The Night We Buried Road Dog, Jack Cady (DreamHaven Books 6/98) Collection of six powerful ghost stories with distinctive style and a strong sense of place, by a multiple World Fantasy Award winner.

The Avram Davidson Treasury, Robert Silverberg & Grania Davis, eds. (Tor 9/98) A generous 37 pieces of quirky, witty, and classic short fiction are lovingly presented in this tribute collection, with noted authors sharing their memories of Davidson and his works.

One Day Closer to Death, Bradley Denton (St. Martin's 2/98, $23.95, hc) Collection, subtitled ''Eight Stabs at Immortality,'' by one of the best dark fantasy writers in the field.

Lost Pages, Paul Di Filippo (Four Walls Eight Windows 9/98) Alternate history mixes with some of the great literary figures of the 20th century (Kafka a costumed crime fighter, Anne Frank a child star in Hollywood, Heinlein a US president!) in this absurd, thought-provoking, and frequently hilarious collection.

Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman (Avon 10/98) This impressive collection, an expanded version of the small-press Angels & Visitations, shows off Gaiman's talent for clever short fiction, ranging from horror to humor, fairy tale to crazed pastiche.

The Moon Maid, and Other Fantastic Adventures, R. Garcia y Robertson (Golden Gryphon 2/98, $22.95, hc) Collection with eight works – more sophisticated and less pulp-adventure than title or cover would suggest – by one of the talented newcomers to the fields of SF and fantasy in the past decade.

Last Summer at Mars Hill, Elizabeth Hand (HarperPrism 8/98) Hand's distinctive literary touch infuses her first collection of 12 SF and fantasy stories, including the World Fantasy and Nebula Award-winning title novella.

An Ornament to His Profession, Charles L. Harness (NESFA Press 8/98) A collection of 17 SF stories by a critically acclaimed, but seldom-anthologized, author noted for his extravagant use of ideas. Includes one previously unpublished story, new story introductions by Harness, and a bibliography.

Extremities, Kathe Koja (Four Walls Eight Windows 10/98) A powerful collection of haunting stories of human extremes – insanity, perversity, art, and obsession – by a highly-acclaimed horror writer.

Beaker's Dozen, Nancy Kress (Tor 8/98) A strong collection of 13 stories from an acclaimed author. Many stories explore the potential of genetic engineering, including the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning ''Beggars in Spain''.

First Contacts: The Essential Murray Leinster, (NESFA Press 8/98) The full spectrum of Leinster's SF career is represented in this retrospective collection of 24 stories, including the Hugo-winning ''Exploration Team'', and two previously unpublished stories.

The Knife Thrower, Steven Millhauser (Crown 5/98, $22.00, hc) The pursuit of pleasure provides the theme for this collection of 12 intense and often dark literary stories, several with strong fantastic elements, by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

The Collector of Hearts, Joyce Carol Oates (Dutton 10/98) Subtitled ''New Tales of the Grotesque'', this collection brings together 27 stories of nightmare and dread by a celebrated author respected by both mainstream and genre.

Burning Sky, Rachel Pollack (Cambrian Publications 10/98) This complete collection of Pollack's short fiction brings to light little-known stories by an acclaimed ''alternative'' writer whose wry, unorthodox works mix the best elements of SF, fantasy, and magical realism.

Weird Women, Wired Women, Kit Reed (University Press of New England 4/98, $16.95, tp; $40.00, hc) These 19 stories, including three originals, focus on what it means to be a woman, informed by Reed's psychological and sociological savvy, and enlivened by a quirky sense of humor and horror.

An Alien Land, Mike Resnick (Dark Regions Press 8/98) Why Africa? Resnick explains how he came to be inspired by that continent in this collection of seven Africa-based stories (not in the ''Kirinyaga'' sequence), including one Nebula winner.

Kirinyaga, Mike Resnick (Del Rey 4/98, $25.00, hc) SF collection/novel of a space colony attempting to recreate the old way of life of the people of Kenya, with very mixed results. Several stories are award winners.

Black Butterflies: A Flock on the Dark Side, John Shirley (Ziesing 5/98, $16.95, tp) A collection of 17 noir stories, divided half-and-half between ''real'' world stories and tales of the supernatural and surreal. Two original stories and 14 never before collected, by a master of the short form.

The Perfect Host: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon Volume V, Theodore Sturgeon (North Atlantic 10/98) This latest volume in the definitive collection of Sturgeon's short fiction moves into 1947-'49, a more-successful period that includes some classic stories while still providing previously uncollected – and two previously unpublished – works.

Going Home Again, Howard Waldrop (St. Martin's 7/98) This collection of nine stories (one new), originally published only in Australia, is finally available to US fans of Waldrop's uniquely wild, weird, and witty style.

Frankensteins and Foreign Devils, Walter Jon Williams (NESFA Press 8/98) This collection of 10 tales displays Williams's wide-ranging talents, from alternate history (serious and oddball) and space opera to Williams's own unique takes on fantasy, plus a prototype ''Wild Cards'' story, one of two previously unpublished stories.

The Cleft and Other Odd Tales, Gahan Wilson (Tor 10/98) Though best known as master of the cartoon-macabre, Wilson writes fiction in the same vein, here showcased in a collection of 23 pieces, illustrated (of course!) by the the master himself.