The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Georges finds this series to be among the best imaginative fiction he's read in 10 years. It doesn't matter if you're a teenager or a middle-aged businessman, these books transcend age barriers. In their portrayal of the harrowing, gut-wrenching brutality of war, these books will entertain you, stun you, make you think -- but they simply won't let you put them down.

The Invisible Country by Paul J. McAuley
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This is the author's second short story collection. The stories, mostly hard SF that draw on McAuley's background in biology, are a good introduction to a writer who is both a first-rate story teller and remarkable stylist.

The Books of 1998
compiled by John O'Neill
It's the end of the year again, and we've already begun the work of assembling our Top Ten lists. In the meantime, here's your chance to pick the best SF and Fantasy books published in 1998. Choose from a list of nearly 800 titles -- virtually every book we've received in the last twelve months.

Thoughts Of God by Michael Kanaly
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The greatest threat to children in America? Anyone who has investigated the situation will answer, without hesitation, the sexual predator. This is one reason why God deems this planet, according to his divine observations and lab notes, to be a major disappointment.

Allen Steele
Part 1 of an interview with Steven H Silver
At Windycon XXV, Steven sat down with guest of honor Allen Steele to discuss his books, small presses and winning two Hugo Awards. Allen Steele specializes in writing stories set in the near future, so far in near Earth space, although he has gone as far afield as Mars, the asteroid belt and Jupiter.

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton
reviewed by Kim Fawcett
Who is she? Anita Blake is Saint Louis' own tough-talking, zombie-raising, vampire-slaying force of nature. Life used to be simple for her -- get up, raise the dead, stake the undead, and go back to bed. But lately Anita has found that life gets a bit more complicated when you date the monsters instead of just beheading them.

Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death by The Firesign Theatre
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
Since the days of their greatest fame, the individual members of the Firesign Theatre have gone on to a fair bit of commercial success. The group did a critically well-received 25th anniversary tour a few years ago, and on the strength of that they caught a spark and began working on this, their first new album in fifteen years.

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 third installment of a nine part series putting together a reading list of Mark V. Ziesing Books.

The Barrens and Others by F. Paul Wilson
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
In the realm of big-name authors, few are as hard to pin down as F. Paul Wilson. The man is all over the genre map, refusing to be restricted to a single classification or style. That may be why his work is so entertaining. Here, he has chosen the worlds of crime and mystery, with an unhealthy dose of the supernatural.

Future Indefinite by Dave Duncan
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
Conjuring up more than a few memories of Kipling with a sprinkling of military derring-do and a dash of Zelazny's Lord of Light, in a setting halfway between the usual backdrops of generic fantasy and a storybook version of the Far East, this novel holds a few surprises for unwary readers. And the main one is a doozy.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Neil voted for Neverwhere as the the best new book in SF Site's "Best of 1997." So this one is a real treat for him as it offers not only a wide selection of stories and poems, but also some insight into the mind of the artist.

Blood Roses by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In this, the 12th volume of the Saint-Germain Chronicles, Yarbro has placed Saint-Germain in the small Provencal village of Orgon in the middle of the 14th-century, just in time for the first outbreak of the Bubonic Plague.

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 Charles de Lint, Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, John Barnes, and many others. We think you'll find it very interesting.

Amazing Stories, Fall 1998
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Once again Amazing Stories has risen from the ashes, this time with a unique mix of original stories and licensed fiction, a first for a major genre magazine. Steven has a look at the second new issue, with stories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Ursula Le Guin, Diane Duane, and many others -- and find it to be something of a mixed bag.

White Light by William Barton and Michael Capobianco
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
In this novel, the characters leap from a future Earth, devastated by a thermonuclear war, into a succession of ever more exotic locales, climbing the great chain of beings until they start rubbing elbows with godlike entities and delving into their own neuroses.

December Books
compiled by John O'Neill
Peter F. Hamilton and Stephen Baxter reveal the inner workings of their rich Future Histories, Charles Grant and Jane Jensen check in with creepy page-turners, and Michael A. Stackpole, William R. Forstchen, Susan R. Matthews and Marilyn Kaye all deliver the latest novels in their respective series. All that and much more in the latest installment of our bi-weekly book column.

The Sci-Fi Channel Encyclopedia of TV Science Fiction by Roger Fulton and John Gregory Betancourt
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
As a long time fan of television SF, Steve couldn't wait to get his hands on this book. But when it finally arrived, it was somewhat different than he had envisioned. Steve had not realized just how many SF series had graced the screen throughout the years.

Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today by Katherine Ramsland
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Be forewarned, if you want the Jerry Springer version of vampires in America, the stories of Goth mall-rats, or the born-again Christian version of vampires as Satanists corrupting just about everybody, this book is not for you.

The High House by James Stoddard
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
In contrast to the increasing trend in fantasy to seek authenticity by focusing on real-world details and topical issues, this novel unapologetically situates itself entirely outside mundane reality, plunging the reader fully into an other-world of symbol and legend.

The Blood Jaguar by Michael H. Payne
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
There is no way that this novel is going to escape being compared to Watership Down. Intelligent animals, living in structured communities, with a spiritual belief system, working together to overcome the threat of certain doom... The parallels are there but does it matter?

Hel's Crucible Duology by Dennis McKiernan
reviewed by Todd Richmond
There are a couple of common themes here, both of them pointed out by the author in the foreword. One is about common people thrust into uncommon situations and struggling to meet the challenge. The other is about how all things are connected, that nothing happens without having some consequence on other events. Did the author stick to them? Todd comments.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
reviewed by S. Kay Elmore
It isn't often that modern writers can approach a fairy tale with such originality and fresh wit. This novel is a fairy tale for grown ups. It's a gothic novel in the vein of the early 80s London music scene rather than in the literary sense.

Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
reviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
In a reprise review to coincide with the paperback release, Wayne found that, despite its ability to stand as a solo novel, this book is really meant to be read as a sequel to previous novels in the series, Wars of Light and Shadow.

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
In a reprise review to coincide with the paperback release, Margo found that McKinley's style is simple, elegant and finely detailed. Despite her characters being named out of fairy tales, they are very human, interesting and likeable -- you really care about them.

The Merlin Mystery by Jonathan Gunson
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Is it a book? Is it a puzzle? Is it the best darned marketing ploy in the publishing industry? Well, yes, it's all of those, but it's also a beautifully packaged product, sure to challenge the cleverest of treasure hunters.

Dataware
a gaming accessory review by Don Bassingthwaite
If you intend to make the Grid (or artificial intelligence or robots) a part of your Alternity campaign, you need this book. But remember to bring your imagination, it'll be needed to fill in the gaps.

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.