Bio: Amy J. Poppenga lives in Tallahassee, Florida with her Sweetie and a multitude of over-sized, exceptionally needy pets. She has written for Break magazine and has been a guest reviewer for Spicy Green Iguana (SpicyGreenIguana.com). You can also see her reviews on her website, Reviewlutions (www.reviewlutions.com). Look for Amy elsewhere on the web and in print in the very near future.

What would you do if you had to choose between certain death and eternal life? The knee-jerk reaction would be to say "I want to live forever," cut and dry, plain and simple. But what if eternal life came with a price? What if it meant having to denounce your life's work and essentially say that everything you ever believed in was wrong? Would it be worth the price? In A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, by Gardner Dozois, these are the questions that Charles must answer. As he feels the life slipping from his body, he must make the most difficult choice of his life. But is it possible to think clearly when you know your time is short? Can you be certain that such a choice is being made intelligently and not just because the fear of death has taken over? This is a complex story full of imagination and imagery. Dozois paints a vivid picture of a complex world in which most anything can happen. This is a great story and a must read.

What if you lived in a perfect world filled with fun and imagination and learning? A land without crime or hatred or pain in which no one ever died? Would this "perfect" world really be so perfect? And in whose eyes? Daddy's World by Walter Jon Williams is a fascinating tale of a fantasy world that's perhaps too good to be true. Are never-ending innocence and a lack of change or growth really all they're cracked up to be? And how healthy is it to keep a child from having any knowledge of the real world outside? Whether the world he creates is heaven or hell, Williams is a master at imagery, bringing the reader through a cycle of emotions that few authors can establish in a lengthy novel, let alone a short story. Daddy's World is a surprisingly emotional tale well worth a read.

How many of us were picked on, spit on, and just plain treated like dirt when we were kids? And how many of us always dreamed (or still dream) of someday meeting the adult versions of the kids who picked on us, only to find that they peaked in elementary school, or high school, or junior high, while we just kept getting better with age? Well, in "The Spider in the Hairdo", Michael A. Burstein has created a lovable, believable young character who gets the last laugh in what is possibly the most macabre feel-good tale on record. When an alien spider reaches earth, he happens upon Peggy, our chubby, dorky 9th grade heroine who wants nothing more than to be popular. It's a common tale of loser turned princess…or so you might think. In this finely tuned piece, Burstein has created a far from typical, unpredictable story that will make you want to laugh, cry, and cringe all within a compact narrative about 30 pages long. It's a fast and enjoyable read with such realistic characters that even the alien spider will feel like the arachnid next door. Guaranteed to give you the heebie-jeebies, "The Spider in the Hairdo" is a must read.

"Katherine's Story" is a tale of a city girl thrown into the Southern country where little is as she'd imagined it would be. When Katherine encounters another high society woman stuck in Hicksville, USA, instead of being thrilled to find another like herself, she is fearful of what she will someday become. Kage Baker has created a chillingly real tale in "Katherine's Story". With impressive imagery and a realistic main character, the reader can't help but feel sympathy for her and disgust for her new extended family. All in all, a sad and beautiful tale that's well worth the read.