Sultan of the Moon and Stars by Tom Arden
reviewed by Neil Walsh
The 1001 Arabian Nights is the main inspiration for the 3rd book of The Orokon. Driven by his quest to the exotic, desert lands of Unang Lia, Jem finds himself in a world of magic and mystery, with flying carpets, genies, harems of beautiful women, eunuchs, clever thieves, illusory palaces, real palaces, cobras, curses, sexual innuendo and explicit sex (although less of these last two items than in the original tales of Shahrazad). And it's all done with wit and style.

The Guardian by Beecher Smith
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Sooner or later, every horror author does it. They can't help themselves. The overwhelming compulsion to rewrite Dracula -- the need to trot that old vampire legend out for another go. It wouldn't be so sad if most of them were well done. Or original. It would be wonderful if all of them were as entertaining as this novel.

The Stars Compel by Michaela Roessner
reviewed by Kristen Chew
The sequel to The Stars Dispose is likewise set in the well-mined battlefield that was 16th-century Italy. Caterina is the sole legitimate heir to the once great Medici line, and powers both in this world and in others are warring over possible futures for her. Pope Clement, wanting to keep a closer eye on his great niece, moves Caterina to Rome. Tommaso the chef joins her and becomes her eyes and ears outside of the palace, following the events of his life -- his love affair with Michelangelo, his continuing development as a master cook and reluctant spy, and the slow, inevitable blossoming of his talents as an heir to the Old Religion.

Forthcoming Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
You've got more to look forward to in the coming months than just a change of season. There are new authors to discover, such as Juliet Marillier or Alastair Reynolds, as well as new books on the way from Gregory Benford, James Alan Gardner, Terry Pratchett, and others.

The Removal by Warren Patabendi
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Some people go for horror with scary monsters, mutated insects, nameless evils. Some people go for horror with scary people -- the real monsters to watch out for. Alfred Hitchcock had it down to an art form; nothing is more frightening than the things human beings are willing to do to each other. Want some horror like that?

Asimov's SF, February 2000
reviewed by Trent Walters
Ursula K. Le Guin once again turns convention on its head in "The Royals of Hegn," which details the customs and habits of the royal family in a country where everyone is royal except for a single common family; L. Timmel Duchamp wrestles with compelling issues of personhood in "How Josiah Taylor Lost His Soul"; and Esther M. Friesner presents "The Shunned Trailer," which chronicles 2 days in the life of an Ivy League city-boy who stumbles upon the Cthulhu horrors of the South.

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.

Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
reviewed by Trent Walters
This is a children's fantasy under whose spell Trent occasionally forgot he was critiquing. It follows the picaresque adventures of Rover the dog after a wizard transforms him into a toy dog and his subsequent trials and tribulations in a toy shop, on a beach, to the moon, through the dream world beyond, under the Deep Blue Sea, and back again.

Mid-February Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
The past month has brought us some exciting first novels, some classic reprints, and long-awaited conclusions to some favoured series. On the shelves of your local bookstore, you can expect to find new titles by Guy Gavriel Kay, Nalo Hopkinson, Alan Dean Foster, William Shatner, Stephen Baxter, Piers Anthony, and more.

The Robot's Twilight Companion by Tony Daniel
reviewed by John O'Neill
All of the 9 short stories and novellas in this collection were originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine between 1992 and 1999. They include the Hugo nominee "Life on the Moon," the title story and the basis for the novel Earthling and the near-masterpiece "A Dry Quiet War," a tale of warfare and loss at the end of time. John felt this was one of the best books he read last year, and the most original short fiction collection he's stumbled across in a long time.

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers us tips on what's worth watching during March of the four episodes from The X-Files and five for Star Trek: Voyager (X-Files looks like the better bet).

The Edge: Tales Of Suspense #6 edited by Greg F. Gifune
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
If talent will out (sometimes it does) some of these names will be popping up on best-of lists everywhere. Chilling, heinous, even sickening -- there's something here for every appetite. Just don't assume every bite will be a pleasure.

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
reviewed by Todd Richmond
It takes place in a future where a small percentage of the population has developed telepathic powers. Called peepers, they have revolutionized business, government, and, most importantly, law enforcement. In fact, no act of premeditated murder has been committed in more than 70 years. So Lincoln Polwell is somewhat astonished to be summoned to a popular socialite's home to investigate both a murder and a disappearance.

Sky Coyote by Kage Baker
reviewed by Rich Horton
The Company makes a profit by saving things lost to history: works of art, rare plants, even whole cultures. The Company's immortal agents are mostly recruited from among doomed children throughout history and pre-history. For, you see, the Company has discovered the secrets of both time travel and immortality... but the use of both is limited.

In the Beginning... Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
It is an amusing guide to the whole dos/mac/windows/unix/gnu/linux/beos soap opera, for the perplexed -- highly recommended. It's aimed at the Unix-literate (whose ranks certainly don't include Peter), but anyone who's messed about with computers will find some goodies.