Well, this is the way excellent issues of the magazine could be at times. The cover story, "Path of the Dragon" at this point in time is probably an excerpt from the soon to be published novel in the Game of Thrones series 'Storm of Swords'. I was familiar with the series primarily from the television show which gave me the advantage of immediately stepping into the novella from the first words. This story about Daenerys Targaryen and her young dragons where she gives up a dragon to acquire command of the unsullied was very good. However, stepping into this without any foreknowledge might be a less than successful read.

There were some other good stories as well. Mike Resnick wrote a number of alternate histories with Teddy Roosevelt, I've read a few (there were at least 7) starting with the first one "Bully" from a 1991 issue of Asimov's that I re-read in 2009. The story here "Redchapel" was very entertaining where a young Teddy Roosevelt is tasked with finding Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel. Richard Parks presents a well told and touching "ghost" story set in Japan with "The God of Children". Kage Baker has a pleasant timeslip story set on the Northern California coast. 'Balance Due' was an enjoyable story of cryonic preservation and rebirth 400 or so years in the future. I liked the robot helper the man has. The only story I disliked was "I Love Paree".

Here are the contents:
•4 • The Grand Masters • Reflections essay by Robert Silverberg
•8 • Redchapel • novelette by Mike Resnick
•8 • Redchapel • interior artwork by Steve Cavallo
•34 • The God of Children • [Eli Mothersbaugh] • novelette by Richard Parks
•34 • The God of Children • interior artwork by June Levine
•48 • Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928 • shortstory by Kage Baker
•48 • Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928 • interior artwork by Janet Aulisio
•60 • I Love Paree • novelette by Cory Doctorow and Michael Skeet
•60 • I Love Paree • interior artwork by Alan Gutierrez
•85 • Iggy Guards Her Secrets • (1998) • poem by Keith Allen Daniels
•86 • Balance Due • essay by M. Shayne Bell
•86 • Balance Due • interior artwork by June Levine
•98 • Path of the Dragon • novella by George R. R. Martin
•98 • Path of the Dragon • interior artwork by Darryl Elliott
•132 • On Books • essay and reviews by Paul Di Filippo ( )

Fairly strong issue with nice Danerys excerpt from "A Storm of Swords", and a good near future story by Cory Doctorow and Michael Skeet. ( )