Heir to the Shadows, Anne Bishop (Roc 4/99) The second volume of the darkly quirky and sensual ‘‘Black Jewels’’ trilogy takes an amusingly family-oriented turn as the undead dark lord Saetan shelters the abused child who will one day be ruling Witch - if she survives her enemies’ vicious schemes.

Enchantment, Orson Scott Card (Del Rey 4/99) Card works his unique magic in this contemporary tale of a young man, born Russian but raised in the US, caught up in a Russian version of ‘‘Sleeping Beauty’’, complete with Baba Yaga. Culture clashes and a sense of the absurd provide humor to balance grim and gritty adventure in this potent standalone fantasy.

The Essential Hal Clement, Volume 1: Trio for Slide Rule & Typewriter (NESFA 4/99) This omnibus collects, along with an appreciation by Poul Anderson, three classic hard science fiction novels: Needle, Iceworld, Close to Critical - by one of SF’s most enduring, if under-appreciated, authors.

Black Light, Elizabeth Hand (HarperPrism 4/99) The mysterious undercurrents of the artists’ colony, Kamensic Village (encountered in stories collected in Hand’s Last Summer at Mars Hill), and the secret Benandanti society from Waking the Moon are tied together with the 1970s New York arts scene, pop culture, and Dionysian myth in this elegant and highly atmospheric fantasy of a teen caught up in a battle between age-old forces.

Northern Suns, David G. Hartwell & Glenn Grant, eds. (Tor 4/99) A companion to the acclaimed Northern Stars, this anthology further documents the Canadian Invasion of SF with 22 stories from an impressive lineup of writers including Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, Geoff Ryman, and Nancy Kilpatrick.

A Cavern of Black Ice, J.V. Jones (Warner Aspect 4/99) A tough, incisive, character-driven fantasy set in a vivid background of harsh northern landscapes, chill winter, warring clans, and dark supernatural forces. First book in the ‘‘Sword of Shadows’’ series.

A Calculus of Angels, J. Gregory Keyes (Del Rey 4/99) Ben Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton, Blackbeard the pirate, and more, struggle to survive in a Europe devastated by an asteroid’s impact on London. The rousing second volume in ‘‘The Age of Unreason’’, an intriguing alternate-history fantasy series set in a world where alchemy is the dominant science.

Octoberland, Adam Lee (Avon Eos 4/99) The third book of ‘‘The Dominions of Irth’’, this unique fantasy adventure hops between contemporary New York and fantasy worlds, told with flair and unusual style by the author better known as A.A. Attanasio.

Plan B, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Meisha Merlin 3/99) Lee & Miller return to the ‘‘Liaden Universe’’ with this long-awaited fourth book in the space adventure series.

The World of Michael Parkes, Michael Parkes (Steltman 3/99) Swans, jugglers, and beautiful women floating in air are among the recurring images in the wondrous fantastic paintings of Michael Parkes, here displayed in 94 color plates, with a discussion of Parkes’s private symbolism - written in collaboration with the artist himself.

Waiting, Frank M. Robinson (Forge 4/99) A secret race lives among us in this taut thriller of a telepathic race that may be ready to replace Homo sapiens as Earth’s dominant species.

Refugees from an Imaginary Country, Darrell Schweitzer (Ganley/Owlswick 3/99) The 19 stories collected here show a knack for good old-fashioned ‘‘weird’’ fantasy and horror. Appropriately illustrated with elegant b&w drawings by Stephen E. Fabian.

Beast of the Heartland and other stories, Lucius Shepard (Four Walls Eight Windows 3/99) Published in the UK as Barnacle Bill the Spacer and Other Stories, this collection of seven stories (including the Hugo-winning UK-title story), by one of SF’s most- acclaimed writers of short fiction, is finally available in the US.

Really, Really, Really, Really, Weird Stories, John Shirley (Night Shade Books 4/99) An author known for bending boundaries, Shirley presents 37 stories he considers his weirdest, arranged by increasing order of weirdness. Nine stories are previously unpublished, and many others appeared only in small-press or online venues.

Nebula Awards 33, Connie Willis, ed. (Harcourt Brace 4/99) Willis puts her own spin on this annual showcase of 1997 Nebula Award winners and nominees, with eight contending/winning stories, an excerpt from the winning novel, a story by Grand Master Poul Anderson, an article by Author Emeritus Nelson Bond, two Rhysling Award-winning poems, and ten essays by various authors.