July Publications

The alien Taelons—whom some humans consider Earth's saviors, others its destroyers—face their own potential ruin in the form of a mysterious crystal in Glenn R. Sixberry's Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict—Legacy, the sixth tie-in to the TV series. When Waneta Long, a Cherokee archeologist, discovers the Uluhsati on a dig, man and alien alike seek it, though whoever bears the crystal turns into the monstrous Uktena; only Waneta may have the power to control the ancient forces in this appealing mix of futuristic SF and ancient legend. (Tor, $24.95 352p ISBN 0-765-30039-7; paper $14.95 -30040-0)

Jude Fisher (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings Visual Companion) inaugurates his Fool's Gold series with Sorcery Rising, the story of a rebellious young knife maker's adventures at the great Allfair, held yearly in the shadow of a sacred rock that her people, the Eyrans, call Sur's Castle, and the Istrians (their former enemies) call Falla's Rock. Though Katla Aransen's boldness in climbing the mount puts her in grave danger, old feuds and strange sorcery seem equally threatening in a tale that asks as many questions as it answers. (DAW, $23.95 528p ISBN 0-7564-0083-X)

What if, in any single moment, history had taken a different turn? In the engaging Worlds That Weren't, bestselling author Harry Turtledove imagines a different fate for Socrates (which he spells Sokrates); S.M. Stirling envisions life "in the wilds of a re-barbarized Texas" after asteroids strike the earth in the 19th century; Sidewise winner Mary Gentle contributes "a piece of flotsam" from her epic Ash—a story of love (and pigs) set in the mid-15th century, as European mercenaries prepare to sack a Gothic Carthage; and Nebula nominee Walter Jon Williams pens the tale of Nietzsche intervening in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. (Roc, $21.95 304p ISBN 0-451-45886-9)

Napoleon is in New Orleans in William Sanders's "Empire"; the German Empire thrives in 1929 in Harry Turtledove's "Uncle Alf"; Pancho Villa's about to become the vice-president in S.M. Stirling and Richard Foss's "Compadres"; and General Patton gets a new diary in Roland J. Green's "George Patton Slept Here." In Alternate Generals II, a collection of 13 wild speculations for those who enjoy specifically military alternative histories, Harry Turtledove (Colonization: Aftershocks) also gathers stories from the likes of Chris Bunch, Michael F. Flynn and Susan Shwartz. (Baen, $24 352p ISBN 0-7434-3528-1)

Readers who like their tales romantic, suspenseful and spiced with "a paranormal twist" will welcome Harmony, which includes the 2000 novel After Dark and the 1999 novella "Bridal Jitters" by bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle. Both take place on Harmony, a future world of psychics and ghost hunters: a para-archeologist and a studly dissonance-energy para-resonator team up to solve a murder and uncover mutual passion in the former; in the latter, a woman considers calling off the upcoming wedding that will cap her two-year marriage of convenience to a business partner ("a tough, sleek male") because she loves him—but he, too, has hidden desires. (Berkley, $14 paper 416p ISBN 0-425-18477-3)

Hugo and Nebula award—winning author David Brin teams up with illustrator Kevin Lenagh to offer Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe, the definitive guide for any fan of the Uplift series—or, as Brin would have it, a training handbook for Terragen Field Agents. From biological and psychological descriptions of aliens (the Thennanin have "gill-like breathing slits," the Hoon are "stodgy pencil-pushers") to clan alliances and the 12 official languages of Galactic society, this volume overflows with Uplift information, not to mention humor and imagination. (Bantam Spectra, $14.95 paper 206p ISBN 0-553-37796-5)