Overlooked or Over-hyped?
a column by Neil Walsh
Despite setting up a pattern wherein he takes a look at two books -- one an acknowledged classic, and one relatively obscure -- and consider whether the alleged classic is truly deserving of such an honourable designation, and whether the more obscure book warrants perhaps a little more attention, Neil is breaking his pattern. But The Prydain Chronicles is a series of five books plus a prequel, so really he is doing five (or six) in one -- er, two.

Carnival by Elizabeth Bear
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
There was a time, not so long ago, when British science fiction was in the doldrums. What lifted it out and established what has been called the "British renaissance" was a rediscovery through the works of such as Iain M. Banks and Colin Greenland of the excitement of traditional SF tropes and topics. Of late we have started to see that same reappraisal of core science fictional ideas in some of the younger American writers like John Scalzi and Elizabeth Bear. This novel is a perfect example of such a return.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Since the last time we looked, new arrivals at the SF Site include the latest from Kelley Armstrong, John C. Wright, Tony Ballantyne, Robert J. Sawyer, Diana Wynne Jones, as well as forthcoming works from Laurie J. Marks, Chris Roberson, Mary Jo Putney, Tom Piccirilli, and many more besides

Deadstock by Jeffrey Thomas
reviewed by Jakob Schmidt
When private investigator Jeremy Stake is hired to find the very special doll of Yuki Fukuda, daughter of the wealthy bioengineer John Fukuda, the whole thing seems to be little more than a practical joke. But soon, Stake is caught up in the rivalry between two major bioengineering companies, and the doll, itself an artificial organism, proves to be the key to a secret that should have been left buried.

Spider-Man 3
a movie review by Rick Klaw
Opening as the previous films with a sensational Kyle Cooper-designed kaleidoscope sequence interspersed with scenes from the first two chapters, Spider-Man 3 picks up from the end of Spider-Man 2 with all the major players and unresolved plot lines returning. Peter Parker and Mary Jane explore the next level of their relationship. Harry Osborn seeks revenge for the death of his father, the Green Goblin. Spider-Man enjoys unprecedented levels of popularity as media star. Chaos quickly ensues.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
In the Night Garden is the first volume of a duology -- entitled The Orphan's Tales -- in the tradition of The Arabian Nights, composed of a complex pattern of intertwining fairy tales featuring kings, princes and princesses, beast maidens, witches and wizards, tavern keepers, saints, assassins, living stars and so on. The narrator is an outcast little girl, living in the garden of a sultan's palace, whose eyelids are magically tattooed with stories written in very fine characters.

The White Tyger by Paul Park
reviewed by Rich Horton
In previous volumes, Miranda Popescu, a Princess of Roumania was seen growing up a teenager in the contemporary USA, and then transported to another world, her home world -- it seems "our" world was only a construct of her aunt, a powerful sorcerer, to keep her safe. Ambiguously older, she returns to Roumania and joins the resistance movement, which opposes both the Germans who have invaded and installed a puppet government, and the leader of that government, the Baroness Nicola Ceausescu.

Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
When a physics experiment with anomalous results drives an AI insane, the door is opened to the possibility that Titus Quinn may not be crazy after all. Quinn had disappeared with his family, in a spaceship, only to found later, his wife and daughter missing, and little memory of what had happened to him. Convinced he had been gone for years, tests showed he was the same age as when he left.

Mother of Lies by Dave Duncan
reviewed by Donna McMahon
In this sequel to Children of Chaos, the four children of the Doge of Celebre, who were taken hostage as small children by the brutal Bloodlord Stralg, have re-united as young adults and are trying to return to their home land of Florengia. It's vital they get back soon because the Werists, who successfully invaded Florengia fifteen years before, are losing their grip.

Bertram of Butter Cross by Jeffrey Barlough
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
The village of Market Snailsby nestles amid the bogs, marshes, and rivers of Fenshire, at the edge of dark and ancient Marley Wood. Savage predators stalk the brooding precincts of the Wood. In the olden days, when men and women were bolder and more carefree, the courageous but eccentric Godfrey de Clinkers built a lodge deep at the forest's heart and held fabled hunting parties there. The descendants of those brave adventurers are more cautious, and in modern times the people of Fenshire avoid the Wood. But the march of progress may soon change that.

The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin
reviewed by Katharine Mills
Sandy Blair, blocked novelist and refugee from the 60s shellshocked by the materialism of the 80s, receives a telephone message from Jared Patterson, Sandy's former editor at the Hedgehog. The Hog was once a counterculture music magazine, but has now sold out like everything else. Jared wants Sandy to come back and write an article for the magazine, about a murder. It's not just any murder, though.