Auckland woman writes s.f. novel

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 10

Auckland woman writes s.f. novel

NZPA staff correspondent London The first novel by Sandi Hall, a New Zealander, is to be published in Britain by the Women’s Press in June. Called "The Godmothers," it is a science fiction novel told on four different timelevels: the near future, when a group of women active in. local campaigns come up

against • big business interests, with tragic results; the far future, when a peaceful .world is threatened by. the rise of a politico-religious organisation embodying the old values of hierarchies and power; the woman-hating, woman-fearing, witch-burn-ing past; and the after-time, the time of the godmothers, past, present, and future.

“It is a fairly ambitious work for her first novel," said Sarah Lefanu, of the Women's Press. “But she pulls it off well. She interweaves these four stories to create a novel that is . both witty and compassionate, and combines a feminist vision with all the excitement of a well-written thriller."

Ms Hall, who lives in Auckland, is part of the collective that produces "Broadsheet," the feminist newspaper,' and also works as a television researcher. She is not waiting for the reaction to her first novel. — already she is writing her second, again a science-fic-tion work to be called "Cosmic Botanist."