On the other side of the world, so to speak, noted anthologist and Locus reviewer Jonathan Strahan has announced the inaugural Coode Street Awards ("Coode Street" being the name of Jonathan's blog). For Best Novel, Jonathan selected The Jennifer Morgue (ISBN 1-930846-45-2), stating: ". . . this was the most enjoyable book I read all year. Fast paced, riveting, funny. It’s also possibly Stross’s most completely successful book-length work so far. What more could you ask for from a novel that blends Ian Fleming and H. P. Lovecraft in equal measure?" And for Best Collection, Strahan selected The Empire of Ice Cream: "Jeffrey Ford is the best short story writer working in the genre today. No caveats, no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’: he’s the best. And this second collection was the best short story collection published in a year when we saw some amazingly good collections published. From the title story to the new novella 'Botch Town', Ford doesn’t skip a beat, doesn’t miss a note. And he seems only to be getting better."

Now, on to the multitude of reviews and interviews we have on hand to share with you for this update.

Noted author and Campbell Award winner John Scalzi is conducting a series of interviews for AOL Journals, which includes an interview with Charles Stross. In response to a question regarding his influences on The Jennifer Morgue, Stross replies in part: "I also had to take the decision to do this thing in the first place — to take the works of two well-loved writers, add Magic Ingredient X (a cynical twenty-something hacker who is utterly unlike any character who might have featured in said writers' work, or even in their world-view), and then remix the hell out of them. It turns out that this is a pretty good recipe for getting something original out of the far end of the process — the lack of slashdot-reading geeks in Lovecraft, for example, enables you to probe the mythos and come up with something new — but working through the consequences is pretty demanding."

Also, SCI FI Wire, the news service of the SCI FI Channel, recently posted a mini Stross interview conducted by John Joseph Adams. About the "Lovecraftian stuff" Stross says: "I could argue that this is actually the real hardcore fantasy. It's got magic: magic as a branch of applied mathematics, but it's still magic. But it's got horror overtones and is being marketed somewhat oddly as 'geek horror.' "

And in The Agony Column for 12-14-06, Rick Kleffel writes of The Jennifer Morgue: ". . . Stross delivers big-time. Monsters. Sarcasm. Computer in-jokes. Geek humor. Lovecraft — H. P. Lovecraft. This is to die for. And, given 'Gravedust,' we'll be able to hear just how happy you are in the afterlife. Better take a calculator." For those who haven't read the story as yet, "Gravedust" is the code name for a piece of alien technology that falls into the evildoer's hands, allowing him to communicate with the dead — the exceedingly long dead!

Rambles, which bills itself as a "cultural arts magazine," has recently reviewed Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream. Reviewer Gregg Thurlbeck concludes his review with: "The whole package is a treat — surprising in its plot twists and turns, engaging in its complex characterizations, alarming in its casual terrors — a book I feel comfortable recommending to any fan of quality short fiction."

Strange Horizons recently posted an M. Rickert interview, conducted by the previously mentioned John Joseph Adams, in support of her first collection, and first book, Map of Dreams (ISBN 1-930846-44-4). In response to a question regarding the four sections in which the collection is divided, Rickert replies: "I hoped that there would be a certain benefit in reading the stories in the order they are presented, intending to create a layering of meaning, so that by the final story 'The Chambered Fruit,' which is a very sad story, there would also be this sense of hope. The last few words of the collection are an important comment on all that comes before."

We've also seen the recent Publishers Weekly review for Map of Dreams, which begins: "Sorrows, anguish and bitter might-have-beens dominate Rickert's fitfully brilliant collection of fantasy fiction, whose title novella, according to Gordon Van Gelder's afterword, reveals a love of the natural world that wonderfully imbues the author's often enigmatic fiction."

Two of our spring 2006 titles were recently reviewed in the long-running Weird Tales magazine. About Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts (ISBN 1-930846-40-1), reviewer Scott Connors writes: ". . . [George] Zebrowski is not usually thought of as a writer of horror stories, but his first collection in the genre should serve to shatter that preconception. . . . an impressive collection that will repay repeated readings." Connors also reviews novel Sleeping Policemen (ISBN 1-930846-41-X): ". . . Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr. present a story that is genuinely horrific without ever even bending a natural law. . . . The authors contrast Nick's own moral strength with the lack of strength shown by his friends, yet it is apparent that the compro­mise of that strength is what worsens their situation. There are many self-conscious references to works by Conrad and Fitzgerald that drive this home, but what Sleeping Policemen boils down to is how Nick and his friends act when confronted with moral evil."

As always, additional details on all of our titles, including links to the full reviews mentioned above as well as ordering information, are available through our online Catalog.

Last, but certainly not least, the online 'zine Up against the Wall has posted a John Picacio interview, in which he talks about his inspirations, the art process (with specific reference to both Jeffrey Ford short story collections), current projects, and more. Picacio, winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Chesley Award, and a recent Hugo Award finalist, is one of our favorite cover artists, and from the feedback we receive, he's obviously a favorite of our readers, too.

This update will undoubtedly be the last for 2006, so we would like to take this opportunity to convey our best wishes to you, and to thank you for your continued support of Golden Gryphon Press and its books and authors. Happy Holidays, and see you in 2007!

PW Best Books of the Year!

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Rickert's Map of Dreams has been amassing wide critical acclaim, as evident in the two reviews in the October issue of Locus. In the first review, Nick Gevers writes: "She is a poet of the extremes housed within the human heart, and adapts the fantastic to the pressing needs of the emotional present. . . . M. Rickert has mastered her own distinct creative territory, and has become a formidable writer." And in the second review, Gary K. Wolfe quotes from the title story to make his point: " 'All life is death,' she says. 'From death, and sorrow, and compromise, you create. This is what it means, you finally realize, to be alive.' This may be Rickert's characteristic theme, and from it she's forged the most impressive debut collection I've seen this year." I particularly like those final words from Mr. Wolfe: "the most impressive debut collection I've seen this year." Another review, this one from Gavin J. Grant, who co-edits the annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthology series, appears in BookPage: "Mary Rickert's Map of Dreams is the type of debut collection bibliophiles dream of stumbling across. . . . [her stories] are tiny fireballs shooting across the reader's brain, delving into dark and scary parts of our imagination that other writers don't reach. . . . Rickert has a satisfyingly vigorous imagination which scales from the smallest detail to the grandest conceit, and she corrals and controls it in an incredibly skilled manner." And the last review of Map that we have for you comes from Gwenda Bond's blog "Shaken & Stirred" on November 6: ". . . the title novella, published here for the first time, is as wonderful as anything else Rickert has written. . . ."Map of Dreams" feels just right. As if it could never have been anything else, as if there's not a stray word in it. It's such a satisfying story. . . . It would be worth buying the collection just for this." And as Gwenda goes on to say in her blog: ". . . if that doesn't make you want to read this collection more than anything else I'm going to say, well, what's your deal?"

As I write this (approximately 11:15 A.M. PST), Stross's The Jennifer Morgue is ranked 1,540 on Amazon.com. Not too shabby for a small press title! Jennifer is, of course, the new "Bob Howard" adventure, and a sequel to The Atrocity Archives (which, by the way, is still available in a first edition hardcover direct from Golden Gryphon Press). In his review in the November Locus, Nick Gevers writes: "Charles Stross is a versatile writer, working in at least three major idioms: ambitious, densely phrased hard SF concerning the Vingean Singu­larity and its consequences (Singularity Sky, Accelerando, Glasshouse), alternate history SF garbed as Zelaznyesque fantasy (the Merchant Princes novels), and Lovecraftian horror laced with Cold War and contemporary high-tech espionage ("A Colder War," The Atrocity Archives). He handles all three very ably, but for my money he is at his best when indulging that third bracket, where Arkham meets MI6. The resulting combination of chilling Cthul­hoid monstrosities, Kafka-inspired spy agency bureaucracy, and flippant hacker humor is ir­resistible, Lovecraft's Mythos filtered through rambunctious gonzo language and plotting that is edge-of-the-seat and slapstick-intensive all at once . . . The Jennifer Morgue is Stross's most entertaining novel to date, and a metafiction of distinction." The Publishers Weekly review says of Jennifer that it is "alternately chilling and hilarious" and concludes the review with: "Stross has a marvelous time making eldritch horror appear commonplace in the face of bureaucracy."

You can purchase Map of Dreams, M. Rickert's first collection (and first book), and Charles Stross's The Jennifer Morgue through our online Catalog using PayPal, or you may send a personal check, money order, or credit card information to: Golden Gryphon Press, 3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802. Shipping is always free to U.S. addresses.

Forthcoming Books!

Christopher Barzak, who wrote the introduction to Map of Dreams, shares in his blog some of his personal thoughts on and experiences with M. Rickert — so for a bit of further insight into the authors themselves, read Barzak's blog "Meditations in an Emergency."

Banned Books Week was celebrated September 23-29, and in support of this event, author Warren Rochelle used the Harry Potter books, and some recent attempts to have them banned, as the basis for his talk entitled "Harry Potter, Fantasy, and Censorship," which was broadcast on With Good Reason, the state of Virginia's public radio network. You can still listen to this Rochelle interview on WGR (scroll down) — access requires RealAudio or an MP3 player. Warren Rochelle's first Golden Gryphon Press novel, Wild Boy (ISBN 1-930846-04-5), is still available, and his new novel, Harvest of Changelings, is forthcoming in 2007.

One of our most popular and most reviewed books is Jeffrey Ford's second short fiction collection The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8), and we have three more reviews to add to the list: Noted author James Sallis reviews Empire in the December ish of F&SF Magazine: ". . . these are first and foremost, and most emphatically, stories, good stories, some of them great stories, stories that open windows onto other minds, doors into other worlds." In the Rocky Mountain News, reviewer Mark Graham writes of Empire: "The highlight of the collection is 'Botch Town.' This previously unpublished novella about growing up in a New Jersey suburb in the 1950s is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury in such works as Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dandelion Wine and The Halloween Tree." And lastly, web site FantasyBookSpot concludes it's review with: ". . . Ford's hallmark: making the reader question everything he's just read and thought he understood, but then just as the tale winds down, the reader starts wondering anew. Ford has a way of making ordinary events seem fantastic, sometimes even terrifying, and often they are tinged with sadness. He is the master of the 'story with a twist' and the 'ironic ending.' The Empire of Ice Cream is an intriguing and diverse collection that only further solidifies Ford's overall mastery of the short story." Twenty raving reviewers can't all be stark raving mad, so what are you waiting for? As Mark Graham states in his review: "Time's a wasting. Get The Empire of Ice Cream and start reading."

Our last review to share with you this time around is for British author Eric Brown's short fiction collection, Threshold Shift (ISBN 1-930846-43-6). In Locus magazine, reviewer Rich Horton writes: "[Brown] has twice won the British Science Fiction Association Award. This fine collection will hopefully introduce him to a new set of readers: it is his first to appear in the U.S. . . .Three stories come from a long series of stories, collectively my favorites among Brown's work, concerning the alien Kéthani, and their gift to humanity: immortality. . . . Eric Brown is a so far underappreciated writer . . . he does what he does best very well, and work like that showcased here is very fun — and also thematically engaging."

You can purchase Threshold Shift, Eric Brown's first U.S. collection, or Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream through our online Catalog using PayPal, or you may send a personal check, money order, or credit card information to: Golden Gryphon Press, 3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802. Shipping is always free to U.S. addresses.

For those of you attending the World Fantasy Convention the end of this week in Austin, Texas, please look for me, Marty Halpern — I'll be participating in the mass autograph session Friday evening. Do stop by and say "Hi," and please feel free to introduce yourself if we haven't previously met.

This is the seventeenth review we've posted for Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8) — You think maybe reviewers and readers like this book? This review, by Rich Horton, who now edits The Best of the Year anthologies for both Science Fiction and Fantasy, appears on SF Site. In his review, Horton writes: "There is one new story in the book, a very long novella (nearly novel length): 'Botch Town.' This is a pitch perfect and rather sad evocation of childhood in a lower middle class New Jersey suburb." Horton says of the title story: ". . . one of my favorite stories by anyone from the last few years." He refers to the story "The Weight of Words" as ". . . another brilliant piece." And he concludes his review by stating: "The book itself is a lovely physical object, as we expect from Golden Gryphon. . . . This is surely one of the best story collections of the year." So if you don't have Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream — "one of the best story collections of the year" — in your library, what are you waiting for?

George Zebrowski's second Golden Gryphon Press collection, Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts (ISBN 1-930846-40-1), has been reviewed by Green Man Review and Australia's Ticonderoga Online. Craig Clarke, in Green Man writes: "This first collection of Zebrowski's darker stories is a different kind of horror collection. Some of the stories offer a level of fright, but more often they sneak up and disturb. These are not the 'fun' horrors of haunted houses, inbred cannibals, and sentient automobiles. These are the real horrors that come from within ourselves: from our thoughts and actions and worldviews. . . . It took me some time to get attuned to the author's mindset because it's nothing like the easy, mindless reads usually offered by the genre. But fans of Zebrowski, and those willing to experiment with the more thoughtful side of fear, are sure to be highly rewarded by this tightly edited look at a different side of his peculiar vision." And Ticonderoga Online amplifies this view of Zebrowski's work by stating: "While not horror per se, Black Pockets is certainly dark fiction, and sophisticated dark fiction at that. Well worth buying for the reader who enjoys an intelligent and unsettling discourse." If you want to read short fiction that will "sneak up and disturb" you, fiction that offers "an intelligent and unsettling discourse," then you need to be reading Zebrowski's Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts.

Mark Graham, in the Rocky Mountain News, reviews novel Sleeping Policemen (ISBN 1-930846-41-X), by authors Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr.: ". . . The remarkable wraparound dust jacket painted by John Picacio and the quality cloth binding is far superior to books produced by larger companies. . . . Sleeping Policemen is a graphic and nasty novel, not for the squeamish. The biggest problem with the story is finding someone to root for. While the antagonists are really scum, the protagonists aren't particularly admirable either." So we have fiction that sneaks up and disturbs and is unsettling — and now we have a story that is "graphic and nasty"! Welcome to the Dark Side of Golden Gryphon Press . . .

New collection Threshold Shift (ISBN 1-930846-43-6), from British sf writer Eric Brown, is reviewed in Booklist and Library Journal, both of which are significant resources to public libraries. Booklist states: "Brown's stories, with their focuses on the effects of the extraordinary on everyday people, make for most satisfying reading." The Library Journal review concludes with: ". . . these tales illustrate the unique vision of a writer (the Kéthani tales) who does not hesitate to challenge his readers to think carefully about the implications of tomorrow's brave new world. A good choice for larger sf or short fiction collections." Eric Brown's Threshold Shift reaffirms our belief, here at Golden Gryphon Press, in publishing strong, literate genre fiction.

Last, but certainly not least, we have an advance review of M. Rickert's forthcoming collection (and first book) entitled Map of Dreams (ISBN 1-930846-44-4). This review, written by John Joseph Adams, appears in the new online 'zine Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show. Adams writes: " 'Map of Dreams' . . . is effective at communicating the sense of helpless outrage and anger one would feel after the loss of a child. Rickert makes [Annie] Merchant's loss the reader's loss, and in the end its power overcomes whatever shortcomings it may have. . . . Much of Rickert's other work also deals honestly and heart-wrenchingly with the subject of loss, but echoing most closely the theme of 'Map of Dreams' is the last (and best) story in the book, 'The Chambered Fruit' . . . The story is potent and lyrical, a study in how to take the more common tropes of fantasy and tell a story that is entirely uncommon, both in its take on the theme and its level of literary achievement." Finally, Adams concludes: ". . . all of which demonstrate the heights that fantasy can achieve when writers use the fantastic to illuminate the essence of what in life is real by contrasting it with what is not." John Joseph Adams also predicts in his review that Map of Dreams "will end up on the World Fantasy Award 'Best Collection' ballot next year" and that "Rickert's the one to beat." You can preorder your copy of Map of Dreams direct from Golden Gryphon Press or through most bookstores and online booksellers.

That's the last of the reviews, at least this time around. However, we also wanted to inform you of a lengthy (fifty-five-plus minutes), audio-only Charles Stross interview conducted by The Agony Column's very own Rick Kleffel on September 25.  Either RealAudio or an MP3 player is required to partake of this inteview. Charlie discusses space opera, genre-crossing, economics in fiction, Napoleonic space battles over far-flung planets (!), and more. Check it out.

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In a feature review on Locus Online, Matthew Cheney (a 2005 World Fantasy Award nominee for his blog "The Mumpsimus") posts his "Field Guide to Recent Short Story Collections." Cheney provides mini reviews for ten recent small press short story collections, including Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream, about which he writes: "The language these fictions speak may seem lyrically ordinary, the kind of language spoken by good friends and amusing uncles, the language of storytellers and prestidigators, but more often than not these stories know they are stories, they revel in their own words, creating sentences that soar then circle back on themselves with a quick and invigorating bite to the tale." It's good to know that the short story collection is still alive and well — and we hope you are enjoying the many excellent short story collections that Golden Gryphon Press has to offer.

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Golden Gryphon Press Gazette, Issue #2

And Bookwatch had this to say about Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts: "Zebrowski's no newcomer to writing: he has over forty books to his name including short story collections, essays and novels, but this first collection of horror stories displays another edge to his creative talents one which should be satisfying to a large audience."

A new online 'zine — or at least one that we've just learned about — entitled Some Fantastic contains a double-review of both Black Pockets and Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8) in its current issue. On Black Pockets, reviewer Danny Adams writes: ". . . in many of Zebrowski's stories the horror is subtle, or not in a place you would expect, or it doesn't strike you until the story slams you with its ending. In any case, it isn't your traditional horror, but the effects may be no less chilling for all that." And about Empire he writes: ". . . the opening story, 'The Annals of Eelin-Ok,' gives every indication of being a simple light-hearted fantasy . . . Once the introduction is finished, however, Ford astounds us with sudden unexpected depth: in that brief space of time Eelin-Ok is allotted a life . . . We know all along that the story will end with Eelin-Ok's death, which in Ford's hands makes his life so much the richer, his battles more desperate, and his memory more enduring."

Empire is also reviewed in the latest ish from SF Site, in which Nathan Brazil concludes: "In summary, The Empire of Ice Cream is a superior collection, in which Ford weaves threads of other worlds, other lives, so stealthily that their inclusion is like the touch of spider silk. Trawling across dreams, as Bob Lind once sang, with nets of wonder, he takes the ordinary, and craftily adds the extra."

As always, additional details on all of our titles, including links to the full reviews mentioned above as well as ordering information, are available through our online Catalog.

Autographed Books Available!

New Acquisitions

Also added to our forthcoming schedule are trade paperback reprints of Jeffrey Ford's Well-Built City trilogy: The Phsiognomy, Memoranda, and The Beyond. The Physiognomy won the 1998 World Fantasy Award and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; Memoranda was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and The Beyond was selected for the Washington Post Book World’s 2001 Best of the Year list. The cover art, in the form of a triptych, will again be provided by John Picacio. Author Jeffrey Ford also promises new introductions to accompany each title.

We're very pleased to add these books to the Golden Gryphon Press library.

Both of these books, along with our two other forthcoming fall titles — Map of Dreams (ISBN 1-930846-44-4; October) by M. Rickert and The Jennifer Morgue (ISBN 1-930846-45-2; November) by Charles Stross — can now be purchased in advance direct from Golden Gryphon Press. And we thank you, as always, for your support of our books and our authors.

Our most recently published title, Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts (ISBN 1-930846-40-1), has been reviewed by Midwest Book Review: "Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts by George Zebrowski is an impressively entertaining collection of this accomplished author's memorable short stories of horror gathered together under one cover . . . very highly recommended reading, particularly for horror fantasy enthusiasts for its deft authorship of original and highly evocative tales that will haunt your dreams long after the volume is finished and set back upon the shelf."

Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8) has been reviewed by both The Agony Column and California Bookwatch. Terry Weyna for The Agony Column writes: "Jeffrey Ford is a master of short fantasy. His short fiction fills two indispensable collections published by Golden Gryphon Press, The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and, now, The Empire of Ice Cream. Every story in these volumes makes you want to sing, or to cry with pleasure and sadness, or to sigh in pure admiration. No wonder many of the stories in The Empire of Ice Cream were nominated for and/or won an award or two. My reaction to this book is easily boiled down to two words: more, quickly!"

And California Bookwatch had this to say about Empire: ". . . a wonderful set of short stories diverse in subject and nearly surreal in description. Indeed, it's Ford's lovely turns of phrase which keep images solid in mind and lend to his whimsical, detailed story of very different lives. . ."

If you would like these website updates delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to the goldengryphon.com distribution list courtesy of Yahoo! Groups. You'll find a subscription link in the left frame on our Home page. If you have previously subscribed to the update list but haven't been receiving updates recently, it's most likely due to your ISP bouncing Yahoo! Groups email, and you've probably been unsubbed from the list. Please resubscribe and then be sure to add both "goldengryphon@yahoogroups.com" and "marty.halpern@gmail.com" to your email address book. If the bouncing and unsubbing persists, you may just have to contact your ISP directly.

But first, the new 2006 Golden Gryphon Press Catalog is hot off the virtual press, and you can now download your own copy in PDF format. Special thanks to World Fantasy Award-winning artist Jason Van Hollander for his most generous time and assistance with this latest catalog. Though our catalogs no longer feature cover art, you can always view the cover art — and quite often the full wraparound dust jacket art — here on goldengryphon.com.

Now, on to the reviews and interviews . . .

Two of our earlier titles were reviewed in the current issue of SFRA Review, a publication of the Science Fiction Research Association:

About The Fiction Factory (ISBN 1-930846-36-3) by Jack Dann & Friends, reviewer Bill Dynes writes: "It must be a great deal of fun to write fiction with Jack Dann. That, certainly, is the impression given in many of the entertaining headnotes accompanying this eclectic group of short stories. Each of these stories is the result of a collaboration between Dann and one or more others. . . . [W]hat is apparent is the manner in which these collaborators delighted in the process of working together, challenging and supporting one another, and in most cases that energy and excitement translates effectively into the stories themselves. . . . The Fiction Factory is an appealing collection of high-spirited and thought-provoking stories."

And reviewer David G. Mead had this to say about Robert Reed's The Cuckoo's Boys (ISBN 1-930846-37-1): "The stories are proof, if any is really needed, that Reed is a really fine writer of science fiction. He fully deserves the numerous honors his stories and novels have won. The stories here are technologically rich, emotionally intense and very interesting. Reed explores the interaction of humanity and technology 'from the inside,' using first-person narrative to convey his characters' often painful, sometimes terrible struggles with a world made strange by scientific change. . . . Reed's writing is in the tradition of Heinlein at his best, and he deserves to be read widely. Strongly recommended."

On SF Revu, Colleen Cahill reviews Jeffrey Ford's second Golden Gryphon Press collection, The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8): "It is hard to say which is my favorite story as all these works are not only finely written, but are the kind that stay with you over time. . . . All the stories include an afterword by Ford that explains the roots of each piece and the book begins with an introduction by fellow speculative fiction writer Jonathan Carroll who defines Ford as a story teller so compelling that you must read to the end. I certainly agree and urge everyone to get a copy of this wonderful mix of humor, fancy, darkness, and heart, all wrapped in truly impressive stories." Ms. Cahill complements her review of Empire with a Jeffrey Ford interview, also posted on SF Revu.

Any lastly, our most recently published title, Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr.'s Sleeping Policemen (ISBN 1-930846-41-X), has been reviewed in Publishers Weekly Annex: "Returning to campus after a night out, college students Finney Durant, Nick Laymon and Reed Tucker discover the dark heart that lurks just below the surface of 'civilized' morality . . . [a] nightmarish, graphic debut novel from Bailey and Slay . . ."

One final note in closing: The slipcased, numbered limited edition of The Silver Gryphon anthology, signed by all 23 contributors, is now Out of Print. Copies should still be available from those independent booksellers who regularly stock Golden Gryphon Press titles, including Clarkesworld, Realms of Fantasy, and Shocklines — and Cold Tonnage Books in the U.K. However, if you ever encounter difficulties locating any Golden Gryphon Press title, simply send a query to the gryphon.

Two of our forthcoming titles, Map of Dreams (ISBN 1-930846-44-4) by M. Rickert and The Jennifer Morgue (ISBN 1-930846-45-2) by Charles Stross were recently mentioned in Jonathan Strahan’s blog, "Notes from Coode Street." As you may well know, Jonathan is the Reviews Editor for Locus and also the editor of the Best Short Novels annual anthology series. Following his praise of M. Rickert's short fiction, Jonathan writes: ". . . go read her story 'Anyway' over at SciFiction. If you like it, pre-order [the book] . . . Publishing first collections is always a tricky business, and this is one that really deserves your support." And Jonathan had this to say about Charles Stross: "He’s raised the stakes, taking his story well beyond any kind of 'gag,' both incorporating and transcending his material in one of the most enjoyable novels I expect to read for a while . . . It won’t be out till November, but be sure to get your order in early. The Jennifer Morgue is the first essential book of 2006 and the Golden Gryphon edition is pretty much perfect." Whoa! Thanks, Jonathan, we always appreciate your support of our books and authors. You can access our Forthcoming Books page for more information on both of these new titles, including links to Jonathan's blog as well as a link to M. Rickert's story "Anyway."

Our most recent title, Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr.'s novel Sleeping Policemen (ISBN 1-930846-41-X), has been given "the treatment" in Rick Kleffel's The Agony Column: "Bailey and Slay Jr. write in a seamlessly integrated voice and provide the reader with the sort of stay-up-all-night tension that the characters themselves are feeling. It's stripped down, but richly evoked. What shines here is the milieu of the characters, the feeling of an everyday world slipping quickly off the tracks." And in his reviews blog "I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away the Ending" (I love that title!), William Lexner also notes that he read this novel in a single sitting, and goes on to say: "Sleeping Policemen conjures all the horror that exists in the heart of men, and works quite well as a horror novel. What makes it so very terrifying is the very possible and believable premise, and the hint of all the true-life horror that bubbles just beneath the surface of our unsuspecting daily lives."

Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts (ISBN 1-930846-40-1), George Zebrowski's second short fiction collection from Golden Gryphon Press, has also hit the pages of The Agony Column, in which Rick Kleffel writes: "Want to know where the real secret revolution in science fiction is taking place? Look no further than Black Pockets by George Zebrowski . . . a collection of horror stories built on a foundation of science fiction, or science fiction with a horrific intent. It certainly depends on how you approach it."

Black Pockets is also reviewed, side by side with Jeffrey Ford's new collection The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8), by John Mark Eberhart in the Kansas City Star: "People who dislike science fiction and fantasy often say it's because such stories have nothing to do with 'real life.' I beg to differ. And offer, as evidence, two new story collections, George Zebrowski's Black Pockets and Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream. Yes, these writers break the laws of reality, but their fictions have teeth because they bite into issues confronting us, from politics to the perils and promises of the Information Age."

Both Green Man Review and Midwest Book Review post kudos as well for Ford's Empire. Cat Eldridge in Green Man Review says that the Ford collection is "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." And he concludes his review with: "Do finish off your reading here with 'Botch Town,' a well-crafted novella (and the only previously unpublished piece in the collection) which is 'autobiographical' in nature. This sweet tale of a kid for whom the mundane seems unreal and the fantastic is all too real should get a Hugo if there's any justice at all in this universe." And Midwest Book Review calls Empire "an impressively engaging collection of fourteen of the author's most evocative and best crafted short stories."

What's important to note here is that Golden Gryphon Press has published two Jeffrey Ford collections and two George Zebrowski collections — and all four books have received Starred Reviews in Publishers Weekly. Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

Our final review this time around can be found in the lastest e-issue of Barnes & Noble's Explorations, which has Lucius Shepard's The Golden (ISBN 1-930846-38-X) as one of its top picks. Explorations editor Paul Goat Allen writes: "Aficionados of novels that delve into the vampire mythos should seriously contemplate adding this limited-run edition to their bloodsucking library. Shepard's The Golden is one of those rare literary works that redefine the boundaries of a well-trodden motif and simultaneously breathe new life into it. A dark, poetic phantasmagoria of nightmarish images, brutal violence, and unholy sensuality, it's simply not to be missed." All of our previously posted reviews of The Golden were for the original hardcover edition published in 1993, so it's great to see this new trade paperback edition receiving attention as well, particularly from Barnes & Noble.

As always, additional details on all of our titles, including links to the full reviews mentioned above as well as ordering information, are available through our online Catalog.

Lastly, I wanted to bring to your attention the work of fan writer Thomas Jackson, who maintains a George Alec Effinger FAQ. Tom has been a steadfast supporter of GAE's work for a number of years now, and has kindly asked that we link our Effinger pages to this FAQ. We're certainly happy to oblige.

When I asked author Dale Bailey to send me a blurb that I could use for the book, here's what I received: "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 hard-boiled 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." Jim Thompson, James M. Cain, Bailey and Slay Jr. — it doesn't get any better than that! Copies of Sleeping Policemen are now shipping direct from Golden Gryphon Press, so place your order today!

As you may well know, the title story to Jeffrey Ford's new collection, The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8), won the prestigious Nebula Award, and was also a finalist for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. Well, I recently learned that "The Empire of Ice Cream" is now a finalist for the Japanese Sieun Award for best translated story of the year. The winners will be announced at the 45th Japan Science Fiction Convention, July 8-9, 2006. More kudos to Jeff Ford and "The Empire of Ice Cream"! (The Seiun Awards are Japan's equivalent of the Hugo Awards.)

That's the title story, now on to the collection itself. Since our last update, The Empire of Ice Cream has been reviewed by three of the top online publications. Cheryl Morgan writes in Emerald City: "To start with I have already read and reviewed many of the stories . . . And that, of course, means I am very familiar with Ford’s writing. So why did I want a copy [of the collection]? Well firstly for the fabulous John Picacio cover. But mainly because I wanted all of those wonderful stories in one convenient volume where I could find them and come back to them easily. This, you will remember, is from Cheryl, who really doesn’t like short fiction all that much. Not only do I want to own a collection of Jeffrey Ford stories, I want to be able to read them again and again . . . You won’t find a much better collection of short stories than this anywhere."

In Science Fiction Weekly, author Paul Witcover begins his "A+" review of The Empire of Ice Cream with the following comments: "Jeffrey Ford is one of our most gifted and original short-story writers. Yet as accustomed as readers may be to the high quality of his stories in terms of both craft and imagination, it's one thing to encounter them piecemeal, in anthologies and magazines, and quite another to have a whole book's worth to discover or rediscover, as the case may be. Then Ford's ambition and accomplishment take on truly Brobdingnagian proportions. There seems little in heaven, hell or any place in between beyond his interest and his grasp. At any rate, that is the impression left by this superb new collection, the follow-up to his 2004 World Fantasy Award-winning first collection, The Fantasy Writer's Assistant."

And last but certainly not least, in her Strange Horizons review, Rose Fox writes of Empire: "Once you make the deliberate decision to turn the page and begin to read, you have placed yourself in [Ford's] hands and all bets are off; but the existence of that first moment of choice makes it all the more poignant to become immersed in these strange and sad tales of people who make uninformed choices or have no choices at all. With eyes wide open — or open wide, in wonder and delight — it is a thrill and a joy to make this pact, to say yes and dive in again and again, and to emerge shaken and moved and satisfied."

Since Sleeping Policemen — our last title for the first half of 2006 — is now shipping, we thought it was time to start introducing our readers to our fall 2006 titles. On our Forthcoming Books page we've posted details on M. Rickert's first short fiction collection, Map of Dreams. We're still eagerly waiting on the cover art for this book, but in the meantime you can view the contents listing, and access links to an M. Rickert interview and the complete text for two of the stories to be included in the collection: "Anyway" and "The Girl Who Ate Butterflies."

In addition to M. Rickert's first collection (also her first book!), we have the new Bob Howard adventure, The Jennifer Morgue, forthcoming from Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross. Lovecraft meets James Bond in this new, full-length novel (plus bonus story) in which supersecret Laundry agent Bob Howard must save the world once again, or die trying — this time from horrors from the vasty deeps. Steve Montiglio's cover art for Jennifer has also been posted for your viewing pleasure, and Steve has informed us that the art has been selected to appear in the 2006 edition of the annual anthology Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner. And if you check out our Forthcoming Books page you can also snag a sneak peak at the official insignia for The Laundry, courtesy of Feòrag NicBhrìde.

Our previous new title, Jeffrey Ford's The Empire of Ice Cream (ISBN 1-930846-39-8), has been reviewed a second time in Locus magazine. Gary K. Wolfe provides a lengthy, detailed review in which he concludes: "Like the very different 'Annals of Eelin-Ok,' ['The Empire of Ice Cream'] is some kind of masterpiece, and to find two such classics in the same volume is reward enough, even without the manifest excellence of the other tales." In The Agony Column for 03-30-06, Rick Kleffel raves on about Ford's new collection: "The Empire of Ice Cream includes a brand-new, never published 40,000 word (=84 pages) novella, 'Botch Town.' In it Charlie, a Long Island boy, grows up and comes of age. For you Golden Gryphon fans, it's the contents of the notebook found by the narrator of 'Present from the Past,' Ford's story for The Silver Gryphon [anthology]. Like much of Ford's work, this one runs the gamut; beautifully written prose, toe-tapping terror and tension, humor, and fantastic imagination. Think of the first time you read Ray Bradbury." Wow, comparing Ford to Bradbury . . . now there's something to shout about! And not to be outdone, Booklist had this to say about Empire: "Giants and unidentifiable alien creatures, fairy tales, the intertwining of wonder and terror, and fantastic views of both the strange and the ordinary all appear in this marvelous collection, with Ford's comments on his inspiration and motivations appended to each story."

From Down Under comes the latest issue of Ticonderoga Online, with a review of Jack Dann & Friends' The Fiction Factory (ISBN 1-930846-36-3): "Jack Dann is an enviably talented writer, at times without peer in the genre through possessing a uniquely well-developed sense of style. On his own he has produced a treasure bag of notable quality works, both short and long. The Fiction Factory collects 18 amazing examples of how talented Dann can be when he gets by with a little help of some equally talented friends. Every story is different, yet each is an unfettered ride through the combined headspaces of writers of the highest calibre. Buy it, own it, read it." You heard the man: Buy it, own it, read it!

Each of our books has its own Catalog page, from which you can link to the full reviews excerpted above. You can also view each book's cover art (often, the full wraparound cover art), table of contents, and other goodies. And, while you're there, you can always order each book online as well. Of course, we also accept mail order, via check, money order, or credit card.

Signed, Numbered, Slipcased Limited Editions

Another of our recent titles, Jack Dann and Friends' The Fiction Factory (ISBN 1-930846-36-3) was recently reviewed by Gregg Thurlbeck in Rambles Magazine: "Each of the stories in this terrific collection is introduced by all of the authors involved in the story's creation. And, as much as the stories themselves, it is these introductions that make The Fiction Factory an outstanding book. They provide a window into the process by which a strange assortment of wild ideas became salable pieces of fiction . . . well-crafted, intensely creative, bold fiction. The Fiction Factory is a well-run business and, for the fourth quarter of 2005, it's paying a dividend of speculative fiction at its best."

The Atrocity Archives (ISBN 1-930846-25-8) by Charles Stross is the only Golden Gryphon Press hardcover that has been reprinted by another publisher — so far! In January, Ace Books released a trade paperback edition of The Atrocity Archives, and the review by Lynne Rhys-Jones on SciFi Dimensions is simply too good (and too hilarious) to pass up — there was one sentence in particular in this review that nearly had me ROTFLOL! (though that particular sentence is not included in this excerpt): ". . . The Atrocity Archives, one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Completely pleasurable, but completely over my head despite two graduate degrees that make me look really smart. Leaving me feeling, well, pretty stupid. . . . You see, the book is full of references to arcane historical figures and scientific theories. For a while, I just kept thinking to myself, 'Oh, Charles, you just made that up!' But then he referenced a few things I had actually heard of, like Planck’s constant . . . So what’s so great about a book that’s really hard to understand? Let’s face it: Regular Guy Saves World has been done. And done. And done. Oh, but not like this. . . ."   Please note that the hardcover edition of The Atrocity Archives is now in its second printing, but first editions are still available direct from Golden Gryphon Press. And if you purchase the hardcover from us we will include at no additional charge, an autographed Charles Stross bookplate to commemorate the author's Guest of Honor appearance at ArmadilloCon in Austin, Texas, last year.

And speaking of autographs . . .

In an effort to encourage our readers to purchase Golden Gryphon Press titles directly from us, we have obtained the author's signature on a number of our "trade edition" titles. If you purchase any of the following titles at this time, you will receive an autographed copy at no additional charge:

For those of you who are connoisseurs of intelligent, literate vampire fiction — yet for whatever reason have not read The Golden — I would like to share with you the concluding paragraph from the lengthy Nick Gevers review in Parsec: "Few works of vampire fiction refresh their exhausted, clichéd subject. But The Golden imparts vibrant energy to the old corpse, more even than Brian Stableford did in The Empire of Fear (1988) or Suzy McKee Charnas in The Vampire Tapestry (1979). The Golden is, however implausibly, an original vampire novel."  So if you are a fan of either the Charnas novel or the Stableford novel, or both, then you will certainly enjoy The Golden.

Booklist describes The Golden as "a seamless blend of police procedural, gothic romance, and vampire yarn." The review goes on to state: "The time period is circa 1860, and the old world settings, rich with fabulist overtones, are given a nice dusty feel by Shepard's skillfull utilization of narrative techniques associated with nineteenth-century fiction."

You can read the full reviews, including the Publishers Weekly review, on our The Golden page. And while you're there, why not order a copy for yourself, and maybe an extra copy or two for friends and family members.

Locus magazine has published its 2005 Recommended Reading List. And if you are a subscriber to Locus, then you have an opportunity to vote in the Locus poll to determine the year's best books and stories. The deadline to vote in this poll is U.S. tax day, April 15. As is typically the case, our authors and their work can be found throughout this list, and some of those books and stories are available (or will be available) through Golden Gryphon Press. Three of our 2005 titles have made the Recommended Reading List for short story collections: Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories by Gregory Frost, The Cuckoo's Boys by Robert Reed, and George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth. One of the previously unpublished stories included in Frost's Jazz Giants — novella "The Road to Recovery" — is also on the list. Jeffrey Ford's forthcoming collection, The Empire of Ice Cream, contains three stories included on the list: novelette "A Man of Light," and short stories "Boatman's Holiday" and "Giant Land." And lastly, this fall we will be publishing M. Rickert's first collection (and first book), Map of Dreams, and two of her stories are on the list as well: short stories "Anyway" and "The Harrowing." So congratulations to Jeffery Ford, Gregory Frost, Robert Reed, and M. Rickert — and all the other authors whose work appears on the Locus 2005 Recommended Reading List. And speaking of M. Rickert, her story "Cold Fires" has made the preliminary Nebula Awards ballot, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that the story will appear on the final ballot. "Cold Fires" will also be included in the Rickert collection.

Paula Guran, in a recent issue of Emerald City, listed her "Best of 2005," which included two Golden Gryphon Press titles: Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories by Gregory Frost and The Cuckoo's Boys by Robert Reed. Congrats once again, Gregory and Robert.

One final note before closing: If you are reading this update online because you didn't receive it via email, even though you subscribed to our website updates, it's most likely that our emails to you have been bouncing and thus your email address had to be deleted from the list. Please resubscribe, and then be sure to add "goldengryphon@yahoogroups.com" to your list of favorites, or your list or contacts, in your email application to ensure that the emails don't bounce or get added to the spam folder. For those new to Golden Gryphon Press, just visit our home page and in the left frame you'll find an option to subscribe to our website update distribution list.

First, a huge congrats! to Gregory Frost, whose recent collection Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories (ISBN 1-930846-34-7) was selected by Paula Guran on DarkEcho for her *Real* 2005 Recommended Reads List. Why the *real*? Well, you probably have to be a regular reader of DarkEcho to fully understand, but essentially, Paula put together a dream list of her favorite books and then followed it up with her *real* list! Makes perfect sense, right? Anyhow, congratulations Gregory Frost! The author is also featured in an interview conducted by friend and fellow author John Kessel on the infinity-plus website, along with the full text of short story "Collecting Dust," just one of the fourteen stories included in this collection.

And another Golden Gryphon Press title garnering recognition: George Alec Effinger's Live! From Planet Earth (ISBN 1-930846-32-0) was recently selected by January Magazine for its Best of 2005: Fiction list. Also, Australia's Ticonderoga Online reviews the collection in its latest issue: "All the stories in this collection are masterpieces . . . a contender for collection of the year . . . Effinger was the creator of numerous memorable stories filled with the most amazing characters . . . Live! From Planet Earth is both a fitting tribute to a fine writer and an excellent introduction to any reader who is yet to read any of Effinger's work." I suspect George is looking down on us from his cosmic office, with a huge smile on his face now that so much of his fiction is back in print (Tor Books is in the process of reprinting George's trilogy of Budayeen novels). Which brings me to my next announcement: A number of years before George passed away, he toyed with the idea of a collection of his "Sandor Courane" stories. For those familiar with George's work, Courane is a character (somewhat autobiographical, who possesses many of the author's own facilities, fascinations, and foibles) who appears in many stories and, typically, by the end of each story, dies. Thus the title that George gave the book: A Thousand Deaths. Golden Gryphon Press is pleased to add this new book to our 2007 publication schedule. Mike Resnick has agreed to write an introduction; Andrew Fox, a past student in one of George's writing classes and now an author in his own right, has agreed to write the afterword; and John Picacio will once again provide the full-color wraparound cover art.

The Midwest Book Review's Bookwatch reviews Jack Dann's The Fiction Factory (ISBN 1-930846-36-3): ". . . a fine collaborative collection of Jack Dann's short fiction with stories written with one or more co-authors from Gardner Dozois to Jack Haldeman and Barry Malzberg. These 18 stories include Nebula-nominated short 'High Steel' as well as others nominated for honors . . . These are quite diverse presentations packed with magic and variety: a huge delight for any who like different plots."

And the last book to be reviewed in recent months is also our most recently published title, Robert Reed's The Cuckoo's Boys (ISBN 1-930846-37-1). Cheryl Morgan, in the Hugo Award-winning Emerald City, writes: "Michael Crichton has made a living out of writing books in which science is portrayed as something intrinsically horrible, but in his short fiction Robert Reed manages something much more worthwhile. . . . All of which goes to confirm that Robert Reed is a fine writer whose work I shall continue to seek out in the future." Between this first and last sentence in the review, Cheryl comments on each of the twelve stories in the collection. And Gregg Thurlbeck, in Rambles Magazine, had this to say about the Reed collection: "Short fiction is a playground, a place where much of the most inspired experimentation with style and structure takes place. Robert Reed is very much at home in this playground, building breathtaking sand sculptures, leaping madly about on the monkey bars and plummeting head first down the slide. With The Cuckoo's Boys we're lucky enough to be invited along for the ride."

Our online Catalog will provide you with links to the full reviews, plus more — cover art, contents listings, interviews, fiction, special offers . . . Please do check out goldengryphon.com.