uthor Web sites run the gamut from carnivals of animated features, full of bells and whistles, to simple postings of the author's bibliography with a couple of pictures. The official Harry Turtledove Web Site, maintained by Steven H. Silver, falls somewhere toward the latter end of the spectrum. It's strictly a meat-and-potatoes kind of introduction to the work of this popular writer of uchronias, but on the other hand it's quite comprehensive and neatly organized.
An all-encompassing FAQ, combined with a short biography and several photos of Turtledove, unite to give us a good picture of the history-savvy man behind the fiction. Then that fiction itself is categorized and bibliographically assembled nine ways from Sunday: into thematic and serial groupings, by story collection or magazine appearance, with plenty of thumbnails of various book covers, including foreign editions. (Links for purchasing these books can also be found, naturally.) Anyone searching for a map to the enjoyment of Turtledove's fiction need look no further. Upcoming projects are highlighted, and scheduled chats with the author are advertised. But unless I missed a wing of this Turtledove museum entirely, there are no actual snippets of his writing to be found. This seems an ungenerous flaw in the design. How better to entice new readers than by giving away a sample?
But even with this glaring deficiency, the Turtledove Web site will serve as your passport to unlimited pleasure in worlds never born.
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—March 11, 2002
ame reviews, author links and a focused look at genre categories are just a few of the perks on offer at The Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide, a page that labors mightily to provide information on all things science-fictional, whether they originated in print or onscreen.
In addition to sections on books, authors and films, the Guide has a timeline of SF history—one which comes complete with a bibliography of 51 references—which goes back to a 3,000-year-old version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The most intriguing feature of this encyclopedic site, though, is its mammoth "If You Like This" section, an exhaustive compilation of types of science fiction and fantasy. Categories range from the prosaic (clones, alternate worlds and space opera come to mind) to the fanciful (Bambi's children, unicorns in the garden, "beam me up"). In each case, the Guide provides a definition of the subgenre and a list of important works that qualify as examples. Each listing is extensively cross-indexed, allowing for easy and interesting surfing. The icing on the cake is a list of genre definitions by David Hartwell which guides inexperienced SF readers to a chosen category by describing the book cover art favored by various schools of SF.
Like many sites that try to cover it all, this one has sections that are out of date, some by as much as three years. (The television section has the most recent entries, covering series like Dark Angel and Smallville.) However, this is a small complaint when stacked against the wealth of information available on this page. For anyone looking for book recommendations or researching a particular aspect of the genre, Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide is a highly recommended first stop.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—March 4, 2002
SadGeezer, according to this page, is anyone "who is mildly fanatical" about any subject whatever. This page narrows its focus somewhat, though, to Geezers of the cult SF television variety, and brings together communities of people obsessed with programs ranging from Farscape to Aeon Flux. With episode guides that include reviews, screen caps and notes on moments of interest, this page concentrates a lot of TV news and opinion into one fun-filled place.
The absolute highlight of the page is the Purity Tests (in the case of Red Dwarf, Smegtest). These 15-item questionnaires rate your knowledge of a series and pop out an instant grade. The multiple-choice questions include queries based on photographs, and at least a few in each Purity Test are relatively obscure. Unlike many such applets, the tests are glitch-free and fast, and once in possession of a guest's responses about the show in question they generate a handy—if mildly
insulting—personality profile for the test-taker's reference. (The personality profile for anyone scoring extremely high is available to all as a sort of light reading.)
SadGeezer also follows current news in SF TV, runs fannish opinion polls and maintains discussion groups on its chosen shows for its members' enjoyment. It includes some adult content, both in its forums and in its general TV coverage, and thus might be unsuitable for younger fans. It also has a distinctively United Kingdom bent, both in tone and in membership. With lots of photos, episode discussion and fan commentary, it is a lively place, one well worth a visit.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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