Alnilam is a challenging novel. Its experimental structure and presentation are likely to interest some readers but are as likely to put off others. Few discussions of the novel are likely to avoid evaluating the dark and light type columns, and they are an issue that might best be dealt with early on.

What purpose does the unusual presentation serve? How does it affect the process of reading the book? More interesting issues are the novel's presentation of metaphysical ideas, the creation of a cult, and the search of a father for the truth about his son. Does Frank Cahill search for the truth in a disciplined manner or a scattered way?

How does his search reflect his personality? Why does the father seem to reenact some of what his son did?

1. What is going on with the dark and light print in different columns on...