Bio: Marcia Hanson lives in Saint Clair, Michigan, observing Canada out her front window. Her roommate, a cockatiel named Chee Chee, helps her with all her writing, sitting on her shoulder and critiquing. She's webmaster of Stories and More web site and Editor of Stories Short and Long Email Ezine. She wrote technical manuals and designed and wrote class materials for the robotics and machine communications specialties for fourteen years; now she's turning her keyboard toward fiction.

"Elemental" is a tale with a dimensional plot and characters with everyday goals and concerns. On this realistic foundation Landis presents the technology, Thaumaturgy, more often called magic. This winning combination makes it easy for us to suspend disbelief, even to the point of magic in a science fiction story. It doesn't require a degree in physics, or any hard science, to understand the functioning of magic in this far distance era. The pace of the story builds as you learn the intriguing applications and research surrounding Thaumaturgy--until the fast paced conclusion of a true action adventure tale. I've reread it a number of times and will again. If you like science fiction, I suggest you try this story.

Do you like cute stories? How about cute horror stories? Susan Caspers "Under Her Skin" is just such a tale. I snickered through most of it and was ready for another Susan Casper story the minute I finished this one. Combine an honest portrayal of the self image of a lonely obese woman with a touch of Mr. Goodbar and you have a situation rife with complications--not to mention surprises. For those who like a short story to fit into those stolen moments, I recommend this delightful short story.

Geoffrey Landis did it again. He's created a story that keeps you guessing until the end. Since I like stories with extraterrestrial aliens, which Landis doesn't usually include in his stories, this one has an added treat for me. There are two species' besides humans and before the story ends we know their thoughts and intimate details concerning their contact with humans. Their thoughts and memories are fascinating, but their reactions to the result of contact with us is full of surprises and intriguing possibilities. You'll meet two species who handled the contact with humans in two very different ways, and you'll share their feelings about the consequences. Actually, there are two more species you'll meet briefly who add more questions than answers to this fascinating tale. I highly enjoyed it and will read it again and again. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Science Fiction or Psychology.

The cliche, "poor little rich kid," will have a whole new meaning if our present tendency to idealize "life in the fast lane" continues to increase at its present exponential rate. In "Freezeframe," Gregory Benford uses humor to soften the horror as he shows us a typical young couple’s solution to the problem of career versus family, as well as our growing tendency to accept as natural anything conveniently called natural. You’ll laugh at the outrageous, but I hope it’ll also make you think. I recommend this story to everyone, even those who normally don’t read futuristic fiction.

If it's called evil, is it necessarily malevolent and that called sacred necessarily benevolent? Doesn't it depend on who's designating evil and sacred? "Gather, Darkness!" addresses these and other issues including loyalty, duty, fear, and other human foibles. In a planetary struggle for freedom from oppression, the rebels use the strategy of the establishment -- they use science to make what appears to be religious phenomena. The plot is complex and well paced and the characters dimensional -- I felt sympathy even for the worst villain, and frustration with a few heroes of the cause. I highly recommend this novel. It's good literature and good science fiction.

Do you like Horror stories? I enjoy a good shiver down my spine, but shy away from nausea producing gore. If that's how you feel, try The Well by Mike Sirota. It takes you from the early settlers of Fire Valley to the present, and from American society to the mystical world of the Modoc Indians. The Modocs called the valley *Sayka loluk*. They knew about *monadalkni*, so they watched and hoped to be prepared when they were needed. This is the story of a family caught in a seemingly irreversible nightmare. The Lowells, Greg and Janet, and their children, Mark and Allison, are going on a vacation to Greg's birth place. Greg was taken from the valley when he was an infant, so he has no acquaintances to visit or childhood memories to share. So why did he feel compelled to visit here -- and why wouldn't his parents ever speak of what occurred when they lived in the valley? You see, Gred Lowell's mother was a Padgett. His great-grandparents were Wallace and Rebecca Padgett, the Padgett family that was among the first settlers in Fire Valley -- during the time of the Fire Valley Massacre. I recommend this ebook to anyone who enjoys Horror stories. I'll read it again and again.

B. J. Thrower’s main character in "Original Child" is complex enough to keep us guessing about his conflicting emotions and his motives. We share his sights and insights in post-atomic Hiroshima, walk beside him through the streets and horrors, and we follow his transformation. I highly recommend this story to everyone, even if you don’t normally read horror or dark fantasy.

Did you enjoy the main character, Sam McCain; his elusive unrequited love, the beautiful Pamela Forest; and the indomitable Judge who shot rubber bands at Sam in “The Christmas Kitten” by Ed Gorman? Well, now you can visit them again in a full length novel with a complex multiple murder mystery. Sam, the diminutive part time lawyer, part time private investigator, is an appealing hero with an abundance of personal foibles. While Sam works to solve murders in his normally quiet little town, you will come to know not only this complex character, but rich details of life in the 1950s. The plot ‘twists and turns’ until you reach an unexpected finale—to the mystery and the delightful sub-plots littering Sam’s life. I recommend this ebook to anyone who likes mysteries, especially of the ‘cozy’ sub-genre so filled with well rounded characters.

"The 43 Antarean Dynasties" resonates with the inner conflicts of the narrator, Hermes, and the disparity between his culture's current situation and it's proud history. Mike Resnick's consistently high standards are notably prevalent -- while the narrator's ironic thoughts and attitudes lend an air of humor, the story structure leads you smoothly, ever deeper into an understanding of the Antareans. You might recognize in the Antareans, human cultures that have historical similarities, conquered and colonized. Will human's learn before they reach the stars, or is "The 43 Antarean Dynasties" a premonition of the future? And which culture will Earth play in the scenario, and when? This is one of my favorite ebooks and I highly recommend it to everyone.

There isn't enough humorous science fiction for my taste, but "Fruitcake Theory" by James Patrick Kelly is one exception. It's a giggle and snicker producing story while introducing us to a fascinating and totally non-humanoid species. When the Kuvat visit earth, our scientists hope to learn great things from this species that traveled a hundred and thirty light years to get here--so the Kavat are granted every wish possible, turning into havoc for the characters and a frolic of fun for the reader. If you enjoy meeting unique alien species' and humor separately, try the combination in this intriguing short story and you'll meet characters you'll think about long after the story's done.

If you enjoy examining philosophical issues and prose of a quality seen only rarely in any genre, then "Understanding Entropy" is a prize for your collection. This story addresses profound issues that each of us have or may someday be forced to deal with--but from Barry N. Malzberg's unique style you find yourself examining the issues as though they were being presented for the first time. It's a short story that will keep you thinking--how would you answer the question?

Have you ever wondered where your docile, domestic housecat goes on those rare occasions when they don't return home until morning, even missing dinner? Have you ever wondered how your pet views the world -- how they interpret your actions when you have only the best intentions? Gardner Dozois paints a vivid alien culture in our midst -- living in our homes, judging our actions and intentions, interpreting the world from their feline perspective. Through Gardner Dozois' beautiful prose you'll experience intimate moments with the cats as they meet under the full moon to share both fears and hopes, stories of their world and plans for their future. This is one story I reread often, enjoying the personalities and flowing prose as much now as when I read it the first time. Don't miss these lucid creatures in this unique story.