Collecting Highlight (1) - "A Meeting of Minds"

[Cheryl]

We're inaugurating a new bi-monthly column here on MoM, written alternately by Hans and myself, highlighting one book/story/misc item publication for McCaffrey collectors. Feel free to ask us more details, let us know if this is an item you've acquired or would like to -- or wouldn't like to, or make any other comments that seem apt. And as always, feel free to start other topics in this forum with questions/comments on entirely different McCaffrey items. To kick off the column, it seemed most apt to cover the short story for which this forum is named, "A Meeting of Minds."


"A Meeting of Minds" tells the story of Damia, daughter of Rowan (who first appeared in a short story which preceeded this one in publication). Damia, as her mother before her, is lonely and lacks a soul mate with which to share her life. While off-duty she reaches out with her telepathic skills and comes across the mind of an alien presence. Damia believes she loves the alien Sodan, but her family is suspicious of his intentions which eventually become clear. The eventual mental battle leads to tragic consequences as well as true love at last for Damia.

This short story was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in January 1969, which cost just 50 cents (US).

This story was published four other times before becoming incorporated into the novel Damia, including French and Spanish publications.

[Cheryl]

Currently, a number of copies of this magazine are available from online booksellers. Prices seem to range from US$5-25.

One copy is available through eBay Stores for US$10.