All of Us Are Dying and Other Stories by George Clayton Johnson
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Some authors just don't get the breaks or the fame. They write excellent material, but 30 years later they are largely forgotten, relegated to the one or two-hit-wonder graveyard. It's particularly true for writers whose work has been mainly screenplays, ghost-writing, or writing unacknowledged for venues such as comic-books or radio serials. This is the case of George Clayton Johnson.

Threads of Ambition by Loren L. Coleman
reviewed by Don Bassingthwaite
On March 3, 3060 in the Capellan Confederation, there is a man with a plan -- Sun-Tzu Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation and First Lord (for now) of the recently reborn Star League. His plan is to... well, that's a little harder to figure out. Sun-Tzu is one sneaky guy.

Through Alien Eyes by Amy Thomson
reviewed by James Seidman
The subject of first contact with an alien race has long been a favourite of science fiction authors. This refreshing variation on that theme reaches a level of depth and complexity rarely achieved in first contact stories.

July Books
compiled by John O'Neill
Walter Jon Williams cracks the US in half in The Rift, James Blaylock spins a southern California dark fantasy in The Rainy Season, and Paul J. McAuley continues his rich space opera in Ancients of Days. All that and new titles from Frederik Pohl, Julian May, Rudy Rucker, Christopher Stasheff, Arkham House, and many more.

Lydon's Lament
commentary by Paul T. Riddell
SF Site's new columnist thinks the new film, The Blair Witch Project, is going to start a whole new boom in horror, and for all of the wrong reasons. Which is a shame, really, because it qualifies as the best film H.P. Lovecraft never made.

The Shepherd Kings by Judith Tarr
reviewed by Jeri Wright
Invaders from the East have occupied the Kingdom of Lower Egypt for 100 years. With their war chariots, uncouth bearded warriors, and veiled women, the Retenu remain unwelcome overlords to the people they have conquered. Change is coming, however; the King of Upper Egypt plans to reunite the kingdoms as they were in days of old.

The Forever Drug by Lisa Smedman
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
You think werewolves are cursed with this nightmare of shape-shifting, and spend their miserable lives bemoaning their tragic fate? That doesn't come close to describing the problems of Romulus, free agent for the Magical Task Force of Halifax. Running around in wolf-form is the least of his worries.

Forthcoming Books
compiled by John O'Neill
A brand new collection of novellas from Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis, heads the bill in our latest round-up of upcoming genre titles. Other works include new novels from Kay Kenyon, Rick Hautala, and Sean Williams & Shane Dix.

Writer of the Future Chapbooks
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The names of these 3 chapbook authors may be new to you, but after winning the quarter-finals in the Writer of the Future contest (no connection to L. Ron Hubbard, living or dead), you should prepare to hear their names bandied about.

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This is a story of adventure and mystery, set in 18th century Japan. Seikei, the young son of a tea salesman, dreams of becoming a samurai, but given his social standing, he cannot. Seikei witnesses a strange manifestation at the Tokaido Inn, and is later deputized by Judge Ooka (a Japanese Sherlock Holmes) to help find the stolen ruby Lord Hakuseki, the samurai, had been planning to present to the shogun.

Wild Wild West
reviewed by Rick Norwood
Our Babylon 5.1 columnist gives us his view on this remake of the TV series. It is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, written by Brent Maddock & S. S. Wilson and Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman, has excellent actors, good dialogue, and spectacular special effects. Yet Rick found himself wondering, "Why am I not enjoying this more?"

The Saga Begins by Weird Al Yankovic
a video review by Jonathan Fesmire
Weird Al Yankovic has a website dedicated to his new album, Running with Scissors. What's that go to do with us? The first release from this album is a tune based on Star Wars: Episode I.

Future War edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois
reviewed by Thomas Myer
These stories seek, in their own ways, to get a grip on the shifting modality of what war may be like in the future. The feverish intensity of human emotion blazes. These are not just fine specimens of SF -- no, they capture the essence of nauseating fear and hope and hate and anger and detachment that is life at the edge of imminent death.

Return to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman
a music review by A.L. Sirois
The album tells the story of three explorers seeking to retrace the steps of Verne's intrepid voyager, Professor Lidenbrock, from the 1864 novel. Lidenbrock got into trouble trying to follow after Arne Saknussemm, and these guys do too. Wakeman's chosen some outstanding talent to help him, foremost among them Patrick Stewart as narrator. It's also fun listening to Ozzy Osbourne wailing about being buried alive...

Off Season by Jack Ketchum
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Something deadly is prowling the area. Something lethal is preying on the good people of Dead River. And even the few who suspect there may be a problem have sadly underestimated the extent of the danger. Before it's all over, many will pay a terrible price for that poor judgment.

Black Light by Elizabeth Hand
reviewed by David Soyka
This book demands the Velvet Underground rumbling in the background. This is the soundtrack (and we're talking the first 2 albums when John Cale was still in the band) that provides the novel's amphetamine pulse -- it's based in part upon the zeitgeist of the Velvet's old haunt, Warhol's Factory.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
In his column, Rick finds nothing good on TV but reruns and Crusade. So, instead of reviewing a show he couldn't stand to sit through, he thought he would share with you his five top clichés of bad SF TV.

New Magazines
compiled by John O'Neill
The FictionHome page brings you the latest from the world of SF, Fantasy, and Horror magazines. This issue we look at new issues of Asimov's SF, Analog, Dark Regions/Horror Magazine, and many others.

The Twinkling of an Eye by Brian W. Aldiss
reviewed by Rich Horton
If you're a fan of the literary memoir and find something compelling about tracing the roots of a writer's imagination, pick up this asorbing and moving book. Even if Aldiss is a name which has not be central in your SF reading, this is a very worthwhile account of the life of a man in this century. And it may inspire you to read more of Aldiss' work.

The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Terry Pratchett has written a novella about the wizards of Unseen University creating a strange universe in which planets coalesce into strange spheres. As the wizards view the results of their experiment, two scientists, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, explain the real world science the wizards were experiencing.

Powers of the Mind by John and Anne Spencer
reviewed by Thomas Myer
Thomas found this to be an ambitious book. It takes on just about every single conceivable paranormal oddity related to the mind, and addresses them each in a solid, organized way.

Nocturne for a Dangerous Man by Marc Matz
reviewed by Todd Richmond
It takes place sometime in the not-so-distant future, in a world not so different from our own. Gavilan Robie, once a member of the Clandestine Action Rescue Committee, is a freelance art recovery expert. When rich people or corporations lose a valuable piece of art, Robie is hired to retrieve it. He's very good at his job. Occasionally he retrieves other more valuable objects -- people.

Heaven's Reach by David Brin
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
For lovers of space opera, this is the real thing. Brin brews a heady mix of adventure and discovery that makes for a compulsive page-turner of a book. Infinity's Shore, may have been a slow starter, loaded down with recapitulations, but Heaven's Reach takes off right away and keeps going.

The Book of Knights by Yves Meynard
reviewed by James Seidman
James likens this novel to Gulliver's Travels and The Odyssey. Like those stories, it features a sympathetic but imperfect protagonist who proceeds through a series of wild adventures.

The Compass of the Soul by Sean Russell
reviewed by Rodger Turner
A reprise review to coincide with the paperback release. This novel and and its companion, Beneath the Vaulted Hills, are just the sort of books that can sweep you away from your day-to-day life and catapult you into that mental cabin in the woods, that imaginary home overlooking the sea, that dream sailboat cruising the waterways.

Shadowrun, 3rd Edition by Michael Mulvihill with Robert Boyle
reviewed by Henry Harding
This 3rd edition jazzes the setting with new and improved game mechanics: the developers have jumped through flaming hoops covered in kerosene to simplify and quicken game play. Rules are grouped together in similar sections and magic rules have been totally revamped to resemble the rest of the game system.

Tangents by Bruce R. Cordell
a gaming accessory review by Don Bassingthwaite
Welcome to Tangents, the sourcebook of alternate reality for Alternity -- and a very spiffy little sourcebook it is! Why bother whipping about the universe on starships when there are whole planets just waiting to be explored right under your feet?