Aluminum nitride -- silicon carbide whisker composites with up to 20 vol % whiskers were fabricated by pressureless sintering (1750°--1800°C) and by hot-pressing (1700°--1800°C). Silicon carbide whiskers were found to degrade depending on the type of protective powder bed used during sintering. Whiskers were found to degraded in high oxygen containing samples by reaction with sintering additives. Whisker degradation was also due to the formation of silicon carbide -- aluminum nitride solid solution. No whisker degradation was observed in hot-pressed samples. For these samples Young's modulus and fracture toughness were measured. A 33% increase in the fracture toughness was measured by the indentation technique for a 20 vol % whisker composite. Operative toughening mechanisms were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Crack deflection and whisker bridging were the dominant mechanisms. It was also shown that load transfer from matrix to whiskers can be a contributing factor to toughening. 88 refs., 34 figs., 11 tabs.