n "What's Up, Tiger Lily?, by Paul Di Filippo, geeky young genius Bash Applebrook creates a more profoundly transformational technology than even Bill Gates dreamed of. But the world-famous billionaire still
can't get a date—until a former MIT schoolmate, the lovely hacker Dagny Winsome, re-enters his life. Now a famous artist working in Bash's new digital media, Dagny kindles a relationship with the
genius who has always loved her. But then Bash gives her the secret of his technology and their relationship ends—badly. Now she's using his secret to destroy the world.
D.G. Exley is "The Door Gunner," firing his M-60 from the door of a Huey helicopter as it extracts American soldiers from battle in a tale by Michael Bishop. If D.G.'s aboard, the helicopter won't be shot down by the Viet Cong; the men are guaranteed salvation. But these soldiers in the hell of Vietnam have mixed feelings about this benefit, and many of them wish D.G. would go straight to the original hell. For D.G., with his rotten reek and the bullet hole like a third eye in his brow, is a literal walking dead man.
In "Far Barbary," by R. Garcia y Robertson, Sir Gareth Douglas is the only European in the Tartar navy, which assails Khwarezm with siege towers and war kites. For his battle reward, Sir Gareth claims the lone European woman in the shah of Khwarezm's harem. But when the Tartars demand the death of all the shah's women, the new lovers escape in a great cage carried in the claws of a mighty roc, fleeing across a world of hot-air balloons and floating palaces—a world the legendary sailor Sinbad might almost recognize.
These are all stories in The Silver Gryphon, the 25th book from acclaimed SF publishing house Golden Gryphon.
A sterling anniversary celebration
To celebrate the publication of Golden Gryphon Press's 25th book, editor/publisher Gary Turner and his coeditor, Marty Halpern, are releasing a compilation of new stories from the authors of their previous 24 volumes. They asked these authors "to write a story that best defines them as a
writer," a request that would seem to guarantee a terrific book, because Golden Gryphon's list is a who's who of great writers of short SF, fantasy and horror. The resulting anthology, The Silver Gryphon, is admirably diverse in genres and subgenres. But is it a superior anthology?
Most of the contributors fulfilled the editors' request for representative work. Kevin J. Anderson, Kage Baker and Robert Reed set stories in their SF universes. Neil Barrett Jr., Andy Duncan and Joe R. Lansdale contribute tall tales. Paul Di Filippo once again operates on the cutting edge of both high tech and pop culture. Lucius Shepard once more explores the heart of darkness in "After Ildiko." R. Garcia y Robertson's "Far Barbary" is another alternate history. "Why Then Ile Fit You" is another challenging Howard Waldrop tale. George Zebrowski's "Takes You Back" is typically cerebral.
But do these 20 contributed stories best define their authors as writers? Too often, the answer is no. Barrett's "Kwantum Babes" and Lansdale's "Fire Dogs" are sadly slight. Duncan shuts down "The Haw River Trolley" just as he reaches its heart. Lupoff's satire "The American Monarchy" has a dull edge. Waldrop's "Why Then Ile Fit You" is confusingly abbreviated and sketchy. Sketchiness also mars Reed's "Night of Time." Zebrowski's "Takes You Back" would have been stronger if he'd let his character experience the emotions of his nightmarish scenario.
The Silver Gryphon contains stories that will be in the year's best anthologies of 2003, and stories that fall well short of the expectations aroused. Readers may well be left wondering if the editors only edited to the extent of soliciting and arranging these stories.
