The Visitor by Sheri S. Tepper
reviewed by William Thompson
A giant ship inexorably plummets to Earth, plunging both the world and humanity into perpetual twilight and chaos.  While small groups of scientists have prepared for the crisis, constructing underground redoubts as repositories of knowledge and a cryo-suspension shelter for a chosen few, most of humanity are far from as fortunate. By the time the skies eventually clear many years after, much of North America lies submerged beneath new seas, the remaining small pockets of humanity dwelling in remote and isolated locations, tribal and often hostile to those outside their own communities. A millennium has passed.

Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson
reviewed by David Soyka
Fables of all cultures, regardless of geographical origin, explore at times related subjects of sex and violence that begin and end this collection. Casting this folklore in more contemporary terms, sometimes with science fictional elements, is her forté. In this compilation, you get a vivid sense of how these urges define the human condition. And not always for the better.

The Tomorrow Log by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Readers who have grown accustomed to equating their names on the Liaden series are in for a surprise with their latest novel. No, this book does not take place in that familiar universe, but in an entirely different setting, which befits an entirely new series. Panic not though (if you were about to) all of the duo's magic is here. Just get ready to see a whole new world of adventure.

Vox: SF For Your Ears
a column by Scott Danielson
Scott Danielson is looking at audio SF -- on tape, on CD, on whatever. This time out, he has been listening to Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, Episode 1 of the Simon R. Green's Deathstalker series, The Spock vs. Q Collection featuring Leonard Nimoy and John DeLancie and Star Trek: The Last Roundup by Christie Golden.

The Soul Thief by Cecilia Holland
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Corban and Mav are twins, one soul in two bodies. She is the stronger, the favourite child of their unforgiving warrior farmer of a father. When Corban refuses to offer his sword to the High King, his father kicks him out of the house. Mav follows Corban into the forest, and promises to speak to their father when his temper cools. She goes home while her brother sleeps in the woods, her second sight teasing her with images of coming danger. It is not enough to warn her. Vikings come that very night, pillage and burn the homestead, kill the men and children, and take the women for slaves.

SF Site News
compiled by Steven H Silver
Every day, items of interest to you arrive in our email. Our bi-monthly format doesn't lend itself to daily updates. However, this is a small inconvenience to our Contributing Editor Steven H Silver. He's begun a new column which will fill you in on recent news in science fiction. We'll be updating the page as he sends in new items.

Children of Gaia by Richard Lee Byers and Uktena by Stefan Petrucha
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
For gamers, this double novel is no doubt a special treat to accompany their role-playing, but, for those of us who don't fall into that category, both offer equal charms. True, the many forms and guises of the Tribe may become one unfocussed blur, but there is great pleasure in the characters themselves. The array of backgrounds that come together to form a clan is a constant surprise, and the Garou are quite capable of catching readers off guard as well.

Freedom's Ransom by Anne McCaffrey
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Years ago, Earth was invaded by the Catteni, who stripped the planet bare of everything they could take; food, car parts and people. Several of the newly enslaved humans were taken off-planet to different worlds, where they were dropped off just to see if they could survive. Zainal, a Catteni of high rank and intelligence, was also dropped "accidentally" with several humans, to a planet that was soon named Botany. Zainal and Kris, a human female, led a rebellion to free all the enslaved races from the Eosi.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick has put together a 2001-2002 episode guide for Jeremiah. Check it out, print off a copy of each one and keep them handy for the summer reruns.

30th Anniversary DAW Fantasy edited by Elizabeth R. Wollheim and Sheila E. Gilbert
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
Many of the authors in this anthology are "family" -- writers that the publisher have discovered, nurtured, 'knew them when', as it were -- writers who were with DAW for many years, perhaps for decades. But it doesn't stop there. There are also the so-called 'new babies', the discoveries made in the last few years, names and reputations made by great fantasy sagas read and raised to prominence by a whole new generation of readers.

Fallen Host by Lyda Morehouse
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Emmaline McNaughton is an American Catholic priest and Inquisitor, who, charged by the Pope to find out if an AI named Page has a soul, delves right into the world Morningstar, the Adversary, and his plans for the coming end of the world. Emmaline is a something of a renegade among Inquisitors, and she quickly begins to suspect there is more to her assignment than she first believes.

Permanence by Karl Schroeder
reviewed by Rich Horton
The author's second solo novel (after the much-praised Ventus (2000)) is at once exhilarating and frustrating. Exhilarating because it attacks a truly worthwhile larger SFnal theme in an original fashion, coming to original conclusions; and because it is packed with clever technological and scientific notions, and with some awe-inspiring vistas.

Leviathan Three edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Forrest Aguirre
reviewed by William Thompson
This book lends a crowning touch to this series, comprising the best and largest collection of stories yet gathered. Including work by Michael Moorcock, James Sallis, Jeffrey Ford, Zoran Zivkovic, and Brian Stableford, to list perhaps only the more notable or readily recognized contributors, this anthology is immediately underscored by the consistently high level of writing present throughout, an acknowledgement both of the various authors' talents, as well as the exacting aesthetic standards applied by the editors in their selections. And while not every offering is likely to appeal universally to each and every taste, it is hard to conceive of any reader not finding at least several that make their experience of this anthology both memorable and a pleasure; not a single story insubstantial or unworthy of notice.

Geeks With Books
a column by Rick Klaw
A bookstore should be available to any member of the community, regardless of race, gender, religion, age or disability. Sadly, not all store owners agree. Many of these short-sighted individuals are losing out on potential sales to large segments of the buying population. Thankfully, there is have civil rights legislation which affords rights to a majority of people and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Coraline and her family have just moved into a huge old house that has been subdivided into flats. One rainy day, out of boredom, she counts every door in the apartment, and explores behind each one. The fourteenth and the last door is locked. When her mother opens it, they find that it is bricked up solid. Her mother says that it used to lead to the empty apartment next door. One day, Coraline opens the door again to discover the bricks are gone, and the flat on the other side isn't so empty after all.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Here's a look at some of the new books received at the SF Site office recently, plus some sneak previews at forthcoming books from the likes of M. John Harrison (his first SF novel in many years), Susan R. Matthews, and Terry Pratchett.

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 Compleat Adventures of Jules de Grandin and This I Remember by Seabury Quinn
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Who was the most popular writer in Weird Tales's original run from 03/1923 to 09/1954? Not Robert E. Howard, not H.P. Lovecraft, not Clark Ashton Smith, all of whom have been extensively reprinted, but one Seabury Quinn. Quinn's stories appeared in no less than 60% of the original run issues of Weird Tales. So why isn't Seabury Quinn a household name?

Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
These books, now reissued, succeed by quite simply taking a land which never really existed and treating it in such a matter-of-fact way that the reader is practically tricked into accepting the most outlandish magicks (and there are plenty of outlandish magicks in these books) at face value, and without blinking an eyelid. It feels like you're reading actual historical fiction.

Karel Čapek. Life and Work by Ivan Klíma
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This biography of Karel Čapek summarizes the life and works of one the premier Czech authors of the 20^th century, and after Franz Kafka probably the best known. While known to most English readers as a writer of science-fiction and creator of the term "robot", Čapek was really a mainstream writer who employed science-fictional themes to expose the foibles of contemporary society, to promulgate his anti-fascist/pro-democratic rhetoric, and to outline his pragmatic and relativist philosophy.