The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror #15, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (St. Martin's Griffin, 2002)

If someone were to assign awards to the roundup of Year’s Best books that invariably grace the shelves during the middle of each year, those volumes edited by Silverberg or Hartwell or Datlow and Windling or other sundry people, then … Continue reading

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror #14, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (St. Martin's Press, 2001)

As I may have noted before, to put together a collection of stories, or what have you, and call it the best, you’re really making a certain subjective statement. Everyone’s opinion about the best differs. Some of the most critically … Continue reading

The Dresden Files (SciFi Channel, 2007; Fox DVD, 2008)

As I write this, I’ve watched the debut episode “Birds of a Feather” of The Dresden Files (starring Paul Blackthorne as the titular character) four times. I’ve finally managed to organize my thoughts on the matter. As a longtime fan … Continue reading

Catalyst, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Tachyon Publications, 2006)

Sometime in the future, on the far-off, newly-colonized planet of Chuudoku, a teenage boy makes one of the most amazing discoveries possible. While fleeing from the predatorily-sexual advances of a cybernetically-augmented girl named Histly, Kaslin stumbles into an unexplored cave, … Continue reading