The Silver Gryphon [Hardcover]

This is the Golden Gryphon Press's 25th book (it's version of a "silver anniversary" celebration) and features short stories written by authors who contributed to the first 24 books. Each was asked to submit a story which "defines them as a writer." The result is a mixed bag of stories ranging from mundane naturalism to philosophically probing science fiction.

It's impossible to sum up this work in a very brief review, so let it suffice to say that if you like the work of the individual authors, you'll probably enjoy their submissions to the anthology.

Personally I found the lack of rigid criteria for the stories to be distracting. While it is apparent that each individual writer is good, the change of tone and subject matter from story to story made it impossible for me to enjoy this as "a good read." This is the sort of anthology which one pulls out every once in a while to read one or two stories at most, then shelves until another day.

One serious flaw of the anthology is that it lacks any real introduction of the writers for the benefit of the reader. Surely there should be SOMETHING to preface a story which a writer considers to be definitive of his or her self, but there is nothing but a half-sentence or so about each story in the foreward. Surely the publishers could do better than that for their readers (AND the writers!). Andy Duncan's story is a strange fantasy entitled, "The Haw River Trolley," a very short piece with some fine writing (e.g., "Old Whitesell knew there was no way in creation any part of that trolley could go five miles a minute even if you blew it up and clocked the fragments, but like most people who know the impossible to be true, or the truth to be impossible, he kept his mouth shut"), but after that paragraph the story becomes progressively more strange until at the very end I was wondering whether I had stumbled across a story which was part of a larger collection with characters whose lives I was already supposed to know of, or whether some mistake had deleted a half dozen paragraphs, or if the author was known for bizarre fantasy stories. Even though Duncan rated A WHOLE SENTENCE TO HIMSELF in the Foreward, I still don't know anything about his other work, and the result is overall dissatisfaction with this story. The final story in the collection, "Fire Dog," is definitely a strange fantasy, but I KNOW that author Joe R. Lansdale writes some bizarre material, so I was not surprised by anything in his story of a man takes a job as a firehouse dog (a dalmation named "Spot"); indeed, the lack of surprise was itself surprising -- I've read better works by Lansdale, which brings me back to my complaint: why did he select THIS story as his submission? While there is some excellent material in this anthology, such as Howard Waldrop's "Why Then Ile Fit You," about a senile, dying actor, I began to get the feeling that I was reading not what many of these writers considered to be their best OR most definitive work, but rather what they couldn't sell anywhere else.

I could not finish "The Silver Gryphon." The disjointed nature of the anthology's selection made reading it too great a sacrifice of time for me at the present. I have given the book three stars, though, because there IS some good material here, and Golden Gryphon fans will surely find something to enjoy in the selection. It just wasn't my cuppa.

An anthology apparently produced to celebrate the fact that the publisher, Golden Gryphon Press had produced 25 books, and getting each writer it seems to write what they felt like in terms of story and genre.

A good lineup, so for an original anthology this is pretty reasonable, with an average of 3.48.

Despite both the dodgy name and girly looking old fashioned fantasy cover, this is not a book of fairy tales, or fluffy fantasy. Although there is one 'faery boy on the run story'. It is mostly science fiction, in fact, with a few other pieces, from drugged out to horror.

A 3.75 out of 5 book almost, if you like.

Silver Gryphon : Mother - James Patrick Kelly
Silver Gryphon : Present from the Past - Jeffrey Ford
Silver Gryphon : The Door Gunner - Michael Bishop
Silver Gryphon : A Night on the Barbary Coast - Kage Baker
Silver Gryphon : The American Monarchy - Richard A. Lupoff
Silver Gryphon : An Innocent Presumption - Kevin J. Anderson
Silver Gryphon : Why Then Ile Fit You - Howard Waldrop
Silver Gryphon : What's Up Tiger Lily? - Paul Di Filippo
Silver Gryphon : The Time-Travel Heart - Geoffrey A. Landis
Silver Gryphon : Takes You Back - George Zebrowski
Silver Gryphon : Separate Lives - Ian Watson
Silver Gryphon : After Ildiko - Lucius Shepard
Silver Gryphon : The Golden Boy - Warren Rochelle
Silver Gryphon : Cowboy Grace - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Silver Gryphon : Tropical Nights at the Natatorium - Richard Paul Russo
Silver Gryphon : Night of Time - Robert Reed
Silver Gryphon : The Haw River Trolley - Andy Duncan
Silver Gryphon : Far Barbary - R. Garcia y Robertson
Silver Gryphon : Kwantum Babes - Neal Barrett Jr.
Silver Gryphon : Fire Dog - Joe R. Lansdale


Baby training alien resistance.

4 out of 5


Rooted writing.

2.5 out of 5


Zombie needs a hell of a push.

3.5 out of 5


Botany monopoly Frisco misery.

3 out of 5


Double president decision, mahalo.

3.5 out of 5


Slasher X alternatives.

4 out of 5


That crazy old acting.

3 out of 5


Bash's shell exit compromised confrontation.

4.5 out of 5


Too many of this bloke for killing.

3.5 out of 5


Stranded in reminiscence.

3.5 out of 5


Mature mating mambo means multiversal imprisonment.

3.5 out of 5


River hookup shroom split.

3.5 out of 5


Shiny fairy people.

3 out of 5


Bounty hunter dealbreaker.

4 out of 5


Red scare.

3.5 out of 5


Ancient inhabitant needed.

4 out of 5


Impossible fast tram.

3 out of 5


Things are looking roc-y, so Tartar for now, Douggo and Heddo.

4 out of 5


I really wasn't perving at you, you big old cow.

3 out of 5


What a put down.

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars