One quality all of de Camp's Reginald Rivers stories have in common is fun.

Unless lacking a sense of humor, most discussion group members will be glad to have read the stories simply because they offered adventures in well-drawn exotic locales involving some of the more popular animals of prehistoric eras. The social concern about evolutionism versus creationism is a hot topic and is likely to remain so for many years, perhaps generations, to come. A discussion leader might best begin by reminding group members that "The Satanic Illusion" is in part about being open-minded and that a discussion that is open-minded about the central social issue of the story would be in keeping with the spirit of the story.

After that, one tack to take would be to invite comment on how open-minded de Camp seems to be in creating his narrative. How fair is...