As we approach the end of 2003, editors, reviewers, magazines, websites, etc. will begin compiling their "year's best" lists. One of the first lists to be published is from The Kansas City Star. We've previously mentioned that the Midwest book reviewers have taken a fancy to Golden Gryphon Press titles; this could be because they feel a certain kinship to us since Golden Gryphon is located in Illinois. Regardless, the KC Star published its list of "Noteworthy Books of 2003," and among the ten Speculative Fiction titles are four — that's right, four! — Golden Gryphon Press books: Michael Bishop's Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9), Nancy Kress's Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5), Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN 1-930846-14-2), and The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN 1-930846-15-0), edited by Gary Turner and Marty Halpern. Other authors on this list include Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury, Elizabeth Moon, and Liz Williams, so we're certainly in very good company! And in the months ahead, as more "best of" lists are published, we know that our books will continue to be recognized — and we'll keep you posted on all the news.

And don't forget that we have two special web offers happening at this time. The first is a promotional offer for Ian R. MacLeod's eagerly anticipated short story collection, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations, scheduled for publication late spring, 2004. These chapbooks were produced to promote Ian's appearance at the World Fantasy Convention last month. You know you're going to purchase a copy of this book when it is published, right? So if you order in advance now, you'll receive a limited edition chapbook signed by both Ian and cover artist Bob Eggleton. This chapbook is limited to only 100 copies — and when they're gone, well, they're gone. These chapbooks are not for sale individually; they are free with every advance purchase of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations.

The second web offer is our Holiday Special in which we are offering select Golden Gryphon titles at a sale price of $20.00 each, which includes postage (for U.S. orders only). The sale is scheduled to end on December 30 (but we may maintain the sale a wee bit longer just in case you need an outlet for that holiday gift money you receive). This is a grand opportunity to purchase some of those older titles you've been eyeing, but just haven't made the commitment as yet. Titles by Neal Barrett Jr., Michael Bishop, Tony Daniel, Paul Di Filippo, R. Garcia y Robertson, Richard A. Lupoff, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Richard Paul Russo. There is some great reading to be had here, so check out the titles and read the numerous reviews, and then place that order!

And speaking of reviews, we've posted some recent ones from both Chronicle and The Washington Post on Ian Watson's Mockymen; from Booklist on Dale Bailey's The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories; from Analog on George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights; and lastly, a very lengthy review in The New York Review of Science Fiction on Charles Stross's "The Atrocity Archive." This latter review is based on the serialized version of Charles's novel, when it appeared in Spectrum SF between 2001 and 2002. The Golden Gryphon Press edition of this novel will also include a previously unpublished novella, "The Concrete Jungle" — nearly 30,000 words — that follows our heroes (and villains) shortly after the conclusion of the novel. Thus our title, in plural, The Atrocity Archives.

Until next time, all best wishes for 2004!

So in addition to the standard edition, you can also order in advance a signed and numbered, slipcased limited edition of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations. This slipcased edition will be limited to 100 copies, signed by both the author and artist. The two limited edition items together — the chapbook and the collection — would make a grand set indeed!

If you have already placed an advance order for the standard edition ($24.95), but would like to upgrade to the slipcased limited edition ($100.00), here's what you will need to do:

Previously, we mentioned that we had something special planned for the World Fantasy Convention in honor of British author Ian R. MacLeod's appearance and also to help promote Ian's forthcoming collection, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations. Now that the convention is behind us, we're ready to share this special promotional offer with our readers and fans.

We produced a limited edition chapbook that contains an excerpt from the title novella "Breathmoss." The chapbook is limited to 100 numbered copies signed by author Ian R. MacLeod and artist Bob Eggleton. This little chapbook is a real beauty, and is available Free! with every advance order of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations purchased direct from goldengryphon.com. We have posted all the details on this chapbook, including scans of the full cover and signature page, so do check it out. We sold a bunch of these preorders at the World Fantasy Convention, and we'll continue to give away these chapbooks with each direct advance order until the supply runs out. Remember, there are only 100 of these chapbooks available!

Again, the chapbooks are available for free with each direct retail order for Breathmoss and Other Exhalations; please do not ask us if you may purchase the chapbook itself.

The second offer is our "Holiday Special" — now through December 30, 2003 — during which time you may purchase any (or all!) of nine titles at $20.00 each (postpaid for U.S. orders only). This is an opportunity to obtain some of those missing early titles in your Golden Gryphon Press collection. And our books make swell gifts for the upcoming holiday season too.

The nine titles now on sale at $20.00 each are:

And thank you all — readers and fans, authors, and artists — for your ongoing support of Golden Gryphon Press.

Indeed, a grand time was had by all at the World Fantasy Convention, held in our nation's capital. We had an opportunity to meet so many of you, our fans and readers, whom we can't thank enough for your continued support. Quite a number of our current and forthcoming authors were on hand as well: Dale Bailey, Richard Bowes, Andy Duncan, Gregory Frost, Ian R. MacLeod (who traveled all the way from the U.K., so we took advantage of this and produced a little special something which I'll mention below), Lucius Shepard, and Jeff VanderMeer (who, along with co-editor Forrest Aguirre, won a World Fantasy Award for best anthology — congratulations Jeff and Forrest!). But I hate to list names like this because I'm always afraid I'll forget to include someone! Now if you're wondering why I mentioned Gregory Frost in the list of authors, the key word in that sentence is "forthcoming" —

We are pleased to announce a new title to our publication schedule: We would like to welcome author Gregory Frost to the Golden Gryphon family of authors, as we will be publishing Greg's short story collection Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories in 2005. This collection will include "Madonna of the Maquiladora," a finalist for the 2003 Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the James Tiptree Award, along with the story "How Meersh the Bedeviler Lost His Toes," a finalist for the 1998 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. The book's dust jacket will feature the inestimable work of artist Jason Van Hollander. Another fine title to look forward to from Golden Gryphon Press.

Dale Bailey's The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-22-3) has scored its first review, from Publishers Weekly: "The dark-touched souls of the small-town characters of "Quinn's Way," "Touched" and "The Census Taker" bring to mind the deft chill of Ray Bradbury's early work." And this is just the first review! But you'll be hearing a lot more about this title in the weeks, and months, to come.

The next update (which I hope to have on tap by this weekend) will feature a special offer for fans of British author Ian R. MacLeod, who are anxiously awaiting the publication of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations. Also, just in time for the holidays, we have a "holiday special" planned: If you still need a few of our early titles to complete your Golden Gryphon Press collection, or if you're just looking for some quality books to give as gifts this season, then you'll want to check back with us to take advantage of this special holiday offer.

We'll be premiering our two latest titles at the convention: Dale Bailey's first collection, The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-22-3), and our latest chapbook from Kage Baker, "Company" story The Angel in the Darkness. If you preordered the Bailey collection, you should receive your copy shortly as the book is now shipping. The Baker chapbook shipped earlier and continues to sell quite well, so please don't delay too long in ordering your copy, if you haven't already done so.

And don't forget too that we will have a special promotional offer available at the convention for Ian R. MacLeod's forthcoming short story collection, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations. So please stop by at the Golden Gryphon Press table in the dealers room.

In addition to Dale Bailey, Ian R. MacLeod, Gary Turner, and Marty Halpern, other Golden Gryphon Press folks who will attend the World Fantasy Convention include authors Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, and Lucius Shepard, artist John Picacio, and future GGP authors Richard Bowes and Jeff VanderMeer. And who knows, there may be some surprise appearances that we're not even aware of as yet! In our previous update, we had stated that Kage Baker would be attending the convention, but in a recent email, Kage informed us that other priorities require her attention and she will be unable to attend.

As we've previously mentioned, the Midwest appeciates a good book, and particularly Golden Gryphon Press books. We've posted a new review of Ian Watson's novel Mockymen (ISBN 1-930846-21-5) from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. And George Alec Effinger's new collection, Budayeen Nights (ISBN 1-930846-19-3), continues to garner a lot of attention — this time from The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where George lived for nearly thirty years. This feature article includes input and quotes from author Barbara Hambly and editor Marty Halpern. (If you check out this article, you'll learn about the next George Alec Effinger collection from Golden Gryphon Press, which we haven't officially announced as yet . . . But don't tell anyone else, it's still a secret.)

GGP Convention Appearances

Golden Gryphon Press will have a table in the dealers room at the World Fantasy Convention as well as at Windycon the following weekend.

The 29^th Annual World Fantasy Convention, will be held this year in Washington, DC, from October 30 through November 2. If you'll be attending this convention, please visit us in the dealers room and meet editor and publisher Gary Turner, and editor Marty Halpern. We'll be premiering two new books during this convention: Dale Bailey's first collection, The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories, and our latest chapbook from Kage Baker, The Angel in the Darkness. In fact, both Dale Bailey and Kage Baker will be attending the convention, as will artist John Picacio, who did the cover art for The Resurrection Man's Legacy. If you're an autograph collector, this would be a great opportunity to have your copy of the Bailey collection signed by the author, artist, and editor (Gary Turner).

One of our new authors, Ian R. MacLeod, who resides in the U.K., will be making a rare U.S. appearance at the World Fantasy Convention. In honor of Ian's appearance, and to promote his forthcoming collection Breathmoss and Other Exhalations due next spring, we will have a special promotional offer available during the convention. I'm not at liberty to share the details with you just yet, but this is another good reason to stop by our table in the dealers room.

And then the very next weekend, November 7 through 9, publisher Gary Turner will be manning a table in the dealers room at Windycon XXX in Schaumberg, Illinois. Two of our authors, Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski, will be the Author Special Guests this year at Windycon.

So if you attend either, or both, of these conventions, please stop by the GGP tables, introduce yourself, and feel free to stay and chat a bit.

Now Shipping!

Readers who have preordered copies of The Angel in the Darkness, the new Kage Baker chapbook, should be receiving their copies shortly, as the book is now shipping. Though we're premiering this title at the World Fantasy Convention, we wanted to take care of those who ordered this title in advance. The book is selling briskly, and with the published quantity limited to only 500 copies, don't delay too much longer in placing your order.

Awards Recognition

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History is preparing its 2003 Reading List, and so far two Golden Gryphon stories have made the list: Richard A. Lupoff's "The American Monarchy," which is included in The Silver Gryphon Anthology, and Howard Waldrop's chapbook story, A Better World's in Birth! The Lupoff story postulates a Bush-Gore tie in the 2000 Presidential election, and the resulting (though humorous) collapse of Democracy; Waldrop, on the other hand, treats us to a "ghost story" (and I use the term loosely) that takes place twenty-three years after the executions of the Peoples' Revolutionary leaders Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, and Richard Wagner (yes, the German composer).

A Better World's in Birth! has also made the preliminary ballot for the 2003 British Science Fiction Association Awards.

Both awards will be presented in 2004, and, in fact, we'll need to wait until early next year to learn if these stories make the final ballots. In the meantime, congratulations to both Richard and Howard. We'll be keeping good thoughts for the success of both of your stories.

Reviews

And speaking of The Silver Gryphon Anthology: We've received some excellent reviews on this book, so we certainly can't complain, but finally, one reviewer, Alan DeNiro, has caught the true essence of this anthology in his review on Rain Taxi Online. If you don't already own The Silver Gryphon, if you've been debating whether or not to purchase this book, then this is the review you need to read.

In addition to The Silver Gryphon review, we've posted a ton (well, okay, five!) of new reviews, which you can check out at your leisure:

Interviews

Our authors thankfully continue to write and publish other books in addition to their Golden Gryphon Press titles — and we're always pleased when their Golden Gryphon books are mentioned during interviews to publicize other titles. In a recent Kristine Kathryn Rusch interview posted on Infinity Plus, interviewer Kilian Melloy poses the question: "Are you creating a consistent universe in which to allow the bulk of your stories and novels to take place?" Read the complete Kris Rusch interview.

Jeff VanderMeer, in a recent interview with editor John C. Snider on SciFi Dimensions, talks about his short stories that take place in his worlds of "Ambergris" and "Veniss" — stories that will appear in Jeff's forthcoming Golden Gryphon Press collection, Secret Life. Read the complete Jeff VanderMeer interview.

Well, believe it or not, I think that's all the news to report at this point in time. Dale Bailey's The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-22-3) should be shipping soon, and we'll also have some new books to announce as well. Hopefully there will be another update before the World Fantasy Convention, but regardless, we'll look forward to meeting you in Washington, DC.

Tom Jackson, who maintains the George Alec Effinger FAQ, has written a feature article on GAE and Budayeen Nights for the Cleveland Free Times, which we've now posted. And, in addition to the starred Publishers Weekly review of Budayeen Nights, we've also posted the excellent Booklist review as well.

Golden Gryphon Press would like to congratulate Kage Baker upon winning the first annual Norton Award, a new San Francisco Bay Area award named after Joshua Norton I, who, on September 17, 1859, declared himself Emperor of the United States of America and Protector of Mexico. Kage received the award for her story "A Night on the Barbary Coast," included in The Silver Gryphon Anthology, edited by Gary Turner and Marty Halpern. For details on the Norton Award, including a photograph of Kage Baker holding her award, visit the Locus Online website. And if you wish to learn more about Emperor Norton.

There's a lot more information to post — all I need to do is find the time to type it all up! Hopefully, by this weekend.

Drum roll, please . . .

Announcing the third title in Golden Gryphon's limited edition chapbooks: The Angel in the Darkness, a superb new "Company" novella by Kage Baker. At nearly 30,000 words and more than 75 pages, The Angel in the Darkness is sure to satisfy fans of Kage's full-length "Company" novels, that is, until the next novel is published in 2004. Remember, this chapbook is only available direct from Golden Gryphon Press and a few specialty booksellers. Angel has an official publication date of November 1, but as is typical with all Golden Gryphon books, we hope to be able to ship advance orders prior to the book's premier at the World Fantasy Convention in Washington, DC, at the end of October. For additional details including a look at the full J. K. Potter and Jennifer Potter wraparound cover art, and to order your copy, please go to our Forthcoming Books page.

In addition to The Angel in the Darkness, we are now ready to roll out our 2004 spring and summer titles:

Again, you can view details on these new titles, including the Contents listing and wraparound dust jacket art, on our Forthcoming Books page. We've always taken great pride in the quality of our books' cover art, and I think you will agree with us when we say that this coming year's crop (pun intended) of cover art is some of the best you'll see from Golden Gryphon Press — or from any publisher, for that matter!

Dale Bailey's first short fiction collection, The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories, will also premier at the World Fantasy Convention — but if you've preordered this title, we hope to be shipping those copies shortly.

In the next few updates, we'll be announcing some new acquisitions, we'll highlight an event in October to celebrate the publication of George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights, and we'll let you know at which upcoming conventions Golden Gryphon Press will have a presence in the dealers room.

We hope to have details on our spring/summer 2004 titles posted shortly. Did we mention that you are going to be knocked out by the fabulous cover art on these new titles? And in addition to these 2004 titles, we'll be announcing details (including pre-order information) on our third limited edition chapbook, a new Kage Baker "Company" story — nearly 30,000 words and more than 75 pages! — entitled The Angel in the Darkness.

See you back here real soon . . .

We'll soon be announcing publication details on Golden Gryphon's third limited edition chapbook: Kage Baker's new Company novella, The Angel in the Darkness.

If Howard Waldrop were here, he would want you to know about the "swell" review of his chapbook, A Better World's in Birth!, that has recently been posted on SFRevu. With a signed and numbered print run of only 500 copies, A Better World's in Birth! is sure to sell out, so if you haven't purchased your copy yet, please don't delay too much longer. Our chapbooks are only available directly through Golden Gryphon Press and a few specialty sf/fantasy booksellers. Our first chapbook, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds, is almost sold out, with only like five copies available, and when they're gone . . .

In the current issue of Locus, Nick Gevers has some grand words to say about our two recent releases, Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5) by Nancy Kress and Budayeen Nights (ISBN 1-930846-19-3) by George Alec Effinger. About the Kress novel, Nick writes: "So there is hope of a kind, and Nothing Human concludes on an extraordinary rhapsodic note. This is, in spite and because of its fearsome prophetic burden, an intensely human book . . . This is the essence of elegy, perhaps: a reminder of what we are losing, a reassurance as to what remains. However sad and alarming, Nothing Human is a tribute to Everything Human." And of the Effinger collection, Gevers writes: "Such mastery of place and mood: Effinger was one of SF's finest writers; Budayeen Nights is his fitting memorial." Links to both reviews can be found on the respective book's catalog page.

The Hugo Award ceremonies were held earlier this weekend, and we're pleased to announce that author Geoffrey A. Landis won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "Falling Onto Mars." Although this story is not included in his Golden Gryphon collection, Impact Parameter and Other Quantum Realities (ISBN 1-930846-06-1), we strongly recommend this collection for a hearty taste of Geoff's earlier award-winning and award-nominated short fiction. We're also pleased to announce that Bob Eggleton has won his upteenth (actually, I believe this is his eighth) Hugo Award for Best Artist of the Year. But let's forget about the Hugos for just a moment . . . Bob's artwork graces so many of our books (including Impact Parameter) because we love his work — and he's one of the finest individuals we've had the pleasure to know and work with. Congratulations Bob and Geoff!

Our next update will have details, including cover art, of our spring/summer 2004 releases, some new additions to our publication schedule, and some conventions this fall where you'll be able to meet, in the dealers room, the folks behind Golden Gryphon Press.

Golden Gryphon's second trade paperback reprint —James Patrick Kelly’s Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-20-7), our very first hardcover book back in 1997 — is now shipping. You'll find the stories in this collection as fresh and vibrant today as they were when first published. This book has been out of print for more than a year, so now is your opportunity to purchase a copy for yourself, or for family and friends. This trade paperback makes a great reading copy, and thus allows you to preserve that pristine first edition hardcover!

We had three titles scheduled for September publication: Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5) by Nancy Kress, Budayeen Nights (ISBN 1-930846-19-3) by George Alec Effinger, and now Kelly's Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories — and this latter title is now shipping. So as long as the sun shines and the creek don't rise, Golden Gryphon Press will continue to work hard to ship each of its titles ahead of schedule (knock wood!), and we take great pride in doing so, too.

And speaking of Budayeen Nights, this collection has earned itself a *starred* review in Publishers Weekly in this week's August 11 issue. To quote the review: "One of the founders of cyberpunk, Effinger (1947-2002) led a pain-filled life, but one would never know of his suffering from the tales in this brilliant collection, full as they are of antic humor and atmospheric inventiveness." Read the complete PW starred review. Shortly after we began work on this collection, George passed away — but the stories will survive, and Golden Gryphon Press will do its best to keep his fiction alive in the hearts and minds of our readers.

So we're shipping a new trade paperback, and our most recent hardcover received a starred review in PW — now what could top that? The recently announced nominations for the 2003 World Fantasy Award! Author Jeffrey Ford has received an amazing (though not surprising) four nominations, and, in fact, he's competing against himself in the Best Short Story category with two story nominations! We've been praising Ford's collection, The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-10-X), since it was first published in June 2002. And it's now gained another award nomination for Best Collection and also Best Short Story for "Creation." In addition, Jeff has a nomination in the Best Novel category as well! Four nominations — is that a record for the World Fantasy Awards? Two other Golden Gryphon Press authors received WFA nominations, though for work that was published by others: Paul Di Filippo for best novella, and Jeff VanderMeer for best anthology (co-edited with Forrest Aguirre) and for best collection. I would also like to note that editor and publisher Gary Turner and editor Marty Halpern have also been nominated for the World Fantasy Award in the Special Award-Professional category for their work with Golden Gryphon Press. The Awards will be presented at the World Fantasy Convention on Sunday, November 2, in Washington, D.C. Congratulations, and best of luck to all of our authors!

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to announce that artist Bob Eggleton, whose artwork graces so many of our books' covers, was recently awarded the Locus Award for Best Artist of the year; he also received a Special Award for Artistic Contributions to Locus. Bob is also a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Artist, as is Golden Gryphon artist Frank Kelly Freas. Congratulations Bob and Kelly!

By the end of August or so, we should have details, including cover art and contents, for our spring and summer releases — and if you think our books look hot now, wait until you see the cover art for these 2004 titles! And we'll have another announcement shortly, in our effort to bring more of George Alec Effinger's short fiction back into print.

Previously I mentioned that the Midwest must be fond of Golden Gryphon Press books because we've always received such grand reviews in newspapers such as the Kansas City Star, the Denver Post, and the Rocky Mountain News. Well, I must now add that the West Coast — specifically the San Francisco Chronicle — has been giving our books kudos as well. The Chron has reviewed Louisiana Breakdown by Lucius Shepard, and, more recently, The Silver Gryphon Anthology. From the Current Catalog page you can access any of our titles from which you can link to reviews, interviews, essays, complete stories, and more.

While in Austin, Marty will also have available some copies of the new George Alec Effinger ection, Budayeen Nights — so if you just gotta have a copy before the book hits the store shelves (and you haven't already ordered one direct from Golden Gryphon), then please track Marty down at the convention and let him know you would like to purchase a copy.

See you in Austin in a couple weeks!

Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5), the new novel by Nancy Kress, is an unusual first contact story between fourteen-year-old children and the alien species "pribir" — and the future of humanity. Nothing Human is Golden Gryphon's second novel, and we're sure you'll find it both intriguing and entertaining. By the way, we would like to congratulate Nancy upon her winning the John W. Campbell Award for best SF novel of the year for Probability Space. So, congratulations, Nancy!

Budayeen Nights (ISBN 1-930846-19-3) is George Alec Effinger's first short-fiction collection in ten years, and features all nine stories set in the "Budayeen," the locale of his three best known novels: When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun, and The Exile Kiss.  Budayeen Nights features a story entitled "Marîd Throws a Party," which was to have been the first two chapters of the fourth "Budayeen" novel (Word of Night). This collection also contains an unfinished story, "The Plastic Pasha," which George was writing exclusively for this volume when he passed away in April 2002. George Alec Effinger's stories have been unavailable and out of print for far too long, and Golden Gryphon Press takes great pride in publishing this first volume of his short fiction.

We've posted a link to a new essay entitled "Howard Waldrop and the Future of Science Fiction" by Daniel Day on the Literary Kicks web site. This essay focuses on Waldrop's recent collection Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN 1-930846-13-4). As Daniel Day states: "By the evidence of Custer's Last Jump, science fiction is back. And never left, if only I'd known where to look."

We've also posted yet another review of Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN 1-930846-14-2), this one a second review on SF Site. This makes fifteen different reviews, plus two recent Shepard interviews, that we've posted for Louisiana Breakdown. Have you gotten the hint yet about the importance of this book?

And lastly, we've mentioned previously about the fondness the Midwest has for Golden Gryphon Press . . . Well, the Rocky Mountain News continues that trend with a grand review of The Silver Gryphon (ISBN 1-930846-15-0).

You'll find links to all reviews and interviews on the individual catalog page for each of our books. Just click to our on-line Catalog.

And don't forget to vote for the Hugo Awards! If you are a supporting or attending member of this year's Worldcon — Torcon3 — you may vote for the Hugo Awards. The on-line ballot has finally been posted, and the deadline to vote is July 31. To vote on-line you must use your PIN, which was provided in Progress Report 5.

We've added links to an excellent new review of Michael Bishop's Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9) from SciFi Weekly, a new review of Howard Waldrop and Friends' Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN: 1-930846-13-4) by author Charles de Lint in the lastest issue of F&SF, and a new interview with Lucius Shepard published in a recent edition of the Austin American-Statesman. The links are posted on the respective book's Catalog page; and in the case of the Lucius Shepard interview, you'll find the link on the Louisiana Breakdown Catalog page as well as the Forthcoming Books page under Two Trains Running.

The Calendar of Events page has also been updated. In fact, this particular page gets updated quite regularly and it's not always announced, so be sure to check the Calendar of Events often for news on author appearances (readings, signings, lectures), on-line chats, etc.

You can now order all of our Fall/Winter titles online via PayPal, or feel free to mail a check, money order, or your credit card information directly to Golden Gryphon Press. See the Order form for prices and to obtain our mailing address.

And lastly, if you are either an attending member or supporting member of Torcon 3, the 61^st World Science Fiction Convention, please don't forget to vote for the Hugo Awards. All ballots must be postmarked by July 31, 2003; online voting will also be available. Please check the Torcon 3 web site for further details. Golden Gryphon Press authors have made a strong showing on this year's list of Hugo Awards finalists: In the Best Novella category are Ian R. MacLeod's "Breathmoss" (Breathmoss and Other Exhalations, June 2004) and Paul Di Filippo's "A Year in the Linear City"; in the Best Novelette category is Charles Stross's "Halo"; and in the Best Short Story category are Jeffrey Ford's "Creation" (The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories, ISBN 1-930846-10-X) and Geoffrey A. Landis's "Falling Onto Mars." And lets not forget one of Golden Gryphon's favorite artists, Bob Eggleton, whose artbook Dragonhenge is a finalist in the Best Related Book category. The 2003 Hugo Awards will be presented at the Hugo Awards Ceremony on Saturday, August 30, 2003. Good luck all!

We've now posted both Booklist and Publishers Weekly reviews for three of our recent hardcover titles: Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN: 1-930846-14-2) by Lucius Shepard, Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN: 1-930846-13-4) by Howard Waldrop and Friends, and The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN: 1-930846-15-0). You'll find links to these and other reviews in the "Current Catalog" — simply click on the thumbnail cover art for the desired book to get to that book's individual catalog page.

That's it for this update. I just wanted to bring you the latest awards news, and to remind you that we continually add reviews and update the "Calendar of Events" page even though those updates may not be mentioned here.

And speaking of squirreling away books: The keeper of the Golden Gryphon Press book depository informs me that two of our titles are quickly making their way toward "sold out" status — only about ten copies remain of Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds, our first signed, numbered, limited edition chapbook; and only about thirty copies remain of the signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition of The Silver Gryphon Anthology. So if you've been procrastinating on the purchase of either (or both) of these titles, please don't wait too much longer. And I also want to remind you that the Kage Baker collection, Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers (ISBN 1-930846-11-8) is now in its second printing. You can, however, still purchase first editions direct from Golden Gryphon Press.

Interviewer extraordinaire Kilian Melloy has conducted another fine interview, this one with author Michael Bishop, to coincide with the publication of Michael's second Golden Gryphon Press collection, Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9). At the beginning of the interview, Kilian brilliantly summarizes some of Michael's recent books, including both of his Golden Gryphon collections. You can access the Brighten catalog page here, and then scroll down toward the bottom of the page for the link to the interview. We've also included a link to the complete text of another story, "Chihuahua Flats," from Brighten. Enjoy . . .

We're finalizing the details of our third signed, numbered, limited edition chapbook (by the author of our fastest selling collection — hint, hint), and we'll post details in the next update.

The first reviews are in on our two most recent books: Michael Bishop's Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9) and the previously mentioned Waldrop chapbook — and we couldn't be more pleased. In her Locus review of Brighten to Incandescence, Faren Miller uses such words as "extraordinary punch," "deeper truths," "genius," and "shows an author brightening toward incandescence: the quantum leap." And Jonathan Strahan writes in Locus of A Better World's in Birth!: "It is, as always, beautifully written, and meticulously researched . . ."

We've finalized the publishing schedule for the first half of 2004, and you can view this on our Forthcoming Books page. Toward the end of June or so we'll be posting details of these books, including cover art and contents listings. Just when you think the artwork couldn't get any better — Prepare to be amazed / impressed / awed / inspired when you see the cover art for these new titles. And then, of course, there is the contents!

Lastly, we would like to announce the acquisition of a new novel from author Richard Bowes, to be published in 2005, entitled From the Files of the Time Rangers — ancient gods and cyborgs together in the Time Stream. Sections of the novel, including the Nebula Award-nominated story "The Ferryman's Wife," have been previously published in F&SF, on SCIFICTION, and elsewhere. Please welcome Rick Bowes to the Golden Gryphon family.

A big Golden Gryphon Press congratulations to author Dale Bailey whose story "Death and Suffrage" won the International Horror Guild Award for Best Story - Intermediate Form. "Death and Suffrage" is but one of the eleven evocative stories to be included in Dale's short fiction collection, The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories, forthcoming from Golden Gryphon Press in November. Congratulations, Dale!

We've posted a new review of The Silver Gryphon Anthology from the Rocky Mountain News, as well as a new review of Louisiana Breakdown, from the Denver Post. Apparently the Denver newspapers are quite partial to Golden Gryphon Press!

Early next week we hope to begin shipping Howard Waldrop's limited edition "chapbook," A Better World's in Birth!, and we should also have some information on a new Golden Gryphon Press acquisition.

See you back here in a few days.

We've posted new reviews for Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown from the San Francisco Chronicle and also Locus Magazine — in fact, this is the second Locus review for Louisiana Breakdown. In her review, Faren Miller quotes a bit of text from the story, which will give you a wee taste of Lucius's wordcrafting in this dark tale. A new Locus review for The Silver Gryphon Anthology has also been posted. You can read these reviews through links on each respective book's Catalog page.

Star Base Andromeda, the regional science fiction & fantasy club in Lincoln, Nebraska — the hometown for Golden Gryphon author Robert Reed — recently contacted us with a link to Robert's new web site. So we've added it to our Links page, which includes links to nearly all of our authors and artists, as well as to our favorite sites on the web.

And don't forget our Web Special Offer through the month of May (while supplies last!) for Michael Bishop's first Golden Gryphon collection Blue Kansas Sky. The 10% discounted price includes a manuscript page from the title story, "Blue Kansas Sky," autographed by the author.

The first review of The Silver Gryphon (ISBN 1-930846-15-0) is in, and it's a good one from Publishers Weekly: "Even when rooted in the routine tragedies of daily life (death of a parent, senility, midlife crisis), these stories clearly view the common through eyes trained to see the fantastic." If you number among your favorite authors those we've published here at Golden Gryphon Press, then this anthology is a must have!

And speaking of The Silver Gryphon, if you are also a specialty collector of limited editions we should have details on the signed and numbered edition of this book next week. Alas, the book has been ready for a couple weeks, we're just waiting on delivery of the slipcases.

Lastly, if you're into meeting and chatting with Golden Gryphon authors, we've added quite a few new events for the month of May to the Calendar page. In fact, the Calendar gets updated quite frequently and we don't always mention it here, so please do check it regularly.

Until next week!

At this time we are ready to "officially" announce preordering for the second in our new line of limited edition chapbooks. Author Howard Waldrop has another alternate history tale to tell in A Better World's in Birth! — and here you thought Richard Wagner was just a German composer! Remember, this book has no ISBN and therefore will only be available direct from Golden Gryphon Press (or very fine speciality stores). And while we're speaking of chapbooks, if you haven't purchased your copy of the first in this series, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds, please do so as there are less than 20 copies available.

We have more plaudits to bestow on our authors this time around. (This bestowing of plaudits in nearly every update is one habit that I enjoy!) Author Dale Bailey has been nominated for two — that's right, two! — International Horror Guild (IHG) Awards: Best Story - Intermediate Form for "Death and Suffrage," which will appear in his forthcoming collection The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (ISBN: 1-930846-22-3, November 2003); and also for Best First Novel for The Fallen. Though Golden Gryphon Press didn't publish that novel (it's a Signet mass market paperback), do check it out, then come back here in a few months for the collection, and we're sure you will then understand why Dale is garnering so much attention. In fact, I'm surprised he only got the two nominations! For more information on these Awards visit the IHG web site.

In the last update we mentioned that Ian R. MacLeod's story "Breathmoss" has been nominated for the best novella Hugo Award. Well, the winner of that award will be announced at Torcon3 during Labor Day weekend. But in the meantime, we're pleased to announce that "Breathmoss" has won the Asimov's Readers' Award for Best Novella published in that august magazine in 2002! Now, if all those readers will order a copy of Ian's collection, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations . . .

We've also posted some new reviews: Have you ever read a review of a science fiction short story collection on CNN.com? Neither have we — until now! Read what CNN.com has to say about James Patrick Kelly's Strange But Not a Stranger (Hint: Jim is changing the face of science fiction!). We've also posted an Interzone magazine review of Kage Baker's Black Projects, White Knights — it's a great review, but please note that Kage does not live in Baja California, which is south of the Mexican border. Kage lives in Pismo Beach, a small California coastal town about halfway between Monterey and Santa Barbara. SciFi Weekly has a review of Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations by Howard Waldrop and Friends; and Infinity Plus reviews Louisiana Breakdown, the latest from Lucius Shepard. You can also read an in-depth interview with Lucius on SciFi Weekly. Aside from discussing his current and future projects, Lucius also gives us an insider's view of life in El Salvador and Hondorus, experiences which have greatly influenced — and will continue to influence — his writing. Links to all of these reviews and interview have been posted on the specific book's catalog page.

Until the next update . . .

We've posted an excellent Kansas City Star review of both Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN: 1-930846-14-2) by Lucius Shepard and Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN: 1-930846-13-4) by Howard Waldrop and Friends. And if you check out our Favorite WWW Links page you'll find a few new listings, including a link to Jeffrey Ford's new official web site.

Over the next few weeks we have some exciting announcements and events to unveil: We hope to be able to announce shortly the availability of a limited number of signed and numbered copies of The Silver Gryphon. This special slipcased edition has been signed by all contributors, including the twenty authors, the cover artist, and the two editors. The cover art for our second limited edition paperbound chapbook has been completed — Howard Waldrop's A Better World's in Birth! — so we will soon be able to post details, including ordering information. We have a new Web Special coming up to coincide with the publication of Michael Bishop's second Golden Gryphon collection, Brighten to Incandescense: 17 Stories. And lastly, there may be a couple new books in the offing, too.

Congratulations to Golden Gryphon authors and Nebula Awards nominees Andy Duncan (best novella), Charles Stross (best novelette), and Jeffrey Ford (best short story) — and Good Luck this coming weekend!

In honor of the publication of our twenty-fifth book, Gary Turner and Marty Halpern were recently interviewed by noted critic and reviewer Nick Gevers. The interview is now available for your reading pleasure on SF Site. In addition to the interview, SF Site also has an in-depth review of all of Golden Gryphon's books, from the very first title in 1997 — Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories by James Patrick Kelly — to the last three titles in September 2002.

If you've been hearing the buzz about author Charles Stross as much as we have, then you'll know why we're excited to have The Atrocity Archives on our publishing schedule for early 2004. Charles was recently interviewed for the MarsDust.com fandom web site. If you would like to know more about what makes this unique author tick, and what his current projects are, including information on Golden Gryphon's The Atrocity Archives, then check out the Charles Stross interview.

We've also posted two new reviews of Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN 1-930846-14-2), from Interzone and Publishers Weekly respectively. You can read these reviews on the book's catalog page.

Lastly, for those of you who are specialty collectors and/or diehard Golden Gryphon fans (Aren't you all?), I'm going to let the proverbial cat out of the bag with this little ending note: We may have a limited number of signed, numbered, and slipcased copies of The Silver Gryphon available for sale. These copies will be signed by all twenty-three contributors — the twenty authors, the cover artist, and both editors. We'll post details here as soon as we learn the books are available.

Our second limited edition trade paperback chapbook, Howard Waldrop's A Better World's in Birth!, is now ready for the printer — we're just waiting on the final cover art. Artist Nicholas Jainschigg is hard at work on just the right details and nuances to fully showcase this uniquely Waldrop story. As soon as the artwork is complete, we'll post it here, along with details and advance ordering information.

Congratulations are due to James Patrick Kelly, whose story "The Pyramid of Amirah" has been selected for inclusion in the forthcoming anthology Year's Best Fantasy 3, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. "The Pyramid of Amirah" is, of course, one of the many fine stories in Kelly's recent Golden Gryphon Press collection Strange But Not a Stranger (ISBN 1-930846-12-6). Also, Michael Bishop's 5000-word essay, "A Lingering Incandescence" — the Afterword to his forthcoming collection Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9) — has been reprinted on the front page of the April issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction.

Our books continue to be reviewed in the various media: Of our two most recent releases, Howard Waldrop & Friends' Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN: 1-930846-13-4) has just been reviewed in Sunday's The Washington Post Book World, and Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown is reviewed in the April issue of Locus as well as on-line on SciFi Dimensions. The November-December 2002 issue of SFRA Review, a publication of the Science Fiction Research Association, reviewed both Jeffrey Ford's The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories and Ian Watson's The Great Escape. George Zebrowski's Swift Thoughts is reviewed on-line on Infinity-Plus; and last, but certainly not least, Alastair Reynolds's chapbook novella, Turquoise Days, is reviewed on-line on SF Site. Links to these reviews have been added to each respective book's "Catalog" page. By the way, there are only about twenty copies remaining of Turquoise Days!

The "Calender of Events" page as well as the "Links" page have also been updated. The most recent addition to our favorite links is the home page for artist Scott Eagle. For those of you unfamiliar with Scott's work, you'll find his art gracing the cover of Jeff VanderMeer's highly acclaimed City of Saints & Madmen, a book that I believe made literally every SF/F Best of 2002 list. Scott has also been commissioned to do the cover art for VanderMeer's Golden Gryphon Press collection, Secret Life, scheduled for publication in 2004.

In addition to the release of The Silver Gryphon, in the next few weeks we'll be posting some special offers, including another Web Special, and possibly even a new book announcement — or two.

As I mentioned in my last update, the highly anticipated anthology The Silver Gryphon is now at the printer, and artist Thomas Canty has turned in the final artwork for the cover. You can view the final cover art on our Forthcoming Books page. The tarot cards scattered about the wraparound cover each depict a key icon from one of the included stories.

We have a LOT of news to share with you this time around. Recognition has once again been heaped upon our authors. Kage Baker's story "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing" has also been selected to appear in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction. As stated in previous updates, the Baker collection, Black Projects, White Knights (ISBN 1-930846-11-8), has gone into a second printing, but first editions are still available direct from Golden Gryphon Press.

The Editors at SF Site have selected Jeffrey Ford's The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-10-X) as one of the Top 10 Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2002. And the story "Creation" has been selected to appear in the Robert Silverberg & Karen Haber anthology Fantasy: The Best of 2002. If you haven't read this wonderful story as yet, and thus are wondering what all the hoopla is about, "Creation" has been posted on the F&SF web site in support of the story's 2002 Nebula Award nomination. We've posted a link to the story on the book's catalog page.

Lastly, Locus Magazine's 2002 Recommended Reading List includes four Golden Gryphon Press collections: In addition to the Baker and Ford collections mentioned above, the list also includes Strange But Not a Stranger (ISBN 1-930846-12-6) by James Patrick Kelly and The Great Escape (ISBN 1-930846-09-6) by Ian Watson.

Congratulations once again to all our authors! We would also like to take this opportunity to ask that you please remember these stories and collections when voting in this year's awards. If you are a subscriber to Locus, please vote in the Locus Poll; the deadline is May 31, 2003. Also, if you were an attending or supporting member of last year's ConJose WorldCon, or are an attending or supporting member of this year's Torcon 3 WorldCon, you can nominate for the Hugo Awards. If you haven't received your Hugo Award nominations ballot yet, you can obtain one at the Torcon 3 web site. All nomination ballots must be postmarked by March 31, 2003.

Now, on to news about our forthcoming books . . . I received an email last week from a staunch Golden Gryphon Press reader who strongly urged us to consider publishing a collection of short fiction by noted U.K. author Ian R. MacLeod. Well, I was pleased to be able to reply to this reader that we do have a new Ian R. MacLeod collection on the schedule — Breathmoss and Other Exhalations will be published in 2004. The title novella, "Breathmoss," is also on the Locus 2002 Recommended Reading List and is eligible for Hugo Award nomination as well.

Other new forthcoming books include a Joe R. Landale collection entitled Bumper Crop, a William F. Nolan collection entitled Wild Galaxy, and last, but certainly not least, a new novel by Neal Barrett, Jr., entitled The Prince of Christler-Coke. We'll have more information as the books progress and we firm up the publishing schedule for 2004.

The Silver Gryphon — book #25, our anniversary book — is currently at the printer. We hope you'll be as pleased as we are with the twenty original stories included in this anthology. And lastly, the Howard Waldrop limited edition chapbook, A Better World's in Birth!, has been sent to the typesetter. This chapbook will be published in time for ReaderCon in July where Howard will be the Author Guest of Honor. We'll post details, including ordering information, as soon as the cover art is finalized (hopefully by the beginning of April). Only 500 signed and numbered copies will be available for sale.

Author, editor, critic, and reviewer Don D'Ammassa has published his "Best of" lists in the current issue of Chronicle (formerly Science Fiction Chronicle), and three of our titles have made Don's lists: On the Best SF of 2002 list are Richard A. Lupoff's Claremont Tales II and George Zebrowski's Swift Thoughts. On the Best Fantasy of 2002 list is, once again, Jeffrey Ford's The Fantasy Writer's Assistant.

And last, but certainly not least, our first limited edition chapbook novella — Turquoise Days by Al Reynolds — has been selected to appear in Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction. Being selected for one of the Year's Best anthologies is certainly an achievement, but even more so when the story is a 31,000 word novella. Selecting this novella for the anthology means that two, or even three, stories of shorter length could not be included in the book. One final note about Turquoise Days: According to publisher Gary Turner, less than 30 copies remain in the Golden Gryphon vaults.

So, once again, congratulations authors! — Jeffrey Ford, Richard A. Lupoff, Al Reynolds, and George Zebrowski.

At this time, you can now read on-line two Michael Bishop stories — "O Happy Day" and "Sequel on Skorpiós" — included in his forthcoming (and second) Golden Gryphon collection, Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9). There is also a link to Dale Bailey's "In Green's Dominion," which is included in The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories. As more stories, interviews, and reviews of these new titles become available, I'll be posting the links (or the text itself) for your access.

With regards to our existing books, you can read yet another review of the highly acclaimed Kage Baker collection, Black Projects, White Knights (ISBN 1-930846-11-8) — now in its second printing! — this on-line review from the inimitable "Geek Speak Weekly" web site. And lastly, a brief plug for Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds: This is the first in our signed and numbered limited edition chapbook series, and I've been informed by the publisher this past week that only a few handfuls of these books remain — like less than 50 copies! So please do purchase your copy soon, if you haven't already done so, before they sell out. The second chapbook in this series will feature an original story by Howard Waldrop. The story has already gone through one round of edits, and Howard now has the limitation pages in hand for his signature. Nicholas Jainschigg will provide the full wraparound cover art. The chapbook is on schedule for publication to coincide with Howard's Guest of Honor appearance at ReaderCon in Boston in July.

If you're as anxiously awaiting our new spring titles as much as we are, here's the status:
Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN: 1-930846-14-2) is currently at the printer. Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations by Howard Waldrop and Friends (ISBN: 1-930846-13-4) is on its way to the printer. We've just completed a lengthy review of the first round of page proofs for The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN: 1-930846-15-0). And lastly, we'll be receiving page proofs next week for Michael Bishop's Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN: 1-930846-16-9). So as long as the sun continues to come up and the creek don't rise, on schedule through to publication.

If you're eager to part with some of that Holiday gift money you received, please feel free to place an advance order at this time for any (or all!) of these new books. You can now order on-line through PayPal, or print out the Order Form and send it direct to Golden Gryphon Press with your payment. We accept payment via personal check, money order, and Visa or Mastercard.

And though we're excited about these new books that will soon hit the shelves, we're also excited about some new titles that we're ready to announce at this time.

The second story in our new line of signed and numbered limited edition chapbooks has been delivered: A Better World's in Birth! by Howard Waldrop. Howard describes this tale as "an alternate world ghost story" that takes place during the European Revolutions beginning in 1848. Publisher Gary Turner insists that the story is a prequel to George Orwell's 1984. Regardless, A Better World's in Birth! is a typical Howard Waldrop romp through history, which we're sure you'll enjoy. The chapbook will feature full color wraparound cover art by Nicholas Jainschigg, and will be published in July 2003 to coincide with Howard's Guest of Honor appearance at ReaderCon 15 in Boston.

On the schedule now for Spring 2004 is The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. The novel "The Atrocity Archive" was first serialized in British magazine Spectrum SF this past year, and, as an added bonus, Charles has written a new follow-on novella, "The Concrete Jungle," that will be exclusive to this book. In The Atrocity Archives, Stross merges hard SF (higher mathematics, to be specific) with the Cthulhu Mythos in a superb supernatural thriller. Steve Montiglio provides the full color wraparound cover art. Steve is new to the Golden Gryphon family of artists, but you'll see more of his work soon when we release the cover art for forthcoming novel Mockymen by Ian Watson.

We have also added new collection Thumbprints by author Pamela Sargent to the Fall 2004 schedule. "Thumbprints," the title story, was written exclusively for this collection, which features literate SF and fantasy stories from throughout Sargent's critically acclaimed career. The full color wraparound cover art will be done by Jill Bauman, another artist new to Golden Gryphon but certainly not new to the genre.

On our "Links" page you'll find — naturally! — links to web sites for authors Pamela Sargent and Charles Stross, and artists Jill Bauman and Steve Montiglio, if you wish to learn more about their work. The "Links" page can be accessed from the Golden Gryphon home page.

More congratulations are in order for Kage Baker's Black Projects, White Knights (ISBN 1-930846-11-8) and Jeffrey Ford's The Fantasy Writer's Assistant (ISBN 1-930846-10-X), both of which have made Jeff VanderMeer's "Top 10 Fantastical Books of 2002" List, posted on SFSite.com. And as the "Best of 2002" lists continue to be published, we'll continue to update you on any kudos our books and authors receive.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to call your attention to two new excellent reviews of our first limited edition chapbook, Turquoise Days. You'll find links to these two on-line reviews, from SciFi Dimensions and the Agony Column, on the catalog page for Turquoise Days. Now that the second title in this chapbook series has been announced, we anticipate selling out this first chapbook shortly, so please purchase yours while copies are still available. Turquoise Days provides the inside scoop on the Pattern Jugglers, one of the strange alien entities in Alastair Reynolds's "future history" series. And it's a dang good story in its own right (write!) too.

In the next update, hopefully in just a few weeks, we'll post details, including the cover art and contents, for our Fall 2003 titles. We're now preparing the details for our distributor's catalog, due to them by January 15, after which we'll post the information on goldengryphon.com. See you then.