Bios by Robert Charles Wilson
reviewed by Rich Horton
Zoe's arrival at Isis Orbital Station coincides with the first of a series of on-planet catastrophes. It seems that the native organisms are getting better and better at breaching the various security barriers humans have placed about their research stations. And since a single breath of Isis' air will kill a human horribly, this is very disturbing.

The Prodigal Sun by Sean Williams and Shane Dix
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Commander Morgan Roche is a woman on a mission: deliver a new breed of AI to COE HQ. It sounds like a routine, even boring, mission until the frigate Midnight is attacked by enemy ships. Roche's only hope is to escape to the surface of the inhospitable Sciacca's World, a penal colony. Even if she and her people survive the attempt, they will still not be safe from their attackers.

Forthcoming Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
The coming months will see continuations of series by such authors as Guy Gavriel Kay, Harry Turtledove, William Shatner, and Kage Baker, as well as new works by the likes of Gregory Benford, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Terry Pratchett and Jack McDevitt. Also coming is a previously unpublished novel by Keith Roberts, only to appear in serial in a new SF magazine.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers us the answer to the question: Do the men and women of Voyager have sex with holograms? He considers this and other intrigues when he takes a look at a Voyager episode, "Fair Haven" written by Robin Burger.

Horrors of the Holy by Staci Layne Wilson
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This collection of 13 stories covers a wide range of subject matter, from the undead enjoying the living's nightlife in "Slumber Party" to the monster picking off unsuspecting teenagers in an old movie theatre in "Cutting Room Floor" and a lovely understated and atmospheric story ("Thundering Hooves") of an old cowboy and capturer of wild horses.

Against the Giants by Ru Emerson
reviewed by John O'Neill
The memory of tracking hill giants through the timber maze of the Steading or the first encounter with the Drow deep in the Fire Giant's lair, is a powerful inducement to pick up this book. They're all here -- the Frost Giant Jarl, the two-headed ettin guard, the imprisoned Titan giantess who aids the party, even Eclavdra the Drow high priestess, mastermind of the whole plot.

Snail's Pace by Susan McDonough Sanchez
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Picture Chow-Yun Fat or Yul Brynner as a really big snail. Susannah Maureen Chambers McKay is seeing the rather rough side of the Victorian era. The search for employment is meeting some ego-bruising dead ends until she is approached by a stranger on the street who reluctantly offers her the position of a lifetime.

New Magazines
compiled by John O'Neill
The SF Site's FictionHome page brings you the latest news and reviews of genre magazines and other short fiction. We look at brand new issues of Talebones, Interzone, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and many more.

The Master of All Desires by Judith Merkle Riley
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
The setting is Paris in the year 1556 -- Catherine de Medici is Queen of France and Nostradamus is at the height of his powers. Through a series of mischances, Sibille Artaud de la Roque, a young woman fresh from her convent studies, finds herself in the possession of the most powerful occult artifact known to exist -- the head of Menander the Undying -- which has the power to grant petitioners their heart's desire.

Game Plan by Charles Wilson
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The government wants to artificially improve human intelligence. The private sector wants the enormous profits that go with any such advances. Either one is a dangerous enemy to make -- together they are almost invulnerable and omnipotent. Paranoia aside, have you ever thought how easy it would be to make someone disappear if you have the money and the power? Think about it now.

January Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
Settle in for some good reading, with Laurell K. Hamilton's latest Anita Blake novel, Harry Harrison's latest Stainless Steel Rat story, other new works from Mickey Zucker Reichert and Jennifer Wingert, S. Andrew Swann, Anne Bishop, B.A. Chepaitis, and Mike Moscoe. And if you're feeling nostalgic, how about some classic reprints from such authors as Greg Bear, Olaf Stapledon, C.J. Cherryh, Fritz Leiber, and Terry Pratchett. And plenty more!

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Commander Samuel Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork city watch turns into a diplomat on a visit to Uberwald for the crowning of the new dwarven Low King. The author's answer to Sherlock Holmes must use his skills of deduction to solve a mystery concerning the disappearance of the dwarven Scone of Stone, an ancient rock-hard pastry necessary to the dwarven coronation rite.

In the Beginning... Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Whether you are a computer expert, someone who understands computer basics, a person who knows nothing at all about computers, or simply a reader who will snatch up anything with this author's name on it, you'll be transfixed by this essay on how software operating systems evolved and where it is all going.

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
reviewed by Trent Walters
One of the more fetching pieces of Tolkien "literary" memorabilia, this book gives us the letters written to his children at Christmas, along with a number of distinctive colour illustrations. One can almost read between the lines as the children grow too old to write to Santa, or as the times may have grown a little rough for the Tolkien family Christmas gift-giving.

American Front by Harry Turtledove
reviewed by Mark Shainblum
The author knows history, and he knows it well. When he spins an alternate history scenario, you just know that it's been carefully thought out and is historically plausible. As well, his characters, often derived from genuine historical sources, are sympathetic and real. You genuinely believe in them, you feel for them, you care about what happens to them.