In Stone's Clasp by Christie Golden
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Five Dancers guard the world: one for each of the elements, and a fifth for the realm of spirit. Each is accompanied by a mythic Companion beast, and by a Lorekeeper, whose duty it is to preserve the memories of the Dancers' earlier incarnations, and teach the Dancers to know themselves -- and to know their destiny. For it's the Dancers' task to oppose the Shadow, a fearsome force of destruction that has menaced the world four times before.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
reviewed by Jeff VanderMeer
As with most his novels, this one has many layers. It is not only a keenly observed account of a boy growing up in a Jewish-American New Jersey community in the 40s but also a chilling step-by-step clinic on how a democracy can descend into facism; a carefully thought-out alternate history novel in which Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR in his bid for a third term.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
It's a short list this time, but we've got the latest from Alastair Reynolds, James Barclay, and George R.R. Martin; classic re-releases of Jules Verne, Robert A. Heinlein, and Hal Clement; a King Kong collection sporting a truly inspired cover; and much more.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
a movie review by David Newbert
The Harry Potter films have gotten progressively darker as they've matured, and have become more willing to embrace such themes as sex and death. This is especially true of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, directed by Mike Newell, the first British director to helm the series. This is only fair and sensible, as the characters (and actors) are just entering their teenage years. American Chris Columbus did a perfectly serviceable job directing the first two entries as popular childrens' entertainments, while Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron fashioned the third and to date best installment as a darkly attractive "coming of age" story for pre-teens. It only makes sense that the fourth film should do some growing up.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
a movie review by Rick Norwood
The new Harry Potter film gets off to a shaky start. No sooner do we get used to one setting than we are snatched away to another. One might worry that the task of adapting a 636-page book had been too much for Steve Kloves, who has written all the Harry Potter movies. Then, Harry arrives at Hogwarts, and it turns out that Kloves knew what he was doing -- get the first third of the book out of the way, fast, and concentrate on the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

Zathura
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Rick loved Zathura. The use of telling details makes it easy for you to believe three impossible things before breakfast. The box that the old game comes in is foxed. The sound of the metal game as it is laid down on a hardwood floor is exactly right. That is the sound that the old Tom Corbett -- Space Academy toy made when you put it down on a hardwood floor. The illustrations in the game perfectly capture the style used in science fiction toys in the late 40s and early 50s.

Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days by Dan Greenburg
reviewed by Jonathan Fesmire
After facing the terrors of first book, Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin return to Jolly Days Orphanage, where the Onts come to retrieve them, and the headmistress, Hortense Jolly, is all too ready to betray the children for the adoption money. Who knew that Cincinnati could be so dangerous?

Mister Boots by Carol Emshwiller
reviewed by Matthew Cheney
Get yourself to the children's aisle, because this is one of Carol Emshwiller's most satisfying books, which is to say it is a novel of skill and beauty and sadness and love, which is to say it is the sort of book that brings depth to our lives. It is being marketed as something for kids, and that is a good thing, because kids need this book, but so do those of us who are busily trying to digest our inner children into post-industrial waste.

Mirrormask: The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
Alma very much wanted to see Mirrormask the film -- see it cold, as it were, without knowing anything about it other than the hints dropped, for instance, by Neil Gaiman himself on his blog or snippets of information gained from the media. So when the review copy of this book arrived in the mail she was torn between writing a timely review, or hanging onto it fiercely until she could see the movie and only then dive into the book.

Mirrormask
a movie review by Alma A. Hromic
Her little town is hardly a metropolis and, when showing times and places began to be released, Alma was hardly surprised that they were almost uniformly concentrated in the bigger conurbations -- this was hardly the sort of movie that would explode into common-or-garden multiplexes like a Harry Potter flick. So she was both gratified and excited to learn that it would be coming to her "art house" theatre.

The Secret of Redemption by Jennifer St. Clair
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
It's another ordinary day at the library for Assistant Director Penny Montgomery -- until, that is, Malachi of the Wild Hunt pays a visit, feeling guilty about his past and seeking... well, he's not quite sure. But Penny has an idea: why doesn't he come along and tell stories of Faerie to the children at the library's after-school club?

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers his thoughts on what to watch on TV in December (a special Christmas episode of Smallville, "Lexmas", on Thursday, Dec. 8th), what shows are faves with the audience and those which aren't plus the merits of an Aquaman pilot, a Smallville spin-off.

Spotted Lily by Anna Tambour
reviewed by Rich Horton
Angela Pendergast is a 30ish Australian woman who has moved from her family's ranch in the bush to the big city. She wants to be a Writer, specifically a Bestselling Writer, but she finds it hard to actually get down to writing her Novel. Put simply, she wants to Have Written, not to write. She has a part-time job at a New Age bookstore, and she lives in a house with a few roommates. Then the Devil shows up. He wants to be the new roomer -- but more than that, he offers her a deal.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Death is about the only incentive that could get Moist von Lipwig (or anybody else) to consider the job of postmaster. To begin with, the monumental post office building is crammed with guano-encrusted letters that haven't been delivered since the postal service collapsed decades before. Oh, and then there's the fate of the last few postmasters who all met with swift and fatal accidents in the bowels of the building.