Cosm, Gregory Benford (Avon Eos 2/98, $23.00, hc) Near-future thriller and novel of academic politics dealing with an extraordinary artifact.

Daughter of Blood, Anne Bishop (Roc 3/98, $5.99, pb) Fantasy novel, a first novel and first in the ''Black Jewels'' trilogy, set in a darkly medieval world of sex and violence (often paired), for a fascinatingly warped epic fantasy.

The Demon King, Chris Bunch (Warner Aspect 3/98, $12.99, tp) Epic fantasy novel of war and wizardry, sequel to The Seer King.

Diaspora, Greg Egan (HarperPrism 2/98, $23.00, hc) Stapledonian SF novel of a drastically changed humankind threatened by strange astrophysical disasters, by a master of wide-ranging SF speculation.

Halfway Human, Carolyn Ives Gilman (Avon Eos 2/98, $5.99, pb) This powerful social SF novel of a traumatized neuter being from a distant, human-colonized world eloquently examines the nature of human social systems, sexuality, and prejudice.

Helm, Steven Gould (Tor 3/98, $24.95, hc) Aikido-based SF/fantasy adventure novel of romance, intrigue, swashbuckling, and lots of hand-to-hand combat.

Virus Clans, Michael Kanaly (Ace 3/98, $12.00, tp) SF novel of seemingly intelligent viruses, their long evolution, and their plans for humankind....

Dark Water's Embrace, Stephen Leigh (Avon Eos 3/98, $3.99, pb) SF novel of the descendents of colonists on an isolated planet, plagued by problems of infertility, an exploration of gender and society.

Outpost, Scott Mackay (Tor 3/98, $24.95, hc) SF adventure novel with a well-drawn prison planet setting, interesting characters, aliens – and werewolves!

Hand of Prophecy, Severna Park (Avon Eos 3/98, $14.00, hc) Brusquely effective SF novel of galaxy-spanning war, slavery ... and a possible way toward freedom and redemption, set against the same background as her first novel, Speaking Dreams.

Pandora, Anne Rice (Knopf 3/98, $19.95, hc) First in a new series of vampire novels, featuring recently-made vampire David Talbot chronicling the lives of the ancient blood-drinkers he meets – in this case, Pandora, who has much to tell of old Rome and other undead figures mentioned in Rice's previous works.

Arrowdreams: An Anthology of Alternate Canadas, Mark Shainblum & John Dupuis, eds. (Nuage 3/98, C$19.95, tp) Anthology of a dozen SF stories featuring alternate versions of key events in Canadian history.

The Fantasy Hall of Fame, Robert Silverberg, ed. (HarperPrism 3/98, $14.00, tp) This anthology of works chosen by SFWA members is billed as ''The Official Fantasy Hall of Fame'' – and seems to live up to its billing, from A (Poul Anderson) to Z (Roger Zelazny).

Between the Rivers, Harry Turtledove (Tor 3/98, $24.95, hc) Fantasy novel of men and their gods in Mesopotamia at the dawn of human history, as man learns to think for himself.

NON-FICTION

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.

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.