Fantasy and Horror edited by Neil Barron
reviewed by William Thompson
A companion to the author's Anatomy of Wonder, a standard reference for science fiction, this book is
a combining of the editor's two previous references, Fantastic Literature and Horror Literature, published in 1990, and both
intended to serve as reader's advisories. Following a format in most respects identical to the long-running Anatomy of Wonder,
this scholarly tome attempts to cover the most important and seminal works written since the start of the Gothic tradition in the
mid-eighteenth century, as well as fantasy from its inception in the origins of literature.
Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Until a teenage Merlin arrives on the scene to tell king Vortigern why
his royal tower continually collapses, English texts never mention the
Arthurian sorcerer. T.A. Barron attempts to detail Merlin's childhood
in these three volumes (of a projected five), which
Georges reports are packed with excellent fantasy, entertaining
adventures and nasty beasties.
Iris by William Barton and Michael Capobianco
reviewed by John O'Neill
Before Deepstar reaches Titan, the rogue gas giant Iris and its moons wanders
into the solar system, and the ship is diverted to Iris in the hopes that it will prove more adventurous and
rewarding. When one of Iris' moons is found to contain a submerged alien craft, this tiny crew of
bickering artists and engineers soon finds itself confronting an ancient -- and very deadly -- alien mystery.
White Light by William Barton and Michael Capobianco
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
In this novel, the characters leap from a future Earth, devastated by a thermonuclear
war, into a succession of ever more exotic locales, climbing the
great chain of beings until they start rubbing elbows with godlike
entities and delving into their own neuroses.
One For Sorrow by Christopher Barzak
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Adam McCormick has run away from home. While hiding out at the home of his girlfriend he takes a novel off the shelf to read. It,
too, tells the story of a runaway, but a whiny, preppy kid that Adam feels doesn't have it too bad. After all, nobody knows he has
run away, and nobody's after him. His only companion is the ghost of Jamie Marks.
Rabid Transit: Menagerie edited by Christopher Barzak, Alan DeNiro and Kristin Livdahl
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
This book is the fourth in the Rabid Transit series of anthologies. If you haven't encountered the other
three, you may not be sure what to expect; but the cover blurb promises that the stories "show different
ways to break out of the conventions of the shopworn story." This should interest you in seeing what the authors had come up with.
The Battletech Universe: Part 2
a survey by John O'Neill
Giant battling robots? Virtual reality centers? Is this science fiction
or toy merchandising? John continues his in-depth look at the rich universe that
has spawned over thirty novels, the MechWarrior computer games, and
even a trading card game.
The Battletech Universe
a survey by John O'Neill
Giant battling robots? Virtual reality centers? Is this science fiction
or toy merchandising? John has an in-depth look at the rich universe that
has spawned over thirty novels, the MechWarrior computer games, and
even a trading card game.
Tokyo by Bruce Baugh and Mark Cenczyk
a gaming module review by Don Bassingthwaite
Like other sourcebooks, World of Darkness: Tokyo takes
a location and explores its supernatural denizens, their
politics, and their relationships with the mundane world. There are more than just
wraiths in Tokyo.
Shattered Europe by Bruce Baugh, John R. Snead and Greg Stolze
a gaming module review by Don Bassingthwaite
Third in a series of sourcebooks for White Wolf's Trinity
science fiction game, Shattered Europe details one of the game's psi
orders, the Aesculapian psionic healers, and the region in which they are
based, Europe.
Dataware by Wolfgang Baur
a gaming accessory review by Don Bassingthwaite
If you intend to make the Grid (or artificial intelligence or robots) a
part of your Alternity campaign, you need this book. But remember
to bring your imagination, it'll be needed to fill in the gaps.
A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
The authors, with a degree of apparent effortlessness that is astonishing, have pulled off not one but
several very difficult things in this book. The first, and by no means the least, is the sometimes vexed
collaboration issue. You I have read co-authored books in which you could have chopped out and parceled
into neat little piles the bits that belonged to the various authors because the voices
simply never gelled enough to produce perfect seamlessness. Here, it just doesn't even matter. It flows. The two authors
work as one; it's not so much cooperation as a symbiosis. A job very well done.
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A Touch of the Creature by Charles Beaumont
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Gleaned from boxes of manuscripts left behind upon his untimely death, these stories
bounce from humorous farces to cynical indictments of the film industry. One can easily sense why Beaumont was so popular and
so influential. His characters are complex and when not endearing, at least memorable.
Link by Walt Becker
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
How many theories have been formulated to explain the existence
of life on Earth? What better way to start a shouting match than
to get creationists and Darwinists in the same room? Where did man come from?
And, where is that pesky missing link?
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The premise of this book is both intriguing and audacious, with a hint of healthy disrespect. Alice In Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll was, it seems, a lie. The girl of the title, Alice Liddell, was actually Alyss Heart, a princess of
Wonderland and heir to the throne. No white rabbits, no tea parties, just an epic battle for power.
Hydrogen Steel by K.A. Bedford
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Retired police Inspector Suzette McGee guards a terrible secret: she's not a real human being, but a disposable. Disposables are androids
produced by cheap nanofacture to handle all the jobs that are too dirty, degrading, or brutal for human beings to deal with. Zette
has no idea why she's different, or why whoever made her went to the trouble of implanting an entire lifetime's worth of false
memories. She's tormented by the question of whether there might be others like her. Or is she unique?
Eclipse by K.A. Bedford
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
"This time tomorrow," thinks James Dunne, newly-minted graduate of the Royal Interstellar Service Academy, "I'll be an
officer serving aboard a starship, charting unexplored space!" It's his life dream, untarnished despite the horrors of
his Academy years -- an ordeal of rote learning, ritual hazing, and unremitting brutality that would give Pat Conroy
nightmares. But the Academy is behind Dunne now, along with the tragedies of his family life and his nagging sense
of his own inferiority. The rest of his life can begin. Things don't quite work out that way.
Orbital Burn by K.A. Bedford
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Lou is minding her own business at her favorite -- and the only -- local diner, waiting out the last few days before leaving the
planet of Kestrel, which is about to be struck by a huge, unknown space object and obliterated. She knows her future is
bleak. Years ago an extremely nasty nanovirus began destroying her tissues, killing her. It's only the nanobots constantly
repairing her system that keeps her going, but even they will soon begin to fail unless she comes up with enough creds to get
another nano-tank treatment. Her newest client, however, won't help in that department.
Orbital Burn by K.A. Bedford
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Lou is the victim of an accelerated tissue necrosis nanovirus. Clinically she's dead. Some time ago, a nanogenic cure restored her to
something very much like life -- but since then she hasn't been able to afford another full treatment, just periodic refreshers that
leave her looking (and smelling) like a week-old corpse. Shunned by most normal living people, Lou has become part of the underclass
on a planet named Kestrel, eking out a living as a private investigator. Unfortunately, Kestrel is soon due to be destroyed by a giant
asteroid.
Navohar by Hilari Bell
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Microbiologist Irene Olsen is a crew member aboard a starship sent out to determine the fate of 22 missing
human colonies and also to search for a cure to a bio-engineered plague which is devastating Earth. After visiting
18 planets where humans were killed off by alien environments, they arrive at Navohar and find a small
group of survivors who seem surprisingly unhappy at being rediscovered.
A.D. 999 by Jadrien Bell
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Oh, how primitive and superstitious people were in the 10th century! Just because a calendar was about to roll over, they
thought the world was going to end, that horrors awaited them on the opposite side of that midnight. Can't we all be proud
how much more rational and sensible we are now?
The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn by John Bellairs
reviewed by Jennifer & Chris Goheen
Jennifer liked the riddles and thought the mystery was challenging.
Chris, Jennifer's dad, thought that, with a less melodramatic treatment
of the villain and more skillful handling of a few of the plot twists, this
would have been a much better read.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2000 edited by Gregory Benford
reviewed by David Soyka
Originally, David thought this series was a way for writers, otherwise
marginalized from the mainstream, to pat themselves on the back a bit and
honour their own. But it seems this isn't the case. He wondered how then to
evaluate this year's anthology, which has dropped its historical numerical
appellation in favour of a designation with deep science fictional
connotations. Well, it would seem that the volume's editor can offer a
helping hand...
The Plague Tales by Ann Benson
reviewed by Alice Dechene
When an artifact from the 14th Century is unearthed in 21st Century London,
it may mean the beginning of a terrifying new
plague. A novel of science fiction from a fresh new voice.
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