Encounters edited by Maxine McArthur and Maree Hanson
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Ford Prefect explains the concept of buzzing to an incredulous Arthur Dent. According
to Prefect, aliens "find some isolated spot with very few people around, then they land right by some poor unsuspecting soul whom
no one's ever going to believe and then strut up and down in front of him wearing silly antennae on their head and making beep beep
noises." This is a concept which is played up in the first two stories of this anthology.
Dragon's Fire by Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey
reviewed by Lise Murphy
This latest book was written by Todd McCaffrey along with his mother Anne. That being said, it bears
little resemblance to the original Dragonriders of Pern books. The characters are interesting but it is slow at
times and there is so much jumping between points of view that it is difficult to really sympathize with the characters.
Acorna's Triumph by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Long time readers know that Acorna, parted from her beloved life-mate
Aari, who is lost is time, has been struggling and hoping for a chance to be with him again, and has followed hints of him
throughout the galaxy. But the triumph pales. When she gets him back, he's different, strange, the bond they share doesn't feel quite
right. Has she finally found her beloved husband, or has time brought her someone else entirely?
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Dragon's Kin by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Kindan has spent his life in the coal camp of Natalon, where he helps his father tend the watch-whers that
are so vital to the safety of the mines. A distant relative to dragons, they have large eyes that are painfully sensitive to the
sun, and an ability to tell if the air in a mine is bad. A tragic accident robs Kindan of his family and the mine's only
watch-wher. They need a watch-wher, and since Kindan is the only person there who knows anything about it, he gets to ride
on a dragon to get a new one. Kisk will do more than become the mine's new watch-wher.
Acorna's Rebels by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Becker has convinced Acorna to take a brief vacation. They go to MOO, the Moon of Opportunities,
where they find out that another planet may have supplies they need to help them in the goal of rebuilding Vhiliinyar. A ship
emergency forces them to land on a dangerous swamp planet but help is on its way...
Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation by Helen McCarthy
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Miyazaki's animated feature films have achieved the kind of fame that
ensures the titles and images are familiar even to those who have not
embraced anime. Sometime in everyone's life, they must have heard of
My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Porco
Rosso. Until now, though, there has been no definitive English language
study of Miyazaki and his work.
Spinners by Anthony McCarten
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
UFO sightings are nothing new in America (especially in some, shall we say,
rural areas), but not so in New Zealand. Certainly, they never leave behind the seedlings of future
offspring. Something like that could tear the village apart.
Once Upon a Galaxy edited by Wil McCarthy, Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers
reviewed by David Maddox
All children grow up with fairy tales. They entertained, helped us sleep at night and gave moral lessons intended to shape us into
well-rounded individuals. But as any science fiction writer will tell you, the line between science and magic can be quite
thin. This is what led to this anthology of 14 classic fairy-tale themes transformed into science fiction stories.
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