Adventure, cyberpunk, romance, humor, social commentary, originality, plain old sense-of-wonder...whatever you're looking for, you'll find it here. And it isn't the same-old cookie-cutter formula -- DANCE FOR THE IVORY MADONNA offers a fresh take on hoary sf tropes from artificial intelligence and virtual reality to psionics and space colonization. I'll be the first to say it: this novel is a sure dark-horse contender for the year's big sf awards. Do yourself a favor, and give it a try!

There is so much going on in this book that its hard to pick out what i like best. The conceptions of cyberspace however are really different there are three distinct levels of cyberspace all accessible thru RCspex (which are a slimmed down version of vr goggles.) Virtua is an enchanced rendering of the real world. Cyberbia is an imaginary space that the user can enhance as much as he wants like the web on vr. And my favorite El Juego is a multilevel d&d type game where just about everyone has their own character or characters. And its all run by the AIs who have their own reasons and motivations. Definately recommended!

It is a relief to read a book in which a woman of size is presented as strong and dynamic. One of the main characters, Miranda Maris (AKA "The Ivory Madonna"), is built like the "fat lady" who has to sing before the opera is over. She's also a member of Congress, head of a major fashion company, and a leader in an international underground espionage organization. Miranda is intelligent, warm, witty, and powerful. And by the end of the book, she rises to...no, I won't spoil it.

Hooray for a book that isn't afraid to have a large woman as an attractive and sympathetic character!

This is one of those books that is chiefly written for SF & Fantasy fandom by the SF& Fantasy fandom. As such, readers new to the genre may find it puzzling why anyone would love a book with such a strange title and theme chosen for its short stories. The origin of this anthology is a song written by famous filk (SF music, for those who are unfamiliar with the term) singer Leslie Fish. Apparently the song came about after "too much turkey and eggnog . . . and a table centerpiece decoration . . . and space age music on the hi-fi that just happened to swing into a rhumba". To get the full story, you'll have to read the Afterword in this anthology.

It's an unexpected anthology, with a wide range of tones and styles. "Provisional Solution" by B.W. Clough is a very light toned, lively take on the manifestation of Carmen and her trademark fruits. "Basket Case: Or:The Grapes of Wrath" by Bruce B. Barnett interprets the themes into a hard SF detective story with delightful success. Don Sakers, the editor of this anthology, has two short stories in this collection. The first is "The Man Who Travelled in Rocketships" a touching story that's meant as a memorial to Heinlen. The second is "Tarawa Rising" about an aging drag queen coming to terms with themselves with a little ghostly help. Other authors include, Anne McCaffrey, Esthner Friesner, C. J. Cherryh and, of course, the woman who started it all, Leslie Fish.

Why would anyone have 19 stories and a song about Carmen Miranda's ghost on a space station? SF writers having fun would have to be my main interpretation. And that's no bad thing, there are some brilliant stories within this anthology, some hysterical giggles, some thought provoking moments, and even some bittersweet memories. For the filksong fans, the sheet music for the song that Leslie Fish wrote is included at the end of the anthology. In some ways, I guess I'd say that this is sort of an in-joke anthology, since the folks most likely to pick it up are fans, but I highly reccomend it to any SF or Fantasy reader! Here's just a bit of Leslie's song:

"Carmen Miranda's Ghost is haunting
Space Station Three.
Half the staff has seen her,
plus the Portmaster and me.
And if you think we've had too much
Of Cookie's homemade rum,
Just tell me where these basket hats
of fruit keep coming from!"

Happy reading! ^_^ shanshad

Beautifully revealed short stories centered around the most unexpected sapient creatures and their relucted aid in helping mankind reach maturity. Good, well-thought sci-fi supports this ongoing story covering a billion years plus. Leaves you hungry for a continuing trilogy.

Don Saker's second book fills a void that has existed for a significant number of teens by restoring romantic feelings to fictional works for a critical time of their development. This teen romance also tackles the problem that develop when love encounters multiple identity issues. It also plants the roots of homophobia firmly at the feet of the feelings of insecurity that arise in some over adolescent sexuality. The simplicity of the prose and character development lets the

reader focus on the intricacies of interlocking relationships. Frank, introduced in " Act Well Your Part," falls in love with Purnell, the school's star basketball player. Between them they have to face a lot of ignorance: racial, cultural, and social. In the end, they discover that not even the innocent are spared the violence of prejudice.

...doesn't mean that this book can get away with a high rating! In my continuous search for romantic, well-written alternative fiction, Act Well Your Part was yet another let-down. The mediocre writing left me thinking I had read much smoother and detailed works online. The relationship between the boys was perhaps realistic, but highly under-developed. The characters were flat, and the high school they attended was unbelievably liberal, especially for the 80's.
In short, this is a quick story with a couple cute moments, but marred by noticeably bad writing and sickeningly cheesy scenes.

This was the first book I read as a teenager that identified with the feelings I was having. I think it is a great book, perhaps somewhat predictable (in retrospect), but overall it was exactly what I needed.

Teen romances are seldom considered great literature. But, they do serve a purpose. They provide characters who echo the everyday questions and insecurities that plague budding relationships. The problems Keith faces are problems faced by many young people. He moves to a new town and enters a new school. He is far away from his best friend. And, he is falling in love with another boy in the theater group. The interesting thing about this book and its sequel, "Lucky in Love," is that it portrays prejudice as a very human thing. The homophobia exhibited in the book arises from the jealousy of the heterosexual characters. This book fills a void felt by many of us by giving back the dignity of romance.