At the Gates of Darkness by Raymond E. Feist
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
As long-time readers of Raymond E. Feist's works will know, his original Riftwar Trilogy contained a middle book. Silverthorn, which was considerably smaller than either the first or last books in the sequence, acted as a bridging device. It wasn't quite an epic in its own right, and had the feeling it could easily have been tacked on to the end of the first book or the beginning of the third. If only space had permitted. At the Gates of Darkness does a similar job.

Jupiter, Issue 27, January 2010
reviewed by Rich Horton
Jupiter remains a consistent little magazine. A good source of generally old-fashioned science fiction, and a good place to see writers at the beginning of their careers. The stories aren't always as well-written as one might prefer -- but that's what you expect with such new writers. These aren't potential award nominees just yet, but they are doing entertaining work.

In Memoriam: 2009
a memorial by Steven H Silver
Science fiction fans have always had a respect and understanding for the history of the genre. Unfortunately, science fiction has achieved such an age that each year sees our ranks diminished. Deaths in 2009 included Philip José Farmer, J.G. Ballard, Tom Deitz, David Eddings, Robert A. Collins, Charles N. Brown, Phyllis Gotlieb, Donald M. Grant, Mark Owings, Louise Cooper and Robert Holdstock.

SF Site's Best Read of the Year: 2009
compiled by Neil Walsh
Here we are at the SF Site's 13th annual Editors' Choice Best Books of the Year -- our official Best Reading recommendations from everything we read in 2009. As our stable of editors, reviewers, columnists, interviewers, and other contributors continues to grow, our choice of reading material likewise continues to expand. This year it seemed more than ever that there was very little overlap in our reading selections, so the results of our Best of the Year list are even closer than ever.

A Young Man Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans
reviewed by John Enzinas
The book tells the story of a young man who has no ability with magic who returns home after completing his studies and learns that the political unrest of the capital has spread and everywhere people are unhappy with the way things are being done. His best friend has become politically active and starts butting heads with the local authority.

The Demon Apostle, Part 3: The Demon Wars by R.A. Salvatore
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
R.A. Salvatore creates a world of fantasy in which the magicks rest in gemstones and the elves train one ranger in each generation to protect the forests and people of the outlying areas of the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear, Conflict is sure to arise in a country where many mythical and magical creatures live including elves, centaurs, dwarves, giants, and goblins. But the enemy of man turns out to be none of these creatures. Instead, mans worst enemy is himself, manifesting itself in the form of religion and politics.

Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
Lewis Shiner showed Rick Klaw how to write a comic book script, and he decided the best way to practice was to translate a story he knew and loved for comics. One of his first comic scripts was an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Homecoming." Don't go looking for it. His adaptation only ever existed in script form and was never actually produced as a comic story. It was an interesting exercise (and one Rick recommends to any fledgling comic book writer). He learned a lot about the difference between prose and comic stories. How the pacing and story structures are different, the rhythm of good dialogue, determining which dialogue to keep and what to lose.

New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Some really interesting new and forthcoming books have landed in our mailbox recently, including the latest from J.V. Jones, Guy Gavriel Kay, Gemma Files, Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, Robin Hobb, Peter V. Brett, Tim Lebbon, Elizabeth Moon, Alastair Reynolds, Darren Shan, Steph Swainston, Joe Hill, and many others.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
The creators of V and FlashForward hoped the shows would come back strong after their long hiatus, and ABC gave them a lot of ad play, especially during Lost. Smallville and Fringe have been renewed and will return in the Fall. Rick gives us highlights of what SF is on TV in April.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and The Utopian Vision of H.G. Wells by Justin E.A. Busch
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
In 1888, the Science Schools Journal, the magazine of the Normal School of Science, published an incomplete serial by the journal's founder and former editor, H.G. Wells. The serial was called 'The Chronic Argonauts' and over the next several years Wells would return to the idea obsessively. The editor of The National Observer founded a new magazine, The New Review, and commissioned Wells to turn his science articles into a serial story, and the serial in turn became Wells's first novel, The Time Machine.

A Guide To Fantasy Literature by Philip Martin
reviewed by Martin Lewis
There was an unusual genesis to this book so it is worth spending a bit of time unpacking it. Philip Martin is director of Great Lakes Literary, a consultancy of which Crickhollow Books is the publishing arm. Given this, it is perhaps not surprising that this book started life as The Writer's Guide To Fantasy Literature. This edition has supposedly been revised so that it is "now oriented to a general audience of writers and readers."

The Happiest Days of Our Lives by Wil Wheaton
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
Actor turned writer Wil Wheaton has carved a niche for himself with his latest book which contains a series of short stories concerning his life growing up through the eighties and beyond. This is his third book, following Dancing Barefoot and Just a Geek. The pieces tell of various parts of his life, his unusual hobbies that he labels as geeky, allowing the reader to take a peek at parts of his past as well as the present day.