Snuff by Terry Pratchett
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
If ever there was a man who was married to his job, it's Ankh-Morpork City Watch Commander Sam Vimes. There's only one thing that could get him to take a break from policing the dirty cobbles, as well as his own mismatched but proven police force, and that's an order, however gently worded, from his beloved wife, Lady Sybil Ramkin.

Doc Voodoo: Aces & Eights by Dale Lucas
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Rather than stretch out an idea until it snaps, the author presents a tight, action packed tale of what his publishers term mobsters, mystery, magic and mayhem. The mobsters are a mixture of West Indian, Jewish, Irish and Italian immigrants, all competing -- often bloodily -- for a piece of the action in Harlem. The main contenders are Papa House and the Queen Bee, who are running rival gangs yet have very different ambitions.

Fated by Benedict Jacka
reviewed by Katherine Petersen
Alex, who runs a magic shop in London, is a diviner, so he can see the results of his actions before he makes choices. If he needs to walk across a room without being seen, he can look ahead and judge the exact moment when someone will look the other way, so he can walk by, for example. Both the Light and Dark mages want to use Alex's talent to open an ancient artifact that has recently surfaced. Alex, an entity unto himself and with an attitude, has no interest in being used and normally he'd flee.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
reviewed by David Maddox
1991. It had been seventeen years since the first Star Wars film had graced the silver screen. Over time, its popularity had dimmed. The toys were no longer on the shelves and an entire generation had only experienced the trilogy on their TV screens. There were rumors of another trilogy, theories about what was going on at the fabled Skywalker Ranch, but these had become the stuff of legend, little believed by more than the hardcore Star Warrior.

Flying Saucer Stories by David B. Riley
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
This slim volume contains some fourteen short stories and a couple of poems on the connecting theme of interplanetary visitation. Mostly, Earth is visited by visitors from a planet you've never heard of before. They come and go in graceful silvery disks. Occasionally, it's the Earth folks who visit the aliens on their home worlds.

The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer
reviewed by Trent Walters
The novel opens with a strange man attacking Jamie, who has just left an exercise dance class. When he bites her, Jamie knocks him to the sidewalk where his head smacks the cement. She assumes she just killed a mugger. Her friend Kate thinks he's rapist. However, we readers know differently. When he gets back up, they take off in a van to go to a party. The party is full of booze, prescription drugs, and kinky sex during which Jamie awakens as a zombie.

Through Darkest America and Dawn's Uncertain Light by Neal Barrett, Jr.
reviewed by David Maddox
Over one hundred and fifty years ago there was the Great War, which wiped out most of humanity, brought down all the old cities and technology, and eliminated just about all animal life. But humanity has struggled its way back to reclaim the land. In Middle America, life continues, farmers grow their crops and raise their stock, and try to make an honest living in the world. But there's a much darker side to all of it, beyond the new war between the Loyalists and the Rebels brewing in the West. This darkness goes to the root of all society and no one wants it uncovered.

Vote for SF Site's Readers' Choice Awards for 2011
Here we are again, offering you your annual chance to let the world know what you thought was the best of all the speculative reading material you encountered from the past year. If you've been a regular visitor to the SF Site for more than a couple of years, you are quite probably already familiar with this annual event. If you're new to us, all you need to know is that we want to hear what you believe was the very best of what you read from the past year. If you've forgotten what you chose in previous years, you can find them all linked at Best Read of the Year including The Dervish House by Ian McDonald which was the top choice last year.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
New and forthcoming books this time include the latest from John Birmingham, Alan Dean Foster, Nancy Kress, Robert McCammon, John Meaney, Elizabeth Moon, Alastair Reynolds, and many more.

Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
Nearly one hundred years ago, Edgar Rice Burroughs, under the nom de plume of Norman Bean, created the seminal planetary romance. "Under the Moons of Mars" from the February, 1912 All Story Magazine featured former Confederate Captain John Carter. Fleeing Apaches, Carter hides in a cave where he is overcome by fumes. He awakens on Mars, Barsoom to the natives. In the lighter gravity of the smaller planet, Carter achieves nearly superhuman accomplishments. He can leap extraordinary distances, his strength increases dramatically, and he develops telepathic abilities. Rick Klaw looks at the appearances of John Carter through the years.

The Best of David Farland: Volume 1 and 2 by David Farland
reviewed by Trent Walters
Although David Farland/Dave Wolverton is a best-selling fantasy and SF writer known primarily for his novels, he also has a pair of story collections available in both audio and Kindle and other ebook formats. He's the kind of writer for readers who like a little style in their writing -- without overdoing it -- reminiscent in ways of Walter Jon Williams. Like Williams, style never gets in the way of story. Both want to pull you into and through the story.