developed, researched & cowritten by Nancy C. Hanger 

     One of the best story-tellers of the 20th century. What more can we say? If you haven't read any of Neil's books, you are in for a treat. This is a fairytale for our times, accessible all readers of all genres — EVERYONE loves it. Try it. Honest. You will gain a new perspective on life, and gain a new friend in the voice of the storyteller himself.
     For those who read this in graphic comics format, be aware that some of the original text, cut for editorial or space reasons, has been restored in this edition. 
     We still don't have our comped copy and are unsure if Neil's acknowledgment  to the production editor (N.C .Hanger), got in or not — if not, well, we trust now you  know. And we know Neil knows. <smile>
 
Worlds of Honor, David Weber et al.
(Baen Books, Feb 1999, 352pp., hardcover)
 
     Another short story anthology set in the Honor Harrington "world" by the acclaimed SF writer David Weber. This one is in hardcover, which credits how well the first anthology was received. A sample story by Weber is baen.com — we enjoyed the entire collection  very much, but then, we're suckers for more stories about Honor and treecats! We suspect you may be too, once you read some of them.

 January 1999

Philip & Alex's Guide to Web Publishing, Philip Greenspun
(Morgan Kaufmann, Jan 1999, 450pp, paperback, color illustrated)
 
     A truly accessible volume on database-backed web publishing by one of the few people on this earth who makes this editor feel stupid & untalented. And yet, he was gracious enough to accept manuscript reviews from her. For herself, she owes Greenspun a debt of grattitude for teaching her, in few words and deliciously readable instructions, how & why database-backed web services are the Way to Go on the web for publishing anything and everything. Working on the Net will never be the same for Windhaven after Greenspun's book landed on our desk. If you read it, your websites will never be the same again — all for very good, and very profitable reasons.
     This volume is enhanced even further by the author's luscious photography, at which he is equally talented. (Greenspun is the author/photographer of the well-acclaimed Travels with Samantha, which can be read in full at his site on the MIT server: photo.net. For that matter, so can this book!)
     If you were wondering, Alex is the fine-looking pup to Philip's left.
 
The Apocalypse Troll, David Weber
(Baen Books, Jan 1999, 288pp, hardcover)
 
This is one of David Weber's earlier-written books, revamped, polished, and finally published by Baen. It is a "first encounter" book, with a twist. It is a step away from his acclaimed Honor Harrington novels, and lets us see the versatility of his writing abilities. We highly recommend it, and can point you to sample chapters available at baen.com.
 

December 1998
 
The Last Dragonlord, Joanne Bertin
(Tor Books, Dec 1998, 400pp, hardcover)
 
     A first novel, this is, as Booklist said in their review, "a winning fantasy epic." We thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Bertin's world, replete with dragnlords who can change themselves into dragons, mysteries to be solved, political intrigues to be uncovered, and a deeply believable sense to the story underlying a surprisingly fresh plot. We look forward to seeing more from this author in the future, and certainly to the next novel in this series!

Starfarers, Poul Anderson
(Tor Books, Dec 1998, 384pp, hardcover)

     A new space-opera by one of the pioneers in science fiction — this long-awaited novel is one of his very best. The synopsis from the publisher says it well: "One of science fiction's most treasured visionaries tells the story of an expedition into the far reaches of the galaxy, where answers to mankind's greatest questions await."
     Poul Anderson's stories were some of the first science fiction many of the staff at Windhaven read in their younger years. We were thrilled to have this pass over our desks and highly recommend it to anyone who looks at the stars and ... wonders.
  
 
November 1998
 
The Burning Bride, Margaret Lawrence
(Avon/Twilight, Nov 1998, 400pp, hardcover)
 

I highly reccomend these as books everyone should have in their home library. Classics with understandable, clear annotations and good references and bibliographies - everyone should read these at least once in their lives. 
 

  The Essential Phantom of the Opera 
(NAL, Oct 1996) 

developed & researched by Nancy C. Hanger 
 
 
 
 

The Essential Frankenstein 

 
The Essential Dracula 
(NAL, 1993) 

Nancy C. Hanger, research associate