1989

Koko by Peter Straub
"Only four men knew what 'KOKO' meant. The were Vietnam vets: a doctor, a lawyer, a working stiff and a writer. All were as different as men could be -- yet all were bound eternally together by a single shattering secret. And now they are joined together again on a quest that could take them from the graveyards and fleshpots of the Far East to the human jungle of New York, hunting an inhuman ghost of the past risen from nightmare darkness to kill."

1988

Replay by Ken Grimwood
"At forty-three, Jeff Winston is tired of his low-paid, unrewarding job, tired of the long silences at the breakfast table with his wife, saddened by the thought of no children to comfort his old age. But he hopes for better things, for happiness. But a sudden, fatal heart attack puts those hopes to rest. Until Jeff wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body, all his memories of the next twenty-five years intact. If he applies those memories, he can be rich in this new chance at life and can become one of the most powerful men in America. Until he dies at forty-three and wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body again."

1987

Perfume by Patrick Süskind
"Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an orphan, born in Paris in 1738. Abandoned as a child, he is taken to an orphanage, where everyone who comes into contact with him finds something about him to be revulsive. What they don't notice is that Grenouille's body does not have any aroma, a distinction which is so subtle that nobody can place their finger on it. His strange relationship to odors is further highlighted by his own extremely sharp sense of smell. When he comes of age, Grenouille manages to apprentice himself to a perfumer and shows a strong aptitude for mixing strange and exotic perfumes. This skill leads him to his desire to cover his own lack of smell and a quest to create the most unique perfume the world has ever known."

1986

Song of Kali by Dan Simmons
reviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
Tor recently re-released a new edition of this World Fantasy Award-winning horror novel. Only in a setting so foul, so depraved, so utterly without promise -- evoked by the author's brilliant writing -- could the nightmare Dan Simmons has crafted, fester and find life. He conveys the sense of disgust, hopelessness and utter terror of his characters so accutely that you'll squirm as you read.

1985

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
"Number Ten Ox and his village of Ku-fu face having their children stricken with a strange malady that leaves them comatose and rigid. It is up to Number Ten Ox to seek a scholar to unravel the mystery of their affliction. The result is ancient Master Li Kao, who has a 'slight flaw in his character,' all Ox can afford. Master Li determines that the only thing to save the children is the Great Root of Power, and Li and Ox leave on a quest to obtain this Great Root. Thus begins a set of tales that leads from the Imperial Palace to brothels to an enchanted destroyed city. Along the way we meet Ma the Grub, Henpecked Ho, the greedy Duke of Ch'in, Doctor Death, and the jade-loving Lotus Cloud."

Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Steven gives us his take on each of the four books that make up this cycle; Mythago Wood, Lavondyss, The Hollowing and Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn. If you are looking for plot- or even character-driven fantasy, the Ryhope Wood cycle will not serve your purposes. If you are interested in an examination of mythology and its hold on the human subconscious, sometimes in esoteric terms, the author consistently manages to hit a bullseye.

1984

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford
reviewed by William Thompson
Framed around the metrical history of Shakespeare's verse, this clever and complicated narrative relates an alternate depiction of the events surrounding the life and ascension of Richard III, at the same time retelling and inverting the history of Europe until at times it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction unless steeped in a study of the period. Granted, many elements are obvious fantasy, but they are so threaded with accurate detail and re-imagined fact that it is easy to become seduced by the story's illusions.

1982

Little, Big by John Crowley
This book was the winner of the 1981 World Fantasy Award, from the author of The Deep, Engine Summer and Ægypt. "Edgewood is many houses, all put inside each other, or across each other. Edgewood is filled with mystery and enchantment: the further in you go, the bigger it gets. This is where Daily Alice Drinkwater lives; this is where Smoky Barnable comes, under strict orders from Daily, to wed her. But on arriving at her family home, having followed her instructions, he finds himself drawn into a world of magical strangeness..."

1981

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
Shadow and Claw combines The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator. This is hefty work with precious little padding. Anyone familiar with Gene Wolfe's work knows what to expect -- strange doings, complex and troubled characters, no guarantees of happy endings for anyone, images and events that stick in the mind long after the book is put down, and a command of the language beyond the ability of 90% of writers working today in or out of the SF field.

1980

Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
"When Col Istor's army finish a bloody capture of Tornor Keep, Ryke is quite amazed to find he is stil alive. Istor has need of Ryke. To ensure his cooperation, Artor's only heir is used as the bargaining chip. In order to save Errel, Ryke swears fealty to Col Istor for as long as Errel remains alone and unharmed. To forestall treachery, Ryke is made fourth watch commander for Istor's army. Col Istor keeps his word regarding Errel's assured safety, and turns the prince into a cheari, a fool or jester."

1979

Gloriana or the Unfulfilled Queen by Michael Moorcock
reviewed by David Soyka
For what will prove to be the ominous term of 13 years, unprecedented peace and prosperity characterizes Queen Gloriana's rule over the Albion empire and its various protectorates and allies, in antithesis to the madness and bloodshed of her father, King Hern. The power behind the throne, the architect of the elaborate myth of Gloriana that promotes and maintains this Golden Age, is her trusted Chancellor, Lord Montfallcon, who endured great personal sacrifice to survive the intrigues and purges of, and finally triumph over, Hern's corrupted court.

1978

Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
"Set in contemporary San Francisco, we learn the tale of Franz Westen, a writer of supernatural fiction, recently recovered from both alcoholism and the death of his wife. Using Megapolisomancy -- the prediction of the future by means of large cities. The cities have created beings called paramentals, as Franz discovers when he finds a book by Thibaut de Castries, the inventor of megapolisomancy, together with a journal apparently by Clark Ashton Smith."

1977

Doctor Rat by William Kotzwinkle
"Doctor Rat, Ph.D., the grant-supported, knowledgeable survivor of the most refined scientific experiments, dedicates himself to defending mankind again the worldwide rebellions, uprisings, and insurgencies of his fellow animals."

1976

Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
"In 1971, Richard Collier, dying of a brain tumor, travels toward San Diego and happens upon an old hotel. There he finds the captivating photograph of a young actress, Elise McKenna, who performed at the hotel in 1896. He decides to research everything he can about her. The more he learns, the more deeply he falls in love with her, and the more he's convinced that he has been to her time, and that they were in love." Somewhere In Time (1980) starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, was based upon this novel.

1975

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
"Raised on Eld mountain with only her father's magical menagerie for company, a young wizard is drawn into the human world with all its sorrows and delights when a baby comes into her care."