s its title may suggest, Sci-Fi Lists is a compilation of "best of" rosters for all types of SF media—books, television shows, movies—and authors, too. Mixing scientific analysis with a sincere fondness for the art form that is science fiction, this site provides a fantastic reading and viewing list for any SF fan ... especially one who is just becoming familiar with the canon and wants to sample the finest it has to offer.
Of the many lists on this site, one dominates its content—the Top 200 SF Books list. This opens with Frank Herbert's Dune enshrined comfortably in the number-one position, and closes with the excellent if somewhat less well known Mother of Storms, by John Barnes. The rankings, for this list and the lion's share of the rest, are determined statistically, using awards information, lists compiled by critics and data from Internet polls as sources. Additional rankings take the interesting step of separating critically acclaimed works from popular ones, as well as breaking choices down into subgenres: cyberpunk, robot stories, time travel and satires, to name just a few.
Sci-Fi Lists is the sort of site a dedicated fan can use as a springboard to new discoveries, when more tried and true sources of reading and viewing pleasure have dried up. It is a first stop on the Web for anyone wanting to pile up some reading material for a vacation or catch up on their cult movie viewing. The lists are content-rich, filled with solid recommendations, and the short reviews attached to each title—one-paragraph summaries that give a sense of what any given book, TV show or movie is all about—make it that much more probable that a visitor will hit upon an exciting new author or film.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—December 13, 2004
ovie news, a calendar of SF author readings, Lost recaps, art galleries and book reviews—Dark Worlds has been offering visitors a little smidgen of everything since its launch in 2002. With a focus on dark fantasy and horror and a slick, attractive Web design, this site is the electronic equivalent of a mystic scroll—eerie and illuminating at once.
Most of the book and media reviews on Dark Worlds are written by its resident Watcher, Amy Berner. Berner's interests, Lost aside, tend to lie squarely in the Buffyverse. Her articles on the character arcs of Xander and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, in particular, are don't-miss features. The Watcher dips into other arenas—The Matrix, for example, and Wonderfalls—only on occasion, so visitors hoping for a wider range of reviews may find this tight focus frustrating. (Writers take note, though—the site is seeking other contributors to expand its coverage.)
In contrast, the news section of this web page is frequently updated and comprehensive, covering not only film and TV but game releases, comics and books and even keeping a close watch on the doings of genre directors like Sam Raimi and Blade: Trinity's David S. Goyer. Art is another primary focus of the site, with galleries of work by H.R. Giger, Clive Barker and many other outstanding horror artists.
Dark Worlds also has a "Shopping Maul," where visitors can go to buy horror-themed art. Hellboy prints, a plush Aliens face-hugger, and even a chrome bust of the Terminator's head (this would be the female Terminator, from T3) are just a few of the things a collector can pick up here. Meanwhile, those fans with no inclination for shopping can browse the Dark Worlds archives, admiring its spooky graphic design while catching up on developments in the sometimes-frightening underbelly of the SF genre.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—December 6, 2004
adSci is an extensive collection of questions and answers about science, an archive covering as many subjects as there are curious humans with Internet access: the effects of caffeine on the human body, the life cycle of a jellyfish, whether water—if sufficiently heated—could be used as rocket fuel, and much more besides. All of the sciences are equally
well represented, and the core idea of the page is that if someone cannot track down a needed fact by using conventional Web research techniques, that person can ask a qualified expert to help them find the truth behind their query.
This "laboratory that never sleeps," as it calls itself, is the collective enterprise of more than 700 scientists, who work at universities and labs all over the world. Their Ask-an-Expert service tackles more than 100 questions daily from students and interested Web surfers of all ages. The site is searchable, of course—if a topic has already been discussed, there is no need for a visitor to wait in the MadSci queue for a new response.
MadSci isn't all about dry scientific research and online educational lectures, though. Its Random Knowledge Generator offers a fun selection of past questions—just why do bats hang upside down when at rest? It also has a long series of kid-friendly science experiments that can be performed at home, many of them using edible ingredients. Its list of science links and book recommendations is massive. Finally, its FAQ has a section on the most bizarre questions asked by Web surfers, a handful of quick essays that make for especially fun reading even as they shine a bit of light on the weirder corners of the human mind.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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