WYRM by Mark Fabi
reviewed by Steven MacDonald
It offers up heady speculation into the nature of the mind, and how it might lead to artificial intelligence.
What Steven liked most about this novel is the smooth mix of seemingly unrelated disciplines.
The Seven Isles of Ameulas by Casey Fahy
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Doesn't it seem that every other fantasy these days is a story of brave but
naive individuals rushing off to snatch the powerful artefact-of-the-week
before Mr. Nasty uses it to toast civilization as they know it? Just
like cloning Dolly the sheep, literary cloning of Tolkien et al.
tends to lead to arthritic literary offspring. While there are problems with
this book, it is redeemed by being fairly unconventional and weaving
together a number of distinctive narratives and character psychologies. For
one price you get large-scale wizardly landscape rearrangements, alternate
dreams worlds, political intrigue, troubled love affairs, and high-seas
adventure, amongst others.
The Prisoner -- The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series by Robert Fairclough
reviewed by David Soyka
This was not your run-of-the-mill television series. Though, at the time, the loner anti-hero had become a staple of the televised
grist mill, none was as unconventional and intellectually
ambitious. The series took the tropes of various pop culture artifacts -- espionage, western, science fiction and
fantasy, and fairy tale genres, as well as elements of then-contemporary film, music, and lifestyle -- and bent them into a unique hodgepodge
that aspired to make viewers think, though often it just baffled them.
Medalon by Jennifer Fallon
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
This is the opening salvo of what is known as The Demon Child Trilogy. It is this
Demon Child with whom this particular segment of the series is concerned -- a being born of a union between a human woman and a
king of the Harshini, a semi-mythical elf-like magical race with demon-taming potential. Keeping to true fantasy tropes, this
lost child has no inkling of her true identity as the book opens -- and neither, apparently, has the only other half-Harshini
character, Brak, sent by the rest of the Harshini and the Gods to seek the demon child and bring it back to the Harshini Sanctuary
where there is a large and somewhat fraught destiny waiting.
Pendragon by W. Barnard Faraday
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Anyone who is familiar with Geoffrey Ashe's gorgeous The Quest for King Arthur's Britain or
The Discovery of King Arthur's Britain has a background to believe that Arthur may have existed as an historical figure. He just
wasn't the King Arthur we're used to. In this addition to the King Arthur canon, General Artorius has been sent by King Aurelian to
the North of Britain, where the savage attacks by the Saxons, Picts and Angles are ravaging the land and people. His task is two-fold,
to lead the last remains of Rome's Legion against these raiders, and to unite the tribes of Britain to insure their safety.
The Runelords: The Sum of All Men by David Farland
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
In the first of this series, a renegade Runelord sets out to
conquer his neighbouring kingdoms. But an even greater danger
walks (or crawls) upon the land. It is a time of darkness,
a time of sickness in the Earth itself. The humans' only hope
for survival is the rebirth of the Earth King -- a legend
almost forgotten, unknown even by the chosen heir.
The Ear, The Eye And The Arm by Nancy Farmer
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Set in 2194, Tendai, Rita, and Kuda are the over-protected children of the powerful and feared General
Matsika. They decide to slip out of the compound for an adventure in their city in Zimbabwe.
Trouble isn't far away. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, physically deformed from birth by the toxic legacy of their village,
possess special abilities corresponding to their appearances. It is these gifts that make them the finest detectives in the country.
Who else would Mrs. Matsika turn to find her beloved children?
Pearls from Peoria by Philip José Farmer
reviewed by Steven H Silver
This massive retrospective of Farmer's life and work contains a wide variety of his stories and essays. The stories provide a clear insight
into why the author is a grandmaster of the science fiction field. The essays give a wonderful look at not only the man behind the
stories, but the techniques and thought that went into writing the stories.
The Best of Philip José Farmer by Philip José Farmer
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Any 'best of' title is, by its nature, prone to individual interpretation, and putting together a cross section of work
by an author as prolific as Philip José Farmer was never going to be easy. Some of his best includes entire series,
which clearly could not form part of this single book collection, although the Riverworld is represented here. What
the book does manage, is to provide an excellent primer for what made Farmer so popular for so long. Readers who have
heard his name, and want to know what all the fuss is about without risking their cash on an entire series, should start here.
The Riverworld Saga by Philip José Farmer
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Originally read almost 20 years ago in high school, Steve was
leery to reread what had once been an exciting and innovative reading
experience. He's been disappointed by quite a number of movies and
books that he returned to after a span of years, but this wasn't
one of them, he was ecstatic to learn.
Thunder Rift by Matthew Farrell
reviewed by Donna McMahon
When the "Thunder Rift" opened up near Jupiter, it sent out an electromagnetic pulse that wrecked every
electronic device on Earth, slamming the planet backward a century in a few hours. Consequently, it took
decades before Earth could launch a space mission to explore the rift and confirm suspicions that it was an interstellar gateway.
Taria Spears, an exo-anthropologist on this mission, is elated when they find an inhabited planet on the other
side of the gateway.
Thunder Rift by Matthew Farrell
reviewed by Hank Luttrell
This story begins with the arrival of a bright flash of light in the sky and
a cascade of electromagnetic energy that wipes away much of modern
technology. It turns out to be a wormhole which has appeared in the solar
system near Jupiter. Since humans always tend to assume they are the centre
of the universe, the theory about the wormhole is that it must have been
placed there either for us to use or perhaps to facilitate an invasion of
Earth. Whichever it is, Earth must mount an exploratory mission.
Elvisland by John Farris
reviewed by David Maddox
Dark, foreboding and a frightening insight into man's darker nature, words that can certainly be used to describe
this new collection of short stories. The collected stories all contain a similar setting, the American Deep South.
It is a fine piece of work, including four never before seen tales; "Waiting for Mr. Gilroy," "Talking Heads,"
"Storytime with the Bluefield Strangler" and "Hunting Meth Zombies in the Great Nebraskan Wasteland."
Farthing #1
reviewed by Steven H Silver
This is the first issue of a new quarterly speculative fiction magazine from Wales making its appearance
with nine stories by authors such as Karen M. Roberts, Peter Andrew Smith, Melissa
Mead, Cherith Baldry and Paul Renault along with three short pieces called Farthing drabbles.
Snakes on a Plane by Christa Faust
reviewed by David Maddox
Hawaiian surfer boy Sean Jones witnesses a Triad mob killing by gangster Eddie Kim. FBI agent Neville
Flynn is sent to escort the kid to Los Angeles to testify. Kim manages to smuggle thousands of snakes onto their flight. The
snakes get loose. Carnage ensues. It's good, bloody fun.
Boddekker's Demons by Joe Clifford Faust
reviewed by James Seidman
Fed up with target advertising? Here is a
fanciful and humorous tale with an underlying
story which is a disturbingly plausible parody of
modern fame and commercialism.
From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Once the final battle has been won, and the villains have all been defeated, what is left for a super-hero to do? Time to confront
all the neuroses, character flaws, and relationship problems covered up by a lifetime of chasing bad guys and saving the world. At
least that's what Omnipotent Man, The Flying Squirrel, Iron Lass, X-Man, The Brotherfly and Power Grrrl discover as they gather for
a group therapy session with Eva Brain-Silverman, better known to the world as Dr. Brain.
The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Hamza should have been a contender. Actually, he should have been an academic with a degree and a writing career but something
went wrong. Now he washes dishes at ShabbadabbaDoo's and is one-half of the Coyote Kings. The other half is Yehat, a
should-have-been brilliant engineer who instead works as a video store clerk. The Coyote Kings are into classic and media SF,
African music and videos. When a beautiful woman appears who knows how to answer when handed a line from Star Wars,
Hamza is smitten and Yehat knows that they're both in trouble.
Monday Redux by Robert Favole
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Johann Gutenberg, Dunblane, Thurston, Westside, W. R. Myers -- a partial list of school tragedies, the most publicised of which is
Columbine. A roll call of carnage, involving students, teachers, parents, and outsiders, joined by the common link of guns, terror,
and death. In every case and in dozens more, the question arises of why? What set it off? Shouldn't someone have realised
there was a problem? And what would we do if we had the chance to relive the day?
The Battle For Azeroth edited by Bill Fawcett
reviewed by Michael M Jones
"My name is Michael, and I am a World of Warcraft addict. I started playing the game in early 2005, a few months
after it was officially released to the public. My main characters include a level 70 restoration-specced night elf druid,
and a level 70 holy/retribution-specced human paladin. I've played every class and every race, at least for a little while,
and my (real life) wife plays the cutest, sweetest, most destructive gnome mage I've ever met."
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Inanna of Tiamet by Tikvah Feinstein
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
So, you just can't get behind creationism, and Darwinism isn't quite
you, either. You need a brand spanking new creation myth to satisfy that spiritual
craving. Luckily for you, that very topic is addressed by several books,
but not all of them are going to treat you as kindly as this one does.
The Still by David Feintuch
reviewed by Kim Fawcett
Kim found this to be one of the most enjoyable fantasy books she's read this
year -- a sweeping story with plenty of action and plenty of characters to
love and to hate. The author generates enough tension to keep you at the
edge of your seat right up until the final line.
Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Forstchen
reviewed by Steven H Silver
One of the standard practices in any war is the vilification of the enemy. This can be as obvious as using derogatory names
for them to more insidious propagandistic techniques. In this first book of the Legends of the
Riftwar series, the enemy forces of Kelewan and Midkemia find that in
order to survive they must work together, and perhaps discover some of their hatred is misplaced.
Jimmy the Hand by Raymond E. Feist and Steve Stirling
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Jimmy the Hand, a young man whose facile fingers have picked many a pocket, thus earning him that name, has just helped Prince Arutha
and Princess Anita in their flight to escape Krondor. That part of the story, how they got to that point, you might already know
somewhat. You also might know about how, many years later, Jimmy saves Arutha's life again. But what you don't know yet
is what happened to Jimmy in between these two adventures.
Murder in LaMut by Raymond Feist and Joel Rosenberg
reviewed by Steven H Silver
When authors collaborate, each writer should bring something of their own to the collaboration. While most authors work together to create
something out of whole cloth, Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg have attempted something novel here. Feist has provided his detailed world
of Midkemia, which first appeared in 1982 with the publication of Magician, while Rosenberg introduced his trio of heroes,
Pirijol, Kethel and Durine from the Guardians of the Flame series, although without reference to their origins.
The Best From F&SF: The 50th Anniversary Anthology edited by Edward L. Ferman and Gordon Van Gelder
reviewed by David Soyka
David takes a look at both this book and the October/November issue of the magazine. Both provide him
with enchantments including Robert Reed's marvelous "First Tuesday", Terry Bisson's award-assured "MACS"
and Lucius Shepard's unfortunately-named "Crocodile Rock."
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
In a age when people are never satiated with the day to day details of celebrity couples' lives, it shouldn't be surprising
that a fairy tale can't simply end with "and they lived happily ever after," but draws the inevitable question -- was it really
as happy as all that, or did Prince Charming have a mid-life crisis and run off with Rapunzel's teenage daughter? And what
about the evil step-mother/queen/dwarf/black prince that survived -- surely they didn't retire to a convent/monastery.
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Abandoning the teen angst novel and returning to the long-loved form of the fairy tale, we
find all the standards of this form: youngest of three princesses, beautiful but headstrong, princess Marigold is blessed (or cursed
perhaps) with a special fairy gift, and has a habit of rejecting suitors; the conniving step-mother who dabbles with poisons
and the Dark Arts and, who naturally will stop at nothing to attain power; the seemingly befuddled but likeable old king; and
finally, a dashing young hero with a mysterious past, raised by a troll, and whose hobby it is to invent gadgets.
The Life of God (as Told by Himself) by Franco Ferrucci
reviewed by David Soyka
This is not some convoluted dry academic "high lit" tome. While not marketed
as science fiction or fantasy, it is certainly in the James Morrow tradition – funny, wise,
and, for the most part, right on the money in considering the ontological problems raised
by the notion of God.
The Prodigal Troll by Charles Coleman Finlay
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
In a border province of a far-flung Empire, the local noble families, consolidating land and titles through judicious
marriages and betrothals, begin to amass an uncomfortable amount of power. Accordingly, the Empress sends her armies to
take that power back. His castle under siege, Lord Gruethrist charges a nursemaid and a knight to bear the infant heir,
Claye, to safety. But their desperate flight ends in tragedy, and baby Claye is left alone. He's found by a mother troll,
grieving for her own dead child; in spite of the disapproval of her fellows, she adopts him as her own.
The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney
reviewed by David Maddox
A mysterious circus rolls into town by means of neither roads nor train. Its advertisement promises sights and wonders as yet
unseen by mortal man. Its owner is a chameleonic Asian man of uncertain age and origin. Though at first unimpressed with its run-down
appearance (heck, it doesn't even have an elephant!), the mundane citizens of Abalone, Arizona are soon to learn that the circus
contains a bizarre collection of myths, oddities, fables and lore that will challenge the very nature of their lives and beliefs.
Breakfast with the Ones You Love by Eliot Fintushel
reviewed by Rich Horton
Lea Tillim is either a runaway with a bad attitude who has gotten messed up with a young drug dealer, and who may have killed at least
one man or a pretty young girl with a special ability who is helping a young Jewish man rescue the Chosen. She is definitely the heroine
of this novel.
Breakfast with the Ones You Love by Eliot Fintushel
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
Sixteen-year-old Lea Tillim is a girl with a talent. Well, maybe "talent" isn't the most appropriate word. An
ability, let's say. A power. The power to make people ill with a thought, even to kill them if she wants. But there's one
boy who considers it a talent: Jack Konar, who says he is one of the God Tetragrammaton's Thrice Chosen, and is building
a "spaceship" in a forgotten part of a Sears and Roebuck store, in readiness for the coming of the Meschiach. And he needs Lea's help.
Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death by The Firesign Theatre
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
Since the days of their greatest fame, the individual members
of the Firesign Theatre have gone on to a fair bit of commercial
success. The group did a critically well-received 25th anniversary tour a few years ago, and on the strength of
that they caught a spark and began working on this, their first new album in fifteen years.
The Rose of the World by Jude Fisher
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
On the world of Elda, the tumultuous events initiated by one fateful Allfair have triggered crisis, tragedy, and
transformation. In the northern Eyran Isles, Katla Aranson, gifted metalsmith and incorrigible hoyden, has been abducted by
marauders, along with all the women of Rockfall. Saro Vingo, who shares neither the zealotry nor the xenophobia common
among his fellow Istrians, has come into possession of a deadly deathstone; in an effort to keep it out of the hands of
religious fanatics, he has fled in company with the sorcerer Virelai.
Wild Magic by Jude Fisher
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Second in the Fool's Gold trilogy, it picks up immediately where the previous volume left off.
Katla Aranson has been miraculously healed of the injury she received at the tumultuous Allfair,
where religious fanatics from the southern Empire of Istria attempted to burn her for blasphemy.
Gentle Saro Vingo has been forced into a horrible servitude to his loathsome brother Tanto, rendered bedridden by a wound incurred
in the commission of a rape. Apprentice mage Virelai, who bound his sorcerer master into sleep and stole from him both his paramour, the
exquisite Rosa Eldi, and his magic is now in service to devious Istrian nobleman Tycho Issian.
And the Rosa Eldi herself, now married to Eyran king Ravn Asharson, finds herself adrift in an alien world, struggling to make
sense of her new life and also of the blank that is her past, for she cannot remember who or what she is.
Sorcery Rising by Jude Fisher
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
From the northern kingdom of Eyra come young metalworker Katla Aranson of the Rockfall clan, with her father
and brothers; and Ravn Asharson, new King of Eyra, bored and frustrated and in need of both adventure and a
wife. From the Istrian Empire in the south, where strict religious observance circumscribes every aspect of
life, come dreamy Saro Vingo, perennially under the shadow of his dashing, massively self-centered older
brother, Tanto; and Lord Tycho Issian, heavily in debt and looking to make a lucrative marriage for his daughter,
Selen. From everywhere on Elda come the Footloose, a nomadic people who trade in many things, including small
magics. And from Sanctuary, a kingdom of ice somewhere in the far north, comes Virelai, a mage's apprentice who
has stolen both his master's magic (contained within his familiar, a black cat) and his greatest treasure.
The Border by Marina Fitch
reviewed by S. Kay Elmore
This second novel, a contemporary fantasy
revolving around the dirty streets of Tijuana, the strawberry fields of
California with its sheltered suburbia, follows a family desperate
to escape persecution and the poverty of Mexico.
Subterranean Worlds by Peter Fitting
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
While Hollow Earth fiction probably hit its peak in the lost race fiction era of the late 19th-early
20th century, excellent works in this genre continue to be produced, the
recently reprinted "Black as the Pit, from Pole to Pole" (1977) by Steven Utley
and Howard Waldrop being a prime example. It is this genre that is the focus of the book, a
predominantly academic (i.e., it bears endnotes and a bibliography) work which investigates Hollow Earth theories and fiction.
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