The Golden Globe by John Varley
reviewed by Thomas Myer
This novel is a picaresque tale in the finest tradition of that venerable art form. You have your basic scoundrel Sparky Valentine, former child star of the 23rd-century, who cons a woman who happens to have connections with the Charonese mafia. This combination in the hands of John Varley results in slick prose, great pacing, and well-drawn characters.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
In his column, Rick's commentary on SF television includes an episode of Babylon 5, "Sleeping in Light," by J. Michael Straczynski and an episode of The X-Files, "Triangle," written and directed by Chris Carter.

The Reel Stuff edited by Brian Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg
reviewed by Alexander von Thorn
This anthology of stories which were later made into feature films includes some of the best of the genre. All are worth reading in their own right and you'll probably want to rent a few movies to see how the stories compare.

A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
The story starts a little slowly but it soon takes off. Everything works beautifully, from the convincing real-life details to the suspenseful action of the climax. The interaction between the children -- involving much bickering and conflict but also caring and cooperation -- is deftly handled.

Mid-November Books
compiled by John O'Neill
Short fiction tips the scale this issue, with new issues of several major genre magazines and a few promising upstarts, including the fine Australian journal Altair and a reprint of last year's Absolute Magnitude anthology. New novels include contributions from C.J. Cherryh, Dean Koontz, Marina Fitch, and a new edition of William Goldman's classic, The Princess Bride.

Killing Frost by Dan L. Blake
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
It reads like a late-night movie. Yes, there are flaws, but the action moves so fast that you aren't going to have time to dwell on them. Yes, you know it's a school night, but you are going to stay up until you finish it. And, yes, you'd be really surprised to hear it mentioned at an awards show.

Battle Magic edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Larry Segriff
reviewed by Todd Richmond
Overall the short stories in this compilation are very good, says Todd, who doesn't normally like short stories. But, he found that few of the stories have anything to do with using magic in battle. They are tales of magic, but not necessarily of combat.

The Witching Time by Jean Stubbs
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
This novel takes that most quintessentially English of settings, a church parish and its vicar, and grafts onto it a tale of witchcraft and supernatural evil. It put Victoria more in mind of Barbara Pym than Stephen King.

Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Although it doesn't fall neatly into one of the SF&F sub-genres, it nevertheless can be placed with some confidence into the broad spectrum of speculative fiction. After all, who wouldn't be intrigued by one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries: the Oak Island treasure pit?

Forthcoming Books
compiled by John O'Neill
Part of the joy of reviewing books is the occasional glimpse at a future title or two. And, to share some of that fun with you, we've crafted a set of pages devoted to news and info on forthcoming books -- including work from Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, John Barnes, and many others. We think you'll find it very interesting.

Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by David Soyka
David thinks Bradbury had a lot of fun writing this. And, Chris Lane's illustrations add a dimension that, curiously, Bradbury's own magical descriptions don't convey: namely that the lost god apparently looks like some tousled and overweight WWI aviator.

Time Rider by Rickey R. Mallory
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
What the author has created is a rare surprise: an actual love story in a science fiction setting. Not a slurpy romance, plunked down in the future to snare a few more readers, but an involving, earthy love dependent on its speculative story. And it's not a 'young miss' kind of romance: this is emotion, and lust, and definitely not for the kiddies.

Stargate SG-1 by Ashley McConnell
reviewed by Todd Richmond
Stargate SG-1 isn't up to its task. If you've seen the movie or the TV show, there's little point in reading this book. If you haven't seen the show, you'd be better off trying to find the series on your local cable channels or renting the film from your local video store.

Down and Out in the Ivy League by J.G. Eccarius
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
He is one of those rare writers who can mix real-life tragedy and horror with a shot of humour and not diminish the final product. Do yourself a favour: set your Appall-O-Meter to "off" and give Down and Out in the Ivy League a try.

Mark V. Ziesing Books
compiled by Rodger Turner
From Gene Wolfe to Joe Lansdale, Stephen King to James Blaylock, Mark Ziesing has published an eclectic mix of titles since he did his first book in 1982. This is the second installment of a nine part series putting together a reading list of Mark V. Ziesing Books.

Unfinished Tales by Mark Sumner
Mark Sumner, author of Devil's Tower and the Extreme Zone series, is a man with a lot of creative energy. Last issue, we offered you portions of three of his works-in-progress. They are still there for those of you who haven't read them. This issue, we've added another piece. With Mark's permission, we're offering you a look at these intriguing story excerpts.

The Silent by Jack Dann
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
The writing in the book is consistently excellent, demonstrating that even authors with wonderful technique can write ho-hum books. Stephen found the individual scenes were often terrific, but moving from scene to scene often was a laborious process.

Link by Walt Becker
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
How many theories have been formulated to explain the existence of life on Earth? What better way to start a shouting match than to get creationists and Darwinists in the same room? Where did man come from? And, where is that pesky missing link?

Starfarers by Poul Anderson
reviewed by Robert Francis
This novel is an exciting meld of hard science fiction and social speculation. It is a novel of first contact, not only between humans and aliens, but also between humans and their future.

All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger by Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn
reviewed by Chris Donner
This is not a how-to book for independent filmmakers. instead, it is a book that explains how to BE one, from the attitude and lifestyle to the mistakes and lucky breaks that allowed Troma Studios not only to exist for so many years but to thrive.

Galen by Allan Gilbreath
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
If you like your vampires of the suave, superhuman, seductive type, here is a book to add to your already overflowing library. Galen Mircalla, the undead sex machine of this novel, is one of the smoothest characters to come along in a while.

The Riverworld Saga by Philip José Farmer
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Originally read almost 20 years ago in high school, Steve was leery to reread what had once been an exciting and innovative reading experience. He's been disappointed by quite a number of movies and books that he returned to after a span of years, but this wasn't one of them, he was ecstatic to learn.

Of Tangible Ghosts and Ghost of the Revelator by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
The story unfolds slowly, and the same wonderful details of everyday life enlivens both books -- lunch at a favorite cafe, icy roads, dense, lazy, occasionally sharp students, petty academic politics -- making the trip worthwhile. This world is slower-paced than ours, and Modesitt's prose has something of the heavy Dutch feel of well-fed burghers, shining-clean windows, and tidy lives.

Isaac Asimov's Detectives edited by Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams
reviewed by Kim Fawcett
Remember as a child, hiding under the blankets with a flashlight and a book, trying to read just one more story before bed? Well, this anthology is a book that will reawaken that youthful hunger and keep you reading well past your bedtime.

Winter Tides by James P. Blaylock
reviewed by Rodger Turner
In a reprise review to coincide with the paperback release, Rodger found, the sheer maliciousness with which one of the characters goes through life has made this book one of Blaylock's most intriguing to date.

Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers
reviewed by Neil Walsh
In a reprise review to coincide with the paperback release, Neil found that Powers has a knack for establishing rules of weirdness that make enough occult-logical sense that you just come to accept them. This novel assumes that you're already familiar with Last Call and Expiration Date. If you're not, you may find yourself struggling to keep up.

Mid-November Games
compiled by John O'Neill
Modern gaming features some of the most creative work in fantasy and science fiction today. From the rich background of TSR's Forgotten Realms to the detailed future of White Wolf's Trinity, gamers and game authors around the world are enjoying some of the most fully-realized fictional settings ever created. If you're looking for innovative ideas and energetic prose, look no further.