All opinions expressed in this department,
as throughout the magazine, are those of SALON.

F I C T I O N

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CivilWarLand in Bad Decline: Stories and a Novella by George Saunders
Pitch-black satire, from an exciting new writer, about America's tendency to turn everything -- the Civil War, a day at the beach, our farms -- into a theme park.
In the Language of Love: A Novel in 100 Chapters
by Diane Schoemperlen
A quirky and moving assessment of the memories, hopes and misapprehensions of a young woman, revealed in her responses to 100 innocuous words.
The Captain's Fire by J.S. Marcus
Life in post-Wall Berlin, as seen through the eyes of a troubled young American (mid-30s, Jewish, bisexual) obsessed with the city's murderous past.
Emerald City by Jennifer Egan
From the young author of the novel "The Invisible Circus," stories about models, housewives, fashion stylists and suburban teens that examine wild stirrings beneath placid surfaces.
Give Us A Kiss: A Country Noir by Daniel Woodrell
A rollicking, white trash libretto about two brothers hiding out from the law in the heart of the Ozarks.
Pollen by Jeff Noon
The follow-up to "Vurt," last year's engaging cult novel, is a fable about a mind-altering drug that -- we're not kidding -- may make everyone sneeze to death in one big explosion of phlegm.

N O N F I C T I O N

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The Memory of Birds in Times of Revolution by Breyten Breytenbach
Essays about politics and culture from the controversial South African poet and painter best-known for his memoir "The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist."
The Second John McPhee Reader by John McPhee
Bush pilots, rural doctors and North American geology get the New Yorker staff writer's inimitable treatment in this new collection.
Queen of Bohemia: The Life of Louise Bryant
by Mary V. Dearborn
The fascinating and often tragic life of one of this century's most daring international journalists, too often remembered as merely the longtime companion of John Reed.
The Light Fantastic: Adventures in Theatre by John Lahr
Essays and reviews from The New Yorker theater critic, on subjects ranging from Tony Kushner to Ingmar Bergman to British television.