The Good Old Stuff edited by Gardner Dozois
reviewed by John O'Neill
The promising subtitle "Adventure SF in the Grand Tradition" was all that was necessary to conjure up images of purposeful men in cast iron spaceships, shouting orders to each other across a steamy engine room as mighty stellar drives propelled them into the dark void. Cool.

SF Site: Best of 1998
There were more than a thousand Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror books published in 1998. The writers, reviewers and editors of the SF Site present their pick for the Top Ten Books of the year. Have a look at their selection -- and cast your own vote for the Best of 1998.

Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
In the future, people no longer go to movies or flip on the TV. Instead, they experience Adventures -- an experience more real than virtual reality. They transport into Ankhana and masquerade as Ankhanan citizens. They get involved with Ankhana's politics, wars, and people. Sometimes they die... Stover's latest is a complex, gripping epic, putting him well on the path to becoming one of the Great Names in the genre.

Climb the Wind by Pamela Sargent
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Here is an alternate history novel in which an American Indian named Touch-the-Clouds, inspired by hearing of Genghis Khan's achievements, seeks to unite the plains tribes and stop the expansion of the post-Civil War United States.

A Brief Beginner's Guide To Doctor Who
by Colin Ravey
Colin Ravey looks at the who, what, when and where of Doctor Who-dom with the first of his guides to the television series of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Changer by Jane Lindskold
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Is the general populace of the world ready to accept non-human sentient magic-wielding shapeshifting immortal beings living amongst them? Um... are you? This entertaining and imaginative story includes ideas and images to stimulate any fan of contemporary fantasy and comparative mythology.

Thylaxene by N.E. Doran, Stuart Newman and Craig Wellington
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Recognize the word? Thylaxene. No, you wouldn't. Unless you were familiar with the history of Australia -- its flora and fauna. Why does this collection of chilling stories succeed where others have failed? Maybe because there hasn't been a partnership this smooth in recent memory. These 3 authors could be the best parts of one mind.

The Lady of the Loch by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This novel melds fantasy and horror with the history of 18th century Scotland. Midge Margret, a member of itinerant tinkers, is befriended by the young Walter Scott (author of Ivanhoe and other novels). He, as the sheriff of Edinborough, and she investigate the death of a young woman, abducted from the town.

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 Robin Hobb, Glen Cook, Larry Niven, Brian Aldiss, George R.R. Martin, J.V. Jones, and many others. We think you'll find it very interesting.

Eyes of Silver by Michael Stackpole
reviewed by S. Kay Elmore
Set on an alternate earth, it's a place where magick is commonplace, ships navigate the air, and politics get very, very nasty. Once, a mystical warrior, Keerana Dost, held a vast empire and commanded the largest fighting force ever known. Now, 800 years later...

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

Asimov's SF, December 1998
reviewed by David Soyka
Without an overt Christmas theme, David found this issue of Asimov's to provide a selection of stories in which situations of despair are, if not entirely overcome, at least offer hope of redemption. Overall, readers get a pretty good package for their holiday reading.

The Witch's Tale by Alonzo Deen Cole
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Suspense radio dramas are from another era, but they aren't completely forgotten. Here are 13 of the best stories from the original scripts of The Witch's Tale series, one of radio's longest running and most popular shows. These are the kinds of tales that would allow children to scare themselves silly and the lady of the house to be suitably shocked.

Asimov's SF, February 1999
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Steve was quite surprised reading through this issue of what he considers to be one of the best SF magazines. Surprised not by the quality of the work (Asimov's has never disappointed there), rather, it was the somewhat political nature of the stories.

Rant and Ravey
UK video reviews by Colin Ravey
Colin Ravey takes a thoughtful meander through the theatrical, frightening and fanciful world of fantasy and science fiction on the small island's small screen, courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. In his column, Colin considers differences between UK and US SF screen textures.

January Books
compiled by John O'Neill
New novels from Jerry Jay Carroll, Catherine Asaro, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and Paul Kearney, a new collection from John Barnes, and no less than three anthologies from ubereditor Gardner Dozois -- all that and much more in the latest installment of our bi-weekly book column. Santa was very good to you this year.

The Atrocity Shop by Kurt von Trojan
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Responsible adults only: this book is a shocker you should definitely read. Scandalous and blasphemous, yes, but the real shock comes in the knowledge that it was written some 20 years ago. Bare knuckle social commentary, jagged shrapnel cereal without the sugar coating -- and the sad reality is that it's still dead on target.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
In his column, Rick's commentary on SF television includes his views "A Call to Arms," a Babylon 5 tele-movie and the new film, Star Trek: Insurrection.

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
reviewed by David Soyka
In the 24th century, time travel is used for one thing: profit. As her first assignment, a Company operative (and effectively indentured servant to the Company) is sent to England during the reign of Queen Mary to retrieve now extinct plant specimens from the garden of Sir Walter Iden. Funny, terrifying, and extremely well-researched.

Beyond the Pale by Mark Anthony
reviewed by Don Bassingthwaite
They say never judge a book by its cover. True enough -- many's the book Don's read where he's been lured in by the cover and lived to regret it. Guess what? This one deserves that cover. Even the back cover blurb is accurate! Feel free to be lured in.

Wizard of the Grove by Tanya Huff
reviewed by Robert Francis
It's set in a world which has recovered from, but not forgotten, a cataclysm that took place a thousand years earlier. The people still tell stories of the days when the wizards, strove for supremacy amongst themselves in a world where no other mortal creature had the will or the power to challenge them.

To Marry Medusa by Theodore Sturgeon
reviewed by Duane Swierczynski
As fun as it is to watch Picard duke it out with walking toaster-ovens who want to assimilate you, Sturgeon did it better 40 years ago. Don't believe it? Tough, pal -- resistance is futile.

Northern Stars edited by David G. Hartwell and Glenn Grant
reviewed by Mark Shainblum
Replete with some of the best SF to be published anywhere in the last 10 years (William Gibson, Spider Robinson, Terence M. Green and Yves Meynard), there is simply no way to have a bad anthology, regardless of nationality. But its diversity is the strength of modern Canadian SF -- both French and English.

Colony by Ben Bova
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
Colony reads a little like the old film Destination: Moon plays to a modern audience. Fun, but it didn't happen that way. This is a perfect example of how to write a good, solid, entertaining novel of ideas with strong political ties to the world we know.

The Anime Companion by Gilles Poitras
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Watch an anime film for a few minutes. Behind all the action, there is a wealth of detail. Poitras has broken it all down for us, in encyclopedia format. Everything you may have wondered about or never even noticed is divided into 14 categories, each with a concise definition of the term.

Shattered Europe by Bruce Baugh, John R. Snead and Greg Stolze
a gaming module review by Don Bassingthwaite
Third in a series of sourcebooks for White Wolf's Trinity science fiction game, Shattered Europe details one of the game's psi orders, the Aesculapian psionic healers, and the region in which they are based, Europe.

Tribebook Wendigo by Bill Bridges
a gaming module review by Henry Harding
It's a tired old question. You are a Wendigo Ahroun. You come across an oil-pipeline surveyor nosing around your sweat lodge deep in the Alaskan interior. Do you ask to see his Pentex ID, or merely shift into crinos shape and rip out the soft warm flesh of his neck?