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"Everything you can imagine is real."
Picasso
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Welcome to the Sci-fi Book Bizarre, where you will find the latest and the greatest in sci-fi books, video and entertainment at the lowest prices. Keep up to date on the newest releases of your favorite science fiction books and films. You will also find some of the best classic sci-fi movies of the 1950's, get news on the new Star Wars movie, or keep in touch with what's happening on the X-Files. Browse through our selection of books or choose from another Sci-Fi category below. |
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Notable In Video
 Galaxy Quest
(1999)
Also available in DVD and DVD with DTS Stereo You don't have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy Galaxy Quest, but it certainly helps. A knowingly affectionate tribute to Trek and any other science fiction TV series of the 1960s and beyond, this crowd-pleasing comedy offers in-jokes at warp speed, hitting the bull's-eye for anyone who knows that (1) the starship captain always removes his shirt to display his manly physique; (2) any crew member not in the regular cast is dead meat; and (3) the heroes always stop the doomsday clock with one second to spare. So it is with Commander Taggart (Tim Allen) and the stalwart crew of the NSEA Protector, whose intergalactic exploits on TV have now been reduced to a dreary cycle of fan conventions and promotional appearances. That's when the Thermians arrive, begging to be saved from Sarris, the reptilian villain who threatens to destroy their home planet. |
 Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom
Menace (1999)  Starring: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson |
 Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Widescreen
Edition Boxed Set) (1999) Widescreen |
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| "I have a bad feeling about
this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars:
Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most
anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of
fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask
themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but it is my Star Wars? The original
elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any
subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom
Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some
cheek-chewing dialogue. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park. |
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 The Matrix - Standard
Collector's Edition (1999)
Also Available: VHs Widescreen, DVD
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Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend. |
 12 Monkeys (1995)
Starring: Bruce Willis Director: Terry Gilliam Also available in: VHS Widescreen, DVD and DVD with DTS Stereo
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The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground. Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by "volunteering" to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure. But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) who is initially convinced he's insane, and a wacky mental patient (Brad Pitt in a twitchy Oscar-nominated role) with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, 12 Monkeys ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the '90s, boosted by Gilliam's visual ingenuity and one of the finest performances of Willis's career. --Jeff Shannon |
What's New in Books
 Dragons of a Fallen
Sun (The War of Souls, Vol 1) by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman Hardcover - 564 pages (March 14,
2000)
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The action in Fallen Sun breaks as the mother of all storms sweeps across Ansalon, wreaking havoc on all the book's players: the Knights of Neraka (née Takhisis) laying siege to Solamnic-controlled Sanction; the elves of Qualinesti and their hated cousins the Silvanesti, barricaded behind an enormous magical shield; the aging Goldmoon in the Citadel of Light; the dragons, Malys, Beryl, et al., holed up in their lairs; even Bertrem and the librarians of Palanthas must scramble to keep their precious volumes dry. But it's a small girl who lies at the center of all this, an enigmatic waif who's quietly begun a bloody path of conquest in the name of the One God--even though now, in the Fifth Age, magic is on the wane and Krynn has no gods. Or does it? |
 Ashes of Victory
by David Weber
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The People’s Republic of Haven made a tiny
mistake when it announced the execution of Honor Harrington. It seemed safe enough. After
all, they knew she was already dead. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now Honor has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and returned to the Manticoran Alliance with a few friends. Almost half a million of them, to be precise . . . including some who know what really happened when the Committee of Public Safety seized power in the PRH. |
Michael Chrichton's Sci-Fi
Thriller
 Timeline by Michael Crichton
Hardcover - 449 pages (November 16, 1999) When you step into a time machine, fax yourself through a "quantum foam wormhole," and step out in feudal France circa 1357, be very, very afraid. If you aren't strapped back in precisely 37 hours after your visit begins, you'll miss the quantum bus back to 1999 and be stranded in a civil war, caught between crafty abbots, mad lords, and peasant bandits all eager to cut your throat. You'll also have to dodge catapults that hurl sizzling pitch over castle battlements. On the social front, you should avoid provoking "the butcher of Crecy" or Sir Oliver may lop your head off with a swoosh of his broadsword or cage and immerse you in "Milady's Bath," a brackish dungeon pit into which live rats are tossed now and then for prisoners to eat. |
From Brian Herbert, the son of the renowned author of the Dune series, Frank Herbert
 Dune : House Atreides (Dune Series) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (Afterword) Hardcover - 604 pages (October 5, 1999)Acclaimed SF novelist Brian Herbert is the son of Dune author Frank Herbert. With his father, Brian wrote Man of Two Worlds and later edited The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune. Kevin J. Anderson has written many bestsellers, alternating original SF with novels set in the X-Files and Star Wars universes. Together they bring personal commitment and a lifelong knowledge of the Dune Chronicles to this ambitious expansion of a series that transformed SF itself. Dune: House Atreides chronicles the early life of Leto Atreides, prince of a minor House in the galactic Imperium. Leto comes to confront the realities of power when House Vernius is betrayed in an imperial plot involving a quest for an artificial substitute to melange, a substance vital to interstellar trade that is found only on the planet Dune. Meanwhile, House Harkonnen schemes to bring Leto into conflict with the Tleilax, and the Bene Gesserit manipulate Baron Harkonnen as part of a plan stretching back 100 generations. In the Imperial palace, treason is afoot, and on Dune itself, planetologist Pardot Kynes embarks on a secret project to transform the desert world into a paradise. |
The Bestselling SF Novel Ever
 Dune
by Frank Herbert Hardcover - 528 pages (October 1999) Also available in Paperback |
Here is the novel that will be forever
considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the
story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He
would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition
humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. Frank Herbert's death in 1986 was a tragic loss, yet the astounding legacy of his visionary fiction will live forever. |
Terry Goodkind's fifth book in his very popular Sword of Truth
 Soul of the Fire (Goodkind, Terry. Sword of Truth, Bk. 5.) by Terry Goodkind
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Goodkind returns to the Sword of Truth saga in a tale of sweeping fantasy adventure bound to enthrall his growing legion of fans. When the Seeker of Truth Richard Rahl and Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnel accidentally unleash the Chimes, their magic is a threat that will reach far beyond D'Hara. |
If you haven't yet read the previous books in the Sword of Truth series, I've listed them in order below:
 Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
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Terry Goodkind tells the story of a magical world that mirrors our own, a world in which goodness and honesty are besieged by the forces of darkness and deceit. Richard Cypher's odyssey is a journey of the utmost risk and uncertain reward for the sake of love. It's a journey into the darkness of the human soul. |
| Richard Cypher's odyssey that began in Wizard's First Rule continues with an ordeal that will test him, body and soul. Using his emerging arcane talents and the power of the Sword of Truth which only he can wield, Richard faces the ultimate evil--the dread Keeper of the Underworld, who has freed the spirit of Richard's nemesis, Darken Rahl. |  Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
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 Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, No 3)
by Terry Goodkind
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In the sequel to Stone of Tears, Richard Cypher, his beloved Kahlan Amnell, and the wizard Zedd risk everything to combat an unspeakable evil that threatens to destroy their world and precipitate the ultimate apocalypse. |
| The fourth book in the popular series which began with Wizard's First Rule. The dangerous, fanatical Imperial Order unleashes a deadly plague and, in order to find a cure, Richard Cypher and his beloved Kahlan Amnell must seek out the legendary Temple of the Winds. |  Temple of the Winds ( Sword
of Truth, Bk. 4.) by Terry Goodkind
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 Blade
Runner - The Director's Cut (1982) 
Widescreen Rated: R Not for sale to persons under age 18. Starring: Harrison Ford, et al. Director: Ridley Scott Edition Details: |
From Leonard
Maltin's Movie & Video Guide In 21st-century L. A. , a former cop (Ford) is recruited to track down androids who have mutinied in space and made their way to Earth. A triumph of production design, defeated by a muddled script and main characters with no appeal whatsoever. However, the film has a fervent following. Loosely based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Futuristic stylings by Syd Mead and Lawrence G. Paull. At least 2 alternate versions have been released since the original, followed in 1993 by the ``director's cut,'' which the film's champions hail as a vast improvement: Ford's voice-over has been dropped, footage has been added, and the ending has changed. It runs 117m. Panavision. Copyright© Leonard Maltin, 1998, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc. |
| David Lynch's baroque rendering of Frank Herbert's
epic sci-fi novel. It's 10991 and the desert planet of Dune has been taken over by the
Harkonnens, oppressive conquerors who desire the precious spice that lies beneath Dune's
arid sands. The story concerns the attempts of a young warrior messiah to lead the native
inhabitants in an uprising against the evil empire -- and battle the giant man-eating
worms that guard the coveted spice. Young heir apparent Paul Atreides struggles to gain control of Dune, an arid planet dominated by giant sandworms, but rich in a priceless, sight-giving substance. David Lynch wrote the film's intense and graphic screenplay which is based on Frank Herbert's best-selling science fiction novel. Music by Toto. Academy Award Nominations: Best Sound. |
 Dune
(1984) Rated:
PG-13 Edition Details: |
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| The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (paperback) |
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Hard Cover) |
The Martian Chronicles (1979) (VHS) |
From "Rocket Summer" to "The Million-Year Picnic," Ray Bradbury's stories of the colonization of Mars form an eerie mesh of past and future. Written in the 1940s, the chronicles drip with nostalgic atmosphere--shady porches with tinkling pitchers of lemonade, grandfather clocks, chintz-covered sofas. But longing for this comfortable past proves dangerous in every way to Bradbury's characters--the golden-eyed Martians as well as the humans. Starting in the far-flung future of 1999, expedition after expedition leaves Earth to investigate Mars. The Martians guard their mysteries well, but they are decimated by the diseases that arrive with the rockets. Colonists appear, most with ideas no more lofty than starting a hot-dog stand, and with no respect for the culture they've displaced. Bradbury's quiet exploration of a future that looks so much like the past is sprinkled with lighter material. In "The Silent Towns," the last man on Mars hears the phone ring and ends up on a comical blind date. But in most of these stories, Bradbury holds up a mirror to humanity that reflects a shameful treatment of "the other," yielding, time after time, a harvest of loneliness and isolation. Yet the collection ends with hope for renewal, as a colonist family turns away from the demise of the Earth towards a new future on Mars. Bradbury is a master fantasist and The Martian Chronicles are an unforgettable work of art. |
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| 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (Regular VHS) |
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) |
2001: A Space Odyssey - 25th Anniversary (1968) (Widescreen VHS) |
2001: A Space Odyssey - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996
Reissue) [SOUNDTRACK] Various Artists - Soundtracks - Film Scores |
| When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. | |||
Recommended Viewing
Rated: Also Available in Widescreen VHS and DVD Version |
From
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide |
Star Wars
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
John Williams
Audio CD (May 4, 1999) |
All composer John Williams had to do was essentially reinvent the world's most popular wheel. The film-scoring legend has admirably risen to that daunting challenge, delivering an inventive score whose dynamics should surprise and delight even the most ardent SW fanatic. The composer's most ambitious surprise is the welcome addition of strong choral elements, which he uses in ways both majestic ("Duel of the Fates") and menacing ("Passage Through the Planet's Core"). |
Star Wars Books
| Fifty-seven years have passed since the events of Phantom Menace, 25 since A New Hope, and 21 since the Empire's final defeat over Endor. The still-fragile New Republic, rocked by internal conflict, now faces a potentially overwhelming challenge from beyond the known galaxy: the Yuuzhan Vong, a sinister race of warriors using highly advanced (and creepy) organic "devices" and vehicles, whose immense strength and technological edge lets them fight toe to toe with Jedi. And who better to flesh out these powerful and malevolent aliens, so dismissive and disdainful of humanity, than R.A. Salvatore, the author who almost single-handedly popularized Dungeons and Dragons' equally awful bad guys, the Drow, with his Drizzt Do'Urden books. |  Star Wars the New Jedi Order : Vector Prime (Star Wars)
by R. A. Salvatore Hardcover - 416 pages (October 5, 1999) |
 The Star Wars Encyclopedia by Stephen J. Sansweet
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 Star Wars : The Action Figure Archive by Stephen J. Sansweet (Editor), Josh Ling (Editor)
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| . The Star Wars Encyclopedia is the essential guide to every detail of the history, planets, vehicles, politics, aliens, and weapons described in countless books, comics, stories, and (of course) moviesEach item is cross-referenced to the book, movie, or comic in which it appears, but fans looking for "real-life" information about the Star Wars phenomenon won't find it here--this is strictly a resource for those who want to keep track of how all the stories and characters fit together, the clothes they wear, the foods they eat, and the planets they call home. --Therese Littleton | This book is for anyone who LOVES to collect Star Wars figures. The entire book is in full-color, with photos of every card (except the freeze-frames) from the original series through the POTF1-POTF2 seriesIt's a great guide for collectors, and for those people who used to/want to collect. As an added plus, it has a vinyl-like cover so it should last. |
Avid Star Wars fans will want to
check out the following books
Would make great gifts!
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| This is the ultimate must-have for the Star Wars fanatic. Spendy, but definitely worth it, the Star Wars Chronicles is a big, beautiful book that comes in a gold and black box--it will look great on your coffee table next to your Star Wars Logbook. The Chronicles cover the beloved trilogy of movies in thousands of behind-the-scenes and up-close photographs, many you've never seen before. From the creation of all the aliens to the details of Boba Fett's jet pack, you'll find fascinating facts, drawings, paintings, and photos to pore over endlessly. Each detail is lovingly presented for the appreciation of serious fans, and the whole package will be a delight to collectors. | The overwhelming size of the
packaging is the first thing you will notice. Any pictures you have seen do not give you
an idea of the actual size of this piece. Opening the two Velcro tabs on the front of the
box reveals the book and the 13.5'' exclusive Anakin figure. (Sure to be a valued Star
Wars collectable in the future.) The book is an easy read, broken down into three
sections. The first is a sort of retrospective look into how Vader developed. We learn
what George Lucas' vision of his anti-hero was to look like. Artist Ralph McQuarrie tells
stories of his many meetings with George to bring the vision to reality. Section 2 of the
book is a fictionalized account of the happenings in Vaders life from "ANH" on.
It reads as if you are in the background while the Trilogy is going on. Section 3 is a
listing of all of the Vader memorabilia and collectibles ever produced. If you are a Star
Wars fan, this is a must have. It is a limited edition though, so be sure to order now, or
go to your nearest bookstore and get it today. At $52.50, it should keep the novice Star
Wars collectors away.
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You can access all the latest information on The Phantom Menace at the Official Star Wars site Here!
Gort! Klaatu, Barada, Nikto.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
"We had a man named Lock Martin inside the rubber suit of Gort, Klaatu's robot, and he could no more lift up Patricia Neal than he could lift up-The White House. And yet I had to have him pick her up in his arms when she fell down amongst the chairs in the pavillion, and carry her into the spaceship. So, we had to find some way to do this. This is what we did: When she fell, she fell down out of sight, behind a wall or a door or something. I had the camera pan Gort as he walked over to Pat, and the camera "lost" him when he went behind the door. I held my camera on the door-stopped the camera, didn't move it, left it right there. Then, we brought in a derrick and put the rig on Pat, the harness around her, and the wire on the derrick. We lifted Pat up, turned Gort around, and put her in his arms, with all her weight on the wire. Then I called "action" and started the camera again, panned as Gort came out, and there was the actual Pat Neil being carried in his arms. We had to establish that that was Pat, and then we had a shot of Gort's back where he's walking away with her; he's carrying a light-weight dummy there, which we got away with."
Robert Wise, Director - From an interview in STARLOG mag., February, 1999.
I have included five of my favorite Classic
Sci-Fi Movies from the 1950's
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| Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel has been the basis of three big-screen adaptations, beginning with the 1956 chiller Invasion of the Body Snatchers and most recently as 1994's underrated Body Snatchers. This acclaimed 1978 version from director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) is every bit as creepy as the '56 original, and it fits perfectly into the cycle of paranoid thrillers that thrived in American movies of the 1970s. Kaufman stylishly directs from an intelligent screenplay by W.D. Richter, while Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams lead a distinguished cast (including Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, and Veronica Cartwright) and must fight for survival as the population of San Francisco is systematically cloned by alien "pods" from a distant, dying planet. The atmosphere of dread and paranoia grows increasingly intense as the complexity of the alien invasion is gradually revealed, until nobody can be trusted to be who they appear. Finely tuned performances enhance the film's eerie atmosphere, highlighted by moments that will lurk in your memory long after the movie's over. | A hallmark of the science fiction genre as well as a wry commentary on the political climate of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi movie less concerned with special effects than with a social parable. A spacecraft lands in Washington, D.C., carrying a humanoid messenger from another world (Michael Rennie) imparting a warning to the people of Earth to cease their violent behavior. But panic ensues as the messenger lands and is shot by a nervous soldier. His large robot companion destroys the Capitol as the messenger escapes the confines of the hospital. He moves in with a family as a boarder and blends into society to observe the full range of the human experience. Director Robert Wise (West Side Story) not only provides one of the most recognizable icons of the science fiction world in his depiction of the massive robot loyal to his master, but he avoids the obvious camp elements of the story to create a quiet and observant story highlighting both the good and the bad in human nature. |
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| Vivid, frightening adaptation of H. G. Wells' story about a Martian invasion. Dramatically sound and filled with dazzling, Oscar-winning special effects; superior sci-fi, produced by George Pal. Later a TV series. | Intriguing science-fiction based on a Ray Bradbury story. An alien ship crashes in the Arizona desert; its passengers assume the identities of nearby townspeople so they can effect repairs unnoticed--they think. Remarkably sober for its era, with crisp performances and real restraint, even in its use of 3-D. The 1996 TV movie IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE II is a much inferior remake, rather than the sequel the title suggests. |
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To his amazement, a scientist discovers that aliens are destroying satellites and will soon invade the earth itself. The world's most brilliant minds unite to devise a weapon capable of defeating the approaching horde. Until they succeed, however, it is up to the military to safeguard the planet from the approaching extraterrestrials... |
For those bad-film afficionados, what sci-fi site would be complete without - Plan 9 From Outer Space: having been elected by an overwhelming margin, "The Worst Film of All Time."
Anyone who's seen this film will find it hard to argue with this choice.
Directed by Ed Wood, selected "The Worst Director of All Times."
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Hailed as the worst movie ever made; certainly one of the funniest. Pompous aliens believe they can conquer Earth by resurrecting corpses from a San Fernando Valley cemetery. Lugosi died after two days' shooting in 1956; his remaining scenes were played by a taller, younger man holding a cape over his face! So mesmerizingly awful it actually improves (so to speak) with each viewing. And remember: it's all based on sworn testimony! Also known as GRAVE ROBBERS FROM OUTER SPACE; followed by REVENGE OF THE DEAD. |
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A loving look at Edward D. Wood, Jr. , a man of boundless enthusiasm and no talent who made some of the worst movies of all time (including GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE). Cast to perfection, with Depp ideal in the title role. Landau--in Rick Baker makeup (both men won Oscars)--is positively astonishing as the aged and impoverished Bela Lugosi, whom Wood befriended. There isn't much story thrust here, but the vivid re-creation of time and place makes this a must for any old-movie buff |
If you have any suggestions for books that you would like to see included on this site, please email us, and if it is available, we will try to add it to our list.
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Be sure to check out our X-Files page.
Deep
Impact (1998) 
