Site of the Week -- Jan. 4, 1999
hese are the voyages of the Starship Alliance. Its ongoing mission is to explore strange new worlds, seek out alien civilizations, and provide a night of fun for its crew members. This Excelsior class vessel is one of dozens of virtual Star Trek starships operated by members of the Federation Sim Group. The group organizes online role-playing and simulation sessions that let members serve as crew members, officers or even captains aboard ships like the Alliance. Games are played live using chats, in turns using e-mail, or by using a combination of the two.
The Federation Sim Group explores universes outside of the Star Trek domain as well--it has sessions for Men in Black and seaQuest DSV. For Star Trek simulations, the group acts as an online starbase, providing write-ups about starships, an academy for new recruits learning how to play, and a library of sim and Federation information. While the site could use a FAQ list, all in all it's a good starting point for those who are interested in simming.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- Dec. 21, 1998
ike cosmic locomotives run by schizophrenic engineers, the fiction of The Interplanetary Railroad provides a jarring, but fun, ride through a communal science fiction landscape. The site's focus is on group-written stories that include such works as the Time Bandits-meets-Sliders story "Window," the interplanetary intrigue of "Hunter's World," and the nicely twisted "Aliens, Zombies and Clones, Oh My!"
On the known-universe front, there are stories dedicated to Star Trek and The X-Files. Readers and writers can also help build two alien races and discuss their creations--and other science fiction topics--on a bulletin board. Rounding out the site are a Star Wars rant, a science fiction time line, a short quotes section and a links area.
Most of the stories here are at their best when they deal with original settings rather than commercial ones. While fans might enjoy writing the Trek pieces, it's hard for them to capture the "feel" of the series. In the end, The Interplanetary Railroad's stories are fun to read for the same reason Ad Lib's are fun to read: visitors never know what's going to happen next.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- Dec. 14, 1998
ocus Online is the Web version of Locus magazine, the leading print publication that covers the SF book industry. This site touts itself as providing "news, reviews, resources and perspectives of the science fiction field," and that's exactly what visitors can expect to find here. The information is broken down into a variety of sections and subsections, such as the News area, which includes Main Stories, Data File, Media Refractions and Aether Vibrations. While the labeling is often confusing--sometimes news about SF book awards appears in Main Stories, while other times it runs in Data File--what it amounts to is a hodgepodge of material that should provide at least one thing of interest to every SF literature fan. The site's various areas are updated sporadically, but in any given week there are usually two or three new things to see and read. While this site won't replace the real-world version of Locus anytime soon, most SF fans will find that it's certainly worth a bookmark.
-- Craig E. Engler
