The Guardian by Denise Fleischer
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
The last place Lea Netera Payton expects to find herself is in the Atlantic Ocean, the victim of a forced portation. She is forced by the Dark Lord Seltar to accept a Challenge for the Guardianship of Earth. If she fails in any of the four major battles then all of Earth and its inhabitants go to feed the unholy appetites of his Elders. If she wins, then the Earth will be safe, and she will be its Guardian.

Horror at Halloween edited by Jo Fletcher
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
If you live in one of the major urban centres of North America with their drugs, violence and crumbling infrastructure, you may have dreamed of moving yourself and your kids to a nice quiet small-town in New England, with tree-lined streets and Victorian homes with picket fences. But there are a few small towns in New England to be avoided: where flesh-and-blood muggers, whores, gang-bangers and crazed high school outsiders are the least of your worries. For example, the dangers of Innsmouth and Arkham, Massachusetts, are well-chronicled in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. But for five up-to-date case histories of strange occurrences in Oxrun Station, Connecticut, try this book.

Lynn Flewelling

1824: The Arkansas War by Eric Flint
reviewed by Steven H Silver
The lower Mississippi is the focal point for this book. Following his version of the War of 1812, a confederation of Indian states has been established west of the Mississippi River. A dozen years later, the expanding United States finds the Indian country in the way. Making matters worse is the fact that the Arkansas Confederacy has made itself a haven for runaway slaves and abolitionists.

The Rivers of War by Eric Flint
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
"In 1814, we took a little trip..." This old Johnny Horton tune may be about all you remember about the War of 1812. Oh, and the British burned the White House.... You may be certain that you'll know a good deal more about this chapter of American history after you've read this novel and be very well-entertained en route.

Habitus by James Flint
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
The line separating SF from mainstream literature becomes fuzzier all the time. Since definitions are in themselves a matter of drawing lines, it becomes harder and harder to say just what is SF and what is not. A way to look at SF is as fiction that portrays the world from a viewpoint that is based on scientific thinking. This is why Cryptonomicon was SF and it is why this novel, a dense, experimental, quirky, funny, poetic and puzzling book, is also SF.

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
reviewed by Kit O'Connell
Two stories are interwoven in this novel. In one, Tom Schwoerin, a "cliologist" from the near future, searches through history for traces of the lost German city of the title. The other takes place in Eifelheim itself, then known as Oberhochwald, where we follow Pastor Dietrich as he struggles to understand the town's strange alien visitors.

The Wreck of the River of Stars by Michael Flynn
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
The MSS "River of Stars", the grandest of the great magsail liners, was launched in 2051. But the new Farnsworth fusion thrusters rang the death-knell for the magsails, and the now-obsolete liner was converted to fusion power in 2084. Two decades later, she has become a tramp freighter, bound for Dinwoody Poke, Jupiter space, on what will be her final voyage. Her crew is made up of casualties of the great 21st-century space boom. This is their story.

Rogue Star by Michael Flynn
reviewed by Marc Goldstein
With no less than two Hollywood blockbusters coming out this summer dealing with the subject of giant asteroids colliding with Earth, Rogue Star finds itself in an ideal position to ride the asteroid zeitgeist.

Amortals by Matt Forbeck
reviewed by Michael M Jones
When Secret Service agent Ronan Dooley witnesses his own death, he's thrown into the heart of a murder mystery which could topple everything modern society is built around. For in 2056, there are two kinds of people: the haves and have-nots, the mortals and amortals, and Ronan's one of the latter. When he dies, as he's done eight times now, he's immediately brought back to life as a clone.

Jeffrey Ford

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford
reviewed by William Thompson
Framed around the metrical history of Shakespeare's verse, this clever and complicated narrative relates an alternate depiction of the events surrounding the life and ascension of Richard III, at the same time retelling and inverting the history of Europe until at times it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction unless steeped in a study of the period. Granted, many elements are obvious fantasy, but they are so threaded with accurate detail and re-imagined fact that it is easy to become seduced by the story's illusions.

Retribution by Elizabeth Forrest
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Charlie Saunders was a child prodigy of the art world. The inspiration behind her stunning canvasses were terrifying dreams. Who knew that a brain tumour was fostering her genius? And threatening her young life? It's undeniable entertainment. A good, rapid-fire read that grips your attention until the last page.

Pen Pal by Francesca Forrest
reviewed by Sherwood Smith
Em Baptiste, twelve years old, throws a bottled letter into the Gulf Sea. It ends up at an island on the western edge of the Pacific rim, in the hands of a woman suspended over a volcano as a political prisoner. Kaya, lonely and desperately worried, writes back, and so begins an unlikely correspondence that has consequences rippling outward.

The Witches of Eíleanan by Kate Forsyth
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
Regina felt immediately comfortable with this impressive debut, which blends the best of traditional fantasy with the author's unique vision.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
Are you prepared for a natural disaster? What about a natural disaster that wipes out the fundamental way of life for the entire United States of America? We all like to say that we have learned something from the disasters created by hurricane Katrina or even the attacks of 9/11. But those disasters had something in common in that we could turn on the television or radio and find out information about the situation. We also knew that eventually help would arrive on the scene.

Animist by Eve Forward
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Fantasy series that can be enjoyed by young adults and, well, adult adults are few and far between. Fewer still are the ones that are well done. With this title, the author launches a new trilogy that should please readers and critics of all ages. It is the creation of a land where magic exists, but is hard to come by -- where peace and plenty is possible, but seemingly impossible to come by.

Saturn Rukh by Robert L. Forward
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Steven found it unrepentant pulp, reminiscent of the stories from several decades ago. Weak plotting, rationalizations and characterizations make it difficult to maintain interest.

Alan Dean Foster

Ascendancy of Blood by Eugie Foster
reviewed by Michael M Jones
As a howling mob closes in upon a cursed castle, its vampiric queen unleashes an unholy power to protect her people and herself from utter destruction. In seconds, the castle is overtaken by living vines and giant black roses, as the queen herself sinks into an enchanted sleep, a spindle through her heart. There she will lay, until rescued from the consequences of her dark pact.

Jade Man's Skin by Daniel Fox
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
Continuing from the previous novel, Dragon in Chains, the author gives readers a wonderful story of feudal China in old times where a fight for the rightful owner of the throne is occurring and only a few men can prevent the evil-doers getting their hands on it and the power that comes with it. There are several who would overthrow the emperor, and those who would defend him, yet traitors are lurking in the midst.

The Wild Hunt: Vengeance Moon by Jocelin Foxe
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
As with all good curses, this one has a loophole. If someone is strong enough and cares enough about a member of the Wild Hunt to fight against the Goddesses' call, that Huntsman can be freed. It has happened once in all the centuries since the Hunt's inception... This is an original and compelling first novel, with a different twist on the fantasy genre. Be warned, however: it's the first in a series and stops short at a cruel cliffhanger.

The Last Harbor by George Foy
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
To all appearances, John Slocum is a success: a high-level executive with mega-corporation XCorp Multimedia, in charge of developing 3-D interactive shows for the Flash, the sense-enveloping virtual reality environment that provides the ubiquitous background for millions of lives. He has all the perks of wealth and privilege, including a gorgeous home and a perfect family. He's also, like so many others of his kind, addicted to Flash, and spends nearly every waking hour with a face-sucker (VR mask) on, viewing 3-D dramas as he goes about the ordinary business of his life.

Contraband by George Foy
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Slowly, this novel turns into a road story, propelling its protagonists from the anarchic decay of New York City, to the mall-bound barrens of an Indiana suburb, to the shabby but hip cafes of Germany, to the strife-wracked mountains of Afghanistan, and at last into a Joseph Conrad-like heart of darkness.