Eater by Gregory Benford
reviewed by Chris Donner
A love-triangle-that-was reawakens when 3 co-workers and competitors are forced to deal with an enigmatic singularity that is rapidly approaching our solar system, and which suddenly decides it's time to talk to us. Faced with this unfathomable intelligence and its uncertain plans regarding Earth, the 3 are forced to combine their intellects and experience in a time of unique crisis.

The Light Of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
reviewed by Ernest Lilley
After waiting a lifetime for space travel to get underway, Arthur C. Clarke has joined forces with fellow British master Stephen Baxter to write a story about what lies beyond the death of the dream. Instead of journeying outward, this novel shows us an all too plausible future closer to home.

Zimmerman's Algorithm by S. Andrew Swann
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
When D.C. cop Gideon Malcolm follows up a tip about a stolen supercomputer, he gets more than he bargained for. The computer is right where the tipster said it would be -- but so are a lot of men with masks and guns. In the ensuing shootout, Gideon is severely wounded and his brother, Raphael, is killed. Driven by the need to give some meaning to his brother's death, Gideon embarks on a search for answers. The more he digs, the more it becomes apparent that his digging isn't welcome.

The Grand Design by John Marco
a novel excerpt
   "The night burned a pulsing orange."
   "General Vorto, supreme commander of the legions of Nar, stood on a hillside beneath the red flash of rockets, safely distant from the bombardment hammering the walls of Goth. It was a cold night with frost in the air. He could see the crystaline snow in the sky and on his eyelashes. The northern gusts blew the battle rockets up and over the city and bent the fiery plumes of flame cannons..."

The Second Empire by Paul Kearney
reviewed by Neil Walsh
If you've been following series so far, you'll find that this fourth volume is more of the same. More intricately crafted and exciting story. More scenes of martial heroics. More moments of rug-pulled-out-from-under-your-feet treachery. More triumphs. More setbacks. More tragic moments, senseless deaths, fear, brutality, relief, love, joy of life. More of the author's thoroughly human characters -- from the salt-of-the-earth peasants, soldiers and monks, to the nobles, officers and higher orders of the clergy who direct their lives.

Mid-April Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
As well as new books from John Marco, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Priest, Kathleen Ann Goonan, and Keith Roberts, you'll find collections from Peter Crowther, Robert Silverberg and Martha Hood. These are some of the books received at the SF Site since mid-April.

Patriarch's Hope by David Feintuch
a novel excerpt
   "'. . . and so we gather to commission UNS Galactic, the greatest ship ever built, the pinnacle of human interstellar endeavor.'
   Surreptitiously, to avoid the attention of the pulsing holocams focused on the dais, I eased my aching leg, fixing a glazed stare at Admiral Dubrovik's broad back and the crowded London auditorium beyond. At my left Derek Carr smiled in sympathy."

Amazing Stories, Spring 2000
reviewed by Rich Horton
In this issue, Rich's favourites were from among the less well-known writers. They include the memorable "Requiem with Interruptions" by G. Scott Huggins, the well-depicted "Selling Jesus" by Douglas Lain and "The Reign of Rainbow Stars" by Christian L. Campbell, which tells the story of our world encircled by a satellite network so complete that we become totally shut off from the outside universe.

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.

In the Upper Room and Other Likely Stories by Terry Bisson
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
In Bisson's world there are multiple dimensions and every single one of them includes lingerie. So, even if the situation is not exactly to your liking, you will be able to find quality tap pants, for you or whoever you'd like to see in them. Or out of them. It is the allure of those exotic undergarments that whisks the hero of the title story off on a virtual vacation that doesn't go exactly as advertised.

Terry Pratchett
Part 2 of an interview with Steven H Silver
On the dramatization of Mort:
"Curiously enough, we have no English movie interest whatsoever. All the interest is coming from Germany and the USA. I think that's because the English film industry is made up of a bunch of wankers. When the Brits are allowed to make movies by themselves, it either has to be very gritty stuff about jobless steelworkers or airy fairy stuff with Hugh Grant in it. The idea of doing a fantasy would not occur to them... The British movie industry as a whole seems quite puzzled about this sort of thing. 'What, you mean there's no part for Scottish drugtakers in it?' 'Couldn't Mort be a steelworker and take all his clothes off?' 'There's no part for Hugh Grant? Well, good Heavens, can you make movies like that?'"

Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers us tips on what's worth watching on television during May -- the season's final 3 episodes from The X-Files and 4 for Star Trek: Voyager (the final episode of Voyager features the Borg).

Forthcoming Books
compiled by Neil Walsh
New books from Martha Wells, James Alan Gardner, Juliet Marillier, Gregory Benford; continuations of series from C.J. Cherryh, Stephen Lawhead, Sarah Isidore, Anne McCaffrey; collections from David Hartwell, Sheree R. Thomas -- all these and many more books are just around the corner...

Partners In Necessity by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The authors create a credible universe, intriguing characters, and the ride of your life. Never, in all those pages, is there a dull moment. The exploits are too involving to stop for a break. But, even given the non-stop action, it is the authors' teasingly slow unveiling of the characters that steals the book; you may never care about a cast of characters more or await their return with more anticipation.

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
The novel centres on Dan Sylveste, an archeologist studying the remains of an extinct, bird-like alien race. His past is tied to the crew of the Infinity, who need information stored in Sylveste's head. Events lead to a large, heavily defended artifact orbiting around a neutron star, which seems to hold all the answers. Along the way there are kidnappings, political revolutions, betrayals, and intrigue.

Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
You might think a 160-year-old novel isn't really topical in today's world of gang crime, serial killers and dangerous religious cults. Well, meet Ameer Ali, Thug, confessed though non-penitent murderer of close to 750 people, adventurer, free-booter, leader amongst many in a close-knit secret religious community practising ritual mass murder under the auspices of the goddess Kali. It may remind you a bit of movies like Gunga Din or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, or you may see a hint of Rudyard Kipling or Talbot Mundy.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
Charlie Gordon is a retarded worker in a bakery, who sweeps floors, acts as the butt for other's jokes, and struggles to learn to read under the guidance of Alice Kinnian. His situation takes a dramatic turn when he undergoes brain surgery designed to help reorder his brain tissue and to grant him intelligence.

Evolutionary Catastrophes by Vincent Courtillot
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
We all know that a BIG meteor hit the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous period and wiped out the dinosaurs, right? So, big meteor-strikes probably caused the other mass-extinctions too? Well -- the Chicxulub impact at the KT boundary, 65 million years ago, is indeed well-documented. What's less well-known is that the Deccan Traps, an enormous outpouring of flood-basalts in what is now western India were also in full eruption then.