The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories, John L. Apostolou & Martin H. Greenberg, eds. (Barricade Books 11/97, $9.95, tp) Anthology of 13 stories in translation, from some of Japan's top authors.

Titan, Stephen Baxter (HarperPrism 11/97, $23.00, hc) An ambitious, complex, sprawling near future sf novel mixing in everything from the dismantling of the NASA space program and a desperate cobbled-together one way mission to Saturn's moon, to the death of the sun.

The New Hugo Winners, Volume IV, Martin H. Greenberg, ed. (Baen 11/97, $6.99, pb) This latest anthology in the series presents the Hugo-winning short fiction from 1992 to 1994, with story introductions by Gregory Benford.

Impostor, Valerie J. Freireich (Roc 11/97, $5.99, pb) SF novel, third set in the "Harmony of Worlds", exploring the nature of humanity and, in this one, the roles of women in an imagined future Islamic society.

Dhiammara, Maggie Furey (Bantam Spectra 11/97, $6.50, pb) Fantasy novel, fourth and last in the "Aurian" series, climaxes as Aurian confronts a deadly enemy lurking in a city forgotten by time.

A Quantum Murder, Peter F. Hamilton (Tor 11/97, $24.95, hc) Second SF novel in the "Greg Mandel" trilogy. Telepathic ex-private eye Mandel confronts a past that may never have happened as he searches for the murderer of a Nobel physics laureate.

The Science Fiction Century, David G. Hartwell, ed. (Tor 11/97, $40.00, hc) Massive anthology of 45 classic SF works, covering the period from 1897 to 1996, from H.G. Wells to William Gibson, presenting an ambitious interpretation of the field.

Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn, Robert Holdstock (Roc 11/97, $24.95, hc) Impressive new addition to the ongoing saga of Mythago Wood, as the son of the first book's explorer makes his first journey into Ryhope Wood. A first person narrative mixing humor with the supernatural, and strong mythic themes.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume Eight, Stephen Jones, ed. (Carroll & Graf 11/97, $10.95, tp) Year's Best horror anthology of 24 stories by Poppy Z. Brite, Storm Constantine, Karl Edward Wagner, and others, along with an overview of 1996.

Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (HarperPrism 11/97, $5.99, pb) Dark fantasy novel, sequel to Night Calls, of an apprentice practitioner of Native American magics in a wood filled with poltergeists.

Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, Walter M. Miller, Jr. (Bantam 11/97, $23.95, hc) SF novel set in the universe of the classic A Canticle for Leibowitz, completed by Terry Bisson. Set 70 years after the second section of Canticle, the Church in Denver struggles with a rude and violent Texarkanan empire.

The Gift, Patrick O'Leary (Tor 11/97, $22.95, hc) This story wrapped in a story is a splendid, moving fantasy (with elements of SF) of a young boy's quest, and that of a king, in a land touched by darkness.

The Siege of Eternity, Frederik Pohl (Tor 11/97, $22.95, hc) Near-future SF adventure novel by one of the field's masters. Sequel to The Other End of Time, as the government agents abducted by aliens in the first book are cloned and returned to Earth.

Violin, Anne Rice (Knopf 11/97, $25.95, hc) Stand-alone dark fantasy novel of a grieving middle-aged modern woman (whose past life often sounds much like the author's) and her strange relationship with a ghostly violinist.

The Night Watch, Sean Stewart (Ace 11/97, $21.95, hc) Inventive futuristic fantasy novel set in the universe of Resurrection Man, in an ice-bound North America in 2074 during a time of change as the magic drains away.

Timequake, Kurt Vonnegut (Putnam 11/97, $23.95, hc) Quasi-autobiography mixes with a satiric look at the future, as citizens of the early 21st century are forced to relive the 1990s. Vonnegut says this will be his last novel.

Exorcisms and Ecstasies, Karl Edward Wagner (Fedogan & Bremer 11/97, $32.00, hc) Combined collection and tribute to the late author of dark fantasy, with 32 horror and fantasy stories, poetry, and appreciations of Wagner, plus photos and a "working bibliography."

NON-FICTION

Spectrum 4: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Cathy & Arnie Fenner, & Jim Loehr, eds. (Underwood 11/97, 25.00, tp) Definitive full-color yearbook of professional fantasy art, with works by many of the current masters in and out of the recognised fantasy art field, plus a year-end review.

A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to "Faërie", Verlyn Flieger (Kent State University Press 11/97, $35.00, hc) Critical analysis of Tolkien's fantasies, and how they tie to his critical thoughts about the present, with notes and bibliography.