Links: Gayle's Blog / Astronomy Picture of the Day /

[Photo: A Sharp View of the Sun. Credit: SST, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Explanation: Here is one of the sharper views of the Sun ever taken. This stunning image shows remarkable details of a dark sunspot across the image bottom and numerous boiling granules which appear like kernels of corn across the top.]

Welcome to our October issue. Since we had two X1 Class Flares in September, I thought a photograph of our Sun would be appropriate to start off this month. However, I'm hoping for cooler weather in October and no flare induced weirdness with my connectivity.

John Berlyne is back from his travels and you'll find his UK Column filled with new books coming out in the UK during the coming month along with John's comments.

Sam Tomaino has, as usual, spent the last month reading in order to bring us up to date on what's out there in print and online for genre short stories. To find out what he covered this issue, check out his Zines & Short Fiction Column.

We also have a number of book reviews that cover many of the sub-genres -- which include, as you'd expect, a number of zombie and dark fantasies to celebrate the coming Halloween fright night. There's sure to be a few items that you might want to add to your To-Be-Read pile. Also if you've also read one of the books we've reviewed, we'd love to hear your impression of the book. If you've read a book we didn't have the opportunity to review that you've read, let us know what you thought of the book by using our comment form or writing to us at editor (at) sfrevu (dot) com (I'm sure you can do the substitutions in that email address).

I hope you enjoy our issue. Return often to check our News Column. If you know of any events or conventions that are not in our Convention calendar, let us know about it. Send the convention name, dates, URL, and any other pertinent information to editor (at) sfrevu (dot) com.

Now for our usual announcements:

Reviewers Wanted:
While we're happy to have a core of great reviewers for SFRevu, we get more books each month than we've got readers for and we'd like to have more. If you have a great desire to review SF/Fantasy for no pay but the glory of a byline, write to us at editor (at) sfrevu.com telling us a bit about yourself and send a 500 word (or so) review of a book that you have recently read. We should be able to get back to you within the month. (Please let us know what country you reside in -- the cost of mailing books outside the US/Canada may be an issue.)

News Column:
We started a News column last month. If you have a news item or announcement that you think would be of interest to readers of SF, send to: editor (at) sfrevu.com.

Convention Calendar:
We'd like to add a convention calendar to our magazine. We've made a start. However, we don't have time to scour the Internet looking for what's happening in the SF/Fantasy arena. Please send us your convention listings. Send to: editor (at) sfrevu.com.

Letters to the Editor(s):
We'd like to hear from you ... yes, you. What do you think of our magazine? How could we make it better? Do you like our reviews? What are your thoughts on the SF and Fantasy and their subgenres? Write to us at editor (at) sfrevu.com.

Publishers Take Note:
Material sent to us will be listed in our books-received column and may also be commented on or reviewed. With few exceptions, material not sent will not be listed or reviewed. Please send materials to SFRevu c/o Gayle Surrette, 16440 Baden Westwood Road, Brandywine, MD 20613. Or if you publish in the UK or Europe send to: John Berlyne c/o SFRevu, 27 Clarence Gardens, London, NW1 3LH, United Kingdom

Media People Take Note:
It's rather difficult to review newly released DVDs or other media when we don't get a copy. So, if you'd like us to review something, send material to SFRevu c/o Gayle Surrette, 16440 Baden Westwood Road, Brandywine, MD 20613. Media publishers in the UK or Europe send to: John Berlyne c/o SFRevu, 27 Clarence Gardens, London, NW1 3LH, United Kingdom