March

123. SLAN by A.E. Van Vogt (classic pulp SF, starts off well, droops in final stretch)

124. MEET ME AT INFINITY by James Tiptree, Jr. (I can't stand these parenthetical blurbs)

This is a collection of short stories and nonfiction by Alice Sheldon, who wrote as Tiptree during the feminist 60s on.  Not the best of her stuff, but I find her fascinating.

125. THE DARK COUNTRY by Dennis Etchison

Sharp, dark horror stories, horror-noirish in that he doesn't spend a lot of time on character but on the dark and horrible things happening to these people.  Zombies working at the corner store and a horrible opening sentence involving an eye.

126. THE FAITH OF A WRITER by Joyce Carol Oates

Fine observations about the obsessions of writers.

127. THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH by Walter Tevis

One of the best books of the marathon so far.  Much better than the overpraised movie, and the character is much easier to grasp.  In the end he doesn't seem jaded, as in the movie, but lost.

128. IN THE STACKS edited by Michael Cart

Good idea--stories about libraries--gone horribly wrong.

129. DISTANT STARS by Samuel R. Delany

Short stories, including a cool little fantasy, that, as good as they are, are in second-place to SRD's introduction about writing.  Great Michael Whelan cover, too.  Good short SF.