CHEAP TRUTH Top Ten (with helpful quotes from locals)

TRILLION YEAR SPREE by Brian Aldiss "assisted by" David Wingrove (Gollancz L15) Authors tremble for their reps as "Britain's oldest Young Turk" prepares to unleash this massive new version of his 1973 SF litcrit classic. Described as "completely revised," "brutally frank," and "bang up to date," this hefty opus is an essential accoutrement for the serious, globally-minded critic or fan. Without doubt, SPREE will once again prove the unquestioned superiority of Britain as a source of intelligent, informed criticism and provocative, well-formulated literary analysis. Most of it will be about Americans.

THE UNCONQUERED COUNTRY by Geoff Ryman (Allen & Unwin L9.95) Slightly expanded version of the instantly classic INTERZONE novella, a shocking, brutally depressing SF tragedy that directly confronts the reader with high-voltage visionary excess. "I wept aloud!" "Really great illustrations!" "The best thing INTERZONE ever published!" "Most of the new stuff is padding."

MYTHAGO WOOD by Robert Holdstock (Gollancz L8.95) Archetypal fantasy concerning a tiny patch of ancient English forest where the mystical soul of Britain, or at least a lot of deeply portentous literary/mythic symbols, seem to reside. Involuted, damp, very insular, vaguely creepy. "Where it's at in Britain today!" "A marvel!" "Brilliantly written and perceptive!" Britons adore this book.

THE BRIDGE by Iain Banks. (Macmillan L9.95) The third novel by the wunderkind Scottish author of the amazing WASP FACTORY and cryptic WALKING ON GLASS. The subterranean fantasy influences of this vividly imaginative and cheerfully sadistic writer have come directly to the fore in THE BRIDGE, but don't tell his publishers. "The most compulsive and original writer working today!" "Obviously possessed of twisted genius!" "Wow!"

ESCAPE PLANS by Gwyneth Jones (Orion L3.50) Bizarre effort by shocktrooper of Britain's radical feminist SF contingent, a literary clique which possesses admirable discipline, long-term plans, and a well-developed and pitiless sociopolitical ideology. "Lesbian tripe that chokes the reader to death with jargon!" "Part of the revolutionary struggle to wrest possibilities from limitations!" Genuinely twisted, ESCAPE PLANS features spaceships that are not allowed to go anywhere and scrabblingly desperate social uprisings. Impressive energy level and imaginative concentration make Gwyneth Jones a writer to watch.

SONGBIRDS OF PAIN by Garry Kilworth (Gollancz L8.95) Collection by highly regarded short story writer. Exotic settings, baroque, obsessive prose. "Exceptionally good." "Best I've read in years." "I believe in science fiction as a serious literature," declared the author in his intro, a declaration that would be more convincing if it didn't have to be made at all.

BOOKS OF BLOOD v. 1-6 by Clive Barker (Sphere). This fervid and fertile six-volume collection of horror shorts has the clammy intimacy of a blowjob from the dead. "The future of horror." "Blows out the genre's amps." Heartening proof that a British writer of talent and determination can rise suddenly from obscurity to completely paralyze a transatlantic readership.

GHASTLY BEYOND BELIEF by Kim Newman and Neil Gaiman (Arrow L2.50). A much-needed dose of comic relief, this book collects a long series of horrible excesses and solecisms in written SF and sci-fi films. Convulsively funny, it must be read to be disbelieved. None of your "dry British humor" guff here -- you'll wince, you'll scream, you'll beg for a chance to breath. "The ultimate toilet book!"