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Locus Magazine's monthly
NEW &
RECOMMENDED


1998 cumulative:

sf novels

f/h novels

first novels

collections

anthologies

nonfiction/art

reprints
 


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Complete Locus reviews are available in
back issues


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1998 Nonfiction & Art Books

Arthur C. Clarke & Lord Dunsany: A Correspondence, Keith Allen Daniels, ed. (Anamnesis Press 8/98) A charming and occasionally revealing collection of letters between two major writers from the opposite poles of the genre – but with a surprising number of interests in common.

The Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, Howard DeVore (Advent 8/98) Grown out of a fan publication, this useful reference lists both winners and nominees for each award, bringing to light some forgotten, but worthwhile, also-rans – and some interesting bits of SF history.

The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World, Thomas M. Disch (The Free Press 5/98, $25.00, hc) A stimulating and idiosyncratic non-fiction, critical look at science fiction's influence on popular culture. Occasional flashes of acerbic brilliance go a long way to make up for some extremely tenuous arguments.

Spectrum 5: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood 8/98) Gorgeous, provocative, and sometimes startling works fill this latest annual art book, still the best overview available of recent SF and fantasy art from within and outside the genre, from books, magazines, comics, and even advertising.

Icon: A Retrospective by the Grand Master of Fantastic Art, Frank Frazetta, Arnie Fenner & Cathy Fenner, eds. (Underwood 8/98) The first trade edition of this beautifully reproduced exploration of Frazetta's career, from comics to Conan, and various ads and movie posters in between.

Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, Brian Froud (Simon & Schuster 9/98) The chronicler of faery returns with a new double-format art book depicting modern day faeries, helpful and otherwise, such as the Bad Hair Day Faery. Froud's distinctive art ranges between the wondrously ethereal and the terminally cute, complemented nicely by insightful, often tongue-in-cheek text.

H.R. Giger's Retrospective: 1964-1984, H.R. Giger (Morpheus International 5/98, $19.95, tp) Fascinating art book following Giger's development from art school to Alien and beyond, arranged chronologically with revealing biographical information, accompanying photos, and, of course, the art.

Apocalyptic Realism: The Science Fiction of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Yvonne Howell (Lang 1/98, $47.95, hc) Scholarly study of Russia's best-known SF writers.

''The Angle Between Two Walls'': The Fiction of J.G. Ballard, Roger Luckhurst (St. Martin's 1/98, $39.95, hc) Study of Ballard's work as SF, avant garde, and ''the genre of catastrophe.''

Pegasus, Marianna Mayer; ill. K.Y. Craft (Morrow 4/98, $16.00, hc) This young-adult version of the story of the winged steed features splendid full-color illustrations by Kinuko Y. Craft.

St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, David Pringle, ed. (St. James 3/98, $95.00, hc) Finally, horror has a guide, similar to SF and fantasy, for researchers to explore. Over 450 authors, mostly 20th-century, have bio-bibliographic listings.

Oz and Beyond: The Fantasy World of L. Frank Baum, Michael O. Riley (University Press of Kansas 1/98, $29.95, hc) Baum's fantasies throughout his career, not only the Oz books, are examined in this well-written survey.

Lemady: Episodes of a Writer's Life, Keith Roberts (Borgo 3/98, $21.00 tp) Wry memoirs of the British SF and Fantasy publishing industry by a British SF/fantasy writer who began his career as a commercial artist, and went on to produce novels and award-winning shorter fiction. The writing, which skirts the line between fiction and remembrance, is fascinating either way.

Pulp Culture, Frank M. Robinson & Lawrence Davidson (Collectors Press 3/98, $39.95, hc) Impressive large-size, full-color art book with the best reproduction of pulp covers we're likely to see, plus a short history of the pulps from the first issue of Argosy to 1950.

Lewis Carroll: A Portrait with Background, Donald Thomas (John Murray/Trafalgar Square 8/98) A fascinating, detailed biography of the author of Alice in Wonderland that confronts head-on the allegations that Carroll/Dodgson was a pedophile.

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