The Gist Hunter and Other Stories - Hardcover

Matthew Hughes

3.9

112 ratings by Goodreads

9781597800204: The Gist Hunter and Other Stories

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597800201 ISBN 13: 9781597800204

Publisher: Night Shade, 2014

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The Gist Hunter & Other Stories chronicles nine unique stories set in the Dying Earth-esque planet that expands the universe of Matthew Hughes’s Archonate novels. This series of stories best introduces and plays companion pieces to Black Brillion, Fool Me Twice, and Fools Errant.

The tales of Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth’s foremost freelance discriminator,” combines the best of mystery and science fantasy while recalling the excellence of Gene Wolfe’s arch irony and the witty mannerisms of Jack Vance. Though fantastical, something is true-to-life in Hapthorn’s amusing and bewildered set of conversations and circumstances. It’s a futuristic pull with just the right quirk.

The stories of lowly student Guth Bandar and his slightly off-beat and unconventional studies slowly reveal the complexities and wonder of the amazing no�sphere. As Banter roams through life and studies, the incredibly vital no�sphere acts as the Archonate’s collective unconsciousness. Bandar’s rise from his student status to veteran no�naut will have him quickly realize that a little learning is dangerous learning when spread too thin.

The Gist Hunter & Other Stories is a perfect introduction to the great work by Matthew Hughes, and one that admirers of science fiction and fantasy will respect and enjoy.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

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About the Author:

Matthew Hugheshas lead a successful writing career— first as a journalist, then as a staff speechwriter to the Canadian ministers of justice and environment, and as a freelance corporate andpolitical speechwriter in British Columbia. He resides in a small town on Vancouver Island, off Canada&s west coast.

From Booklist:

With three critically acclaimed novels, Hughes has made a name for himself as heir apparent to Jack Vance, for he exhibits a similar predilection for merging sly wit and sharply drawn characters in visions of a dying, far-future Earth. His stories often take place in a human-populated, interstellar dominion known as the Archonate, and all but four of the tales in his first collection of short stories are set in this politically charged realm. Six stories follow the adventures of Henghis Hapthorn, a brilliant "discriminator" for the Archonate Bureau of Security who in one outing investigates a sudden blight of ugliness that afflicts all adult males, including himself; another inquiry has him sorting through a long list of candidates for the murderer of a ruthless Old Earth magnate. Other stories feature Guth Bandar, the scholarly Jungian psychologist of Hughes' recent novel, Black Brillion (2004). Rounding out the book are four impressive non--Archonate tales that demonstrate Hughes' creative versatility. An engaging introduction to one of sf's most gifted rising stars. Carl Hays
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