-- Sixteen stories from science fiction veterans as well as from new, award-winning writers -- Topics range from comic glimpses of alien lifestyles to bleak, dystopian images of the future -- Most of the authors live or have lived in Florida, and some of their stories use Florida settings

Provides incisive reviews of more than 300 recommended novels and short-story collections set in Florida. Numerous Florida fiction writers, past and present, are represented in the book, including such diverse talents as Edna Buchanan, Harry Crews, Connie May Fowler, and others.--Excerpted from book cover.

"Here is the book lover's literary tour of Florida, an exhaustive survey of writers, books, and literary sites in every part of the state. The state is divided into ten areas and each one is described from a literary point of view. You will learn what authors lived in or wrote about a place, which books describe the place, what important movies were made there, even the literary trivia which the true Florida book lover will want to know. You can use the book as a travel guide to a new way to see the state, as an armchair guide to a better understanding of our literary heritage, or as a guide to what to read next time you head to a bookstore or library."--Publisher.

Do you know: How many acres of Florida's remaining natural areas have become infested with non-native plant species? Where is Estero Bay? What is the penalty for violating federal manatee protection laws? What river disappears underground in O'Leno State Park and re-emerges above ground in River Rise State Park? Learn this and more in this fun-filled guide to the little-known facts of Florida.

9 great reads for a lonely night of thrills and chills! In Sydney J. Bounds's "The Book Miser" has detective Josephine "Jo" Royal trying to thwart an unscrupulous book collector who's taken advantage of an innocent seller. In "The Purple Glove Murders," by Mary Wickizer Burgess, attorney Gail Brevard is asked to solve a killing that appears to be linked to another murder from decades earlier. In Victor Cilinca's "Eggs," a multi-millionaire pasta company executive becomes the target of a scam. In "The Case of the Telbury Halt Ghost," by Ernest Dudley, well-known detective Doctor Morelle must unravel the mystery behind the apparent haunting of a rural railway station. "The Adventure of the Forgotten Umbrella," by Mel Gilden, is one of those tales of Sherlock Holmes mentioned—but never actually related—by Doctor Watson. Michael Hemmingson tells the story of an unfortunate young man on the make who's quite simply overwhelmed by his three "Vivacious Vixens!" Francis Jarman demonstrates, "In the Light of What Happened," that poking around in old Indian temples can have unforeseen consequences! James B. Johnson's "Flankspeed" is one of the most unusual mysteries ever encountered by this editor—and also one of the best. Arlette Lees, a rising star of the noir mystery magazine scene, contributes "Blood Bayou," one of those backwater places that you probably want to avoid on your next little escape from the law.

In The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois produces another volume in the series that Locus calls 'the field's real anthology-of-record.' With a unique combination of foresight and perspective, Dozois continues to collect outstanding work by newcomers and established authors alike, reflecting the present state of the genre while suggesting its future directions. With the editor's annual summary of the year in the field, and his appendix of recommended reading, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in contemporary science fiction.