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As David Garnett is careful to point out in his introduction to this anthology, the magazine New Worlds was first published in England in 1946. In many ways it is important to establish New Worlds's pedigree, for I imagine there are many science fiction readers in the United States who are almost completely unaware of both New Worlds and Interzone, the British SF magazines. While New Worlds has ceased regular production, over the decades it has been a powerful force in shaping the cutting edge of science fiction, both in England and in the United States.

Although this anthology may not be as cutting edge as Garnett might have liked, it does contain several stories worth picking up. Perhaps most notable are Howard Waldrop's "The Heart of Whitenesse," a Faustian journey up the Thames in the style of Joseph Conrad, and Kim Newman's "Great Western," which looks at the Western frontier of England.

Not all stories work so well. While Garry Kilworth's "Attack of the Charlie Chaplins" is enjoyable, it doesn't quite have the humor one would expect from a story in which an alien invasion takes the form of a multitude of Charlie Chaplin look-alikes setting down in Nebraska.

The two final pieces in the anthology come from the powerhouse pens of Michael Moorcock and William Gibson. Moorcock, of course, edited New Worlds in the 1960s when it was leading the way in defining the New Wave of science fiction. Gibson defined the sub-genre of cyberpunk in the early 1980s.

Moorcock's "London Bone" is a disturbing look at the way modern civilization, particularly London, turns its back on its own heritage. Moorcock's choice of metaphor for this tale may be disturbing to some readers, but the activities he sees occurring are every bit as disturbing.

Gibson's "Thirteen Views of a Cardboard City" takes Gibson's long-time theme of isolation in a modern world one step further. There are no characters or dialogue in this mood piece which seems to have benefitted from Gibson's recent interaction with Hollywood. It leaves the reader disjointed and disassociated, perhaps the way in which Garnett felt the reader should depart from this anthology.

Table of Contents
Pat Cadigan	The Emperor's New Reality
Eric Brown	Ferryman
Kim Newman	Great Western
Peter F. Hamilton & Graham Joyce	The White Stuff
Noel K. Hannan	A Night on the Town
Brian W. Aldiss	Death, Shit, Love, Transfiguration
Andrew Stephenson	The Pact
Howard Waldrop	Heart of Whitnesse
Ian Watson	A Day Without Dad
Garry Kilworth	Attack of the Charlie Chaplins
Christine Manby	For Life
Graham Charnock	A Night on Bare Mountain
Michael Moorcock	London Bone
William Gibson	Thirteen Views of a Cardboard City

Steven H Silver is one of the founders and judges for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He sits on concoms for Windycon, Chicon 2000 and Clavius in 2001 and is co-chair of Picnicon 1998. Steven will be serving as the Programming Chairman for Chicon 2000. In addition to maintaining several bibliographies and the Harry Turtledove website, Steven is trying to get his short stories published and has recently finished his first novel. He lives at home with his wife and 3200 books. He is available for convention panels.