Also, if you purchased your copy of Budayeen Nights by George Alec Effinger direct from Golden Gryphon Press, we have a special autographed bookplate for you for FREE! for just a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Of course, you can always purchase a copy of Budayeen Nights from us at this time, and receive one of these autographed bookplates free with your order! Please read the details of this Special Offer to obtain your FREE bookplate.

Both offers end on January 7, 2005!

See you all again next year!

We have a special Holiday Sale of thirteen earlier Golden Gryphon Press hardcover titles. Now is your chance to add one or more of these archival-quality hardcovers to your library. These books also make great holiday gifts for family, friends, and significant others. This sale ends on December 30.

Our other offer is open to anyone who purchased a copy of George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights direct from Golden Gryphon Press. We have a specially designed bookplate available that has been autographed by Barbara Hambly, who wrote the book's foreword as well as the individual story introductions. Please read the details of this Special Offer to obtain your FREE bookplate.

You may recall that Kristine Kathryn Rusch's story, "Cowboy Grace," from The Silver Gryphon Anthology, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Short Story of the year. Well, we've just learned that "Cowboy Grace" has been selected to appear in The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Fifth Annual Collection edited by Ed Gorman. Congratulations Kris!

And speaking of The Silver Gryphon Anthology, we only have about five copies remaining of the numbered, limited edition, which has been signed by all 23 contributors, including cover artist Thomas Canty. (Don't get me started on how rare a Canty signature is!) Two of the stories in this anthology won regional awards, two other stories were finalists for national awards, and three stories were selected for "Year's Best" anthologies. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. And we've already begun planning our 50^th "Anniversary" Anthology — The Golden Gryphon. More details forthcoming after the new year.

The magazine Cemetary Dance recently celebrated the publication of its 50^th issue. For this milestone issue, Paula Guran reviewed four Golden Gryphon Press titles: Bumper Crop by Joe R. Lansdale, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations by Ian R. MacLeod, The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross, and Secret Life by Jeff VanderMeer. Paula selected these four books because their contents lack distinct genre boundaries, i.e. science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror. Her goal was to introduce Cemetary Dance readers to books and/or authors whom they might not typically read.

A blurb from Ms. Guran on each of these four books:

"Bumper Crop is good enough to make a rabbit spit in a bulldog's face. Y'all just buy it (and grab a copy of High Cotton if you're lacking it) and you'll be as happy as a hog in slops."

"[Breathmoss and Other Exhalations] are dangerous visions: sometimes dark, sometimes redemptive, always transcendent. Stylistically, McLeod's prose is shaped to story and character, but, just as surely, story and character shape the prose. Few writers can achieve the variety and breadth necessary for such synthesis, but McLeod does so effortlessly."

"[In The Atrocity Archives,] you'll encounter a talented writer you probably haven't run across before. . . . Bob and the Laundry seem destined for more dark adventures. You'll not want to miss out on them."

"There's nothing escapist about these fictions. Most succeed in entertaining as well as confronting. Perhaps that's the darkest part of them: the recognition that no one escapes the darkness, but we survive it and are changed in the process. . . . Secret Life is another revelatory exercise from an author who is beginning to take his place among the other masters of the fantastic."

And don't forget that first editions of both Bumper Crop and The Atrocity Archives are still available direct from Golden Gryphon Press.

Lansdale's Bumper Crop was also recently reviewed on SFSite: ". . . this book was made for you. It contains some weird stuff and some scary stuff, but all of it's good stuff. If a hearty dose of Mojo Storytelling is what you've got a craving for, you've come to the right place."

And for the last review, Cheryl Morgan on Emerald City had this to say about Mere by Robert Reed: "I’ve said it before and I’m going to have to say it again. Robert Reed does not do things by halves. I mean, anyone can write a story about a young girl who is the only survivor of a spaceship accident and crash lands on an alien planet. Only Robert Reed would have the girl be the product of a massively advanced civilization, making her virtually immortal, and therefore a genuine case for being worshipped as a goddess. And only Robert Reed would have the story last for many millennia in the space of a novelette."

Mere, a signed and numbered, trade paperbound chapbook, is limited to only 500 copies. Order direct from Golden Gryphon Press, or check with other fine specialty booksellers, both in the U.S. and in the U.K.

This may in fact be the last major update before the end of the year, so we here at Golden Gryphon Press would like to thank you all for your continued support of our authors and the books we publish. And we would like to wish you and yours the very best holiday season: Happy Chanukah! Merry Christmas! Kwanzaa Greetings! And a wonderful Winter Solstice!

A specially designed Budayeen Nights bookplate autographed by author Barbara Hambly, who wrote the foreword and story introductions for this book, is yours FREE!

This offer will remain open until our supply of autographed bookplates is exhausted.

You can also place an order with Golden Gryphon Press for a copy of George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights and receive the autographed bookplate absolutely FREE with your order!

Please read the details of this Special Offer to obtain your FREE bookplate.

The San Francisco Chronicle has posted its recommended list of ten science fiction and fantasy Books for the Holidays, and we were most pleased to see Charles Stross's The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) on the list. Stross is in very good company, as the other books listed are by such noteworthy authors as Kage Baker, Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Gene Wolfe. Don't forget that The Atrocity Archives has gone into a second printing, but first editions are still available direct from Golden Gryphon Press.

And the Kansas City Star has posted its "100 Noteworthy Books of 2004." Of the twelve science fiction and fantasy titles listed, two are from Golden Gryphon Press: The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross and Lucius Shepard's Two Trains Running (ISBN 1-930846-23-1). Congratulations Lucius and Charles! By the way, to access the Kansas City Star website, you will need to register first. It's a free registration process that most online newspapers are now requiring, including the New York Times, among others.

Later in this update we'll have more news related to The Atrocity Archives and Two Trains Running, and what their respective authors have in store for us.

We've acquired some new titles recently, which have enabled us to finalize our publishing schedule through 2006. You can view this schedule on the Forthcoming Books page.

We have now scheduled through book #49, which means that we can also announce book #50 — The Golden Gryphon Anthology! This anthology will consist of original stories written by those authors who comprise books #26 through #49. Hopefully these authors will be able to fit this anthology into their very busy writing schedules to help make The Golden Gryphon truly a major milestone for Golden Gryphon Press. We're still working out the details with our authors, so we'll have more news for you on the new anthology after the New Year. And if you missed book #25, The Silver Gryphon Anthology, please do check it out as it will give you a wee taste of what's in store in The Golden Gryphon.

New acquisitions

We've also acquired the first short fiction collection by author M. (Mary) Rickert. If you've been reading the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction over these past two years, then you've undoubtedly read one or more of Mary's short stories. This collection, entitled A Very Little Madness (book #48), will feature a previously unpublished 38,000-word novella, "Map of Dreams." The collection will be composed as if the protagonist in "Map of Dreams," Annie Merchant, has written the remainder of the stories. Cover art will be provided by Mary's favorite artist, Thomas Canty.

And Charles Stross is working on a new "Bob Howard" novel, a sequel to The Atrocity Archives, for Golden Gryphon Press. According to Charlie, The Jennifer Morgue (book #49) will do for Ian Fleming what The Atrocity Archives did for Len Deighton.

And with The Golden Gryphon Anthology, that completes our 2006 schedule. But we're not slowing down, that's for sure, and as proof we've already purchased a couple titles for 2007:

British author Eric Brown is also new to Golden Gryphon Press with short fiction collection Threshold Shift — comprising ten stories, none of which have been previously published in the U.S. Two stories, "Hunting the Slarque" and "The Children of Winter," won the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Short Story Award in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Threshold Shift will have an introduction by Stephen Baxter.

And lastly, Lucius Shepard will be writing new novel California Somewhere, a sequel to his Sturgeon Memorial Award-winning novella "Over Yonder" (which can be found in Two Trains Running).

So that's a whole lotta new fiction forthcoming for you, our Golden Gryphon Press readers: three novels, two short fiction collections, and one anthology. And you thought you didn't have anything to read!

Review, reviews, an interview, and more reviews

Our other recent release, Robert Reed's limited edition chapbook story Mere, has been making the "blog" circuit of late. Author Tom Piccirilli had this to say about Mere and Reed's "Marrow" universe: "The story is thought-provoking in the best sense of the term, and Reed has the high-octane imagination and solid writing style to keep readers returning [to] this very strange universe of his making." If you haven't obtained your copy of Mere yet, keep in mind that this trade paperback is limited to only 500 signed and numbered copies, with the consummate cover art by Bob Eggleton.

The latest issue of UK magazine Interzone (#195), under the new editorial leadership of Andy Cox, has arrived here in California, with reviews of both The Atrocity Archives and Jeff VanderMeer's Secret Life (ISBN 1-930-84627-4). About Secret Life, reviewer Rick Kleffel writes: "VanderMeer burns brightly even when his subject matter is dark as night. This collection offers an astonishing variety of subject matter and styles. But most importantly, it offers intensity." And Rick had this to say about The Atrocity Archives: "Stross is a true original, and what holds this Rube-Goldberg concoction together is his lively, humorous prose. Buttressing the comedic monologue are high-quality, deep-thought science fictional conceptualizations."

The Atrocity Archives is one of our most reviewed books to date. In addition to the recent Interzone review mentioned above, we have two additional reviews to report. Author/editor/critic Claude Lalumière reviewed Atrocity in the Montreal Gazette: "Stross seductively creates an entire secret history of international intelligence agencies working to keep the other levels of reality from spilling out into everyday life." And Cat Eldridge in The Green Man Review says of the author: "Stross, as always, has a deft hand at characters, characters that are both believable and grow as the plot advances. . . . the plot well thought out, and the pacing damn near perfect. . . . Like Kage Baker and Neal Asher, his fiction is always among the best being written today."

And our last review comes from infinity plus on Two Trains Running: "This book gives you the chance to read the story next to what inspired it . . . a collectible for Shepard's fans, collecting a fine article, a major novella and an interesting novelette between hard covers."

One more item of note . . . For those of you who previously purchased a copy of George Alec Effinger's first collection, Budayeen Nights, direct from Golden Gryphon Press, we'll be announcing a special offer soon — just for you!

And if you who partake in ye olde turkey, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

     Book   #2 ― The Moon Maid and Other Fantastic Adventures by R. Garcia y Robertson
     Book   #5 ― The Robot's Twilight Companion by Tony Daniel
     Book   #6 ― Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories by Neal Barrett Jr.
     Book   #7 ― Terminal Visions by Richard Paul Russo
     Book   #9 ― Blue Kansas Sky by Michael Bishop
     Book #10 ― Beluthahatchie and Other Stories by Andy Duncan
     Book #11 ― Claremont Tales by Richard A. Lupoff
     Book #12 ― Stories for an Enchanted Afternoon by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
     Book #14 ― The Wild Boy by Warren Rochelle
     Book #15 ― Strange Trades by Paul Di Filippo
     Book #17 ― Claremont Tales II by Richard A. Lupoff
     Book #18 ― Swift Thoughts by George Zebrowski
     Book #19 ― The Great Escape by Ian Watson

This sale ends on December 30, 2004, but place your order today to ensure your books arrive in time for the holidays.

Golden Gryphon Press would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jason Van Hollander for winning the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist (a tie with Donato Giancola). Jason's handiwork can be seen on the cover of our forthcoming title Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories by Gregory Frost. Congratulations Jason!

Our most recent release, Pamela Sargent's Thumbprints (ISBN 1-930846-29-0), has just been reviewed in the current issue of SciFi Weekly. The reviewer, noted sf author Adam-Troy Castro, writes: "Pamela Sargent is a skilled, versatile wordsmith whose evocative prose brings her stories to heartfelt life. The stories in Thumbprints may feature settings from the fabled past to the far future, but they all feel immediate, and they all resonate in the emotions. The collection highlight, the already-cited "Climb the Wind," features such a vivid portrait of a dusty, poverty-stricken and despairing modern-day Mongolia that the fantasy element, as powerful as it happens to be, is almost unnecessary: She has already captured the soul of the place, with an eloquence that shames many writers of nonfiction."

We know our books are worthy of this praise, that's why we publish them! But it sure is grand to actually see this kind of praise in print, and from a fellow author, too! And please don't forget that Thumbprints also comes in a slipcased, numbered edition — limited to only 100 copies! — that has been signed and thumbprinted by the author.

Forthcoming Books

The Silver Gryphon was the twenty-fifth book from Golden Gryphon Press. Edited by Gary Turner and Marty Halpern, this anthology comprises twenty new, previously unpublished stories from the authors whose work was showcased in our first twenty-four books. If you would like to introduce family and friends to Golden Gryphon Press, The Silver Gryphon would be the ideal gift! We also have a slipcased and numbered limited edition available, signed by all twenty-three contributors: the twenty authors, both editors, and cover artist Thomas Canty. Only eight copies of the limited edition remain in stock, so don't delay if this unique collector's item intrigues you!

And a reminder about our Special Offer ongoing until the end of the month — that's only ten days away! — for George Alec Effinger's first Golden Gryphon Press collection Budayeen Nights. Purchase a copy of this book direct from Golden Gryphon Press and receive FREE! a specially designed bookplate autographed by author Barbara Hambly. Ms. Hambly wrote the collection's foreword as well as each of the individual story introductions. This Effinger title would make a fine holiday gift too!

Review, reviews, and more reviews

Our most recent hardcover release, Thumbprints (ISBN 1-930846-29-0) by Pamela Sargent, is featured in a number of reviews this month. Kilian Melloy writes in e-zine EDGE Boston: "In her Afterword, Sargent relates how she was in the midst of writing 'Venus Flowers at Night,' a short story 'prequel' to the [Venus] trilogy, when the terror attacks that brought down the World Trade Center occurred. . . . For all the political charge the story might carry, it is not about politics (though it does address political realities); it is about the persistence, despite politics and bureaucratic bickering, despite the temptations and limits of a purely technical perspective, of art. It’s that very spirit that makes Sargent, in this book and all her others, an explorer more of the soul than of the far-flung corners of space and time, and it’s what allows us to surrender to her as a guide with complete trust." In the October Locus, reviewer Rich Horton writes of Thumbprints: "Pamela Sargent's new short story collection is a fine introduction to one of the field's more underappreciated writers. . . . Add an introduction by James Morrow and an afterword by Sargent discussing the stories and we have a first-rate collection." And Rick Kleffel, in his Agony Column commentary for 10-04-2004, after speaking highly of Ms. Sargent's career, also comments on the book's introduction by James Morrow: "Let me tell readers that this introduction is a total hoot, superbly well-written, and ought to get some sort of award." In addition to the standard edition, Thumbprints also comes in a slipcased, numbered limited edition that has been signed and thumbprinted by the author! These thumbprinted editions tie in with the title story, "Thumbprints," about a literary agent whose authors appear to be dying unexpectedly — while the agent goes to extremes to ensure he receives his literary fee in full.

Rick Kleffel also reviews in-depth Jeff VanderMeer's Secret Life (ISBN 1-930-84627-4): "VanderMeer burns brightly, even when his subject matter is dark as night. . . . [His] prose — no matter what style he's working in, and there are many to be found in these stories — is intensely literary. But then, these stories don't feel as if they are literary fiction in the midst of the reading experience. . . . The stories force themselves into our conscience and exclude every other word, every other experience. . . . You can close the book. But the stories remain alive . . ."

The last title reviewed this month is Ian R. MacLeod's Breathmoss and Other Exhalations (ISBN 1-930846-26-6). To tie in with his Ian R. MacLeod interview, Kilian Melloy has published a review of Breathmoss on infinity plus: "To open this book is to open doors into new places — not the same old places after a bout of redecoration, mind you, but new territory on the wild side of honest-to-goodness literature." Kilian actually begins his review with a couple tasty paragraphs about Golden Gryphon Press itself, which is much appreciated. Also on infinity plus, you'll find an excerpt from "Verglas," one of the seven novellas that comprises this collection. And, too, in addition to the standard edition of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations, we also have available a slipcased, numbered limited edition that has been signed by both the author and multi-Hugo Award winning artist Bob Eggleton.

In our update for September 6, we mentioned artist Steve Montiglio's contributions to the recent Tom Cruise film Collateral, directed by Michael Mann. You will hopefully recall that Steve did the cover art for both Mockymen by Ian Watson and The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. Well, we were recently informed of the artist's contribution to the movie Mean Girls directed by Mark S. Waters. You can check out Steve's portrait of actress Lindsay Lohan & Friends.

This new trade paperback edition, on the other hand, makes a fine quality gift for family and friends, and a great way to introduce them to Ms. Baker's world of the Company. Remember, Chanukkah is only a little more than two months away, and Christmas and Kwanzaa only a couple or so weeks after that!

We also have a new Special Offer open until the end of the month for George Alec Effinger's first Golden Gryphon Press collection, Budayeen Nights. Purchase a copy of this book direct from Golden Gryphon Press and receive FREE! a specially designed bookplate autographed by author Barbara Hambly. Ms. Hambly wrote the collection's foreword as well as each of the individual story introductions. For more information on these bookplates, please check out our Special Offer. This Effinger title would make a grand holiday gift too!

A reminder, too, that we have three new fall titles currently shipping: Mere by Robert Reed, a 500-copy signed and numbered, limited edition chapbook; Thumbprints (ISBN 1-930846-29-0), a new short story collection from Pamela Sargent; and Prince of Christler-Coke (ISBN 1-930846-28-2), Neal Barrett Jr.'s latest novel.

A 13,300-word novelette, Mere tells the story of a character who will feature prominently in author Robert Reed's forthcoming "Marrow" universe novel The Well of Stars. In addition to the novelette, this chapbook also contains a 5,000-word Afterword in which the author details the history of his "Marrow" universe. Mere is only available direct from Golden Gryphon Press and from a very select few specialty booksellers.

Pamela Sargent's new short fiction collection entitled Thumbprints (ISBN 1-930846-29-0) showcases a dozen of her finest sf and fantasy stories. We also have a slipcased, signed and thumbprinted limited edition of this collection available for the discerning reader and/or collector. You'll appreciate the significance of the thumbprinted edition once you read the title story. You can also now view artist Jill Bauman's original dust jacket sketch for Thumbprints.

And Prince of Christler-Coke is Neal Barrett Jr.'s latest wacky, off-beat, near-future story in which corporations — with names like Christler-Coke, Disney-Dow, Kimberly-Kraft, and Pepsicoma-Dodge — rule the world.

Lastly, don't forget that The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross has gone back to press and that second printings should now be shipping to all booksellers. However, you can still purchase first editions of this title direct from Golden Gryphon Press.

I would like to close this update with a congratulations to artist Les Edwards (aka Edward Miller) who recently won the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist of the Year! As "Edward Miller," Les will be contributing the cover art to the second, and forthcoming, Robert Reed collection entitled The Cuckoo's Boys. This will be Les/Edward's first cover art for Golden Gryphon Press and we are very excited about the possibilities. Congratulations once again, Les!

We've listed a ton (well, maybe not a ton, but a lot!) of reviews of The Atrocity Archives on the book's catalog page. However, if you would like to read a number of short, outrageously humorous reviews, just check out the readers reviews posted on amazon.com, with titles like "Sqamously good read" and "Never Park In A Hilbert Space."

And we should remind you, too, that we have two other titles in second printings: Joe R. Lansdale's Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X) and Kage Baker's Black Project, White Knights: The Company Dossiers (ISBN 1-930846-11-8). Again, first printings can be purchased directly from Golden Gryphon Press. Also, remember that PayPal has changed its policy so that you no longer have to register with PayPal in order to enter a payment transaction. You can now take advantage of PayPal's ease of use when ordering books direct from Golden Gryphon Press without having to actually register with PayPal. You will still be given an option at the end of the transaction to register, but it is no longer a requirement to do so.

And speaking of Black Projects, the reprint trade paperback edition (ISBN 1-930846-30-4; $15.95) should also be shipping within the next week or so. As soon as I get "official" confirmation, I'll post another update here.

Congratulations to Warren Rochelle whose story "The Golden Boy," from The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN 1-930846-15-0), was a finalist for the Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Short Fiction of the Year. Winners of the Spectrum Awards were announced at the recent Noreascon 4/WorldCon in Boston.

Reviews

Ian Watson's Mockymen (ISBN 1-930846-21-5) is reviewed by Michael M. Jones in the current issue on SF Site: "Mockymen is, by all standards, the sort of book you just don't see everyday. Multi-layered, surreal, convoluted and complex, it weaves together a series of different themes to tell a memorable, unique story. It has the same forward-thinking, no-holds-barred, barriers-shattering narrative as a good Philip K. Dick novel, and really takes the concept of consciousness to a new level."

And Secret Life (ISBN 1-930846-27-4) by Jeff VanderMeer is reviewed on both bookmunch and SF Site as well. On bookmunch, Becky Ohlsen writes: "If you’ve got an appetite for the decadent, grotesquely beautiful, insanely detailed worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, this is a book to graze on . . ." And on SF Site, noted reviewer Greg L. Johnson, says of Secret Life: "That edge, where the beautiful and the horrible intersect and create visions that can haunt the mind is the territory in which VanderMeer does his best work . . . VanderMeer's prose is filled with dense descriptions of people, places, and things that are both horrific and sublime."

Now if those blurbs don't pique your interest, I truly don't know what will!

For those of you who are fans of George Alec Effinger's work, we'll be announcing a new web special offer soon so please do check back with us regularly.

A 13,300-word novelette, Mere tells the story of a character who will feature prominently in author Robert Reed's forthcoming "Marrow" universe novel The Well of Stars. In addition to the novelette, the Mere chapbook also contains a 5,000-word Afterword, in which the author details the history of his "Marrow" universe. The afterword, entitled "Improbable Journeys," was recently printed in the New York Review of Science Fiction. Mere is the fourth title in our line of signed and numbered limited edition trade paperbound chapbooks. Mere is only available direct from Golden Gryphon Press and a very select few independent booksellers. The wraparound cover art and interior spot art were provided by the inestimable Bob Eggleton.

And while Bob Eggleton's name is on the tips of our fingers, so to speak, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his umpteenth Hugo Award for Best Artist of the Year! The Hugo Awards were just announced this past Saturday, September 4. Bob Eggleton's artwork adorned the very first Golden Gryphon Press title in 1997 — Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories by James Patrick Kelly — and his artwork covers more of our titles than any other artist. We're pleased to see that the members of the 2004 WorldCon continue to appreciate his skill and artwork as much as we do. Golden Gryphon Press is both pleased and honored to call Bob Eggleton one of our own; working with him is a pure joy! Congratulations once again, Bob!

We've been given a sneak preview of Nick Gevers's review of Mere that will appear in the October issue of Locus — and though we can't provide the full review until it has been published, we can share with you the following quote from the review:

Whew! And don't forget, there are only 500 copies of this limited edition chapbook available.

Also shipping is our book #37, Pamela Sargent's new short fiction collection entitled Thumbprints (ISBN 1-930846-29-0), with wraparound cover art and interior illustrations by artist Jill Bauman. Thumbprints showcases a dozen of Pamela's finest stories: two of these stories are set in the world of her "Venus" trilogy, while two other stories take place in twelfth-century Mongolia, the setting for her historical novel Ruler of the Sky, about mighty Genghis Khan. If you are unfamiliar with Pamela's previous work, Thumbprints would be an ideal book to start with. Once you read her work you'll understand why Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game, had this to say of Pamela Sargent: "Her worlds are deeply and thoroughly imagined — she is one of the few science fiction writers who measures up to the Shogun standard of world creation . . ."

We also have a 100-copy slipcased limited edition of Thumbprints that has been signed and thumbprinted by the author. Why a thumbprint in addition to the author's signature? Well, the title story "Thumbprints" is about authors and their agent — and the extremes to which this agent will go to ensure his fees are paid in full. A thumbprinted edition is a must have in the world of "Thumbprints." Be sure to purchase your copy before they are no longer available . . .

Reviews

The Silver Gryphon anthology (ISBN 1-930846-15-0) was published last year, and it still continues to garner attention, the latest review appearing online in the UK 'zine SFCrowsNest.com: ". . . the short stories in this volume cover a wide range and stray from SF into straight drama and comedy as well, so there's plenty of material for everyone and it's all beautifully written." The Silver Gryphon is available in both a standard hardcover edition as well as a slipcased limited edition signed by all 23 contributors, including cover artist Thomas Canty. Many of you took advantage of our recent special offer for this title and there are now less than 10 limited edition copies remaining.

Our previous release, Neal Barrett Jr.'s Prince of Christler-Coke (ISBN 1-930846-28-2) is reviewed in the September issue of Locus Magazine as well as the Rocky Moutain News. Faren Miller concludes her review of Prince in Locus with: ". . . after all, the Usual Suspects do make tempting targets, and Barrett can slice and dice them with panache." And in the News, Mark Graham writes: "Prince of Christler-Coke will make readers laugh out loud — and then get a little nervous when they realize that this fantasy is not that far from reality."

If you've seen the new Tom Cruise movie Collateral, directed by Michael Mann, then you may have noticed some very unique artwork displayed in one of the scenes. These paintings were done by Steve Montiglio, who did the cover art for Mockymen by Ian Watson and The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. You can check out these three original pieces on the Steve Montiglio website. And if you haven't seen the movie as yet, you'll now know what to look for.

In the Best Artist category are John Picacio and Jason Van Hollander. John has become somewhat of a "regular" here at Golden Gryphon Press, with his cover art appearing on a number of titles by Dale Bailey, George Alec Effinger, Jeffrey Ford, Joe R. Lansdale, and Lucius Shepard. Jason, on the other hand, is new to Golden Gryphon — though certainly not new to the world of sf and fantasy art — with his first cover appearing on the forthcoming (2005) Gregory Frost collection, Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories.

Other authors nominated for World Fantasy Awards, though not for work published by Golden Gryphon Press, include both Ian R. MacLeod and Jeff VanderMeer in the Best Novel category; and Jeff VanderMeer once again (with Mark Roberts) for Best Anthology. The Awards will be announced in Tempe, Arizona, on Halloween day, October 31. Best wishes to all the authors and artists.

Another reminder about our current Special Offer: Celebrate with us James Patrick Kelly's Hugo Award nomination for novelette "Bernardo's House." Every copy of a James Patrick Kelly book purchased direct from Golden Gryphon Press will receive FREE! a professionally recorded audio CD featuring the author reading "Bernardo's House." We have two Kelly books available: the trade paperback edition of Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories ($15.95) and the hardcover edition of Strange But Not a Stranger ($25.95). This Audio CD Special Offer is available while supplies last! And don't forget that the Hugo Awards will be announced over Labor Day weekend, less than two weeks away!

We would also like to remind you that two of our titles have now gone into second printings: Kage Baker's Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers (ISBN 1-930846-11-8) and Joe R. Lansdale's Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X). First printings of both titles are still available direct from Golden Gryphon Press. We have a third title that is nearing the sellout mark, so we just may have another book going back to press as well. Should this happen, you'll be the first to know as we'll post the details right here.

Tons of Reviews! (Well, maybe not "tons," but a lot!)

The recently released Prince of Christler-Coke (ISBN 1-930846-28-2) by Neal Barrett Jr. has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly and online on SF Site. PW writes: "Asel's picaresque adventures, as told by this modern-day Mark Twain, should provoke plenty of guffaws." And Rich Horton for SF Site writes of Prince: ". . .set in a somewhat decayed future America, mostly comic but with a darker undertone, very much a 'road novel'." And Rick Kleffel, in his Agony Column commentary for August 10, 2004, adds: "Barrett brings the skills of a standup comedian to his prose, transforming the world as we know it into the world as he sees it. Reading a Neal Barrett novel is like putting on a pair of Neal Barrett glasses, or drinking a glass of Neal Barrett Beer. Please don't operate heavy machinery or drive an automobile while you are doing so."

Critic John Clute tackles Breathmoss and Other Exhalations (ISBN 1-930846-26-6) by Ian R. MacLeod in his column "Excessive Candour" in Sci Fi Weekly's issue #381: "Here and there — in the title story "Breathmoss" (2002) in particular — Ian R. MacLeod manages to capture the smell and turn and sting of an entire landscape or world, a sense of wonder in a totally imagined given, and here and there — perhaps most vividly in two deeply similar hymns to belatedness, "New Light on the Drake Equation" (2001) and "The Summer Isles" (1998) — there are moments in Breathmoss and Other Exhalations when you seem to see a life entire in a moment." And SF Site currently features an Ian R. MacLeod interview with Kilian Melloy that focuses on this new collection, along with a review of the collection itself.

Jeff VanderMeer's collection, Secret Life (ISBN: 1-930846-27-4), is reviewed online on SciFi Dimensions. John C. Snider writes: "VanderMeer's mastery of the English language and ingenious use of vocabulary make his prose a pleasure to read . . . The magnificent cover artwork by the talented Scott Eagle is a perfect complement to the exotic wordsmithing within." If you haven't checked out Scott Eagle's cover art for Secret Life, please do so — but be sure you have plenty of time available, because you just may become lost in the detail!

We're finding online reviews of The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) by Charles Stross in places we've not ventured to previously. The New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) website has a section for reviews, and one of their members, Mark L. Olson, posted a lengthy review, concluding with: "The story is a good, solid piece of SF based on Lovecraftian horror. It's quite an accomplishment." And David Kennedy graciously posted a very lengthy review on the Usenet group "rec.arts.sf.written" in which he covers in detail all five sections ("goodies," to use David's word) of the book. Kennedy writes: "Charles Stross is definitely the most exciting writer I have discovered for years. The Atrocity Archives is highly recommended, and if you know who Donald Knuth is, then I'd upgrade that recommendation to simply Buy This Book." Rick Kleffel, on the other hand, having posted commentary on The Atrocity Archives in his Agony Column on June 10, 2004, now gives the book the full review treatment: "Stross spews words like a hairy-eyed caffeine-addict computer-tech comedian on his fiftieth hour of uptime. He's constantly clever. What takes this beyond a mere comedic monologue are his high-quality, deep-thought conceptualizations. 'The Atrocity Archive' and 'The Concrete Jungle' are so thick with intellectual riffs they're like those portraits created by thousands of miniaturized photographs. Call it fractal fiction." Whew . . .

And author Dale Bailey recently informed us of a previously unknown online site/e-zine entitled The Modern Word, that just happened to have a review of his The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-22-3): "The stories . . . portray small town and southern life using settings that are often darkly fantastic and sometimes horrific and invite comparison with the short fiction of Ray Bradbury, Terry Bisson and Stephen King . . . Bailey deftly shifts between male and female, and child, adult and elder voices, weaving their stories into his world, a world one shade darker than our own."

That's it for now. We'll soon be shipping another of our fall titles, and we'll have news on acquisitions and such, plus more reviews and offers in the days and weeks to come.

ArmadilloCon regular attendees include Neal Barrett Jr. whose new novel, Prince of Christler-Coke (ISBN 1-930846-28-2), will be available for your viewing, and purchasing, pleasure. And with Neal at the convention, you'll be able to get your copy of the book autographed as well.

In addition to Neal, you'll have an opportunity to meet and chat with Howard Waldrop and artist John Picacio, both of whom, I'm sure, you'll find hanging about the Golden Gryphon table in the dealers room.

Also in attendance will be Barbara Hambly. Though not a Golden Gryphon author per se, Barb is special to us because of her continuing support and encouragement in our efforts to bring much of George Alec Effinger's work back into print. Barb wrote the introduction to George's Budayeen Nights, and then when George passed away before completing the story introductions, she offered to write all the story intros as well. Barb has also agreed to spend some time at the Golden Gryphon table, so do bring your copies of Budayeen Nights to the convention for Barb to autograph. And if you haven't purchased a copy of Budayeen Nights as yet, well, now's your chance to make amends (and just possibly get a little something extra special, too)!

Neal Barrett Jr.'s newly released Prince of Christler-Coke and earlier collection Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories, Howard Waldrop's chapbook A Better World's in Birth! and earlier collection Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations, along with Budayeen Nights (with cover art by John Picacio) — What more could you ask for in one weekend!

So please do stop by the Golden Gryphon table in the dealers room at ArmadilloCon!

When Corporations Rule the World:

Web Special Offer

Harvesting a Bumper Crop

Reviews and More

Infinity plus online has now posted a review of Michael Bishop's second Golden Gryphon Press collection, Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9). I-plus reviewer Stuart Jaffe writes of the stories in Brighten: "This is literature meeting genre in the best sense of both words." This review ties in with the Michael Bishop interview that has been posted on I-plus since the release of Brighten to Incandescence. Though the author includes nearly 5,000 words of story notes in the collection, you will still gain more insight into the genesis of these stories, and who Michael Bishop really is, when you read this interview.

As you can see, our fall publication season has arrived a bit early — I'm not aware of any other small press publisher who can match our record of on-time — actually, ahead-of-schedule — book shipments. And this is all due in large part to the dedication and efforts of publisher Gary Turner, and his wife Geri. Their time and energy given to this business is truly a labor of love — and I emphasize the word labor! — and Golden Gryphon Press is obviously the better for it. So kudos and "hats off" to Gary and Geri Turner.

By the way, we will soon begin planning for The Golden Gryphon, our 50^th "anniversary" anthology. We're brainstorming some ideas right now on how we can make the limited edition even more special, but without breaking the bank! So if you're a collector of limited editions, you'll definitely want to purchase The Silver Gryphon limited edition to ensure a matching set.

Mere Is Here!

Please keep in mind that only 500 signed and numbered copies of the MERE chapbook will be published. And of our three previously published chapbooks, two are already sold out — and we expect this chapbook to sell quickly as well. The wraparound cover features more awesome artwork by Bob Eggleton (he personally told me he thinks it's one of his best pieces ever!), along with a 5000-word Afterword, entitled "Improbable Journeys," that details the history of the stories that make up the Marrow universe. New York Review of Science Fiction editor David G. Hartwell was impressed enough with Reed's essay/Afterword to include it in the May 2004 issue. So if you subscribe to, or have access to, the May 2004 NYRSF, you can get a sneak peak at the Afterword (though there were some minor changes made to the essay prior to its publication in Mere).

Offer #1 is specially priced copies of our 25^th "anniversary" anthology The Silver Gryphon, which features original stories from the authors who contributed to our first twenty-four books — 20 stories, 340 pages! — for the paltry sum of only $22.00 (postage paid for U.S. orders only). That's more than 21% off The Silver Gryphon's regular price. The signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition has also been reduced to only $100.00 (also postage paid for U.S. orders only), more than 25% off the regular price! The Silver Gryphon special offer expires on July 31, 2004.

Offer #2 celebrates James Patrick Kelly's 2004 Hugo-nominated novelette "Bernardo's House." The author has professionally recorded a reading of this story, and a copy of the audio CD is yours free with every purchase, direct from Golden Gryphon Press, of a James Patrick Kelly book. We have two Kelly books available: the trade paperback edition of Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories ($15.95) and the hardcover edition of Strange But Not a Stranger ($25.95). This Audio CD special offer is available while supplies last!

Golden Gryphon Press would like to congratulate its authors nominated for the 2004 British Fantasy Awards:

For Best Short Fiction, Jeffrey Ford's "The Empire of Ice Cream" has been nominated, as has Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN 1-930846-14-2). Of course, there are 39 entries in the overloaded short fiction category, which tells me that there's a lot of mighty fine short fiction out there, and the judges weren't able to narrow the field a bit more! In fact, Lucius will be competing against himself with two other nominated stories. A number of other Golden Gryphon authors made the nominations, but with books published elsewhere: In the Best Novel category is, once again, Jeffrey Ford and Lucius Shepard, along with Paul Di Filippo and Ian R. MacLeod; in the Best Anthology category is Jeff VanderMeer (with Mark Roberts); and in the Best Artist category is Bob Eggleton and John Picacio. Like I've said previously (in fact, just last update), we may not publish all the winning books and stories, but we know how to pick winning authors! I wish all the authors and artists — and the judges! — the best of luck.

Another artist who has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award is Les Edwards, who also goes by the nom de plume of Edward Miller. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Les Edwards/Edward Miller to the Golden Gryphon Press family! Painting as Edward Miller, he will be doing the wraparound cover art for the forthcoming Robert Reed collection entitled The Cuckoo's Boys, scheduled for publication next fall. Les/Edward has done some very fine cover art of late, including Peter Crowther's collection Songs of Leaving from Subterranean Press, and Steph Swainston's rave "New Weird" novel The Year of Our War and Mary Gentle's historical fantasy 1610, both from UK publisher Victor Gollancz. Welcome, Edward (and Les), to Golden Gryphon Press! And do check out the Edward Miller gallery online.

I don't normally sing the praises of shareware or freeware applications, but in this case I feel compelled to do so. I recently learned of a FREE software program that will test all the internal and external links on your website, and even produce a status report that includes a site map — and as I said, it's all free. The application is called Xenu's link sleuth, and both PC World and ZDNET.com have given the program very positive reviews. I downloaded and installed this little gem (for Windows only), and then ran it against the goldengryphon.com website. I discovered a few broken links, but more importantly, I obtained the following data, a must for all you trivia hounds: As of the last goldengryphon.com update (July 11), the website contains 784 links (internal and external), 348 web pages, and 128 graphic files. I guess that's a mere pittance when compared to, say, microsoft.com, but not too shabby for this little ole independent press. So, how many of those 784 links have you tried?

We continue to update the Forthcoming Books page, this time around with details on collection George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth scheduled for publication next spring. A must see is the wraparound triptych cover by artist John Picacio (a British Fantasy Award nominee, remember?). You can also view the book's table of contents, which includes all-time Effinger faves like "The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything" and "Nothing But Honor," as well as rare stories like "One" — making only its third appearance since being written nearly thirty years ago — along with all eight stories George published under the pseudonym of "O. Niemand." But what makes this collection special is the fact that George's longtime friends selected the stories and then contributed commentary on those stories. Contributors to this collection include Neal Barrett Jr., Michael Bishop, Jack Dann, Bradley Denton, Gardner Dozois, Neil Gaiman, Richard Gilliam, Barbara Hambly, Lawrence Person, Mike Resnick, Pamela Sargent, Howard Waldrop, and George Zebrowski. George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth is a real treat for Effinger fans — and all fans of great sf/fantasy short fiction — and a fine tribute to the author himself!

We just wanted to let you know that the Paul Di Filippo website is now up and running. Aside from a complete bibliography, interviews, and such, you'll be able to view examples of Paul's mail art. What's "mail art," you ask? Well, when Paul sends a letter or package to someone, he invariably decorates it with visual non sequiturs, gleaned from old comic books, early-twentieth-century mail-order catalogs, and even from '60s-era issues of Playboy and other magazines. I have quite a few of these treasured "mail art" envelopes that Paul has sent to me, so I hope you enjoy the visual experience at pauldifilippo.com!

*More Reviews and Interviews*

Let's see . . . in order of publication:

Rick Kleffel tackles another Golden Gryphon Press book, The Silver Gryphon (ISBN 1-930846-15-0), in his Agony Column for July 16, 2004: "[This] is Golden Gryphon's 25th book. The problem with those damn numbers is that they instill a buying lust in the easily disturbed. That would be me. I see number 25, my brain thinks, I need to have number one through 24." Now I see why Rick calls it "The Agony Column"!

In support of the release of Mockymen (ISBN 1-930846-21-5), an Ian Watson interview has been posted on the U.K. infinity plus website. You can also read an excerpt from the Mockymen novel itself. Thanks to Keith Brooke at infinity plus for his continued support of Golden Gryphon Press.

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross is reviewed by Paul Di Filippo in the Washington Post Book World ("Stross's genius lies in devoting fully as much time to the bureaucratic shenanigans of the Laundry as he does to its thaumaturgic mission. What with all the persnickety time-charts and useless meetings [Bob] Howard has to deal with, it's a wonder the world gets saved at all."), and by Geek Confidential's very own Rick Klaw on Revolution SF ("Charles Stross's hip, fluid prose typifies the New Weird as he effortlessly slides between genres and tropes. Science fiction, thriller, adventure, romance, and horror, this one has it all in one neat package.")

Australia's Ticonderoga Online reviews Joe R. Lansdale's Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X) in their July 2004 issue: "Joe Lansdale writes a mean tale, and in Bumper Crop Golden Gryphon has collected twenty-six of them."

Lastly, Jeff VanderMeer's Secret Life is reviewed by Booklist: "The collection opener, "Secret Life," is the history of a five-story building, surrounded by desolation, that houses thousands . . . and is brought down by a vine; ingredients including murderous rage over a presumably stolen pen and VanderMeer's revealing endnote on inspiration make the piece delicious."

And if you are an attending or supporting member of this year's WorldCon — Noreascon 4 — please remember to vote for the Hugo Awards, if you haven't already done so. The deadline to mail your ballot (hardcopy or electronic) is July 31, 2004!

Obviously, we here at Golden Gryphon Press would like every sf/fantasy fan and reader around the world to not just know about our books, but, more importantly, to read our books. And the best introduction to Golden Gryphon Press and its authors is our silver anniversay anthology — our 25^th book — The Silver Gryphon.

When we first planned this "anniversary" title, we contacted all of the authors who had contributed to our first twenty-four books and invited them to submit an original story for this anthology. This is not a theme anthology in the typical sense. (Do you really want to read another theme anthology in which every story is about a space station, or about a dragon, or even dragons on space stations?) Instead, we asked each author to contribute a story "that best defines them as a writer." All but one of our authors were able to contribute an original story, and what we came up with was The Silver Gryphon.

The anthology itself made the Locus magazine readers' poll "Best of 2003" list, as did three of the individual stories: Kage Baker's "Company" story "A Night on the Barbary Coast," Michael Bishop's "The Door Gunner," and James Patrick Kelly's "Mother." The Kage Baker story has also won the first annual Norton Award, a San Francisco Bay area award, and was also accepted for the Hartwell and Cramer Year's Best SF 9 annual anthology. Robert Reed's "Marrow" story "Night of Time" was also accepted for the Hartwell and Cramer anthology as well as Gardner Dozois's Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-first Annual Collection. And there's more! Richard A. Lupoff's contribution, "An American Monarchy," a tale in which George W. Bush and Al Gore tied for the 2000 presidency, made the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History 2003 Reading List. And last, but certainly not least, "Cowboy Grace" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch was a finalist for the Edgar Awards (sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America) for Best Short Story of the year. If that ain't a heap of good fiction, then I don't know what is!

And it can all be yours — YOURS! — 20 stories, 340 pages! — for the paltry sum of only $22.00 (postage paid for U.S. orders only). That's more than 21% off The Silver Gryphon's regular price, and this offer is good through July 31, 2004.

Now if you're a real connoisseur of books, then you'll want to consider the numbered, signed, slipcased limited edition of The Silver Gryphon. Not only do you get all that fiction, but you get autographs from all 23 contributors as well: 20 authors, the 2 editors, as well as artist Thomas Canty. And if you know anything about artists and their autographs, you'll know that having just the Thomas Canty signature alone is worth the price of this limited edition. I checked with one of the premier purveyors of collectable science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature and art — Barry R. Levin at RareSF.com — and he doesn't have a single Thomas Canty autograph on hand. On RareSF.com you can purchase your choice of seven different rare Hannes Bok autographs, an original Chesley Bonestell painting, signed artwork from Stephen E. Fabian, Virgil Finlay, Frank Frazetta, Jack Gaughan, Frank R. Paul, J. K. Potter, and Michael Whelan — but noThomas Canty autographs, on books or original art.

We have less than 20 copies remaining of The Silver Gryphon limited edition, and you can purchase this fine book for only $100.00 (postage paid for U.S. orders only) during this special offer — while supplies last, or until July 31, whichever comes first. That's more than 25% off the regular price! For more information and to view The Silver Gryphon limited edition signature page, click here.

If you're new to Golden Gryphon Press, this is your opportunity to buy one book that will give you a taste of nearly all the authors we've published up to book #25. The Silver Gryphon also makes a great gift for friends and family — graduations, birthdays, etc. What else can you buy for $22.00 (or $100.00 for the limited edition) that will yield hours and hours of such literary pleasure?

And don't forget that we have another special offer ongoing: Purchase any James Patrick Kelly book — the trade paperback edition of Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories ($15.95) and the hardcover edition of Strange But Not a Stranger ($25.95) — and receive FREE! an audio CD (nearly one full hour) of the author reading his current Hugo-nominated story "Bernardo's House." One audio CD free with every Kelly book purchased!

<>Forthcoming Books Update<>

For Pamela Sargent's collection Thumbprints (ISBN: 1-930846-29-0), an October hardcover, we've posted the book's interior illustrations with the kind permission of artist Jill Bauman. One of the illustrations is the signature page for the slipcased limited edition, which will not only be signed by Pamela Sargent, but also thumbprinted by the author! Given the content of the title story "Thumbprints" — a new 17,400-word story written exclusively for this collection — which explores the dark world of the literary agent (and just how far the agent will go to ensure his authors' fees are paid in full) — you will certainly want to own this thumbprinted edition! There will only be 100 limited edition copies, and Pam's fans are known to be ravenous when it comes to her published work, so be sure to order your copy sooner, rather than later.

<>Award News<>

Our congratulations to Kage Baker, whose story "The Empress of Mars" has won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best science fiction story of the year. Now Golden Gryphon didn't publish "The Empress of Mars" — it was originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction — but that doesn't mean we still can't be proud of Kage's accomplishments. Hopefully, folks will like this one story and then search out more that the author has written and thus find their way to Golden Gryphon Press. By the way, Golden Gryphon authors have now won the Sturgeon Award for the past three years: Last year, Lucius Shepard won for "Over Yonder," in Two Trains Running (ISBN 1-930846-23-1), and in 2001, Andy Duncan won for "The Chief Designer." We may not publish all the winning stories, but we know how to pick winning authors!

<>Reviews and Interviews<>

Albedo One, an occasional small press magazine from Ireland, reviews both Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations (ISBN 1-930846-13-4) by Howard Waldrop — "Not only are the front and end pieces informative, they are enlightening and entertaining, making one wish that every collection contained as much commentary." — and James Patrick Kelly's Strange But Not a Stranger (ISBN 1-930846-12-6) — "My brain has been overloaded by the sheer excellence of these stories and I am approaching meltdown."

Rick Kleffel, who, in his ongoing blog/commentary The Agony Column, recently accused Golden Gryphon Press of world conquest, appears to have surrendered to the inevitable. In his 07-08-04 commentary, Rick takes on two more Golden Gryphon titles: Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN: 1-930846-14-2) — "Shepard's one of our great American writers, who can do anything and often does do anything, rather like Dan Simmons." — and Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5) by Nancy Kress — ". . . we may have to redefine what it is to be human to avoid extinction." And in Rick's 06-03-04 commentary, he writes of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations (ISBN 1-930846-26-6): ". . . Ian R. Macleod's equally exotic blend of low-key social science fiction that puts people front and center."

One of our more recent titles, Jeff VanderMeer's Secret Life (ISBN: 1-930846-27-4) is the featured review in this months issue of Explorations, the sf/fantasy e-newsletter published by Barnes & Noble. "As stylish as it is surreal, this collection is . . . a work of art to be savored again and again," writes Explorations editor Paul Goat Allen about Secret Life. And SF Site now features a Jeff VanderMeer interview, along with fiction entitled "The Mimic," which is an excerpt from the collection's title story, "Secret Life."

You can check out each of these reviews in detail by going to our online Catalog, selecting the book(s) of interest from our growing list of titles, and then scrolling down in the right frame until you hit the review links.

Until next update, cheers . . . and don't forget to take advantage of our special offers!

If you are reading this update on the goldengryphon.com website rather than via our email update list — even though you subscribed to the email updates — it's probably because your ISP is blocking email from Yahoo! Groups. Over the past few months I've had at least a half-dozen email addresses on the mailing list bounce. I'll send a couple of probes to the bouncing address but if that doesn't correct the problem, then I have no option but to delete the address from the list. So if you're not receiving this update by email, yet you should be, then I would suggest that you resubscribe to the list, and also contact your ISP regarding their spam filter. Sorry for any hassles this may cause. There is a link on the goldengryphon.com home page to subscribe to the email update list.

Web Special Offer

Our new special offer is courtesy of author James Patrick Kelly, whose novelette "Bernardo's House" is currently a Hugo Awards finalist. Jim has professionally recorded a reading of "Bernardo's House" on audio CD (nearly a full hour!) and has graciously provided Golden Gryphon Press with a few copies of this CD. This audio CD is yours FREE! — while supplies last — with every purchase of a James Patrick Kelly book direct from Golden Gryphon Press . We currently have two Kelly books available: the trade paperback edition of Think Like a Dinosaur and Other Stories ($15.95) and the hardcover edition of Strange But Not a Stranger ($25.95). Purchase a copy of each book and receive two audio CDs! Already have one or both books? You can always purchase a Kelly book for a friend or family member and, umm, keep the audio CD for yourself! We always appreciate your efforts to spread the printed word from Golden Gryphon Press to others. Read the Web Special Offer for details.

Out of Print!

Our most recent chapbook, The Angel in the Darkness by Kage Baker — a dark Company tale about the growing conflict among the Immortals — is officially Out of Print! So if you haven't purchased your copy yet, you will now have to go through an independent bookseller (and hope that the price hasn't gone up)! Please contact the gryphon and he'll direct you to a bookseller who should still have copies available for sale.

Forthcoming Books

And speaking of chapbooks, Robert Reed's Mere is scheduled for publication in September. Bob Eggleton has delivered the cover art — another awesome piece on a par with his cover for Turquoise Days, our first chapbook by Alastair Reynolds — and as soon as our graphic designer completes the Mere cover layout, we'll be posting details here. A wee hint on the story line: Mere, the name of the main character in this lengthy novelette, is first introduced in this chapbook, and she will play a pivotal role in Reed's forthcoming "Marrow" universe novel entitled The Well of Stars.

Details, including cover art, for the new Neal Barrett Jr. novel, Prince of Christler-Coke (ISBN: 1-930846-28-2), have now been posted. And thanks to website Revolution SF, you can read an online excerpt from Prince, Neal's wry, sardonic look at a possible future when corporations rule the world! Prince is also scheduled for a September publication (but readers and fans of Golden Gryphon Press know that our books are always available — knock wood that Murphy's Law doesn't prevail! — ahead of schedule).

You can now purchase our Fall 2004 forthcoming titles either online through PayPal, or by sending a personal check, money order, or credit card information to Golden Gryphon Press, 3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, Illinois, 61802.

One other business-related note: PayPal has changed its policy so that the buyer no longer has to register with PayPal in order to enter a payment transaction. So if you would like to take advantage of PayPal's ease of use in ordering books from Golden Gryphon Press, but you don't want to actually register with PayPal, then your wish has been granted. You will still be given an option at the end of the transaction to register with PayPal, but it is no longer a requirement to do so.

Latest Acquisition

We have now finalized our 2005 schedule with the acquisition of a new short fiction collection of Robert Reed's superlative work. As a clarification, Reed's story Mere will remain a stand-alone chapbook and will not be included in this new collection. The Cuckoo's Boys will be Bob's second collection for Golden Gryphon Press, preceded by the earlier The Dragons of Springplace (ISBN 09655901-6-X), and will feature a dozen stories including "Abducted Souls," a new 12,500-word novelette written exclusively for this volume. Bob's written enough short fiction since Dragons to fill two or three new collections, but we believe the best of those stories will be in The Cuckoo's Boys.

Reviews and More

For those of you who haven't yet heard the news, David Pringle, editor of the British magazine Interzone since its inception in 1982, has sold the magazine to editor Andy Cox of TTA (The Third Alternative) Press. In those twenty-two years, David has published fiction by the likes of Brian Aldiss, J. G. Ballard, Iain M. Banks, Stephen Baxter, Molly Brown, John Brunner, Richard Calder, Paul Di Filippo, Greg Egan, William Gibson, John Courtenay Grimwood, M. John Harrison, Gwyneth Jones, Graham Joyce, Paul McAuley, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Moorcock, Christopher Priest, Alastair Reynolds, Geoff Ryman, Charles Stross, Ian Watson, and dozens more. I want to thank David for his dedication to the craft and art of editing a magazine all these past years, for introducing us to so many fine British and Australian authors, and to wish him well in all his future endeavors, whatever they may be. And best of luck to Andy Cox too: may he have success continuing the Interzone legacy.

The last issue of Interzone to be edited by David Pringle — #193, Spring 2004 — has two very fine reviews of Golden Gryphon Press books. William Thompson begins his review of Nancy Kress's Nothing Human (ISBN 1-930846-18-5) with: "The success of [this] novel should surprise no one, as it is a collaboration between one of the finest authors writing science fiction as well as one of the best of the small, independent presses." And concludes his lengthy review with: ". . . this is one of the more enjoyable and intriguing fictions I have read this year, and the future Kress has envisioned, for all its harshness, is balanced by the deep compassion and understanding with which she treats her characters, who at times seem all too real not to offer both despair and comfort."

The second Interzone review is for The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN 1-930846-15-0), our twenty-fifth and very special book. The reviewer, Nigel Brown, states that "Given [the authors'] calibre, its no surprise that the stories have such a consistently high standard. As an introduction to these writers, this book is also an excellent starting point. It's an impressive anthology and a worthy tribute to the Golden Gryphon Press."  Indeed, The Silver Gryphon is a sampler of original stories by the writers who contributed to our first twenty-four books — the perfect book for making a "first contact" with Golden Gryphon Press.

Earlier today I did a Google^TM search on "Budayeen Nights" (ISBN 1-930846-19-3) and discovered a new review of the book on Strange Horizons, by Colin Harvey: "I was unfamiliar with Effinger's novels before reading Budayeen Nights . . . but I'm a convert now." And regarding the Islamic content of the stories, Colin adds: "If anything, these stories are more relevant now than when they were written."  I've also linked to a very special essay entitled "Remembering George Alec Effinger" written by New Orleans writer Andrew Fox, author of the critically acclaimed novel Fat White Vampire Blues. Andrew began his professional writing career as a student in George's sf/fantasy writing class at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College. At the conclusion of the class, Andrew joined George's writers group that continues to meet monthly, ten years later. The essay is a poignant, personal account of Andrew's friendship with George, beginning with their first meeting in that writing class in the fall of 1994 until George's death in April 2002. Thanks, Andrew, for sharing events and your sentiments with us.

Before I get any further into actual reviews, I would like to share with you a quote from author Peter Straub that we recently received: "Secret Life, an utter dazzlement, demonstrates one of this literary era's defining truths, that in the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. In VanderMeer's hands, it is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly, imaginative."

Whew! Now I suspect a few of you recognize the name "Peter Straub," who co-wrote the novels The Talisman and Black House with another author whose name you may recognize: Stephen King! Straub, by the way, isn't too shabby a writer in his own right, having won the World Fantasy Award twice, the Bram Stoker Award four times, and has been honored as a World Horror Grandmaster! So when he says that Secret Life (ISBN: 1-930846-27-4) is "an utter dazzlement," you should all pay close attention! (And then place your order soon before this title sells out!)

Another "review" seen for Secret Life is on SF Site. Every month, Neil Walsh posts a listing of "New Arrivals" on SF Site. And typically, it's just that — a list of all the new books he has received since the last listing. Occasionally he will include a graphic of the cover art, but usually there are far too many books to display all the covers. However, in the current New Arrivals list, Neil actually includes a mini review (about 180 words) of Secret Life: ". . . the precision cut and thrust of VanderMeer's prose will not leave you unmoved." I don't recall ever seeing Neil "review" a book previously in this fashion in his New Arrivals list (though I'm sure our readers will correct me if I'm wrong).

The recently published The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) by Charles Stross is reviewed on SF Site, and reviewer Rich Horton has summed up "The Atrocity Archive" most succinctly: "The novel is a neat mix of horrific fantasy — demons and Lovecraftian monsters and the like — with smart contemporary SF. Add aspects of spy thrillers and Dilbertian office comedy, and throw in Nazis and nasty Islamists and a very secret branch of British Intelligence. It's told very wittily, though the central horrors are still pretty scary. The overall tone is snarky and fun, not horrific." I like that word, "snarky"!

And Lucius Shepard's Two Trains Running (ISBN 1-930846-23-1) received the review treatment from both Booklist ("The novella is Shepard's forte, and this [is a] guardedly optimistic yarn. . . .") and the Midwest Book Review (". . . an unforgettable, highly recommended read that fairly pulses with the raw power of reality.") Lucius is indeed world renowned for his novella-length work, and he is currently thriving in one of the most productive periods in his writing career.

Cheryl Morgan, in her latest issue of online Emerald City, reviews three new Golden Gryphon titles: Secret Life (". . . you will find [VanderMeer's] new collection, Secret Life, by turns inventive, disturbing, hauntingly beautiful and mind-blowing."); Two Trains Running ("The non-fiction piece is a fascinating study of a little-known part of American life. . . . Both [stories] are fantasy, of a sort, but of course there’s not an elf in sight. Shepard is a great writer. What more can I say?"); and lastly, The Atrocity Archives (". . .The Laundry, a super-secret British Intelligence unit devoted to protecting Her Majesty’s Kingdom from tentacled beings from beyond the stars. It has computers, it has Nazis, it has an atom bomb and it is really quite deliciously silly.")

Award-winning urban fantacist Charles de Lint's review of Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X) by Joe R. Lansdale appears in the forthcoming September issue of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. De Lint writes: "Dark, tender, gruesome, evocative, funny — sometimes all in the same story: It's hard to pin down Lansdale's fiction. . . . there's one thing that pulls all these disparate stories together. Lansdale's voice." De Lint goes on to say: "The best way to get an idea of [Lansdale's] range as a writer is to pick up a collection such as Bumper Crop, a companion to his High Cotton (Golden Gryphon, 2000)." As previously mentioned in these updates, Bumper Crop is quickly selling out, so we've added a trade paperback reprint edition to our May 2005 publishing schedule. But if you're a fan and collector of Joe R.'s titles, you'll surely want a copy of this first edition hardcover before it officially goes out of print. And don't forget to purchase a copy of High Cotton: Selected Stories of Joe R. Lansdale (ISBN: 0-9655901-2-7) — the "companion" volume — while you're at it!

And last, but certainly not least, reviewer/commentator/NPR radio host Rick Kleffel tackles Howard Waldrop's chapbook A Better World's in Birth! in his June 30 edition of The Agony Column: "As anyone remotely familiar with Waldrop's work might guess, Howard is once again monkeying around with history. . . . The great question is whether or not this is a real bit of research unearthed by the vigilant researcher Howard Waldrop or a bit of fun from the wicked humorist Howard Waldrop. It's one of the reasons we love reading his work, as he stimulates the imagination in utterly original ways."  This is the only chapbook for which we still have copies available. Do you have the complete set of three (so far) chapbooks?

You can check out each of these reviews in detail by going to our online Catalog, selecting the book(s) of interest from our list of titles, and then scrolling down in the right frame until you hit the review links.

So there you have it, the latest news that prints to fit from Golden Gryphon Press. Until next update . . . Thanks for your continued support. (And watch for another special offer coming soon!)

Award News

More congratulations are due to Jeffrey Ford, whose story "The Empire of Ice Cream" has been named a finalist for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for Best SF Story of the Year! "The Empire of Ice Cream" has already won this year's Nebula Award, it is a finalist for the Hugo Award, and now the Sturgeon Award. If you haven't read this remarkable story, please do so at your earliest convenience, as it is available online on SCI FICTION. In addition to Jeff, three other Golden Gryphon authors are finalists for the Sturgeon Award, though not for fiction that we've published: Kage Baker, James Patrick Kelly, and Lucius Shepard. The winner will be announced at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, July 8-11, 2004. Best wishes to all our authors! By the way, our second Jeffrey Ford collection, entitled — you guessed it! — The Empire of Ice Cream, is scheduled for publication in early 2006.

Reviews, Reviews, and More Reviews

It has been less than four weeks since the last update, and in that short span of time there have been nearly twenty reviews of Golden Gryphon Press titles in various online and print sources. And that's not counting all the critics' and reviewers' personal blogs that continue to plug our titles. I'll do my best to highlight all the reviews, in alphabetical order by book title, so here we go:

Though it's been available now for more than six months, Kage Baker's novella The Angel in the Darkness continues to gain attention, this time online on SF Site in a review which states: ". . . its greatest charm is that it lets you glimpse into the private world of Porfirio, one of the most intriguing characters in The Company . . ." As I mentioned above, there are less than 20 copies of Angel remaining in the Golden Gryphon Press warehouse (i.e. the publisher's garage), so please do order your copy soonest before this limited edition chapbook is out of print.

We were all pleased to read a review of The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, which has reviewed a Golden Gryphon Press book or two in the past. The Chron had this to say about the novel: "Although its title makes it sound dreadfully depressing, "The Atrocity Archive" is actually the most droll horror novel in a long time. Much of the action is completely nuts, but Stross manages to ground it in believability through his protagonist's deadpan reactions to both insane office politics and supernatural mayhem." Just in case you're not aware of the impact of Charles Stross in the field of science fiction, he is currently a finalist for two — I repeat, two — Hugo Awards: for best novel (Singularity Sky) and for best novelette ("Nightfall"). Rick Kleffel's review blog, The Agony Column, does more than just praise Stross's The Atrocity Archives; he begins his entry on June 10 with: ". . . I mentioned that the folks at Golden Gryphon are working to rule the world, what with the release of so many top-notch desirable books. This week, I offer evidence that they've already done so; we just haven't been told yet." Thanks, Rick! I can see it now . . . Emperor Gryphon . . .

Recently released Breathmoss and Other Exultations by Ian R. MacLeod is reviewed by both Publishers Weekly and Locus magazine. In Locus, reviewer Nick Gevers writes: ". . . MacLeod's fancy roams gloriously free in these stories, and its synergy with his command of the textures of ordinary life makes Breathmoss a brilliant book . . ." It's a grand feeling when reviewers realize what we here at Golden Gryphon have always known — that our books are indeed brilliant. And the PW review concludes with: "MacLeod sensitively explores the human condition."

Another Golden Gryphon title that's been available for more than six months, George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights, has finally made it to the shores down under. Australian magazine Ticonderoga Online states that "As Effinger’s world is painted around us, the reader steps into a dream where the walled city seamlessly overlaps onto our own surroundings. We almost distinguish landmarks, and peer into the faces of the Budayeen's eccentric characters, recognising the humanity and realism of each one . . ."  Publishing Budayeen Nights, and the forthcoming George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth, is the culmination of a promise I made to George personally more than two years ago, and I am thankful for the positive attention that this book in particular continues to garner.

Bumper Crop, by Joe R. Lansdale, was recently reviewed by both Booklist and The Green Man Review online. About Lansdale, The Green Man Review writes: "He is at his best when showing the hidden evil in everyday folks and the way that a seemingly simple turn of events can snowball into surprisingly complex terror . . ." And Booklist states that Bumper Crop is "For Lansdale fans looking to gather some of the author's harder to find material." In fact, Bumper Crop is selling so well that we've already scheduled publication of the trade paperback reprint for May 2005.

Hang in there, we're halfway through the reviews list!

Ian Watson's second Golden Gryphon Press title, novel Mockymen, is reviewed by Cheryl Morgan on Emerald City online. But even more importantly, Ms. Morgan selected Mockymen as one of the "Top Ten SF" novels in her Best of 2003 list: "It takes both imagination and bravery to write a book in which the reader starts to understand the motivations of a Nazi collaborator." You might want to check out the list to see what other nine novels join Mockymen in the best SF category. Two other Golden Gryphon authors made the Top Ten Fantasy novels list — Ian R. MacLeod and Jeff VanderMeer — for fiction from other publishers.

Our very own Warren Rochelle writes a lengthy review of Dale Bailey's The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories in the April/May/June 2004 issue of the SFRA Review (that's the Science Fiction Research Association). About this collection, Warren writes: "you will be exploring the human condition in these stories of death and grief, of loss, of the variations of love, of the pain and heartache and pleasure of family life." We're so fond of Dale's writing that we've recently purchased a new collaborative novel, co-written with Jack Slay Jr., entitled Sleeping Policemen. See the section below on Forthcoming Books for a wee bit more info.

Only two more books to go!

Jeff VanderMeer's new collection, Secret Life, has been reviewed twice in the June issue of Locus, in Publishers Weekly, online in Fantastica Daily, and lastly, there is both a review and author interview in the Sunday, June 6, issue of the Tallahassee Democrat. Whew! And the book was just officially released on June 1! In Locus, Nick Gevers says of Secret Life that "Its appearance may well be a landmark"; and Faren Miller says of author Jeff VanderMeer: "Anyone familiar with the maddening art of making fiction can only look on in jealous wonder, as he gets it right again." And in reference to the story "The Festival of the Freshwater Squid," the Tallahassee Democrat writes: "VanderMeer delights in blurring the lines of reality, making wild fiction sound like solid fact." You'll be hearing a lot more about Jeff VanderMeer and Secret Life in the weeks and months to come.

Our last title is Two Trains Running by Lucius Shepard, reviewed as well by the Australian Ticonderoga Online and also by SF Site online. Ticonderoga writes: "Shepard not only creates characters we can sympathise with . . . he shows us the people under the crusty, booze-soaked exterior of tramps." And SFSite succinctly explains the premise of Two Trains Running thusly: "This volume is a bit different in that it includes a non-fiction piece, 'The FTRA Story,' a shorter version of which was originally written for Spin magazine, that inspired the characters and settings of the two short stories, 'Over Yonder' and 'Jailbait.' "

You can check out each of these reviews in detail by going to our online Catalog, selecting the book(s) of interest from our list of thirty-five titles, and then scrolling down in the right frame until you hit the review links.

Forthcoming Books and Recent Acquisitions

We've finally begun to update our Forthcoming Books listing. You can now view the contents listing and the front cover art for Pamela Sargent's Thumbprints, a collection scheduled for publication in October. We'll have a rather unique limited edition of this particular book available, with further details to be posted soon.

One of our new acquisitions is by a writer we've admired for a long time: Jack Dann — and the exciting thing about this new book is that the author brings along with him eight other top writers! The Fiction Factory is a collection of collaborative stories by Jack Dann with Susan Casper, Gardner Dozois, Gregory Frost, Jack C. Haldeman II, Barry N. Malzberg, Michael Swanwick, Janeen Webb, and George Zebrowski. About the title of the collection, Jack writes: "Although The Fiction Factory is a collection of collaborative stories that spans two decades, the term 'Fiction Factory' came out of a period of intense collaborative creativity. From 1980 to 1985, Gardner Dozois, Michael Swanwick, Susan Casper, and I were passing story ideas back and forth, writing and rewriting drafts, and selling the stories to such 'low-paying' markets as Playboy, Penthouse, and Omni. These were our salad days; collaborating seemed so easy, and somehow, somehow, we jokingly started calling ourselves 'The Fiction Factory.' "  This new collection is scheduled for a fall 2005 release.

I've already mentioned the collaborative novel Sleeping Policemen by Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr.  Here's what Dale had to say about the book: "From its terrifying opening on an isolated stretch of mountain highway to its nightmarish conclusion, the book plumbs the darkest recesses of the human heart. And its breakneck suspense never lets up. A hardboiled noir thriller in the tradition of Jim Thompson and James M. Cain, Sleeping Policemen is both an unforgettable reading experience and a haunting exploration of the dark side of the American Dream." Sounds like a book one should read in a brightly lit room!  Sleeping Policemen is on our 2006 schedule.

Another new 2006 title is a second Golden Gryphon Press collection from George Zebrowski, entitled Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts. The title story, "Black Pockets," is a new novella written exclusively for this collection, about which George craftily writes: "Got foes? Black Pocket them with applied metaphysics provided by a dear enemy." This collection showcases the dark side of George's writing.

Wrap-up

In the days to come, we'll be adding details, including contents and cover art, to our Forthcoming Books page for our other two fall releases — the Robert Reed limited edition chapbook Mere and the new Neal Barrett Jr. novel The Prince of Christler-Coke. Also, if you're a big fan of James Patrick Kelly (and if you're not, you should be!), you'll want to know more about the upcoming Special Offer. And undoubtedly there will be more news and reviews to boast about. So do check back again soon.

Book #34, Ian R. MacLeod's Breathmoss and Other Exhalations (ISBN 1-930846-26-6), with another of Bob Eggleton's grand wraparound dust jackets. The title novella, "Breathmoss" (2002), was a finalist for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, and winner of the Asimov's Reader Poll. Two other stories in this collection, "The Summer Isles" (1998) and "The Chop Girl" (1999), also won the World Fantasy Award, with the latter story winning the Asimov's Reader Poll as well.

For those of you who are collectors of limited editions — or would just like something a wee bit special this time around — we have a signed and numbered limited edition of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations available direct from Golden Gryphon Press. This edition is limited to 100 numbered copies, signed by both the author and artist. As you may recall, we ran a special offer for Breathmoss beginning at the World Fantasy Convention last year, in honor of Ian's rare U.S. appearance at the convention. Quite a number of folks took advantage of this offer and purchased copies of Breathmoss, particularly the limited edition. So if you have designs on one of these limited editions, you best not wait too long to purchase your copy. Remember, only a total of 100 numbered copies will be available.

Book #35, Jeff VanderMeer's Secret Life (ISBN 1-930846-27-4), with our first dust jacket from artist Scott Eagle. Jeff's collection features an eclectic mix of stories, from his worlds of "Ambergris" and "Veniss Underground," to thirteenth-century Cambodia and seventeenth-century Peru, to stories that stretch the narrative boundaries of genre fiction — with three stories published here for the first time. And you really should check out Scott Eagle's wraparound artwork; one could easily get lost for quite some time in the exquisite detail of this piece. This collection will be one to watch on the year's "best of" lists!

CNN.com's Entertainment News has just released a review of Joe R. Lansdale's latest, Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X), in which the reviewer writes: ". . . the Book Lizard is here with the cure for your 'been there, done that' blues . . . Each story is about eight pages in length. When you finish one, you can't help but reach for another one."

The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) by Charles Stross, another of our recent releases, is featured in three new reviews — two in Locus magazine, and the third in Publishers Weekly. In the first Locus review, critic/reviewer/editor Nick Gevers comments on "The Concrete Jungle," the nearly 30,000-word novella that makes its first appearance in this book: "His humorous puzzlement and fatalistic irreverence lend an hilarious luster to a narrative as inventively sinister as the original 'Archive'." Gary K. Wolfe, in the second Locus review, comments that Stross "has never been intimidated by the number of bikes he sets out to jump, and he keeps the narrative taut, fast-paced, and often
funny . . ." And lastly, Publishers Weekly sums up its review with "the world [Stross] creates is wonderful fun."

George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights (ISBN 1-930846-19-3) has been out for more than six months, and yet this very special book continues to garner attention and rave reviews. In The Green Man Review, Cat Eldridge writes: "Curse whatever gods you believe in for taking George Alec Effinger from us far too soon. And curse them if you will for making him suffer for most of his life in pain far more severe than you want to even imagine. He deserved better, much better, as he was without doubt one of the most brilliant writers that ever graced our presence." Cat's feature article/review covers Effinger's three Budayeen novels as well, and includes input from Golden Gryphon Press editor Marty Halpern on the genesis of Budayeen Nights. Noted critic/reviewer/editor Paula Guran reprints her review of Budayeen Nights from Cemetary Dance # 48 on her DarkEcho.com website: "For those of us who have not yet been exposed to George Alec Effinger's future-Arabic-noir universe, Budayeen Nights is a wondrous gift."

Thanks once again for your continued support of our new and recent titles (and don't forget our older titles, too)! Details on our fall books and some new acquisitions to be posted soon.

We would like to congratulate Jeffrey Ford on winning the Nebula Award this past weekend for his novelette "The Empire of Ice Cream." Though we haven't spoken of this story previously, we've been following the buzz over it, since Golden Gryphon Press has just completed a deal to publish Ford's second short fiction collection. The book's title will be — Did you expect anything else? — The Empire of Ice Cream. The novelette, by the way, is also a finalist for the Hugo Award, so we'll keep positive thoughts that this story will be the big winner in this year's awards.

Now I have to admit that I'm still partial to Jeff's World Fantasy Award-winning story "Creation," a story that I believe is one of the best ever written. You can read this story in Jeff's first Golden Gryphon Press collection, The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-10-X), which also won the World Fantasy Award for Best Single-Author Collection of the Year! But if one story could indeed pull my loyalty away from "Creation," it would certainly be "The Empire of Ice Cream." You can read this marvel online at SCIFICTION.

Again, congratulations Jeffrey Ford!

We'd like to begin this update with a "Congratulations!" and huge round of applause to Lucius Shepard, whose Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN 1-930846-14-2) has won the 2004 International Horror Guild Award for Best Long Fiction. Breakdown comes in at just under 40,000 words, which places the story solidly in the novella-length, or long fiction, category — and the ideal length for Lucius's style of writing. As previously mentioned here, Breakdown has also been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction. The Horror Writers Association Annual Conference and Stoker Awards Banquet will be held in New York City beginning June 3, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that Breakdown brings home yet another award.

We have a lot more "Lucius" to share with you, but before doing so we need to let you know that The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) by Charles Stross is now shipping! Charlie is one of the hot writers right now with his "Accelerando" sequence of stories appearing in Asimov's, and gaining wide recognition and a ton of awards nominations. What you may not know is that "The Atrocity Archive" — which appears in The Atrocity Archives along with a brand new, follow-on novella — is Charlie's first published novel. It was originally serialized in a small, and now defunct, British SF magazine entitled Spectrum SF, between November 2001 and November 2002. As hot as Charlie is, this print run of The Atrocity Archives is going to sell out quickly, so please do purchase your copy soonest, before the price doubles (or even triples) on the collectors' market. You can read the first section of the 77,000-word "The Atrocity Archive" online, and get a wee taste of the lead character, Bob Howard: a wisecracking, occasionally insubordinate, computer-hacker desk jockey, whose just itching for some field ops.

Now, back to Lucius Shepard, whose "Over Yonder" — another of his novella-length stories and winner of the 2003 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for Best SF Story of the Year — is the centerpiece of the recently released Two Trains Running (ISBN 1-930846-23-1), with awesome wraparound dust jacket art by John Picacio. Reviews of Trains have recently appeared in The Washington Post Book World, The Denver Post, and in Locus magazine:

The Washington Post Book World: ". . . Shepard has captured the essence of the hobo experience, recreating it with sympathy, humor and a merciless, unsentimental precision."
The Denver Post: ". . . a short, but excellent book that will continue [Shepard's] literary hot streak in the new century . . . this collection packs the emotional punch of a book twice its size."
Locus magazine: ". . . Lucius Shepard's Two Trains Running represent[s] not so much a collection as a demonstration of the way experience mutates into art in the hands of a gifted storyteller."

Lucius Shepard also has a new official website.

And speaking of the Bram Stoker Awards (which we were just a few paragraphs above), new Golden Gryphon Press author Jeff VanderMeer has also been nominated for a Stoker Award for his first novel, Veniss Underground. Though Golden Gryphon didn't publish Veniss, we do have Jeff's short fiction collection, Secret Life (ISBN 1-930846-27-4), scheduled to ship soon. If you enjoy cutting edge, weird sf, then you'll enjoy both Veniss and Secret Life, which contains five stories set in the "Veniss Underground" milieu, and one of these stories is exclusive to the collection. Purchase your copy of Secret Life direct from Golden Gryphon Press now, and receive Free an autographed, full-color promotional postcard. Check out the Secret Life postcard offer and then place your order.

The new Jeff VanderMeer website focuses on Secret Life. And don't forget that our Links page has links to all of our authors' and cover artists' websites.

Golden Gryphon Press would also like to wish author Kristine Kathryn Rusch a speedy recovery from her recent surgery. Kris has been recuperating at home now, but she may not be able to attend the Edgar Awards Banquet at the end of the month. As we mentioned here previously, her story "Cowboy Grace," in The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN 1-930846-15-0), has been nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Short Story, by the Mystery Writers of America. Our best wishes to Kris for both a speedy recovery and for her award nomination.

Lastly, we've added a Site Search on our Home page, courtesy of Google. You can enter an author's name, book title, whatever, and search the entire goldengryphon.com website. Have fun!

Reviews, reviews, and more reviews . . .

Author Tom Easton reviews Mockymen by Ian Watson in the latest issue of Analog. Easton writes: ". . . Watson is an old hand at bringing the unlikely to life. Overall, he makes it work very nicely." Read the full review.

We also have two new reviews from the latest issue of SFRA Review, a publication of the Science Fiction Research Association. In the review of Budayeen Nights,, the reviewer says of George Alec Effinger's work: "Effinger wrote [Marîd] Audran in a compelling first person voice and brought a cyberpunk world of personality modules (moddies), corymbic implants, and data decks to vivid life. All the more impressive (and unsurpassed to date) was his detailed yet matter-of-fact depiction of a Muslim society." The second review is on Nothing Human, the latest novel from Nancy Kress. Read the full Budayeen Nights review and the full Nothing Human review.

Another review of Nothing Human, this one featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, had this to say about author Nancy Kress: ". . . while there's absolutely nothing wrong with science fiction as a genre, to call Kress a science fiction writer seems too limiting. She's one of our best writers."

Golden Gryphon's latest release, Two Trains Running by Lucius Shepard, is showcased in three new reviews:
Don D'Ammassa's review in the Chronicle (". . . 'Over Yonder' is so excellent that it overshadows everything else in the collection . . . It reminded me at times of William Hope Hodgson, if Hodgson's prose had been much better than it was. This one's a real treat.");
The Kansas City Star review (" . . . Two Trains Running is a tour de force that captures all the untamed life of hoboes and their beloved machines. I wouldn't choose such a life; few of us would. But that's what books are for: to give us visions of other worlds."); and in SFRevu online ("His descriptive scenes of people and places linger long after the book is closed. The characters that he encounters lead him into a landscape of surprising beauty and serious menace where the steel behemoths whistle and rumble through the moon-washed night and folks with colorful nicknames swallow cheap wine and gaze on a world we seldom, if ever, see.")

We would also like to introduce you to a new Australian magazine entitled Ticonderoga Online. The first issue just premiered on March 15, and in addition to fiction, commentary, and interviews, this issue also contains reviews of four Golden Gryphon Press books. As you can tell, we're already big fans of Ticonderoga Online — and we wish them well in the months, and issues, to come. The four books reviewed in this premier issue include Mockymen and Nothing Human, along with Dale Bailey's The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories and Howard Waldrop & Friends' Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations. I won't bore you with a lot of quotes from all these reviews, but I really want to share with you an excerpt from Russell B. Farr's review of Custer's Last Jump:

"It's a rare privilege to hold in my hands this book, a rare and wonderful privilege. For years, aficionados of Howard Waldrop have discussed the fabled "collaborations" collection: a weighty tome containing such great stories as "Black as the Pit, from Pole to Pole," "Sun's Up!" and the title story, most written in his younger days as a brash Texan 20-something with co-writers like Steven Utley, Leigh Kennedy, George R. R. Martin and Bruce Sterling. A few braver fans have even discussed what it would take to publish it. Golden Gryphon have done a near-miraculous thing in bringing to life a work of modern legend, and have produced an impressively packaged collection. We're talking about quality small press publishing here: a three-thousand copy run . . . fantastic cover art by Frank Kelly Freas, elegant typesetting and a paper stock that simply smells and feels like the paper in a good book should."

That's certainly a lot of praise, and Russell hasn't even gotten to the stories yet! So check out Ticonderoga Online, please read these and all of the other new Golden Gryphon Press book reviews mentioned in this update, and then we hope you'll consider purchasing some of our books for your reading pleasure, if you haven't already done so.

And thank you all once again for your continued support of Golden Gryphon Press!

Golden Gryphon's first ever contest continues unabated for another ten days. If you've read the classic 1984 and you've read the recently published Golden Gryphon Press chapbook A Better World's in Birth! by Howard Waldrop and you have the ability to write 100 words (or less) on the subject — well, then why haven't you entered this contest yet?

Now shipping: Joe R. Lansdale's Bumper Crop (ISBN 1-930846-24-X), which Publishers Weekly describes as a "chicken-fried and jalapeño-laced story collection!" Read the PW review and then go buy the book! And you'll get to ogle another wondrous John Picacio cover illustration too!

This month we have a New Offer to share with you: Author Jeff VanderMeer had some full-color postcards made up to self-promote his new forthcoming collection Secret Life. Jeff then graciously autographed 100 of these postcards and sent them to Golden Gryphon Press. We will include one of these signed promotional postcards Free with every advance order we receive for Secret Life (until we run out of the postcards). Jeff VanderMeer is one of the hottest writers of fantastic fiction, and Secret Life is going to sell very fast once its released — so order your copy today, and snag a free autographed postcard. Read more about this Secret Life Offer.

Chronicle magazine (formerly Science Fiction Chronicle) has announced its "Best of 2003" lists, and, once again, Golden Gryphon Press titles are featured prominently on these lists. Listed among the best science fiction books of 2003 are: Michael Bishop's Brighten to Incandescence: 17 Stories (ISBN 1-930846-16-9), George Alec Effinger's Budayeen Nights (ISBN: 1-930846-19-3), and Ian Watson's Mockymen (ISBN: 1-930846-21-5). Listed among the best horror books of 2003 is Lucius Shepard's Louisiana Breakdown (ISBN: 1-930846-14-2). Congratulations authors!

And yet more good news: Robert Reed's Marrow story "Night of Time," which was included in The Silver Gryphon Anthology (ISBN: 1-930846-15-0), has been selected to appear in Gardner Dozois's annual anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction. We would also like to remind you that the next Golden Gryphon Press limited edition chapbook will be a new novelette from Bob Reed entitled "Mere," along with a lengthy Afterword in whic