Acclaimed author Kevin McColley will read from his new book The Other Side on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at St. Olaf College.

The reading, free and open to the public, will be at 7:30 p.m. in Room 144 of Buntrock Commons. After the reading McColley will sign his books in Room 144.

The Other Side, published in June by Simon & Schuster, merges McColleyıs carefully researched historical fact with mesmerizing fiction, weaving an epic coming-of-age tale set during the Civil War. While describing the horrifying acts perpetuated by legendary Confederate rebel William Quantrill and his young band of guerillas, McColley portrays a grittily authentic and unsentimental picture of the war and the devastating toll it takes on a young manıs soul.

The novel is centered around 17-year-old Jacob Wilson, who finds himself drawn to Quantrillıs group. The Other Side is particularly chilling when it depicts Jacobıs transformation as he becomes more inured to the violence that surrounds him. Jacob shifts from terror at his first crime to ecstatic joy as he comes to view himself as the avenging agent for God.

The Other Side not only tells a riveting epic tale, it shows off McColleyıs many literary talents. His chronicles of the horrors of war, rendered with near-journalistic precision, are interspersed with hauntingly beautiful descriptions of the terrain. According to Simon & Schuster, "The novel, with its searing recreations of some of the darkest episodes of the Civil War, shows McColley to be one of the most exciting and diversely talented writers today."

McColley is the award-winning author of 1998ıs Praying to a Laughing God, which was nominated for a Hammett Prize. He also has penned several critically acclaimed novels for young adults. Before becoming a writer, McColley served in the U.S. Navy, hunting drug runners in the Caribbean and rescuing downed fighter pilots. He lives in Pinewood, Minn. where he trains sled dog teams.