Mothership by John Brosnan
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
When the Elite, who have controlled the world of Urba with an iron fist from time immemorial, suddenly lose their magical defenses, it isn't long before the oppressed masses rise up to massacre their hated rulers. Now the change the Elite withheld from Urba for so long is afoot, and dashing and reckless Prince Kender of the Domain of Capelia decides to embark on a spying mission to assess it. Fearing for his safety, his father, Lord Krader, commands his childhood friend Jad, a rather incompetent and much-less-than-reckless jester, to accompany him.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
reviewed by Alisa McCune
Sookie and the Vampire Bill are once again thrust into trouble. Sookie is very unhappy with the Vampire Bill. It would seem she is being dumped, but no one knows for sure where Bill is and what he is doing. What is a girl to do? Just accept some financial settlement or try and stake the cad who left her without even a goodbye? While Sookie is nursing her broken heart, it would appear the Vampire Bill has met some foul play.

Natural History by Justina Robson
reviewed by Martin Lewis
We've grown used to thinking of ourselves as the pinnacle of evolution but in this novel, the massed ranks of humanity find themselves the Unevolved. No longer the greatest ape, they are mere Monkeys. Or so the Forged would have them believe. The Forged are still human, at least technically, but they are also unequivocally other. They want self-determination so they can shake off their deterministic lives.

Mystic Warrior by Tracy and Laura Hickman
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
On three very different worlds, three sets of people will find themselves in a life and death struggle, adventures that intertwine with each other in subtle ways. Galen lives on a world where the Dragon Kings overthrew the evil human rulers, bringing an age of peace. The second is Dwynwyn, the Seeker fairy, has long held to the belief that there is nothing new in the world, just new truths. The last is Mimic who lives with his fellow goblins and gremlins on a world filled with machinery.

Resurrection by Steve Alten
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
Michael Gabriel sacrifices himself to destroy a giant "trans-dimensional" serpent during the Rapture of 2012 to save Earth from alien invasion, leaving behind his pregnant lover Dominique Vasquez, who lives in hiding, desperate to protect their unborn children. Gabriel's enemies are led by billionaire Alabama defense contractor-turned-televangelist Peter Mabus, leader of the Fundamentalist Christian political party "People First," who has hired an assassin who's also an ex-CIA mole to kill Dominique.

Lucifer's Dragon by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
In two tales separated by a century, Passion diOrchi, daughter of a West Coast Mafia boss, has a plan to rebuild Venice, in the middle of the Pacific. As a base, she uses a huge fleet of old, worn out, barely seaworthy ships, and couple of oil rigs. Fast forward a hundred years, and New Venice is firmly established, with a central area of extreme opulence, surrounded by bolt-on floating slums. Count Ryuchi, and the other members of an equally divided ruling council, maintain the status quo, under the symbolic rule of the Doge, a 10 year-old boy named Aurelio. Then the Doge goes missing.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick is off on a European vacation. But before leaving, he has a few words of what he thinks about the season finale of Star Trek: Enterprise and what will happen next year, now that it has been renewed. He tosses in a few reasons why Angel was axed, why Dark Shadows didn't get picked up and who is watching Smallville.

Orbital Burn by K.A. Bedford
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Lou is minding her own business at her favorite -- and the only -- local diner, waiting out the last few days before leaving the planet of Kestrel, which is about to be struck by a huge, unknown space object and obliterated. She knows her future is bleak. Years ago an extremely nasty nanovirus began destroying her tissues, killing her. It's only the nanobots constantly repairing her system that keeps her going, but even they will soon begin to fail unless she comes up with enough creds to get another nano-tank treatment. Her newest client, however, won't help in that department.

Thief of Lives by Barb & J.C. Hendee
reviewed by Alisa McCune
Magiere is manipulated into leaving the Sea Lion, her and Leesil's new comfy tavern to save the village of Miiska. Along with Leesil and Chap, the sail to Bela to rid the city of its undead and collect a hefty bounty. This time each of the three will discover how hard killing the undead can be. Myths and folklore don't hold the truths necessary to accomplish the task.

Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Donna McMahon
At 78, Jeff Baker is not only a rich man, but a legend. In the early 21st century Baker invented the memory crystal, and then stunned the world by refusing to patent it. Instead he published its structure freely on the internet, sparking a global "free source" revolution in information and economics. So when the European Union's massive DNA re-engineering project is ready, Baker is chosen to be the first man in human history to be rejuvenated to the physical age of eighteen.

The Angel in the Darkness by Kage Baker
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
It's an interesting contemplation. Many people who decide to have children feel that in having offspring, a part of themselves becomes immortal. But what if you already are truly immortal and can't have offspring? What if you lived forever watching generation after generation of your kin be born, grow, and die? How far would you go to protect them? What would you risk to be near them and to keep them out of harm's way?

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. His column will fill you in on recent news in science fiction. We'll be updating the page as he sends in new items.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
New arrivals this past month have included books from Terry Pratchett, Ben Bova, Kim Stanley Robinson, Harry Turtledove, Ursula Le Guin, Ian R. MacLeod, Jeff VanderMeer, Neal Stephenson, and many more.

The X-Files
a give-away contest
From the revelation about Scully and Mulder's baby in "Nothing Important Happened Today" and the mystery surrounding the murder of Agent Doggett's son in "Release" to Mulder's final confrontation with those who would deny "The Truth," these Season Nine episodes are a must for every X-Files fan!
Read the contents, answer the questions, win a DVD. Easy, eh?

Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
This is a story of loss and love, ambition and hope, suffering and redemption. And despite all that high-falutin' stuff, it's a great read. Like her previous books (The Sevenwaters Trilogy), the novel is beautifully written. But she has found her voice, showing a greater command of suspense and the ability to keep the story moving forward.

Shrek 2
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Better than Rick thought it would be. Not as good as the first one. It has some laughs, and is emotionally honest, which is rare in a cartoon. But there are some missteps.

The Day After Tomorrow
a movie review by Rick Norwood
The Day After Tomorrow is to science fiction what Van Helsing is to horror films; big and dumb. But Van Helsing at least offered a little charm. The CGI sequences -- the tornados in Los Angeles, the tidal wave that engulfs New York -- are entertaining, but it is a sorry movie where the CGI effects have more personality than the characters.

Sequential Art
a column by Matthew Peckham
This week Matt takes a look at fellow SF Site writer and comic strip luminary Rick Norwood's Comics Revue #217, a monthly periodical collecting such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, and many more.

The Double Shadow by Clark Ashton Smith
reviewed by Matthew Hughes
In that now distant time before Tolkien and his acolytes and imitators (the good, the bad and the truly unfortunate), burgeoned like great canopied oaks above the ancient grove that is fantasy to overshadow the myriad other blossoms sprung from its rich, dark soil, there grew some strange, ripe blooms. One of the strangest and ripest was a poet named Clark Ashton Smith. A touch tubercular, beloved by Hugo Gernsback and H.P. Lovecraft, though oft looked at askance by his neighbours in the farming community of Auburn, California -- he was adept at seducing their wives -- Smith etched a brief line of fire across the pre-World War I literary firmament as a young Keats or Shelley. In the 20s, he turned to writing prose.