Mindspell

Cayla Hayward is a "brilliant, fiercely rational, young president of Biologiconn, Inc.," who has made a "breakthrough in gene-splicing technology." Her scientific work is denounced and threatened by religions and political leaders. Ironic, because one of her ancestors was tortured to death for being a witch. Such forces of anti-reason are still with us in various forms. Includes some interesting insights into carnival and seance trickry. My favorite line occurs when a preacher tells his congregation to bow their heads and pray: "The churchfull of heads obeyed, like rows of flowers cut with a single stroke."