Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Orson Scott Card published his first short story, "Ender's Game," in 1977. He later expanded the story into a Hugo and
Nebula Award winning novel and turned his attention to sequels. Now, twenty-eight years after "Ender's Game" first appeared,
Card has published the eighth novel about Ender and his companions.
The Fair Folk edited by Marvin Kaye
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is a collection six, novella-length stories, by well-known writers including Tanith Lee, Megan Lindholm, Kim Newman,
Patricia A. McKillip, Craig Shaw Gardner, Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder. There is no connecting thread
between them, other than their genre and the editor's requirement that each story feature at least one elf.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 2004
reviewed by Chris Przybyszewski
This issue offers a study on why short fantasy is so danged hard for
so many writers. The problem is not one of content or form. That is, fantasy has its writers who have fantastic imaginations,
and who deliver that imagination with heavy subtext. Many of these writers are skilled artisans whose writing acumen generate
excellent prose. However, the fantasy writer works with one handicap...
No Present Like Time by Steph Swainston
reviewed by Rich Horton
The action begins about 5 years after the end of The Year of Our War. The opening sequence is a challenge for the position
in the Circle (the Eszai, or immortals) of the Sworsdman, Serein Gio Ami. The challenger wins, taking the name Serein from Gio
Ami, and becomes the second new member of the circle in a couple of centuries.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick has some thoughts on Tarzan II, the DVD from Disney
as well as what to watch on TV in July.
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Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
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Sand In My Shoes: an interview with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
conducted by Sandy Auden
"I did a huge concordance of the six Dune books, so I know all the references and
what page number they're on, so we included all that information too. I'd also spent five years writing Dad's
biography, Dreamer of Dune -- rereading everything he wrote and putting it together with the things he said
to me."
Dune: The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
reviewed by Kilian Melloy
In the third book of Legends of Dune, the war against Omnius is all but won -- with a heavy emphasis on that "all but." Humanity has
managed to pin Omnius down on Corrin, the last remaining Synchronized World, and has established a heavy military presence
to guard over the last copy of Omnius' "evermind." Also on Corrin with Omnius is Erasmus, an independent thinking machine
whose studies of humanity include analyses of mortality, disease, pain, and suffering -- but also explorations of art,
music, and even family.
Highlander: The Raven
a give-away contest
The HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN TV series extends the wildly popular HIGHLANDER series, charting the amazing journeys
of Immortal Amanda Derieux and following the action of the Immortal's age-old struggle for
dominion - Good vs. Evil. Through it all the moral conflict of The Raven unfolds and deepens as her captivating
story leaps time and emotions to bring us further into the mesmerizing world of the Immortals.
Read the contents, answer the questions, win a DVD. Easy, eh?
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Spooky Coincidences: an interview with Neil Gaiman and Tad Williams
conducted by Sandy Auden
"I kept finding myself thinking about Cape Wrath.
Then I started buying archaeological books about the Vikings in northern Scotland. I actually thought I'd write
a Neverwhere story, but I soon realised that I was about to write a story about Shadow."
Close To My Heart: Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein
a review by Rodger Turner
All Jim Marlowe wants is to leave for school. As a colonist on Mars, that can be a bit of trial. He has to travel to the
other side of the planet via the ice canal schooners. He is packed, his Martian "bouncer" Willis is frolicking about
and mimicking those conversations around him. His Mom is weepy, his dad is proud to see him off. Jim is
glad to be getting a chance to further his studies while his family is planning their annual migration to another sector.
The Limits of Enchantment by Graham Joyce
reviewed by Sandy Auden
Fern has lived a protected life with her mother, learning about herbs and helping the local population with natural remedies and
tinctures. When Mammy falls ill and is taken into hospital, Fern has to face the realities of living on her own for the
first time in twenty-one years. With no reliable income and affected by the prejudices of the close community around her, Fern
turns to the spiritual beliefs she grew up with but it turns out to be a dangerous path to follow.
Highlander: The Series
a give-away contest
Based on the popular HIGHLANDER film series starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert, HIGHLANDER the television series follows
the amazing journeys of the Immortal Duncan MacLeod played by Adrian Paul. The six seasons of the TV show follow the action of the
Immortal's age-old struggle for dominion - Good vs. Evil.
Read the contents, answer the questions, win a DVD. Easy, eh?
The Anthology at the End of the Universe edited by Glenn Yeffeth
reviewed by Steven H Silver
All of the authors who have contributed to the anthology of essays clearly have a love and respect for Adams's work, even
Susan Sizemore, whose essay "You Can't Go Home Again, Damn It! Even If Your Planet Hasn't Been Blown Up by Vogons"
discusses how she has discovered that she and Adams's comedy have drifted apart over the years since she was first
enamored by the series.
The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The heroine is an 18-year-old student at Wyverley College, for young ladies of quality. Sabriel's
father is the Abhorsen, a unique type of necromancer, both feared and respected. Abhorsens see dead people, and kick
their rotting backsides. Sabriel first began to follow in her father's terrifying footsteps, literally walking into
Death, when she was twelve. One day, she knows that she will become the Abhorsen, served by supernatural entities
called Sendings, and plagued by Mogget, a dangerous talking cat.
Here, There and Everywhere by Chris Roberson
reviewed by Stuart Carter
Imagine you're just 16 once again: young and fit, everything to look forward to, with an entire world to
explore... Now, imagine if you were not just 16 again, young and fit, with everything to look forward to, but you also
had all of time and space to explore courtesy of a strange device/bracelet given to you by a nice (if
somewhat mysterious) old lady who simply appeared in front of you in the woods one day.
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