Science Fiction & Fantasy Award Winning Book Group discussion

This month we are reading Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson.

I was scrolling through our group TBR pile and this novel jumped out at me when I saw the name of the author. I'm ashamed to say that I got him mixed up in my mind with Robert Anton Wilson - famous 20th century psychonaut and discordian. I was very surprised to see that such an unusual person had won a SF award!

In a strange co-incidence, this novel, although not by Robert Anton Wilson, still deals with the question of religion, which was his special interest. Synchronicity?

Anyway, Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson won the Philip K Dick Award in 1995 which is why we are reading it. It's an alt-history story in which a whole town is mystery transported to an alternate reality. I'd never heard of it before, and don't know the author, so I have no expectations.

As always, there may be spoilers, so read ahead at your own risk.

I got lucky and found it in my library's Hoopla account. I didn't expect to find it there because I've never heard of this one either. Looks like I might get this month's read done sooner rather than later.

I am not familiar with the auth or any of his work. I do like alternate history stories, so I am hopeful.

Im new to the group and excited to get started with this book 😀

I about 50 pages in, and I think the author is doing quite a good slow-burn atmosphere of mounting tension and unease. I'm looking foward to the real plot taking off!

Excited to hear what you think Mallory!

Just picked up the book from the library!

Welcome Mallory! I'm about half way through and I am still intrigued. The premise is great - and disturbing. Sometimes at this point in a book, I put it down and gravitate to something else, but I'm not having that issue yet. At first I was disappointed that the initial change of the town wasn't detailed, but now I believe it would have slowed the story down. Maybe?

I'm about a third of the way through. The story felt oddly familiar and then the author brought up the alternate dimension twilight zone episode, yep that's it. Difference here being character development, a reluctant hero or two developing and decent setup for plot twists. might finish this in one go.

Halfway through and I am enjoying the writing style and the premise is really interesting! Deb- thanks for the heads up on the disturbing aspect... you don't lie!

Welcome all!

After about 100 pages this feels familiar much like Steve mentioned. I immediately thought of a book series by S. M. Stirling. I never read it but I remember the premise of whole town being transported through time. Not the same but similar.

I'm liking it so far. Nothing outstanding but it is fun. It feels like it fits right in with the other PKD winners that we've read.

The other 'whole town transported through time' that I've read is 1632 by Eric Flint which is very different from this book.
In that book a whole American town (and their coal mine, which I thought was cheating) get transported to the middle of the 30 years war. They then demonstrate the superiority of American FREEDOM and RIFLES! It's very good swash-buckling fun!

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. At times it was tense and interesting, or horrifying; at times it was way over my head with the science and religious details. I think the ending was appropriate.

I really enjoyed this one and I was suprised by that.

I think it's because the book is really just telling a story, and not more than that. Almost all other SF books are either about the science or about the message and this was just a very good story.

I thought the characters were all really well done without going so far as to be a character study like in more literary fiction.

This was exactly what I expect from a PKD Award winner. An entertaining story that has a little bit of a twist to it. I liked it but thought the ending was incomplete. My first thought was 'Is there a sequel?'.

This is one of those books I never would have picked up on my own, but am really glad to have read. I did like it. I thought the way the townspeople just went on with their new lives was a realistic portrayal. But I also wondered if there was a sequel - even though I thought the ending was appropriate.