Nekropolis by Maureen F. McHugh
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The author tackles the touchy subject of life in a fundamentalist theocracy. Gender bias, genetic bias, and ancient traditions combine for a society that leaves little room for personal preference, and no chance of forgiveness. Hariba, at the young age of 26, has seen her life and future shattered by her brother's illegal actions. Her lesser-of-two-evils choice is to submit docilely to a form of slavery that will comprise the rest of her life.

Mission Child by Maureen McHugh
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
The novel's opening showcases all the author's strengths as she brings to life the character of Janna, a mission child on a strange planet. A daughter of the world's native inhabitants, she has grown up within the confines of the small Earth mission. In quick succession, she is faced with the arrival of "outrunners," young unattached men from a nearby clan, a near rape, the shooting of her father, and the looting of the mission by the "outrunners."

Mission Child by Maureen F. McHugh
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Fans of the author's first two novels should find this novel to be better than either of the previous two. Newcomers to McHugh's writing will find the novel to be the work of a mature writer, full of ideas and interesting characters.

The Moon and The Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre
reviewed by Catherine Asaro
Guest reviewer Catherine Asaro looks at this award-winning novel set in Versailles, France, in 1693, which tells the story of Marie-Josephe, a lady-in-waiting to the niece of Louis XIV -- the Sun King -- and her brother, the King's natural philosopher and explorer. He has brought the King a living sea woman and a dead male, both captured on an ocean voyage. So begins a rich tale of conscience, politics, science, history, and love -- and one of Catherine's picks for the Best Book of 1998.

The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre
reviewed by Steven H Silver
The author spends much of the early portion of the novel trying to establish atmosphere and introduce the characters. Although McIntyre does a good job of setting the mood, so many characters are thrown at the reader so quickly, and with such few distinguishing characteristics, that it is, at times, difficult to keep their identities separate.

Prince of Dreams by Nancy McKenzie
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
High King Markion would not wear the crown that unites all of England if not for the bravery of his nephew, Tristan. In return he is given the crown of Lyoness, which he has been promised for years. Tristan admires King Mark and wants to support him to keep alive the work that Arthur accomplished before his death -- keeping all of England united. Soon he begins to suspect that his loyalty is not returned. King Mark is jealous of his power...

Zom Bee Moo Vee by Mark McLaughlin
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
If you spent any amount of time plunked down in front of the TV on Saturday afternoons, watching Ghoulardi, Dr. Paul Bearer, Zacherley, or any of the scores of horror movie hosts that brought you your weekly fix of truly bad movies, you'll recognize the occasional music immediately -- zom bee MOO VEE... zom bee MOO VEE...

Bunker Man by Duncan McLean
reviewed by Chris Donner
A masterful tale of how one man's obsession grows to the point where it overtakes and obliterates his former personality, turning him into what he hates. The tension and ambiguity build until the reader is uncertain whether the protagonist is going mad, whether he is simply evil, or whether he is actually trying to ward off a genuine threat.

Dance of Knives by Donna McMahon
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Set in a 22nd century North America drastically altered by rises in sea levels, catastrophic earthquakes, plague pandemics, and the draconian social engineering of the USA, which sought to solve the problems of poverty and crime by massive relocation of inner-city residents. The city of Vancouver is a microcosm of these changes but also a vital example of recovery, for it's still a busy seaport, and the headquarters for the various industry Guilds which are gradually rebuilding the economy of the Pacific Northwest. Into this chaotic environment comes Klale Renhard, a young Fisher Guildmember tired of her life on boats and looking for something new. Klale is all set to become a crime statistic until she's saved, inexplicably, by Blade, a neurally and behaviourally altered "tool" who is more like a deadly automaton than a human being.

Souls in the Great Machine by Sean McMullen
reviewed by Rich Horton
Many years after a disaster called Greatwinter destroyed human civilization, people in what was once Australia live in smallish city states. Technology includes fairly ingenious mechanical devices but no electricity or electronics. A central feature of local civilization is the libraries, where the intelligentsia seem to maintain what records of the past they can.

The Centurion's Empire by Sean McMullen
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Suppose a person were to travel centuries forward at a time, in nothing more than their own body. Vitellan Bavalius is making the long journey from 71 AD to the 21st century alone -- with a few interesting stops along the way...

The Serpent's Tale edited by Gregory McNamee
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Snakes, in Western culture, have tended to be portrayed in a less than favourable light: tool of the devil in Genesis, ungrateful and nasty in European folk tales, engine of suicide for Cleopatra, etc... Besides the fact that snakes are fascinating animals in terms of their adaptation to environments as dissimilar as sea and desert, as well as with respect to their physiology, it is not in every culture that they are the pariahs we take them to be. If nothing else, this collection of 50 accounts of snakes gleaned from all over the world, should open one's eyes to the wide range of snake-human relationships which have existed across the world and through time.

Alpha Transit by Edward McSweegan
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
In the mid-22nd century, humankind is taking its first steps into interstellar space. Two living worlds have been discovered in the Alpha Centauri system -- one even has sentients, the Bronze-age Troodons. A small human colony has been established on the other, dubbed Norumbega. The third starship to Centauri is damaged by a meteorite as it is decelerating towards Norumbega...