hope that ing company (Paradox Printers, formerly in
the first will be EnderCon I in the summer of Layton) in January 2001. Cornerstone is the only
2002, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the LDS publisher that has its own printing and bind-
publication of the novelet Enders Game in Analogs ing capabilities.
August 1977 issue. In Brigham Young Magazine, Mormon critic
Interviewed along with several other science and BYU professor Richard Cracroft recently gave
fiction authors by Yahoo! Internet Life about occa- rave reviews to two novels published by Cedar Fort
sions when their fiction has accurately predicted under the auspices of AML president Marilyn
the future, Orson Scott Card pointed to his 1978 Brown. Cracroft called The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass,
story collection Capitol. The stories took place in Browns novel about the Mountain Meadows
a future world where computers were easily accessi- Massacre, her best and boldest work to date and
ble to everyone, and where public and private con- said it matches and even excels Maurine Whipples
versations on a vast worldwide computer network classic The Giant Joshua. Turning his attention to
were as important to the culture as television, the unusual, often startling but wonderfully
Card responded. This was before I had ever heard refreshing Angel of the Danube, Cracroft wrote
of the Internet or used a computer myself. He that Alan R. Mitchell has hung a rich and literar-
continued: Capitol tagged the idea that it would ily satisfying coming-of-age novel upon an infra-
be porn and games, not high culture, that drove the structure of Austrian folklore and the ups and
juggernaut of fame through the Net. downs of Mormon missionary life.
In Bernard Coopers new short story collection Richard Paul Evanss latest book, The
Guess Again (Simon & Schuster, 2000), Mormon Carousel, comes in the same compact package as
characters play a role in a story titled Hunters and his several previous bestsellers, but this book has
Gatherers. Entertainment Weekly summarized the more heft, in length and in tone, wrote a Salt
story: A shrill Mormon couple invite their few gay Lake Tribune reviewer. I find that as I become a
friends to a potluck dinner party to cure the hus- better editor, and as I improve at the craft, I
bands same-sex longings. If it were up to me, love become harder and harder on my own books,
would stop trains and change weather, the protago- Evans said. And other writers come to me and ask
nist tells the confused man. It doesnt. The review- me to talk to them about writing. At first, that
er characterized Cooper as a respectful writer who would have been unthinkable! He continued:
doesnt victimize his characters even as they stare Ive been accused of writing just maudlin senti-
down tragedy. Imbued with dignity and humor, ment. The truth is I cant stand things that are
they get the last laugh, and we get a few ourselves. sappy. I write things that are really honest to me. I

dont write to be saccharine. Evans said that his Mathius Hoviuss journal were, it motivated me
friend Terry Brooks, a prominent fantasy author, to continue because I never knew what was going
told him: You set the standard for storytelling. to happen next. Harlines previous book, titled
You are not the best writer out there, but you set The Burdens of Sister Margaret: Inside a Seventeenth-
the mark for stories. Century Convent and recently released in an
Arthur Hardman, founder of Covenant abridged paperback version (Yale Univ. Press,
Communications, currently the second-largest 2001), is a personal history he wrote after finding
publisher in the LDS market, recently died at age bundles of letters written by a nun.
eighty-six. Hardman ran what was initially known Bob Hughes reported on AML-List that his
as Covenant Recordings from 1958 until he sold it latest book, Behind Blue Eyes: Sonnets from the
to Lou Kofford in 1977. According to his family, Vietnamese, has been published in Bangkok by
Hardman founded Covenant to produce word- Mark Standen Publishing. Hughes calls the work a
for-word narrations of the LDS scriptures and mixed-format poetic memoir of Vietnam.
started with door-to-door sales. Covenant began Inquiries about the book may be directed to
publishing books in 1985 and now releases forty Hughes at bobernice@hotmail.com.
new titles each year. Its best-known books include A federal judge has tossed out a former WWII
the Tennis Shoes among the Nephites series, prisoner of wars lawsuit alleging author Dean
romances by Anita Stansfield, and the recent Hughes plagiarized his memoirs in Hughess fic-
blockbuster Between Husband and Wife. Covenant tional Children of the Promise series published by
is based in American Fork, Utah, and employs Deseret Book. The judge ruled that facts in stories
twenty-five people. based on historical events cannot be copyrighted.
Brigham Young University professor Craig Gene Jacobsen, a Utahn who survived the Bataan
Harline is the coauthor of A Bishops Tale: Mathias Death March in the Philippines, alleged his unpub-
Hovius among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century lished memoir was used to create the character of
Flanders, which was recently published by Yale Wally Thomas, who lives through the agony of a
University Press. Harline commented that, while Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. The judge wrote:
writing the historical account, we were envious of The character of Wally is a complex character
the novelists total freedom of invention, but we placed in various settings. Only a portion of his
were consoled repeatedly by encounters with char- story takes place in the Philippines and Japan.
acters and events more improbable than we ever Further, the memoir only deals with Jacobsens
could have imagined ourselves. One reviewer experiences in a limited matter and does not
wrote: A Bishops Tale is riddled with ordinary and expand much over time and geography as do
colorful people, including devoted and not-so- Hughes novels. It is clear to this court that Wally
devoted priests, peasant women determined not to is not Gene Jacobsen.
let their babies die unbaptized, millers violating AML webmaster and AML-List review
Sabbath decrees, and a hospital sister accused of archivist Terry Jeffress reported that the AML-List
stealing from a patient. The anecdotes make review archives now contains more than four hun-
Harline and [Eddy] Puts book more like a novel dred reviews of Mormon literature. The most-
than a dry work of history that examines religious reviewed authors are Orson Scott Card, with
turbulence during the Age of Reformation. twenty-eight reviews; Margaret Blair Young,
Harline said: There is a lot of tedium in archival with nine; and former AML-List moderator and
work. But when I saw how interesting the stories in IRREANTUM comanaging editor Benson Y.

Parkinson, with nine. Top reviewers include Jeff memoir won the 1999 Writers Digest National
Needle, with forty-eight reviews to his credit; Self-Published Book Award, numerous literary
Harlow S. Clark, with twenty-eight; and R.W. agents contacted him, and he chose Joseph
Rasband, with twenty-six. Jeffress said the archive Durepos of Chicago to represent his book. The
now contains titles from more than eighty-five book was pitched as Tuesdays with Morrie meets
publishers and imprints. The AML-List review The Greatest Generation, with Everything I Need to
archive can be accessed at www.xmission. Know I Learned in Kindergarten thrown in. Most
com/reviews/index.html. self-published books that come to us require a great
Deseret News writer Jerry Johnston explored deal of work to get into shape, said Harper
the topic of Mormon missionary fiction in a SanFrancisco editor Gideon Weil. But Kennys
December 16 column. Dozens of novels have been book is so well-written and respectful of the reader
written about LDS missionary life, he observed. that our job was quite easy. And we have every con-
But no matter how good they are, they dont gen- fidence that Dad Was a Carpenter has the chops to
erate a buzz. Missionary novels, Johnston wrote, become a national best-seller. The books first
almost always focus on one elderusually the nar- printing will reportedly be over 50,000 copies.
ratorstruggling with faith and faithfulness. His In a letter published in the February 2000 issue
conflicts are internal. He often tries to maintain his of Sunstone, John L. Needham pointed out that
individual identity in a sea of dark-suited sameness. book publisher Alfred A. Knopf has significantly
He wrestles with authority. He slips, he slides. contributed to the respectabilityhowever mod-
However, most Mormons, according to Johnson, estnow attached to Mormon literature. In addi-
see missionary experience not as the arena for tion to some prominent Mormon-related historical
fighting your personal demons but as a time when titles, Knopf has released such landmark works of
the missionary belongs to God and must set aside Mormon literature as Virginia Sorensens A Little
self-absorbed fretting and worry about larger mat- Lower than the Angels (1942), Rodello Hunters A
ters. Johnston noted that missionary-themed House of Many Rooms (1965), and Brian Evensons
theatrical productions fare better with Mormon Altmanns Tongue (1994).
audiences because theyre lighter and filled with Several BYU professors recently discussed the
music. And the story is usually about missionary phenomenon of LDS historical fiction in caution-
work itself, about a community of kids trying to ary terms. While historical fiction can be educa-
overcome adversity and get the word out. He tional, said author and BYU instructor Dean
opined that if Mormons ever embrace a literary Hughes, people need to remember its not as impor-
masterpiece about mission life, it will probably tant as sacrament meeting or scriptures. People
have a female writer and protagonist, rather than a start placing novels on too high of a rung, he said.
young lion straining at his restraints. Richard Holzapfel, associate professor of church
Self-published Mormon author and filmmaker history and doctrine, said: There is a tremendous
Kenny Kemp announced that HarperCollins responsibility to be true to the facts given us. We
Publishers is paying a six-figure advance for reprint live in an age where pop culture must be taken seri-
rights to his 1999 memoir Dad Was a Carpenter: ously. We cant be academic snobs. We need to
Blueprints for a Meaningful Life. Kemps book will encourage authors to be historically accurate.
be published in spring 2001 under the Holzapfel observed that the popularity of LDS his-
HarperSanFrancisco imprint, which features inspi- torical fiction has stimulated more interest in
rational and spiritual titles. Kemp said that after his Church history sites, scriptures, and historical

writings. I think Mormons are such a practical publisher. Longtime Signature associate publisher
people, said Dean Hughes. If they can read some- Gary Bergara will become the managing director of
thing thats entertaining that also teaches history the new Smith-Pettit Foundation, which sponsors
and at the same time is affirmative without being research in Mormon and Utah history. The associ-
simple minded, thats what people seem to be look- ate publisher position has been filled by Ron
ing for. Priddis, who was serving as Signatures marketing
Gerald N. Lund, whose Work and the Glory director. In his new position, Priddis will act as pri-
historical fiction series has sold nearly three million mary manuscript editor and manage office work-
copies for Deseret Book, recently introduced a fic- flow. He has been replaced as marketing director by
tionalized New Testament series called The Tom Kimball, a bookseller who previously worked
Kingdom and the Crown. Volume one, titled Fishers at Deseret Book, used and rare book dealer
of Men, begins in the fall of A.D. 29 with a great Benchmark Books, and leather-bound collectible
commotion as John the Baptist preaches that the publisher Greg Kofford Books. Signature, which
long-promised Messiah has finally come. The story celebrates its twentieth anniversary this April and
continues with the calling of the disciples, the has released a total of nearly three hundred titles,
wedding feast where water is turned into wine, and plans to release twelve new titles during 2001,
the Sermon on the Mount. Later volumes will including two works of fiction: House of James and
dramatize the rest of the Saviors ministry, his cru- Other Stories, by Lewis Horne, and Heroes of
cifixion and resurrection, and the apostolic min- Nature, a novel by Margaret Young.
istry. Chapter notes refer to scriptures, the writings Author Jaron Summers was profiled in a
of early rabbinical sources and historians such as recent Writers Digest publication about self-
Philo and Flavius Josephus, and archaeological publishing. Asked about his efforts, Summers
excavations. claimed he was the first person to market a novel
Sociologist Jan Shipp and her latest book, on the Internet and said: Suddenly people from
Sojourner in the Promised Land: Forty Years Among all over the world are interested in buying and read-
the Mormons, were the subject of a recent Publishers ing my writing. Its great. And they have instant
Weekly article about her career and relationship access to ordering through Barnes & Noble,
with the LDS Church. In the book, Shippswho iUniverse, or my website (www.jaronbs.com). His
is not a member of the Mormon faithtells her most recent book is titled Bettys Greatest Adventure,
story of Mormon watching and presents sixteen and he says hes currently writing a novel called
essays on Mormon history and culture. She told The Missionary Positionits about my being a
Publishers Weekly she has spent her career walking a Mormon missionary in New Zealand between 62
tightrope in dealing with the Church. Her most and 64.
recent difficulty occurred when she sought to use a Marion Smiths novel Riptide was a finalist for
widely circulated Church-owned photo of the Salt the Utah Book Award 2000 in fiction. Published in
Lake Temple on the jacket of her book. The spring 2000 by Salt Lake Citybased Signature
Church initially refused permission, delaying pub- Books, Riptide is a fictionalized version of a true
lication of the book from November 2000 to story about a Salt Lake Mormon family facing
January 2001. child sexual abuse committed by a family member.
The start of a new foundation by Signature Terry Tempest Williams book Leap, her literary
Books publisher George D. Smith has led to a meditation on the Hieronymous Bosch painting
management change at the academic Mormon The Garden of Earthly Delights, was the Utah Book

Award 2000 winner for nonfiction. Administered excused from an in-class assignment and later
by the Library of Congressaffiliated Utah Center tutored and allowed to take a test he missed for
for the Book and the Utah Arts Council, the Utah observing Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day.
Book Award in fiction was won in 1999 by non- With the recent successful production in
practicing Mormon Robert Van Wagoner for his Springville, Utahs Little Brown Theater of Eric
novel Dancing Naked. Samuelsens Three Women, directed by Wendy
Keller, Villa Institute of the Performing Arts
Theater founders Bill and Marilyn Brown announce an
The Farley family once again turned Christmas increasing focus on the production of original
upside down in Brigham Young Universitys Pardoe works. The first VIP Arts drama contest, which
Drama Theater as James Arringtons Farley Family closed on December 31, was won by BYU student
Xmas returned for a three-week engagement in Nathan F. Christensen for his musical Heart of the
December 2000. This popular one-man show, Heartland, which features a modern Gulliver who
which has been running in some form for well over finds small people in his travels and which will be
a decade, depicts how the dysfunctional Farley clan the subject of a public reading, to be announced
spends the holidays. The show always changes, soon. The Browns, who have already produced four
because Ive never written anything down, so it of their own works, most recently had a successful
becomes very topical, Arrington said. Whatever run of Riot at Flos Cafe, a fifties comedy written by
is in the headlines somehow always winds up in the Bill Brown. They have also produced Erica Glenns
show. Arrington was recently appointed chair of Dancing Shoes and numerous childrens theater
the new theater department at Utah Valley State pieces by Anna Murdock.
College in Orem, Utah. In Canada, Jessica Holmess comedy act was
LDS student Christina Axson-Flynn has filed recently showcased in an hour-long Comedy
a federal lawsuit claiming her constitutional rights Network season premiere. Holmes said her comedy
to freedom of speech and religion have been vio- has been influenced by her Mormon background.
lated by University of Utah theater professors One of her fictitious characters, Candy Anderson
because they allegedly refused to let her omit two Henderson, is an amalgamation of people she met
offensive words during an in-class performance. on her full-time mission. Id never seen so many
University of Utah attorneys have asked the judge curling irons, stamp collections, or arts and crafts
to weigh any alleged violations against the back- materials that somehow related to Jesus, she said.
drop of the universitys freedom to determine its Holmes admits that creatively and artistically I do
curriculum and how to instruct the students in the make moral choices about the peopleoften
curriculum. James W. McConkie, Axson-Flynns celebritiesshe pokes fun at. Im not into dark
attorney, said: The state has no compelling reason comedy, she said. Thats not how I see the world.
as to why its essential she say the word God in Maybe I see the world through rose-colored
order to get a good education. Our client is not try- glasses, but I love life. She said she developed her
ing to affect what is taught, how it is taught, what sense of morality from her devoutly Mormon
the curriculum is, what is in the curriculum and father and from her mother, a rape crisis counselor.
what isnt. In a review session at the end of semes- Burdens of Earth, BYU English professor Susan
ter, Axson-Flynn was told she would have to Howes dramatic examination of the mind and
modify her values or drop out of the program. In heart of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his fellow
contrast, student Jeremy Rische testified he was sufferers at Liberty Jail, was presented in February

2000 at Brigham Young University. Howe is bet- and situations he faced growing up in Utah. Kelly
ter known as a poet than a playwright, and in this recently started Hurdy Gurdy Productions to help
lyrical play the poet shines through, wrote a Salt promote local talent.
Lake Tribune reviewer. While depicting the five Savior of the World, an original musical drama
prisoners dire predicament with accuracy and produced by the LDS Church, premiered
compassion, Howes language transcends the claus- November 28 at the Churchs state-of-the-art, 911-
trophobic cell. The reviewer also noted that Howe seat Conference Center Theater in downtown Salt
dares to let a brooding Smith ask: Well, Joseph, Lake City. Featuring a cast of more than sixty, this
its finally time to look at yourself. Who are you? A production, which inaugurated the new theater,
prophet of the Lord? No, that isnt Joseph Smith. dramatizes scriptural accounts of the birth and res-
Thats a cloak under which Ive been allowed to urrection of Jesus Christ. After being chosen
hide. But who am I? What have I done? Burdens through a 1998 call for LDS writers and composers
of Earth was first presented in 1987 at a Mormon that generated 354 responses, seven Church mem-
meetinghouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and bers from Arizona, Illinois, New York, and Utah
was produced later that year at BYU. The script collaborated via the Internet and telephone on the
was published in the November 1987 issue of script and score. After all twenty-eight perform-
Sunstone. ances of Savior of the World sold out within a week,
Nonpracticing Mormon playwright Julie the Church announced the production will run
Jensens play Two-Headed, the story of two women again for three weeks at Easter 2001. The
impacted by the Mountain Meadows Massacre and Conference Center Theater is expected to house
polygamy over a period of forty years, was recently three LDS Churchsponsored musical productions
jointly produced by the Los Angeles County Arts a yearat Christmas, at Easter, and during the
Commission and A.S.K. Theater Projects at the summerin addition to musical concerts and
county-owned John Anson Ford Theatre in other productions. Elsewhere in downtown Salt
Hollywood. According to a Los Angeles Times Lake, the Churchs structurally unsound Promised
reviewer, Theres a coiled anger to Jensens work, Valley Playhouse will be converted to retail space,
and the play is a thing of precision and short, offices, and a parking structure.
sharp conversational shocks. On the other hand, Jamie Pachino won BYUs 2000 William P.
the reviewer criticized the character of Lavinia as and Arlene R. Lewis Playwriting Contest for
too much of the savage truth-teller and said Women with Waving Goodbye, her play about a
Jensens manner of pointing out the contrasts seventeen-year-old photographer who loses her
between her characters awfully neatly and clearly father in a mountain-climbing accident. Pachinos
robs the story of a layer of mystery. The play has play was given a staged reading at BYU, and she
previously been presented in Salt Lake City and received a $650 honorarium and a Kennedy Center
New York and was reviewed in the autumn 2000 Fund for American Plays Production Grant Award.
issue of IRREANTUM. LDS playwright Tim Slovers award-winning
BYU English major Brigham Kelly recently play Joyful Noise, the story behind Handels Messiah,
wrote and produced two one-act plays, titled Self was presented in both Atlanta and Salt Lake City
Interest and Existence, at the American Fork [Utah] during the 2000 Christmas season. A Salt Lake
Amphitheater. Kelly said both pieceswhich have Tribune reviewer said the play blends gentle humor
been characterized as comedies containing some with moments of pathos, and is underlaid with an
dramatic elementswere inspired by relationships interesting (and topical) debate about conflicts that

arise between organized religion and artistic expres- winning treatment begins, The scale and romance
sion. On the other hand, the reviewer said the of Titanic meet the action and pyrotechnics of
changes experienced onstage by the characters need Backdraft in the action-romance The Fire. Set
more justification because they seem convenient against the backdrop of the great Chicago fire of
and dont quite ring true. Slover told the Atlanta 1871, The Fire integrates fictional and real-life
Journal and Constitution about his favorite charac- characters. Atkin, who works as a project manag-
teristic in the play: Someone once said the angels er for American Express, said, Im not looking to
envy us two things, our ability to forgive and our act or direct, but I do want to make a living writ-
ability to repent. In the play, every one of the char- ing screenplays.
acters must do one or the other, and some do both. In a recent profile, the Dublin Irish Times cred-
The Atlanta performance featured the use of live ited LDS animator Don Bluth with starting
chorusesto supplement the canned music in the Irelands animation industry by opening his own
play; fourteen different local church choirs partici- animation studio in Dublin. Bluth and his associ-
pated, a different group for each performance. In ates collaborated with Stephen Spielberg to pro-
other Slover news, his Mormon history play duce the 1986 hit An American Tail and subse-
Hancock County will be produced at BYU during an quently produced the Land before Time series and
upcoming season. All Dogs Go to Heaven. After Fox Studios bought
The Blacker the Berry, an adaptation of Wallace Bluths studio and moved him to the United States,
Thermans book of the same name, was recently Bluth succeeded with Anastasia but then entered a
jointly produced by BYUs College of Humanities, decline. After his expensive Titan A.E. performed
BYUs theater and media arts department, and the poorly last year, Fox shuttered its animation studio.
Utah Humanities Council. The play, presented LDS filmmaker Greggory C. Peck and his
through live theater and film, is the story of a Provo-based Bristone Films have released a
young black woman and her struggle to free herself romantic drama titled Cowboys and Angels,
from the debilitating effects of racism and redefine Bristones first theatrical feature. In a two-star
her self-worth and creative potential. The 1929 review, the Salt Lake Tribune called the film the
novel, written in the creative heat of the Harlem cutest Touched by an Angel episode never made,
Renaissance, was adapted for the stage by project padded out with sunlit montage sequences accom-
coordinator Char Nelson and BYU students panying country songs. What keeps it from falling
Denise Cutliff and Kirsten Haskell. Archival pho- over into pap are the lead actresses [Radha Mitchell
tographs from Los Angeles, Harlem, and Boise and Mia Kirshner]. Written and directed by
added to the historical detail of the story. The play Gregory C. Haynes and shot in and around Salt
was presented in BYUs Nelke Experimental Lake City, the film won a Crystal Heart award from
Theatre, in a Baptist church in Salt Lake City, the Heartland Film Festival, the Indianapolis-based
and at last years African-American Literature and event that celebrates family films. Bristone Films
Culture Society conference in Salt Lake. previous productions include the videos Christmas
Mission and Only Once.
Film LDS artist James C. Christensens book Voyage
Steve Atkin, a nonpracticing Mormon from of the Basset has been made into a TV movie titled
West Jordan, Utah, was one of three winners from Voyage of the Unicorn by Hallmark Entertainment,
among three thousand entrants in a screenplay idea scheduled to be aired on the Odyssey Channel in
contest held by Entertainment Weekly. Atkins early March. Originally published in 1996, Voyage

of the Basset has been called a magical journey that frat-house atmospherean interesting way to
proves ones imagination is where science starts. handle material so readily linked with patriarchy.
The critically praised book tells the story of Excel Entertainment Group has announced the
Professor Algernon Aisling and his daughters, who creation of Excel Motion Picture Distribution, a
set out in search of mythical creatures aboard the new division that will commence this spring by
H.M.S. Basset and pledge allegiance to the ships coordinating the national and international theatri-
motto, By Believing, One Sees. cal release of Richard Dutchers upcoming film
Todd Copes 74-page novel The Shift, based on Brigham City, a dramatic murder mystery. Our
his own experiences and self-published in 1998, vision as a company has always been to become a
was recently made into a TV movie for CBS called complete entertainment company, providing
The Last Dance. Premiering on October 29, 2000, music, film, and all types of entertainment media
and starring Maureen OHara, the movie tells the that is reflective of Mormon or LDS culture, said
story of an elderly retired teacher who lies dying in Excel president Jeff Simpson. With this expansion,
a hospital and the emergency room nurse who we are better able to focus on all aspects of our busi-
helps try to save her. Copes story was adapted by ness, both in film and in music. We feel that Gods
Beth Polson, producer and long-time friend of the Army was not only a major step forward in terms
LDS faith, to whom he sent his novel after reading of LDS film, but a huge step forward for all types
about her TV movies Go Toward the Light and The of LDS and faith-centered entertainment media.
Christmas Box. He said he wrote his novel with a Excel Entertainment Group also controls Highway
general Christian slant so it would appeal beyond Records (contemporary faith-centered), Joyspring
the Mormon market. If theres an important mes- Records (instrumental), Embryo Records (inspira-
sage to be shared, he reasoned, why limit it? tional), and Little Stream Records (childrens).
Cope works in the emergency room at Timpanogos Miramax Films has optioned two forthcoming
Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah, and has com- books about the Mormon inventor of television,
pleted a second fictional book. Philo T. Farnsworth, and his patent battle with
Released in VHS and DVD versions in RCA. Mystery novelist and Arthur Conan Doyle
November 2000, Richard Dutchers film Gods biographer Daniel Stashowers Gleaming of the
Army shipped 130,000 units during its first six Light will be published by Broadway Books, and a
weeks. We are getting orders from stores and not-yet-titled book by Evan Schwartz is under con-
national chains that have never before shown any tract at HarperCollins.
kind of interest in LDS-themed entertainment, After sitting in development since 1992, AML
said Dean Hale of Excel Entertainment Group, the member Mikal Gilmores memoir Shot in the
films distributor. By the end of its theatrical release, Dark, about his brother Gary Gilmore, has been
Gods Army will have grossed over $2.6 million green-lighted for production by HBO Films. Daily
and played in 43 states, more than 250 cities, and Variety described the project as follows: Told
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, and through the perspective of Mikal Gilmore, Shot is
Samoa, with plans underway for theatrical release the story of a wildly dysfunctional family destroyed
in Great Britain, South Africa, and the Philippines. by a multigenerational history of child abuse, alco-
This earnest, almost compelling portrait of holism, crime, adultery and murder. It will chron-
Mormon missionaries in L.A. plays like a recruiting icle the final days of Gary Gilmore, who, after
video, wrote an Entertainment Weekly reviewer being convicted of murder, petitioned to be exe-
who gave the video a C+. The film exults in its cuted by firing squad.

After doing a cameo appearance in Steven swallow. For many years, we would just not talk
Soderberghs Traffic, a film exploring U.S. and about anything that is negative, and now every-
Mexican efforts to combat the drug problem, body is kind of having fun sharing the true
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) distanced himself Osmond story. All ten children and their parents
from the film because of its gratuitous amount of agreed on the script, which details the familys
violence and profanity. In his press release, Hatch infighting, heartache, rebellion, bad investments,
said he originally understood the film would be and difficulties working in Hollywood as practicing
rated PG-13 and agreed to appear because he Mormons. Revelations include a bomb threat from
believed the movie offered a much-needed oppor- the Symbionese Liberation Army, Donny and Jays
tunity to accurately portray the tragic, horrible make-out session with some fan club members,
impact drug abuse has had on the people of this Merrills resentment about being replaced as lead
country. He continued: Movies can be a tremen- singer by Donny, and father George and brother
dous force for good. One such example is Schindlers Alans guilt about losing $80 million. An
List, which did more to help educate Americans Entertainment Weekly reviewer gave the movie a C
than any history textbook. However, after seeing grade and called it a punchless grab bag of creative
the movie, Hatch said: I was shocked and dis- differences and family squabbling.
mayed at the gratuitous amount of violence and The Princess and the Marine, a TV movie sched-
profanity in Traffic. It was more than was necessary uled to air on NBC in February, is the unlikely love
to reveal the devastation caused by drugs. I do not story of an LDS serviceman and a member of the
condone it. It detracts from its anti-drug message. royal family of Bahrain. The movie is based on
A recent issue of Newsweek says LDS film- the true story of returned missionary Jason
maker Neil LaBute has had to climb a literary Johnson and Meriam Al-Khalifa, who met at a
mountain bringing A. S. Byatts Possession to the mall while Johnson was serving with the marines in
screen. It was a challenge that stumped earlier Bahrain. Johnson forged a military I.D. to smuggle
directors Sydney Pollack (Random Hearts) and Al-Khalifa out of Bahrain, and the couple married
Gillian Armstrong (Little Women). The 555-page in Las Vegas following Al-Khalifas release from jail,
novel traces complex literary themes, evoking poets where she was detained for illegally entering the
Robert Browning and Christina Rossetti. And the United States. Morally, it was right to do what I
plot defies Hollywood categorization: a pair of did, said Johnson. The greater of the two was
modern-day academics (Gwyneth Paltrow and more concern for the well-being of another human
Aaron Eckhart) explore the secret epistolary love being. Family is eternal. Family is forever. So she is
between the two Victorian writers (Jeremy more important to me. Al-Khalifa applied for
Northam and Jennifer Ehle). LaBute finds the tale political asylum and has appeared at numerous
surprisingly contemporary. We think of [Victorian Immigration and Naturalization Service hearings.
poets] in a quaint way, he says, but they have real Johnson was court-martialed, demoted, and given
passions. They are taking risks that characters in an honorable humanitarian discharge from the
the present wouldnt dream of. marines. A Variety reviewer said the movie is sim-
On February 5, ABC aired a two-hour TV film ple and comfortable but misses out on the serious
about the Osmond family. Inside the Osmonds was inspection of religion and legal wrangling.
almost therapy in a way for my family, said Jimmy Los Angeles screenwriters Christopher Ames
Osmond, one of six executive producers. It really and Carolyn Shelby, a husband-and-wife team who
shows what happened. Some of it was hard to have written exposs of Procter & Gamble and

Columbia HealthCare for HBO, are dramatizing cash prizes and publication in IRREANTUM. For
the Salt Lake Olympic scandal for Foxs cable more information on both contests, refer to the
channel FX. Tentatively titled Let the Games Begin, AML News section near the front of this issue.
the TV movie is likely to contain some fictionalized The Sunstone Foundation has announced its
Mormon-themed content. This is about how Salt annual Brookie & D.K. Brown Memorial
Lake City sent its best and brightest to get the Fiction Contest. Entries must relate to Latter-day
Games and about the aftermaththe pitfalls and Saint experience, theology, or worldview. Short
pratfalls set against what the Olympics is supposed short stories cannot exceed 1,000 words, and short
to be about, said producer Bonnie Raskin. This stories cannot exceed 6,000 words. The submission
is not just a movie where you pick the rock up and deadline is June 30, 2001, and winning entries will
see the squirmy stuff underneath. Ames and be awarded cash prizes and be published in
Shelby told the Salt Lake Tribune that the story Sunstone magazine. For more information about
was too sexy to pass up. Ames commented, I contest requirements, contact the Sunstone
dont think were going to have to make anything Foundation at 801-355-5926 or sunstoneut@
up. The truth is just too good. aol.com.
When Eric Young, a descendant of Brigham The nonprofit organization Utah Writers has a
Youngs brother, tried to date a descendent of web site at www.utahwriters.org that contains some
Mountain Meadows Massacre figure John D. Lee, Mormon-related material. Features of the site
the womans mother turned him away because of include listings of upcoming readings and writers
what Brigham Young did to her ancestor. That workshops, a chat room, a directory of writers, a
experience prompted Young to make a documen- news page for contest winners and new books pub-
tary about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, lished, and a directory of contact information for
which was shown in November 2000 at a film fes- several publishers, newspapers, and bookstores.
tival in St. George, Utah. Young originally aimed to The Salt Lake Tribune said the site is user friendly,
clear Brigham Young of responsibility for the thorough, and growing. It is a site for savvy eyes.
massacre, but he said he was unable to find suffi- The VIP Arts Playwriting Contest 2001 is
cient evidence. His documentary draws heavily on now accepting entries. The contest is open to any-
the classic 1950 book Mountain Meadows Massacre one, requires no entry fee, and allows multiple
by Mormon historian Juanita Brooks. Like the entries. Plays must be two hours or less in running
book, the film is sympathetic to John D. Lee, the length, including intermission, and be suitable for
Mormon pioneer executed at the massacres loca- family audiences. Pages should be numbered, the
tion twenty years later and widely regarded as a authors name should appear only on a cover sheet
scapegoat. Young is a professor of film at Dixie in a separate envelope, and each entry should be
College in St. George. mailed separately. Please include a SASE if you wish
your script returned. Winning entries will be given
Especially for Writers a staged reading and considered for production.
The Association for Mormon Letters is holding Entries must be postmarked no later than June 30,
two fiction contests this year. The Marilyn Brown 2001. Send entries to Bill or Marilyn Brown or
Unpublished Novel Award provides $1,000 and Marie Knowlton at 254 S. Main St., Springville,
possible publishing opportunities to the winning Utah, 84663, and for more information call 801-
novelist, and the IRREANTUM fiction contest offers 489-3088 between noon and 6:00 (Mountain).

Though Writers @ Work is not affiliated with Basil, Harry, and Rodney Dangerfield. My Five Wives
Mormonism, the Utah organizations annual fel- (film) [CS]
lowship competition and 2001 conference may be More Does Not Mean Merrier in My 5 Wives,
of interest to Mormon writers. With a deadline of Robin Rauzi, Los Angeles Times, 8 September
Broadhead, Kennedy, Justin Evans, Robert Graham,
March 15, 2001, the fellowship competition
and Charlie Stephens. Raising Emma (drama) [ACS]
accepts entries in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry LDS original play Raising Emma readies for the
and awards cash, tuition, and publication prizes. stage, Las Vegas Beehive, October
The 2001 conference, to be held June 2429 at Local Troupe to Raise Curtain on New Musical in
Westminster College in Salt Lake City, will feature December, Las Vegas Beehive, November
morning workshops, afternoon panel discussions Brown, Marilyn. The Wine-Dark Sea of Grass (Salt
and lectures, and networking opportunities with Press/Cedar Fort, 2000) [ACS]
writers, agents, publishers, and agents. For more The Act of Reading, Richard H. Cracroft, Brigham
information, contact W@W at 801-292-9285 or Young Magazine, Winter
Card, Orson Scott. Lost Boys (Harper Collins, 1992)
visit www.writersatwork.org.
[ACS]
Lost Boys, Terry L. Jeffress, AML-List, 11 December
Note: If you have a news item suitable for Mormon Card, Orson Scott. Sarah: Women of Genesis, volume
Literary Scene or notice a Mormon-related literary 1 (Shadow Mountain, 2000) [ACS]
item in another publication, please send the informa- Sarah: Women of Genesis, Volume 1, Sybil S.
tion to irreantum2@cs.com. Steinberg, Publishers Weekly, 11 September
Story of Sarah Brought to Life, Las Vegas Beehive,
November
Carter, Ron. The Clearwater Union War (Bookcraft,
Recent Mormon-Related 1999) [A]
Reviews and News The Clearwater Union War, Jeff Needle, AML-List,
18 October
Code: [A] LDS author or author with Mormon heritage, Cooper, Bernard. Guess Again (Simon & Schuster,
[C] LDS characters, and [S] LDS subject or theme. Send 2000) [C]
corrections in a letter to the editor. Guess Again, Sybil S. Steinberg, Publishers Weekly,
18 September
Bachman, Randy. Takin Care of Business (McArthur Ghosts and a bird remain, Charles Wilson, New York
& Co., 2000) [A] Times Book Review, 19 November
Guess Who reunion almost didnt happen, Bartley Bernard Coopers stories have crossover appeal,
Kives, Edmonton Journal, 22 September Seattle Times, 25 November
Paging Randy Bachman, John Kendle, Winnipeg Dutcher, Richard. Gods Army (film) [ACS]
Sun, 28 September Cliches undermine hopes of Gods Army, Loren
Randy Bachman in Calgary to promote new book, King, Boston Globe, 22 September
Mike Bell, Calgary Sun, 10 October Modest Gods Army doesnt wear religion on sleeve,
Bachman appears at bookstore in T.O. Jane Philip Wuntch, Miami Herald, 19 September
Stevenson, Toronto Sun, 14 October Mormon is on a mission in Gods Army, Paul
Bachmans in Overdrive, Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sherman, Boston Herald, 22 September
Sun, 17 October Dont slam door on Mormon film, Lisa Wilton,
Guess Whos back for few more rounds of geezer Calgary Sun, 29 September
rock, Paul Gessell, Ottawa Citizen, 21 October Only the devout will warm to new film on
Rock Sinner, Rock Saint, Nicholas Jennings, Mormons, David Staples, Edmonton Journal,
Macleans, 20 November 3 October

Gods Army puts up good fight, Lisa Wilton, Successful Bash, Chris Fujiwara, Boston Phoenix,
Toronto Sun, 3 November 12 October
Dutcher, Richard. Brigham City (film) [ACS] A modest critic, Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix,
What next? Brigham City Jeff Vice, Deseret News, 26 October
29 September Bash: Thistle Dew theater brings dark LaBute tril-
Gods Army director shooting new film, Gina ogy to light, Marcus Crowder, Sacramento Bee,
Groeger, BYU Newsnet, 17 October 23 October
Filmmaker sets up shop in Mapleton, Eric D. LaBute, Neil. Nurse Betty (film) [A]
Snider, Provo Daily Herald, 16 October On good behavior? Douglas J. Rowe, Chicago Daily
Evans, Richard Paul. The Christmas Box (Simon & Southtown, 23 September
Schuster, 1995) [ACS] Bettys blues, Michael Dwyer and Ian Kilroy, Irish
Piano helps Cardall deal with feelings, Heather Times, 15 September
Lalley, Spokane Spokesman-Review, 21 September Nurse Betty, Premiere, September
Angel statue to grace Gilberts 1st cemetery, Arizona As the parodies turn, Bruce Westbrook, Kansas City
Republic, 27 October Star, 23 September
Evans, Richard Paul. The Looking Glass (Simon & Delusions, M. Prins, Christian Century,
Schuster, 1999) [ACS] 1 November
Piano helps Cardall deal with feelings, Heather LaBute, Neil. Possession (forthcoming film) [A]
Lalley, Spokane Spokesman-Review, 21 September Aaron chose to be scalped, Louis B. Hobson,
Flynn, Tom. Galactic Rapture (Prometheus Books, Calgary Sun, 25 September
2000) [CS] Cracking Cork fest, Michael Dwyer, Irish Times, 30
Galactic Rapture, Timothy Binga, Free Inquiry, Fall September
Glenn, Erica. Dancing Shoes (drama) [A] LDS Church, Savior of the World (drama) [ACS]
Dancing Shoes, Harlow S. Clark, AML-List, Savior of the World to premiere at Conference
3 October and 11 November Center Theater, Deseret News, 20 October
Hatcher, Jeffrey. Smash (drama) [CS] Savior of the World, Ashlee LeSueur, BYU NewsNet,
A Comedy Smash at Westminister, Celia R. Baker, 15 November
Salt Lake Tribune, 5 November Savior drama to span an era, Carrie A. Moore,
Hughes, Dean. As Long as I Have You (Deseret Book, Deseret News, 27 November
2000) [ACS] New Theater Helps Fulfill Musical Promise,
As Long as I Have You, Marianne Hales Harding, Brandon Griggs, Salt Lake Tribune, 26 November
AML-List, 5 October Savior of the World, J. Scott Bronson, AML-List,
Hughes, Dean. Rumors of War (Deseret Book, 1997) 29 November
[ACS] Lund, Gerald. Fishers of Men: The Kingdom and the
Rumors of War, Andrew R. Hall, AML-List, Crown, volume 1 (Shadow Mountain, 2000) [ACS]
3 October The Kingdom and the Crown, Volume 1: Fishers of
Hughes, Dean. Since You Went Away (Deseret Book, Men, Sybil S. Steinberg, Publishers Weekly,
1999) [ACS] 16 October
Since You Went Away, Andrew R. Hall, AML-List, Marcum, Robert. White Out (Bookcraft, 2000) [ACS]
3 October The Act of Reading, Richard H. Cracroft, Brigham
Jones, Wendy, and illustrator Emily Allyn. Annas Young Magazine, Winter
Christmas Wish (Cedar Fort, 2000) [A] Mitchell, Alan R. Angel of the Danube
Student illustrates childrens book, BYU NewsNet, (Bonneville/Cedar Fort, 2000) [ACS]
27 November The Act of Reading, Richard H. Cracroft, Brigham
LaBute, Neil. Bash: Latterday Plays (drama) [ACS] Young Magazine, Winter
Bash digs beneath virtue, Ryan McKittrick, Boston Nelson, Lee. Cassidy (Council Press, 1992) [ACS]
Globe, 10 October Cassidy, Jeff Needle, AML-List, 27 October

Nelson, Lee. Ephraim Chronicles (Council Press, 2000) Taylor, Curtis. The Dinner Club (Foreword Press,
[ACS] 2000) [ACS]
Ephraim Chronicles, Jeff Needle, AML-List, The Dinner Club, Andrew R. Hall, AML-List,
11 November 20 October
Prado, Natalie. Sys Girl (drama) [ACS] Thomas, John L. A Country in the Mind: Bernard
Sys Girl Is Comic Examination of Imagination vs. DeVoto, Wallace Stegner, History and the American
Reality, Celia R. Baker, Salt Lake Tribune, Land (Routledge, 2000) [S]
27 September A Country in the Mind: Bernard DeVoto, Wallace
Sys Girl, Eric R. Samuelsen, AML-List, 7 October Stegner, History and the American Land, Sarah
Shipps, Jan. Sojourner in the Promised Land: Gentile Gold, Publishers Weekly, 30 October
among the Mormons (Univ. of Illinois, 2001) Van Wagoner, Robert Hodgson. Dancing Naked
Jan Shipps: Gentile among the Mormons, Jana (Signature Books, 2000) [A]
Reiss, Publishers Weekly, 20 November Dancing Naked, Cathy Wilson, AML-List,
Sojourner in the Promised Land: Gentile among the 29 September
Mormons, Jana Reiss, Publishers Weekly, Dancing Naked, Terry L. Jeffress, AML-List,
20 November 20 September
Slover, Tim. Hancock County (drama) [ACS] Williams, Terry Tempest. Leap (Pantheon, 2000) [AS]
Y. Professor Gains Theater Institute Position, Salt Wests lifestyle lecturers topic Terry Tempest
Lake Tribune, 10 October Williams due in two forums, William Porter,
Slover, Tim. Joyful Noise (drama) [A] Denver Post, 1 November
New looks at Handels Messiah, Atlanta Journal & Nature 101, Joan Hamilton, Sierra, November/
Constitution, 25 November December 2000
Slovers Clever Joyful Noise Rates a Hallelujah or Field Trips: Exploring Nature by Looking Within,
Two, Celia R. Baker, Salt Lake Tribune, Suzanne Richardson, Washington Post, 1 December
1 December Woolley, David. Pillar of Fire (Covenant, 2000) [ACS]
Smith, Marion. Riptide (Signature, 1999) [ACS] The Act of Reading, Richard H. Cracroft, Brigham
Riptide, Lavina Fielding Anderson, AML-List, Young Magazine, Winter
11 October Young, Margaret B., and Darius Aidan Gray.
Snow, Edgar C. Jr. Of Curious Workmanship: Standing on the Promises: One More River to Cross,
Musings on Things Mormon (Signature Books, vol. 1 (Bookcraft, 2000) [ACS]
1999) [AS] Books: Leisure reading, Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret
The Act of Reading, Richard H. Cracroft, Brigham News, 29 September
Young Magazine, Winter

A M L - L I S T through an even smaller publishing company he

H I G H L I G H T S owns with a partner and a tape with his voice read-
ing his poetry. My father loves to write. I love to
Compiled by Marny K. Parkin write. Always have.
Barbara R. Hume (27 July): Im not sure about
AML-List provides an ongoing forum for broad- the desire, but the talent may very well be.
ranging conversation and a stimulating exchange of After I divorced, I moved back to my hometown,
opinions related to Mormon literature. One espe- where I got a job in information services at the
cially rich topic during July, August, and September local university where my father was a professor.
was whether fiction and drama had the responsibil- During the course of my work, several of his arti-
ity to be historically accurate. Read on for a sam- cles crossed my desk. They were beautifully writ-
pling of the sentiment on this and other topics. If ten! I had never seen any of his writing before, and
you find yourself champing to chime in, send an e- I was seriously impressed.
mail message to majordomo@lists.xmission.com that When I said to him, Dad, you are a wonderful
reads: subscribe aml-list. A confirmation request will writer! his response was, Well, Ive known that
be sent to your e-mail address; follow the directions for thirty years!
to complete your subscription. AML-List is moder- My son always avoided writing because he con-
ated by Jonathan Langford. sidered it a chore, but when he was in graduate
school I edited some of his papers for him and
found that he has a natural feel for organization,
Is the Desire to Write Genetic? sentence structure, support of thesis, integration of
Rex Goode (26 July): Do you think that a desire narrative passages into technical articles, word
to write is genetic? choicein other words, I was seriously impressed.
As many of my long-time friends know, I have Okay, no cracks about traits tending to skip gen-
never known my biological father. He and my erations.
mother were divorced when she was still pregnant Lisa Peck (27 July): I feel like an odd duck com-
with me. [] pared to others who have posted. I am definitely an
Shortly thereafter, I received my first e-mail from odd duck in my family. My father is in the medical
my long lost father. Ive had a phone conversation field and has read maybe one fiction bookand
with one of my half-brothers and long e-mails with no, it wasnt mine. My mother was a stay-at-home
the other. Last night, I had my first voice contact mother who believes the only books worth reading
with my father over the phone. [] are doctrinal, and my brothers are all becoming
What is more than interesting to me is the degree accountants and only read business books and
of my personality, traits, and interests that I share think I torture myself every day writing. As far as I
with my half-brothers and father. Ive seen pictures know, all my ancestors were in the medical field or
of him now, and the poor man looks like me. happy homemakers. I keep looking around my
When he called, he said that my voice was almost family wondering where the heck I came from.
identical to his younger sons. Kathleen Woodbury (28 July): Well, youre not
Probably the second most powerful dream and the only odd duck around, Lisa.
drive Ive had, next to my father, is to write and My father could have been a great writer, and he
someday be published. wrote some, but he enjoyed doing the research more.
Among the things that arrived by mail from my His mother was into poetry, however.
father was a small childrens book he had published

The few and relatively far between writers in my know why something doesnt work (in the literary
family tended to dabble at it, which still counts as sense), it is equally important to know what does
writing, but none of them have plugged away at it work.
as long as I have and actually managed to get paid The same few writers/novels keep coming up on
to do it. the list for recommendation. I guess what I would
Even odder, as ducks in my family go, I have a like to see is wider study of the popular novels and
knack for mathematics and sciencebut my dad what is good about them. This is not to say that we
barely avoided flunking algebra, while my mom should ignore the less popular literary novels, but
never even got that far. lets face it, we writers need to pay the bills too and
But we all love books (back to the literary if we can write a great novel and get paid more than
aspects), even though we tend to read different just enough to cover our expenses, itll be a good
kinds. thing. More succinctly, we want to write a best-sell-
I suspect something like that is more what we ing novel that is also pleasing to literary critics. (No
brought with us (and I have a theory about that surprise here, I know.)
which doesnt pertain to Mormon letters, so I Is it so terrible to have a happy ending? (Here I
wont go into it) than it is either nature or nurture. have to stop and tell Chris Bigelow that his short
(Scientists can only discuss the latter two, but we story in IRREANTUM this month ended happily
know that we brought well-developed personalities resolved by a vision no less. Better work on that.
with desires and talents all ready going strong when <Grin>) And I echo the statement someone made
we came to this earth, right?) earlier that it seems a novel must be negative to our
religion (or sell less than two thousand copies) to
Popular Mormon Literature be considered great on this list. What a terrible
and the Great Mormon Novel thing!
Rachel Nunes (5 July): I am very serious about I have to wonder why more best-selling Mormon
my writing, and one of the reasons I have been a authors (best-selling defined as at least five or six
participant on AML-List is because I want to hone thousand copies in the first few months of release)
my craft and maybe even write that great Mormon arent participating in the AML. Are they just too
novel we all keep dreaming about. But for the past busy? Or are they leery of the constant criticism
few months (or more), Ive been discouraged with that doesnt seem to be pointing them in any direc-
the negative view of the popular Mormon literature tion? I honestly dont know, but if I hear the dis-
that is being published today, coupled with the missive term home literature one more time, I
obvious lack of reading that same literature. think Ill have a heart attack, or at the very least
Last week, I read I Hated Heaven. Now, while I spend a week in the mental wing at the hospital.
was not impressed with the literary content, the (Maybe not a bad thing since I might get my first
ending, or the portrayal of the Savior, the novel did complete night of sleep in eleven years.) So what
ARE popular Mormon authors doing right? And
have some redeeming features and Im glad I read
it. I may have even learned a thing or two. I would of those things, which are also correct in the eyes of
recommend it. (But I wouldnt vote on it for the the literary critics? Can you give specific examples?
best Mormon novel of the 1990s.) Likewise, I I have some very strong ideas on what will be
think that most of the novels being published for included in my great Mormon novel for which Im
the Mormon market must have at least one gearing up to write. (My file of notes is growing.)
redeeming feature, and while its important to But meanwhile, Im doing at least some things

right. Im writing about issues I feel are vital, and I Jason Steed (7 July): If history and history alone
can barely keep up with my fan mail. That has to decides the greatness of a work of art, then why,
say something. Likewise, other Mormon authors until recently (the last 2030 years) were all the
are doing the same thing. While I may not agree great works of art written by white male authors?
with or enjoy everything theyve written, some of it And I dont mean women and minority authors
is darn good. (And Im talking here about Mormon started writing well in the last 2030 years, I mean
authors published with Mormon publishers and there were books by these authors that werent con-
read by Mormon readers.) Of course theres room sidered great until 2030 years ago. Kate Chopins
for improvement. There always is. But at least some The Awakening is a perfect example. It was written
things are being done correctly. around the turn of the century (19th to 20th, that
Thom Duncan (6 July): Rachel, neither you, I, is), but wasnt decidedly great until recently. The
nor anyone else currently reading this list will write same can be said for works by African Americans,
the great Mormon novel (GMN). That is, we may Native Americans, etc.they existed in practical
write it but we will never know about it in this life. oblivion, but later became great. How? The fact is,
What makes the great Mormon novel will be the people construct the canons of great literature.
passage of time. Several generations yet unborn will And these people are not the general public, but
have to read this work and enjoy it for such a thing mainly the scholars and critics that you scorn. []
to come to pass. Not only that, but several differ- Now, I dont completely disagree with the
ent ages of people in that same generation will have notion that we shouldnt write to the critics.
to read it and like it, adult and young people. Writing to anyone, IMO, can compromise artistic
History and history alone decides the greatness of integrity. But that goes likewise for writing to an
any work of art. audience and making deliberate efforts to form a
That being said, here are some other obstacles substantial fan base. IMO we have to adopt
standing in the way between us LDS writers and the Faulkners attitude, when he put all readers and
GMN. To be the great Mormon novel, the book critics and editors behind a door and refused to lis-
will also have to speak across genres. Orson Scott ten to them and said, Now I can write. With
Card will never write the great Mormon novel as that, he produced The Sound and the Furywhich
long as he continues to write science fiction and fan- was not a commercial success, nor was it an imme-
tasy. My subgenre of LDS speculative fiction will diate critical success. But it has come to be known
never produce the great Mormon novelist. Neither (thanks to later critics and scholars) as one of the
will any other subgenre within Mormon fiction, greatest American novels ever written.
romance, adventure, historical fiction, etc. Thats what we have to do: write whats in us.
Chasing the illusive literary critic has never made Forget about the critics? Okay. Yes. But forget
sense to me. I would much rather be a successful about the fans too. Just write.
author with a loyal fan base who enjoys consistent Sam Payne (8 July): Yes. Amen to this. But on
sales and have literary critics hate my guts. The per- the other hand, could there be such a person as an
son who reads your work and enjoys itthat is the artist whos main artistic kick comes from com-
most important thing. Being hailed by critics, munion with an audience (the fans)? And Im
though perhaps pleasing to the natural man in us not talking here about prostituting artistic integ-
all, is so fleeting an enjoyment. I see working hard rity to the lowest common denominator. Im talk-
to be the kind of writer who can sell despite what ing about the artist who, in tune with the commu-
the critics may say as a larger accomplishment. nity he serves, creates art precisely so that people

can come together over it. It seems to me that while forms of literature is inexcusable arrogance. If a
using art as a tool to commune with people (not book is popular, it must be doing something right,
necessarily to transcend them) may not get the and that something is a good something. That
great Mormon novel written, it still could be a book is communicating with human beings on a
pretty pure place to be coming from. Is that think- level theyre ready to listen to. To belittle the book
ing too small? is to belittle the people to whom it speaks.
Edgar Snow (6 July): If it hadnt been for Mark Belittling people is not a good habit to acquire.
Twain, humor, my genre, would likely never be Its reasonable to lament that few people like lit-
viewed as an object of serious study or worthy of erary writing, therefore little of it exists, therefore I
critical acclaim (as infrequent as that may be). Of cant read as much of it as I would like. But to take
course, Twain was more than just a humorist, and the next step and say theres something wrong with
I think perhaps thats the point. all those people because they refuse to like the
When I write humor, I realize only my mother things I like is unjustifiable by any reasonable
will view it as great literature. I dont expect critics moral code.
to pay much attention to it. Generally, my purpose If people wont buy literary writing, then pub-
is to entertain myself and hope other people will lishers wont publish it and authors cant sell it.
read it and laugh. But, I confess, deep down inside Thats called real life. To this day the universe has
my goal is to write something funny and signifi- refused to bend to my will no matter how loud I
cant, something that will endurenot for my own whine, not since I lived at home with mommy any-
literary immortality, but because I want my efforts way. If you want to read more literary books, more
to have mattered, to have made a difference. And I need to be published. For more to be published,
want people to read it because they are in love with more people need to want to read them. To this day
the way I have said it. I have never managed to persuade a human being
I would like to see a discussion of Mormon to align his attitude with mine by attacking or
humor and other popular Mormon literature gen- belittling him. If we want LDS people to develop
res by critics who understand the boundaries of more discriminating tastes in LDS literature (i.e.,
these genres and who can write about whether they to think more like me) then we need to accept real-
work within those boundaries (not limitations). ity and use tactics that are actually effective, not
Genre literature should be viewed the way poetry is just self-gratifying. We need a How to Win
viewed with respect to its own conventions of Friends and Influence People strategy.
meter, rhyme, etc. An Elizabethan sonnet should I suspect that strategy would involve some kind
not be criticized for not being free verse. Rachel, I of incremental approach: writing slightly more lit-
think this is what you are asking for. Only by erary books that still speak to the masses, then
appreciating successful works within those bound- slightly more, and slightly more. Face itwere
aries will anyone know if they have been tran- never going to entice regular people to read literary
scended. books by trying to sell them on literary. We need
D. Michael Martindale (7 July): As one of the to entice them with carrots they already like, and
people who have complained about LDS literature, throw in a little clandestine literariness so they can
I think Im in a position to say thissort of like gradually acquire a taste for it. Pleasant, gradual
only Nixon could go to China. For people to have exposure is the only tactic that is likely to work.
their tastes lie in strongly literary directions is not a Tony Markham (8 July): There has been some
problem. To go beyond that and belittle all other talk lately about writing the great Mormon novel

(GMN), and it made me do a lot of thinking yes- a great deal when I see history distorted, especially
terday while I mowed the yard. This is always dan- in a major motion picture where I know that most
gerous (thinking, not mowingI use a non- of the audience will believe the distortion is true.
motorized push mower to minimize that other JFK is a good example. Pretty good movie.
danger). I wish there was more talk about good Contemptible as history. []
writing. Greatness is overused. I can only think of I think the thing for me is that history is almost
a handful of great writerswhile anyone would be always more interesting than a fictionalization of
hard-pressed to define exactly what constitutes history. The real story of Pocahontas is far more
great writing, time and perspective has elevated a interesting, and heartbreaking, than the story that
few masters of the craft to its utmost peak. results when you take a Barbie doll, turn her into
If you would aspire to greatness, you might see an Olympic diver, and give her cute animal side-
what traits the great writers have. Do they share kicks. When we dramatize history, we usually come
traits? Can you emulate some of these traits? Again, up with less. Not more. []
some of us might want to focus on just writing a Right now, Im working on a play about George
good novel instead of the GMN. [] Washington. What interests me about Washington
The GMN will likely be visionary, and written was his role as a slave owner. He detested slavery.
by someone who knows a thing or two about met- He wanted to free his slaves. But he never came out
rical language. Not that you (whoever) shouldnt against slavery as president, and when he tried to
give it a shot. A persons reach should always free his slaves at the end of his life, he made a hor-
exceed their grasp. Its called striving for perfection. rible hash of it, by his own admission. I love the
story of a great and decent man, a superb leader
History and Fiction and a man of genuine insight and courage, grap-
Tracie Laulusa (14 August): I know that I per- pling with this most intractable of American mys-
sonally would not appreciate a play based on a real teries, the mystery of race. And failing, of course.
historic figure that did not take some pains to be And his tragedy became our tragedy, as thousands
accurate, or used artistic license as an excuse for of boys would die for his failure on the fields
gross distortion. Im not saying Thoms play does of Antietam and Gettysburg and in the plains of
that, Im just saying I wouldnt have liked it if I felt Missouri and the banks of the river Bull Run.
it did. Thats an interesting story. While, with all due
Thom Duncan (14 August): Ill restate my opin- respect to Pastor Weems, the George Washington
ion. History is history, and ought to be judged on of bad false teeth and impeccable integrity is bor-
its accuracy as to time and place, etc. ing. And his story is inherently undramatic,
Art, however, is art. Totally different rules apply. IMHO.
The ultimate goal is different too. It is not to teach, And then theres our own history. My gosh,
never, never to teach. It is to entertain, inspire, weve just scratched the surface of the possibilities
cause one to think. Whereas an historian may be in LDS history. Why hasnt anyone written the
looking for undiluted facts, the artist is looking for definitive Oliver Cowdery novel or play or movie?
the spirit of the story. Why not Sidney Rigdon? There are some amazing
Eric R. Samuelsen (15 August): I know theres stories to tell. Thank heavens to Margaret Young
been a lot written on the historical-accuracy-infor sharing Jane Manning James with us all.
fiction thread, but let me say that while my heart is I vote for historical accuracy whenever possible.
with Thom, my head is with Tracie. It bothers me It just works better dramatically.

Thom Duncan (15 August): One small example to the stories. It is unfortunate, however, that to get
of why I dont believe this. a lot of people to read about historical events
Take the last few hours of Joseph Smiths life. requires fiction.
We all know about the gut-wrenching song that Ruth Packer (19 August): Definitely the com-
John Taylor sang, A Poor Wayfaring Man of mercialization of books and fictional historical
Grief, after which (or so weve been told) the mob novels are two entirely different things.
immediately starts to shoot and Joseph and Hyrum I found my love of history through reading his-
end up dead. torical fiction. I still love good historical fiction.
Dramatically, that is just plain moving. But if What better way to learn of the Martin Handcart
you opted for historical reality, you would have Company than through Fire in the Snow, or the
John Taylor sing all nine verses, not once, but Mountain Meadow Massacre than through Fire
twice, then have everyone sitting around for a half an and Fury, or the living of plural marriage than
hour staring at the walls until the mob showed up. through Family Kingdom, or the trials and tribula-
So what does the dramatist have to do? He/she tions of the early saints than through For This My
has to shorten the song, first of all, and compress Glory.
the time or the audience is bored to tears waiting For those of us that simply enjoy reading a good
for the climax. book, why not learn of these events by reading
Eric does allow for historical cheating in his of them in a fictional setting? I am not a reader of
whenever possible statement above, so maybe heavy works, yet my knowledge of Church history
this is one of those times. and American history was definitely started based
As dramatists, history should be our servant, not on interest stemming from these wonderful histor-
our master. ical novels.
Katrina Duvalois (18 August): I agree that a Ardis Parshall (23 August): Miscellaneous
certain amount of editing to history may be nec- responses from a working historian:
essary to create entertainment, but I find it discon- Taking liberties with history: I have recently dis-
certing when a piece is presented as a piece of his- covered a way to enjoy some works which, while
tory, i.e., Pocahontas, which has been fictionalized based on historical events or characters, are more
to the point of not even being recognizable as the fiction than history. As soon as I realize thats what
real story except for the names or location. [] Ive got, my brain shifts over to view the work as a
I have realized that I have to separate some sto- kind of speculative fiction, an alternate history like
ries as two separate entities. Even the history our the genre which explores what might have hap-
children are taught (and we ourselves have been) is pened had Lincoln not been assassinated or had the
not completely accurate and we must, on our own, Aztecs discovered Europe first. O.S. Card deliber-
discover the truths about George Washington, ately uses this technique in Folk of the Fringe and
Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and other figures the Alvin Maker books, among others. I can fin-
from the past. We already know that some scient- ally enjoy The Work and the Glory through this
ific theories are taught as truth to our children, mindset, although I am certain Lund had no inten-
thus history is sometimes tainted in a more agree- tion of writing science fiction. []
able way to be taught in the public schools. I think Drama as revelator: It has been written here more
this is why the Work and the Glory series has been than once recently (paraphrasing Max Golightly?)
so popular; the history is fairly accurate and yet fic- that dramatized history must tell something new
tional characters have been created to give emotion otherwise you might as well write history. It may

be no surprise that this irritates me to no end, this However, if the form youve chosen is a novel,
attitude that history is a drone who merely records you neednt have those constraints. You may be
the facts, while Queen Dramaah! she alone able to tell the whole historical storyokay, a lar-
reveals the unknown! ger percentage of the whole historical storywith
History is pondering, discovering, recovering the more of the twists and turns and ins and outs than
lost, discovering the new, understanding what has you could in a two-hour theatrical presenta-
never been realized beforefiction has no monop- tion. []
oly on that. If historians merely recycled already If a writer bends history because of the con-
known and accepted facts, we might as well aban- straints of form, thats not so bad. But I cant think
don the effort and get an easier job on some other of any other reason that would be as acceptable.
assembly line. Example: Army of Israel, a recent his- For instance, does the novelist think that the
tory of the Mormon Battalion, examined a previ- actual sequence of historical events is too confus-
ously unrecognized contribution of the Battalion in ing? Well, its up to the novelist to make sure the
transforming green easterners into seasoned west- readers dont get confused. Or would a telling of
ern frontiersmana revelation every bit as signifi- the true historical story fill up more pages than
cant as the discovery that Joseph and Emma were the simpler story you started out to write? Examine
romantically involved. [] your prior decisions. Whats more importantto
Weve discussed at length the legitimacy of genre tell the story that wants to be told, or to not exceed
in fiction, and of not misjudging one genre by the a maximum number of manuscript pages? Each
conventions of another. May I suggest the obvious? choice has its consequences. Or maybe you can
Fiction and history are as different from each other find a way to satisfy both criteria, by doing some-
as literary fiction is from the police procedural. We thing differently.
cant pretend they are the same. Someone who is
qualified to judge fiction is not necessarily qualified First Novel Drafts
to judge history. Ill go back to biting my tongue Christopher Bigelow (10 July): Im amazed at
when list members are unintentionally dismissive how difficult it is to write a novel. Just to get this
of the achievements of historians and the value of far into the first draft (and Im within about fifty
history, but I would also ask that you remember pages of finishing it) Ive had to just keep will-
there are writers of every stripe on this list. fully writing ahead, not letting myself get discour-
Frank Maxwell (26 August): This raises the issue aged by basic flaws that are already apparent or by
of forman issue Ive thought about much while sections I know are too bare-boned or too over-
reading this thread. What literary form have you loaded with irrelevant details that Ive heaped on
chosen for your history-based story? Depending on because hey, Im writing a novel, and it needs to be
the form, you will have different constraints and long, and Ill feel better if I can get four pages done
limitations. before I flip over to e-mail, and I dont want to
If the form youve chosen is a drama, then your decide which scene comes after this one.
story must be told within the constraints of that Anyway, for the first time, I am now really psych-
form. Such constraints would include running time ing myself up to actually rewrite a novel draft. I am
(probably no more than two hours) and cast size carefully printing out and annotating the com-
(which affects your budget). In such a case, Id ments I get from my critique groups, and I have a
agree with Thom that trying to make the narrative six-inch stack of notes and clippings of my own
completely accurate would confuse the audience. that somehow I need to sort and incorporate, and

Ive even already gone downstairs to my basement stopping and starting fitfully, never enjoying the
library and culled all the titles I need to review, heady pleasure of creative flow. At worst, nothing
skim, or read as background for my rewrite (about happens. Mixing the two processes is the cause of
fifteen titles, from Basics of Feng Shui to the biogra- writers block. []
phy of Lorenzo Snow). It seems to me that Fun hobby? You could get away without rewrit-
although the rewrite will be a huge task, it will be ing for just a fun hobby. Ill bet youre striving for
easier than the first draft because at least theres a a professionals mastery, based on some passion
framework to flesh in. This far into the first draft, I deep inside you, or you wouldnt care enough to
still believe in the story, which gives me the forti- keep working at it.
tude to keep working on it. [] Jonathan Langford (11 July): Ive long been
Ive heard it said that writing is really rewriting, interested in different writers writing habits
and I believe it, though I have yet to practice it (including my own, though Im not primarily a
much with my own fiction. Ive already cut the first creative writer), and probably the most important
18,000 words of this present novel draft, which thing Ive found is that different strategies work for
didnt hurt so much because I was still left holding different writers. Some (like Scott Card) have to let
70,000 words, although many of those could end the pot bubble for quite a while, then do the act-
up crumbling into dust too. And now its looking ual writing fairly quickly. From what Ive read of
like I may need to go back and salvage 7,000 to his experiences writing, it seems that major
9,000 words of that cut part and rewrite it. I wish rewrites, for him, typically consist of starting all
I could just feed my notes and the first draft into a over againbecause for him, the key is finding the
computer and have the rewriting done that way, right starting point. Sometimes a novel will require
but on the other hand if I can put another layer of starting over several times to find that correct start-
creativity onto the skeleton, I might actually get ing point, other times it wont. Other writers do
somewhere. more detailed outlining (Im thinking of Dave
Writing a first draft is hard enoughwhy cant Wolverton here, as one Mormon example). Others
that be good enough? This is my fun hobby, right? may discover their story as they write, and then
D. Michael Martindale (11 July): This is the have to rewrite backwards once they reach the end:
process recommended by many professional Tolkien reported that much of this happened in his
authors. When writing the first draft, just write. Let writing of Lord of the Rings, and if you look at his
your creativity flow. Tell the editor in your head to initial drafts (which have now been published in a
shut the holy heck up. twelve-volume series by his sonThank you so
Then when youve finished, you put the editor much, Christopher, I can imagine him saying from
hat on, and tell the creative side of your brain to the other side of the veil, for showing my bad first
shut up. You craft each chapter, paragraph, sen- drafts; but its a boon to those with an interest in
tence, word, even syllable, into as perfect a form as the writing process), youll find that some of them
you can. And the editor needs to mercilessly cut are terrifyingterrifyingly bad, though even in the
that darling prose which it knows should go, no first drafts there are still phrases and words that
matter how much the creative side loves it. make it into his later versions. But he, too, started
Creating and editing are two antithetical proc- several times, before he finally found the conflict in
esses. Any time they are mixed together, disaster his story. (He didnt have any idea that the Ring
results. At best, the author stumbles his way was going to be the center of the story when he
through the first draft, agonizing over each word, wrote the first draft of the first chapter!) Once he

found out where he was going, he still did a lot of characters, etc. I continue reading and rewriting
revisionand a lot of revision while he was still over and over it until Im not changing many
forging ahead with the main story, as well as after it things. This takes a long time. []
was completely written. Step 5. Aging process: When I feel that my story
Darvell Hunt (12 July): If anyone is interested, is finally about done, I stop working on it. I put it
Ill post my writing process. Ive written two novels on the shelf and work on something else. [] I
and two novellas, all unpublished so far. This is the really need to get to the point where Ive forgotten
process that Ive developed over time while teach- what Ive written. Only then can I be at least par-
ing myself to write novels. I call it the Hunt tially subjective. []
Method. I gotta have some claim to fame, dont I? Step 6. Go back: After the aging process, I go
Step 1. Fermentation: I think about the story, the back to step 4 until I like what I see. I only ever get
characters, and what I want to communicate to the it to about 90%95% done. I find that I cant
reader with this story. This is an on-going process bother with the last few percent, because the creep-
that continues throughout the work. But if I start ing elegance will kill me. Its not perfect and never
actual writing before my plot and characters are fer- will be. If its good enough and an editor accepts
mented enough, I often discover that I have con- my work, they will help with the last 5%10%.
siderable difficulty understanding what it is that You have to attract the publisherthey will hope-
Im trying to write about. I research and think a lot! fully help you to finish the rest. Even if you think
This is where I decide what the primary goal of the that you have gotten 100%, an editor will no doubt
story is going to bebut it might change later. still make suggestions and corrections.
Step 2. Outline and define: Here I start writing Kathleen Woodbury (12 July): Something to
an overview of my story line. I write a fairly consider in writing a novel. Just as when they film
detailed outline. I create dossiers for my characters, a movie they dont necessarily film the scenes in the
even minor ones. I give them birth dates, habits, order in which they will be viewed, you dont have
hobbies, physical characteristics, etc. Ill never use to write the novel in the order in which it will be
all of this information, but I get to know my char- read. This means that you dont have to decide
acters personally. When I finally get to know them, which scene comes after this or that one until after
I can write about them. Its easier to write about youve finished writing the scenes, and you can
people I know. And obviously, knowledge of my write them in whatever order you feel like writing
story and characters will increase as I actually write them in. (One of the first-draftnesses about first
about them. This outline and characterization is drafts. It really can be that messy.) If later scenes are
just the beginningmany changes will still occur clearer in your mind than earlier ones, write them
while writing the story, and I wont follow the out- first. Sometimes, writing what happens later helps
line exactly. But it forms the backbone upon which you to figure out what had to go before. If a later
the story is formed. scene is particularly exciting to you, dont wait till
Step 3. Write the story: I think it is best to write you get to it in the linear course of the story. It may
the first rough draft as quickly as possible. Dont go not be as exciting to you by then. Write what is
back and rewrite until the story is done. Keep the ready to be written when it is ready to be written.
flow in your mind. Dont wait too long between They dont call film editors editors for nothing.
writing sessions or youll forget where you are. [] You can do that with your writing as well.
Step 4. Rewrite: I go over my story over and over
and over, fixing grammar, spelling, plot line,

Genre provides certain things regularlyso, the repeti-

Jason Steed (7 July): Edgar [Snow] mentioned tion of those things (formulaic plots, etc.) is not
that Twain survives because he was more than a perceived as a negative thing. Same goes for the
humorist. I agree with this, and I assume Edgar other genres. Yes, creativitysomething newis
means to imply that Twain is not perceived as admired and lauded, but overall certain conven-
merely a humorist, but as a generally great lit- tions must be upheld, or the work ceases to be of
erary figure. Other humorists, like S. J. Perelman or the genre. To be a great SF novel, the book must
James Thurber (just to name two that Im familiar still be classifiably SF. In this way, IMO, genre
with), on the other hand, survive predominantly as fiction runs the greater risk of susceptibility to such
merely humorists, among those who read and/or things as are listed above.
study humor. The same can be said of other For the literary crowd (fortunately or unfortu-
genre writers. nately), these things (formulaic plot, etc.) are
(It is important to point out that all writing is of looked down upon. (This is ironic, of course,
a genre, even though we most often use the term because formulaic plots and stereotypical charac-
pejoratively, as in genre fiction, the implication ters/scenarios still exist, en masse.) The key, IMO,
being that this is not wholly, solidly fiction, but is that the literary genrethough it has its con-
some inferior subset.) ventions, of courseis less limiting. It is not hard
E. A. Poe, for instance, does not survive as to write a good non-Western (it can be so many
merely a horror writer, while chances are Dean other things and still be good); but it is very hard to
Koontz will remain as such; and H. G. Wells or write a good nonliterary novelbecause the fact
Aldous Huxley seem to transcend the realm of that it is good makes it a candidate for being
merely science fiction, while many others dont. classified as literary, while this is not enough to
I think its important to acknowledge a major classify it as Western. [] Thus, genre
reason for the pejorative use of the term genre fic- fictionbecause it runs a greater risk of incorpo-
tion, which I think explains why it is often not rating things that are considered bad by the lit-
taken seriously. Generally speaking, most genres erary audience (a risk that is inherent in the way
(romance, western, SF, horror, etc.) are susceptible the genre is constructed)is more susceptible to
to formulaic structures, stereotypical characters or criticismor at least more susceptible to being rel-
scenarios, and an overabundance of cliches. PLEASE egated to the realms of the pejoratively labeled
NOTE: I personally believe that genre fiction is a genre fiction, as opposed to just plain fiction
perfectly valid and worthwhile endeavoras than mainstream or literary or nongenre (or
potentially legitimate and meaningful and valuable just plain) fiction.
as literary fiction. This post is not an attack on Terry L. Jeffress (8 July): A whole field of liter-
genre fiction. It also must be noted that so-called ary theory deals with what the reader brings to the
mainstream or literary (or shall I use the oxy- work. Readers who enjoy reading genre fiction
moron and say, nongenre) fiction can be suscep- bring a set of assumptions and understandings to
tible to these same pitfalls. The differenceif I that work. Theorists call these assumptions and
may speculate, and please disagree with me, as this understandings protocols. All genresincluding
is a from-the-hip speculation and may very well be mainstreamhave protocols, sometimes mutually
significantly flawedthe difference, perhaps, is in exclusive protocols. Thus, mainstream writing
audience. The general fan of romance fiction, for probably will not fulfill the needs of an SF reader,
example, is a fan of the genre because the genre and vice versa. Many people can read in multiple

protocol modes. I can read and enjoy both have as a romance writer is that you cannot end it
Shakespeare and Asimov, but I use different proto- with something like, She screamed as the ship
cols for each set of works. exploded out in the bay. She knew that he had sac-
Mormon literature has a unique problem. rificed himself to save her. Even though bloody bits
Readers must have the Mormon protocols in addi- of him were now scattered across the waters, she
tion to the usual genre protocols. Thus, for a would always be comforted by the knowledge that
reader to enjoy your Mormon space opera, that he had loved her enough to give his own life to
reader must have both the Mormon and space destroy the brutal pirates.
opera protocols. Any time you require two or more Not! A romance hero worth his salt will not only
protocol sets, you severely limit your audience. blow up the pirate ship, but recover the stolen
Mormon romance novels turn me off. I understand treasure, clear himself of the trumped-up charges
all the Mormon stuff, but because I dont carry the against him, deliver the medication in time to save
romance protocols in my head, I cannot appreciate the heroines dying brother, and then kiss her until
the novelregardless of how well crafted in the her toes curl. And please dont blather on about
romance tradition. [] reality. If were in the mood for reality, we can
I think we must accept that Mormon literature read [what Scott Card calls] li-fi. When were in the
has a narrow audience, and that each work will mood for what this genre gives us, we read
belong to a literary genre with an even narrower romance. Reality, IMHO, is highly overrated as a
audience. That doesnt mean we cannot produce necessary component of a satisfying story.
deeply moving literature. But when we do produce Annette Lyon (14 July): It seems to me
such literature, we must understand that only a few that genre classification is sometimes arbitrary, that
will have the intersection of protocols necessary to while some books clearly follow certain boundaries
partake in that experienceeven among the mem- and conventions and can easily sit in a certain
bers of the Church. genre, others dont, yet are categorized in the same
Barbara R. Hume (7 July): Those of us who pre- way. The discussion of Tathea makes this point: its
fer genre fiction are those who care more about been shelved with mysteries and fantasies, and yet
story than about literary flourishes. it doesnt fully fit either description.
When I first started reading romance novels a In my own experience, I had to laugh at two
few years ago, I was amazed, as I still am, at the rejection letters I received for the same manuscript:
wide variety of styles and stories that are possible one editor said that the competition in my genre,
with a genre that definitely must meet certain romance, was extra fierce, but keep trying. The
expectations. Basically, the expectations are simple: other suggested I try my hand at the romance
man-woman-love-happiness. How the happiness is genre. Go figure. In my mind, the book wasnt a
arrived at, what kinds of people the man and romance, but it did have a romantic element.
woman are, when and how they live, what kinds of In the LDS market, it seems that if a book has
experiences they go through, all of these are subject even a glimpse of a romantic relationship, it is clas-
to great variety. (Even the man-woman thing has sified as a romance. The biggest example is Rachel
been occasionally altered, but gay love stories dont Nuness Ariana series, which the Romance Lady
sell very well.) picks all the time, yet the focus of the books is not
There are many subgenres within the genre, and romance. (Take the first book: yes, she eventually
many different lines whose editors are looking for finds a great guy and marries him, but he doesnt
different kinds of stories. The only limitation you even show up until the last third of the book, after

Ariana has dealt with drugs, death, and a whole Im going to go off on a limb here and make the
host of other issues, none of which are romantic. broad, sweeping judgment that in my opinion,
The major theme of the second book is AIDS, yet there is no such thing as a universal standard of
it is still classified as a romance. Whatever.) Perhaps good writing that transfers across genres. There are
the books sell better with the romance label. some universal-sounding values that can be stated,
Alan Mitchell (15 July): My teenage daughter such as, The writers style should match the
reads a lot of them [romances], and I noticed that writers purpose, or A writers language should
if the title is in large cursive then it is romance. So match the intended audiencebut those are so
whether the story is about AIDS, bulimia, stamp general that in practical terms, they provide no real
collecting, or a male witches boarding school useful guidelines for the writer in any one given
(not!)if the title is cursive, its romance. area or genre. Theyre relative. What this means is
Jason Steed (16 July): I think genres are impor- that good writing in one category will often be
tant, because understanding them (their conven- seen as not-good writing in another category
tions, how they work, etc.) can help us understand indeed, that readers trained to read one type of
writing in general and appreciate its many forms and writing may be completely incapable of appreciat-
modes. But like any good thing, overdoing it is dan- ing the values of another type of writing. []
gerous. Too much sun makes a desert. We tend to Brian Attebery (Strategies of Fantasy, 1992)
overcategorize, and then we get excited (a new book makes an interesting argument that in the modern
transcends its genre) or infuriated (a new fantasy genre a la Tolkien, theres a reversal of sur-
book doesnt know what it wants to be) when face and deep structure in the area of characteriza-
someone transgresses the boundaries we construct. tion from what we find in modern (though not
While on the one hand I like to talk about genres necessarily postmodern) realistic fiction. In real-
and how they are constructed/defined, and the pros istic fiction, the details of a specific characterization
and cons of this one or that oneon the other hand, represent the surface level, while archetypal or
Id like to do away with them all together. A big part symbolic resonances represent a deep structure. In
of me says, Writing is writing. I wouldnt even fantasy, on the other hand, Attebery suggests that
delineate between fiction and nonfiction. Every fic- the archetype is what is on the surface, and the
tional piece contains facts, at least some element of individual characterization represents something
autobiography, and might even be construed as crit- on the order of a deep structure. []
icism (i.e., every novel written is a piece of literary I think it can often happen that the virtues of a
criticism on how a novel should be written); and particular type of writing (for its appreciators) are
every nonfictional piece is created (thus, cre- described as negatives by its detractors. In the case
ative) and is a reconstructed version of a reality, of science fiction, for example, the very preoccupa-
making it no different from the attempt at mimesis tion with the specifics of scientific and technologi-
Aristotle spoke of when he spoke of the nature of art. cal speculation that make the genre both an inter-
Jonathan Langford (19 July): Jason wrote: No esting and a serious one for some of us detracts, for
genre, SF included, is any freer or better able to others, from what ought to be the chief concern
experiment or explore than any other. Each just of literaturethat is, the development of charac-
does it in different ways. I rather like this, because ters. To the degree that a writer of science fiction
it highlights for me one of the important points spends time talking/speculating about specific sci-
about genre-based criticism: that different genres entific ideas, its seen as a preoccupation with the
are good at accomplishing different things. juvenilia of literature. To really enjoy science fiction

for its own sake, you have toin my viewhave given more challenging books by other fans, and
some acceptance of the idea that serious literature slowly work up to a broader appreciation of a vari-
can be about scientific/technological ideas, as well ety of works. At least, thats the way it worked for
as about people. Such an acceptance is simply out- me and for others I know. And theres a certain
side some peoples basic set of assumptions about degree of mutual respect and communication
literature. On the other hand, if the kind of society among authors of all stripes within the SF field
depicted in, say, a Henry James novel has little barring the sort of in-house hair pulling and name
interest for youpeople drifting about without vis- calling that, in its own way, simply attests to the
ible means of support, expending unbelievable existence of the community. (You dont get family
energy on making the subtlest of distinctions in the fights without theres a family.) I dont see a similar
description of their own inner states of beingthen thing happening between popular and literary
youre likely to find it very hard to enjoy a Henry mainstream writers. Completely different commu-
James novel, because that novel is about those char- nities, completely different readers, completely dif-
acters in that society, just as an SF novel is to some ferent writers. So I guess Id argue that from that
degree at least about the scientific or technologi- perspective, SF may be a broader field than main-
cal ideas it includes. Good writing is not enough, in stream literary, not because of any innate virtue but
my experience, to maintain enjoyment when ones simply because the label currently embraces a
interest in the subject matter is lacking. (Actually, I broader set of readers and practitioners.
can think of some exceptions to thisbut on the Scott Parkin (19 July): I think mainstream liter-
whole, I think its still true.) Which is one reason ary fiction often works to identify a problem and
why I dont believe in a universal standard of good state that problem powerfully. Climax comes when
writing. Intrinsic interestsomething entirely the character finally understands the problem (with
outside the control of the author, except in the solution implied, or only minimally illustrated).
authors choice of what to write aboutis, in my I think SF often takes the problem as a given, and
view, one of the largest factors in the question of attempts to discover possible solutions to it. The
how successful a work is in reaching its audience. problem is stated directly within the fantastic prem-
Personally, I dont think that science fiction and ise, and climax comes when the character either
fantasy are more susceptible to formula than main- solves the problem or fails utterly.
stream literary fiction, just different types of for- Thats why many mainstream literary readers
mulas (to paraphrase Jasons statement). Of course, find SF to be banaltheir reason for reading is to
to those who enjoy a particular fictional genre, the discover the problem, which the SF reader states
limits will seem less limiting than those of other clearly early in the story. The rest is just imaginative
genres they dislike. Still, I do think theres a rather flailing with little to interest them.
unusual situation in science fiction, in that theres a Similarly, thats why many genre readers find
pretty broad community of authors and readers mainstream stories to be somewhat incomplete
that embraces both the more popular end of the their reason for reading is to discover solutions to
scale and more literary. You get people like Gene clearly stated problems, and mainstream stories that
Wolfe and Ursula Le Guin attending the same con- end with a statement of the problem seem like the
ventions as people like Andre Norton, Jack Chalker, first chapter, not the complete story. []
and Alan Dean Foster. They all consider themselves Tying back to Mormon literature, I think this
part of the same community. Readers who start at places most of whats written for Mormons into the
the more popular or juvenile end of the scale are broad category of genre in the sense that

Mormons tend to write stories that explore answers the mainstream, but largely ignored or rejected by
to clearly stated problems (as do most science fic- Mormon readers. The Mormon readers were read-
tion, mystery, romance, fantasy, horror, and other ing out of genre, and wanted solution, not a state-
genre stories). ment of the problem.
This is why Levi Peterson has had limited suc- Which is why so much of general Mormon fic-
cess. Pragmatic Mormons want answers, not tion is so little appreciated by the literati. By their
questions. Levi often focuses on clearly stating the definition, Mormon fiction (like all genre fiction)
question, with the belief that the answer is implied emphasizes all the wrong thingsand by clearly
by true understanding of the problem. stating problems falls (rightly) within their defini-
For example, in The Backslider the novel ends tion of simplistic or banal.
with Frank coming to understand himselfand Conversely, mainstream literary fiction is either
more importantly, understand the nature of grace opaque or truncated by the definitions of those who
and the reality of redemption. Levi shows one scene read genre and are seeking solutions, not problems
of Frank specifically accepting physical desire for (and rightly so).
his wife as a good and healthy thing, and uses that Does this make genre writing easier than main-
to show that Frank will come to good resolution (or stream literary writing? I dont think so, and I dont
at least can, now that he understands the true think its a particularly useful question. Different
nature of his pain), thus requiring no further detail, animals with different constraints (conventions,
and leaving further solution to the imagination of boundaries, assumptions, clichs, tendencies
the reader. whatever).
The same might be said of The Giant Joshua and [] And the enduring stories are those that cross
other Mormon stories that have been accepted by over the problem/solution boundary.

Association for Mormon Letters

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MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR MORMON LETTERS

Dave Wolverton, science-fiction and fantasy novelist

Tory Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fiction editor Kent Larsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .News editor

Cherry Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President Jana Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Board member

Winter 20002001 3 IRREANTUM

Editorial: Many Modes of Poetry

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E D I T O R I A L and how-to books. These works contain facts,

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Dave Wolverton IRREANTUM: Youve written a wide variety of

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Bennion: Who did you study with at Vermont

Bennion: Many of your stories deal with ill-

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something about its theology, history, and tradition Once Like Us

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The Glowing Professor Theodore V. Orkney smiled at this sud-

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