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.

Pandemonium by Warren Fahy
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Pobedograd is a large underground city located deep beneath the Ural Mountains, carved by slave labour on the orders of Stalin during the Cold War. The city includes windows onto an entire subterranean ecosystem, the primary feature of which is an enormous lake that is home to bizarre species which have survived undetected, until now. Into this sunless world come newly married biologists, Nell and Geoffrey Binswanger. The pair are lured by the promises of Russian billionaire Maxim Dragolovich, and the chance to observe first hand the scientific wonders that he now owns. Stalin thought it was Hell, but the place is now called Pandemonium.

Fragment by Warren Fahy
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
An ocean-going reality TV expedition is drawn by an emergency beacon to an extremely remote location in the South Pacific. Henders Island was discovered by the British in the 1700s, while in search of mutineers from the Bounty. What they found led them to believe that Henders was the home of the Devil himself. Due to its position and small size, the island has remained unvisited ever since.

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.

The Immortal Prince by Jennifer Fallon
reviewed by Tammy Moore
When a convicted murderer survives the hangman's noose, it is inconvenient, but when the same murderer claims to be the Immortal Prince Cayal -- one of the god-like Tide Lords -- it has wider repercussions. Not that anyone believes he is who he says he is. The Tide-Lords are legends, stories for children and the credulous. But something does not have to be the truth to be politically inconvenient.

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.

Fantasy Short Stories: Issue 1
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
This first issue is an interesting, albeit uneven, debut. The two best stories are undoubtedly Noeleen Kavanagh's "The Pivot" and C.L. Holland's story "The Empty Dark." In "The Pivot," a young boy, Caill, with a talent for reading the emotions of others provides brief refuge to another boy -- the young king Clogher, whose clothes come with ominous splashes of mud and blood.

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.

Three Tales by David Farland
reviewed by Trent Walters
"Sweetly Dreams the Dragon" is the imaginative gem of the trio. In the distant future, an intercepted Cycor transmission says that their previous attempt to destroy all life on the planet Danai failed, leaving behind humans and skraal. The Cycor need to return, resupplied. Meanwhile, humans have lost the technology and intelligence they once had that gained them the stars. On Danai, humans are at the bottom of a caste system of intelligent species.

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.

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?

Up the Bright River by Philip José Farmer, edited by Gary K. Wolfe
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
The volume collects sixteen of his less available works beginning near the very start of his career in 1953 and spanning the next 40 years. The stories are arranged chronologically, and, with a few exceptions, are very emblematic of the times in which they were written. But throughout the decades, Farmer returns to several common themes, especially those dealing with religion and medical doctors.

The Other in the Mirror by Philip José Farmer, edited by Christopher Paul Carey
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Editor Christopher Paul Carey has collected here three of Philip José Farmer's lesser known novels. The first, Fire and the Night, is a non-science fiction novel that looks at racism and religion in the United States. The second, Jesus on Mars, is probably the best known of the three, and the final one, Night of Light looks at religion and sociopathic behavior on an alien world.

Up from the Bottomless Pit and Other Stories by Philip José Farmer
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is a compilation reprinted from the pages of Farmerphile, a quarterly magazine dedicated to the author's works. So anyone expecting brand new stories may be disappointed. Happily, this is the only disappointment here. The book is well presented, including a scattering of black and white illustrations throughout, from various artists, many of which perfectly compliment their stories. The collection itself comprises intentionally obscure examples of Farmer's work, including rare short stories, a novel beginning, non-fiction, and a complete eco-novel.

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.

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
an audiobook review by Jason R. Godbout
It is common knowledge that the President of the United States is in possession of highly classified information as part of his job. In Christopher Farnsworth's debut novel, one of the president's secrets is a vampire named Nathaniel Cade. Cade is charged with fighting evil and protecting the United States from all sorts of threats, foreign and domestic.

Dead Red Heart edited by Russell B. Farr
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
As sick as Mario is of reading fiction about vampires, he couldn't miss the opportunity to get a copy of an Australian anthology whose contributors were (with the notable exception of Angela Slatter) completely unknown to him. His hope was to get a refreshing view of an old and overused topic by a bunch of writers not belonging to the circle of the usual suspects from the USA or the UK. In a way, his desire has been fulfilled.

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.

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."

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.

Raymond E. Feist

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.

Principals of Angels by Jaine Fenn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The action takes place in Khesh City, an enormous disc-like construct, which orbits above the uninhabitable planet of Vellern. There, Angels are state-sponsored assassins, who bump off failed politicians according to public vote. As the name implies, the Angels have the ability to fly via anti-gravity technology, and fight using built-in weapons, in an almost peerless fashion. An Angel named Nual, who has never failed in her duties, does.

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.

Jonathan Fesmire

Jasper Fforde

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.

Titanium Rain by Josh Finney and Kat Rocha
an audiobook review by Dale Darlage
Titanium Rain is a near future military adventure story about a group of physically enhanced American and British fighter pilots and their missions against an Imperial Chinese government over mainland China. This AudioComics production is an adaptation of the 2010 publication of volume one of a graphic novel series of the same name.

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.

Werewolves of Wisconsin and Other American Myths, Monsters and Ghosts by Andy Fish
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
When people think of the United States, they think of all the good bits: writers, artists, musicians, and places like Mount Rushmore, and landmarks like The Statue of Liberty, but in this graphic novel of tales, writer and artist, Andy Fish explores the darker side of its history with the ghosts and monsters hidden around every corner.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
reviewed by Dan Shade
In John Carpenter's movie, Escape from New York, every inch of Manhattan Island is a maximum-security prison. All the bridges have been blocked and, once you're incarcerated, you never get out. Incarceron is of the same concept but more. You may never get out of Incarceron but you may not even know you are in prison. Generations have lived and died within the walls of Incarceron and may have forgotten they are in prison as it is the only life they've known.

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 19^th-early 20^th 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.

Earth Girls Are Deadly by Penni Fitzmon
reviewed by John Enzinas
This book details the adventures of a colony of alien serial rapists who apparently represent the enlightened half of the galaxy. Since they can't manage to talk to the humans (although dolphins proved no problem) they decide that they must forcibly inject them with the magic nanotechnology that will protect them from the bad guys.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
reviewed by Dan Shade
All the drama started one day in science class when Coach Harvey changed the seating chart to do a little scientific sleuthing as he put it. His plan was to force students to get to know a new lab partner. This paired Patch with Nora and where all the trouble began.