June 27, 1997
Alexandria Digital Literature
Site Review
There are quite a few huge databases of Fantasy and Science Fiction works on the Internet. A few have been compiled by publishers, a few by magazines, and many by fans of the genres. All can be considered works in progress as none are complete. Alexandria Digital Literature is one such site that is still in the beta phase of its construction. The librarian will admit it's not the "Oracle at Delphi, yet..." but will take all your rated books and compile a list of recommendations. I was only slightly daunted by the warning that the analysis process could take up to 15 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised, that in this case the estimate was exaggerated, actual processing time was 6 minutes. (Just the right amount of time for a trip to the kitchen for a small snack and a moment to read some overdue e-mail.) When I asked for the recommendation I had rated almost 700 books, finding over 1700 that I hadn't read, and was rewarded with 20 books that I was advised I might find anywhere from excellent to dreadfully low. I'll keep you posted on the outcome as I will attempt to read a few of these recommendations! Sign up for your very own library card so you can rate books, get recommendations, and search the stacks. Patrons of the site are encouraged to take conversation outside the library to a newsgroup hosted by SFF Net. Recent Alexlit Newsgroup discussions include choosing a name for the librarian, the competition at Amazon, queries and comments on the accuracy of the recommendations, and dealing with series recommendations. Be sure to check the "Browser Buggaboos" page before you start rating books. I can substantiate the statement that Microsoft's Internet Explorer does not work well with the forms for rating the books; however, Netscape performed admirably. There are plans for upgrades to the database. New features will include adding different genres and allowing for multiple authors for the same title. Reports at the site indicate that close to 75% of the existing authors in the database were entered by patrons. I know I've added a few, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that even new authors had already been added by other patrons. Obviously this site will only be as valuable as its "library card" holding patrons can make it with their ratings and additions. This is one site I plan on checking in on regularly. The potential is there, its success will balance on the ability to build a solid database of authors and titles while remaining fast enough to keep the attention of the surfer.
Check out my booklist for a list of books I have recently read and plan to review. And the list of recommendations made by Alexandria Digital Literature's librarian.
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Science Fiction Weekly
Good site for checking what's new Off The Shelf and also reviews of the Classics. This site is updated weekly.
Sphere Fantasy Resources
This site was created to bring together a community of fantasy fans and writers. Sphere also provides a cool graphical fantasy chat server that allows fantasy fans from around the world to chat in a fantasy environment.
Science Fiction Resource Guide
This site contains an extensive collection of links to SF resources on the Net. Subject areas include other archives and resource guides, authors, art and artists, bibliographies, movies, television, bookstores, book reviews, role-playing games, zines, etc.
The Link�ping Science Fiction & Fantasy Archive
An archive of usenet texts that the author has saved since 1985. The site primarily contains book and movie reviews, author information, and lists of all sorts.
SFRT Web
An online community for readers and writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror; home of Dueling Modems forums.
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Fantasy and Science Fiction 
