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by Henry Leon Lazarus

I haven't had as much time for reading this month. I've been working with two-time, Hugo-winning editor, George Scithers, rewriting and proof-reading my fantasy novel about the gods of Greece against God. I've learned a great deal about writing that I never knew before. Luckily August was a light month. I do have five gems to report on.

I'm late in getting to Delia Marshall Turner's Of Swords and Spells (paper). Del Rey doesn't send review copies of sequels, so I missed this fun tale of a universe where technology is both technological and magical (it came out in January). Luckily George Scithers is her agent so he had a copy I could borrow. Malka is unusual, not a witch, but she has very powerful magical powers. She finds herself with a group fighting the enforcers (a military group that wipes out worlds that practice illegal magic). She ends up on the world of Nameless Magery (paper) and finally shows her true powers. I really enjoyed this universe and hope others find Ms. Turner so that she can be convinced to write more.

The two best books this month take place in ancient Rome. Thomas Harlan starts a four-book alternate history of 6th Century Rome in which magic exists and the Western Roman Empire never fell. The Shadow of Ararat (hard from Tor) has the Western Emperor going to Byzantium to help the Eastern Emperor in his war with Persia. The magic is satisfying ,and I really like the way older historical characters can be raised from the dead. I'm looking forward to the next eagerly.

Alice Borchardt has a second book about werewolves, Night of the Wolf (hard from Del Rey). Maenial, when we meet him, is more wolf than human, turning human only to eat women (carnally of course). Ms. Borchardt soon turns her eyes to Julius Caesar's Rome with it's corruption and decadence. A druid priestess finds Maeniel's human side, taming him so to speak. When she is captured to provide a unique experience for Caesar, an amazon gladiator, Maenial follows her and finds the Gods of Rome quite real and helpful. I want more!

Timothy Zahn has a unique science fictional mystery, The Icarus Hunt (hard from Bantam Spectra). Jordan was hired to take the Icarus to Earth. It's cargo is sealed; an archeologic find from an alien race that may contain the secret to a faster hyperspace drive. The species that controls the current speed champ wants to get its hands on this one, and they're willing to bribe governments to help them. So does the crime syndicate that Jordan usually smuggles for. Add the murder of a mechanic on board a ship in which none of the five crew members have met before this voyage. I enjoy Mr. Zahn's work and this is one of his best.

Steven Piziks writes of intelligent nano-technology. In his first novel, In the Company of Mind (paper), he introduced us to a guy with multiple personality disorder who is called in when nanobots go wild. In Corporate Mentality (paper from Baen) we see his twin children grow up (able to switch between their bodies easily) and then help him when an insane woman takes control of a planet's nanobots. While I can't believe that a society wouldn't have more controls over their technology running wild, I had a lot of fun with this tale.

Star Trek fans will find excerpts from novels and non-fiction about their favorite characters in Star Trek Adventures in Time and Space (trade from Pocket and edited by Mary P. Taylor). The only collection is Catfantastic V (edited by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg, paper from DAW). I just wish dog lovers could have a fantasy series too.

Neil Gaiman has an intoduction to a new edition of the classic The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (trade from Ballantine).

Paperback reprints include: David Drake's With the Lightnings (Baen) about a soldier and a librarian who have to stop an invasion and which I've read twice; Terry Brooks second tale of A Knight of the Word (Del Rey) which is the best he has ever written and worth picking up even if you dislike his other works; Elliot S. Maggin's odd tale of a future in which all the standard super heroes start fighting, Kingdom Come (Warner Aspect) and which is actually readable by non-comic fans; Charles Sheffield's Aftermath (Bantam Spectra) about raising a multiple murderer from suspended animation after the collapse of civilization; William Barton and Michael Capobianco's White Light (Avon Eos) about an odd ball group running a starship who end up traveling to meet God; and Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's tale of how the Celts left Ireland for the stars (yes that actually makes sense in her universe), The Deer's Cry (HarperPrism).

The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society will have its September meeting on Friday the 17th at 8:00 p.m. at International House. Artist David Cherry, will speak and show slides of his work. Guests are welcome to attend this, the second oldest science fiction club in the country. Set your calendars August 30 to September 3, 2001 when the World Science Fiction comes to Philadelphia for the first time in fifty years. It was invented here in 1936.