Within the past 20 years or so, there has occurred an explosion of interest
in the magnetic behavior of pyrochlore oxides of the type
$A_{2}^{3+}$$B_{2}^{4+}$O$_{7}$ where $A$ is a rare-earth ion and $B$ is
usually a transition metal. Both the $A$ and $B$ sites form a network of
corner-sharing tetrahedra which is the quintessential framework for a
geometrically frustrated magnet. In these systems the natural tendency to form
long range ordered ground states in accord with the Third Law is frustrated,
resulting in some novel short range ordered alternatives such as spin glasses,
spin ices and spin liquids and much new physics. This article attempts to
review the myriad of properties found in pyrochlore oxides, mainly from a
materials perspective, but with an appropriate theoretical context.