Apostrophes and Apocalypses, John Barnes (Tor 1/99) A gathering of 13 stories and eight essays from an SF author with the knowledge and will to take a painfully realistic look at what the future may hold – and how to make SF work.

Vacuum Diagrams, Stephen Baxter (HarperPrism 1/99) Baxter's 22 short works in his noted ''Xeelee'' sequence are collected here, with revisions and bridging material, to form a mosaic novel of epic scope.

Time Pieces, Michael Bishop (Edgewood 1/99) Collection of 49 poems by one of SF's most erudite, thoughtful and thought-provoking writers.

Traitor's Sun, Marion Zimmer Bradley & Adrienne Martine-Barnes (DAW 1/99) The Darkover saga reaches a pivotal point as the Terran Federation begins to collapse, and the sudden death of Regis Hastur encourages the last Federation officials on Darkover to plan a coup.

Are You Loathsome Tonight?, Poppy Z. Brite (Gauntlet 1/99) Horror's controversial chronicler of serial killers and sexual ambiguities provides two new tales, making an even dozen in this unabashed collection, strikingly illustrated through J.K. Potter's photographic magic – including some eerie transformations of Poppy herself.

Fortress of Owls, C.J. Cherryh (HarperPrism 1/99) Mage-created and only seasons old, Tristen is no longer a blank slate, but his sketchy understanding makes him prey to intrigue as he spends his first winter preparing for war. The third novel of an intense and atmospheric four-volume fantasy series.

Moonlight and Vines, Charles de Lint (Tor 1/99) The writer whose work did much to make contemporary urban fantasy so popular returns to his city of Newford for this collection of 22 fantasy stories, three original to this volume.

In Lovecraft's Shadow, August Derleth (Mycroft & Moran 1/99) Except for his actual collaborations with H.P. Lovecraft, this collection of 23 stories contains all of Derleth's own considerable contributions to the Lovecraftian Mythos.

Reave the Just, Stephen R. Donaldson (Bantam Spectra 1/99) The first collection in 14 years from a fantasy powerhouse gathers eight stories, three previously unpublished.

The Alchemy of Love, Elizabeth Engstrom & Alan M. Clark (Triple Tree Publishing 1/99) In an unusual collaboration between writer and artist, half of Engstrom's eight stories were inspired by Clark's art, while four of his eight monochrome paintings were inspired by her stories; together they explore the ideals of romantic love and the realities of human experience.

The Border, Marina Fitch (Ace 1/99) Creation – of family and art – provides the focus for this haunting fantasy, bordering on magical realism, about a pregnant Mexican woman desperate to enter the US in search of her long-lost sister.

A Second Chance at Eden, Peter F. Hamilton (Warner Aspect 1/99) Space opera reaches new heights in these seven stories, three original, all set in the fascinating and complex Confederation universe of Hamilton's epic ''Night's Dawn'' trilogy begun in The Reality Dysfunction.

British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Before World War I, Darren Harris-Fain, ed. (Gale 1/99) Part of the ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' series, the first of three projected volumes covering British genre writers: this has detailed entries on 28 authors including Ann Radcliffe, Arthur Machen, George MacDonald, and H.G. Wells.

The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, Barry Hughart (The Stars Our Destination 1/99) Three witty Chinese fantasy novels featuring wily Master Li and his assistant are brought together for the first time in this omnibus, with new illustrations by Kaja Foglio.

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume Nine, Stephen Jones, ed. (Carroll & Graf 1/99) This ''year's best'' anthology returns with 19 horror stories and a summary of the year (1997) in horror.

Hour of Judgement, Susan R. Matthews (Avon Eos 1/99) Compellingly tormented torturer/physician Andrej Koscuisko returns in his third adventure, an SF murder investigation that pushes him to the breaking point.

Tower of Dreams, Jamil Nasir (Bantam Spectra 1/99) A vivid portrayal of near-future Egypt highlights this thriller of a technology to record super-vivid, archetypal dream images, and one dreamer caught up in visions of a beautiful woman he has to save.

Flying Cups and Saucers, Debbie Notkin, et al., eds. (Edgewood Press 1/99) Notkin and the ''Secret Feminist Cabal'' behind the Tiptree Award bring together 13 award-winning and shortlisted stories of gender exploration in science fiction and fantasy, by such noted authors as Ursula K. Le Guin, Ian McDonald, Lisa Tuttle, and James Patrick Kelly.