Rating: 
Summary: Ford is an original
Review:
Ford's short stories are finely crafted gems that displays an originality of vison entirely it's own.
Sometimes absurdist, sometimes surrealistic or bleakly humorours but always humane and profound,
this short stories are great examples of contemporary fantastical fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: Again, Ford defies any and all conventions or genres and just does his thing - tell incredible stories that just leave you slack-jawed. Some are horror tales, some pure fantasy, and a couple sci-fi (more "fi" than "sci") for good measure, if they were to be categorized. Throughout, the tales are dreamlike. but instead of drifting apart in strange directions, they have their own unique logic and cohesion, amplified by Ford's mastery of language, cadence, and pure style. This is one hell of a gifted writer who's following his own muse. I'd throw out a couple comparisons to other writers, but there are none that are even in the same "zip code" as Ford. Excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: none
Review: Ford is perhaps one of the best modern fantasy writers in the field today, and The Fantasy WRITER'S ASSISTANT showcaes Ford's supburb diversity and originality... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
Rating:
Summary: And he isnt even in bookstores...
Review: Its a sad commentary that Jeffrey Fords work is not in major bookstores. I know because I've looked. I realize they only keep newer titles, unless a particular writer or work has had much success. But still. Reading Exo-skeleto town in FWA (the first one I read), I thought, Wow. This is probably the best story in this book. Because its so good that a writer cant possibly keep up this level of quality. And usually there are maybe two or three gems in a short story collections; the rest is garbage. Then I read Fantasy writers assistant. And was proven wrong. Not only is FWA better than exo town, but each subsequent story I read gets better and better. I can say besides maybe the work of Chuck Beaumont, and a Joe Lansdale, I've never read a guy who packs this much quality into each and every short story. Cheers Jeff...
Rating:
Summary: READING JEFFREY FORD
Review: Reading Jeffrey Ford's stories in THE FANTASY WRITER'S ASSISTANT, brought back the excitement of the 1960's when we scanned the magazines for the latest Zelazny and Le Guinn, Disch and Wolfe and speculative fiction seemed to get remade every month. Ford is that fresh, that good. His range is big. In the hilarious title story, he devestates the extended fantasy series. BRIGHT MORNING dances with Kafka and the writer's life. FLOATING IN LINDRETHOOL, takes the tired 1940's noir film, slaps its cliches around and turns it back into something full of danger and heart. CREATION mixes The Catholic BALTIMORE CATECHISM and Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN with a bit of what I suspect is autobiography and produces an amazing father/son story. The technique is masterful. The uncanny arises effortlessly out of the ordinary in the New Jersey college compostion class of THE HONEYED KNOT. Of all the actors in the Hollywood pantheon, the narrator of EXO-SKELETON TOWN becomes Joseph Cotton! And it makes perfect, painful sense. THE WOMAN WHO COUNTS HER BREATH, begins with the narrator casually describing his minor monster of a mother-in-law and ends with chilling mortal combat. I don't know if Speculative Fiction is large enough to contain Jeffrey Ford for very long. But while it does, we have this book.
Rating:
Summary: Brillant
Review: There are wonders here and nightmares. Like Mervyn Peake, much of Ford's fiction seems to have little in common with day to day reality, but beneath the surface you will find more relevance and more wisdon than in most realistic fiction. If you are a fan of Peake or Borges or Gene Wolfe there is much you will enjoy here.
Rating:
Summary: A must have book.
Review: This will forever be one of my all time favorite books. I will lend this to my close friends, loved ones, and one day read to my children before bed. This is the type of book that makes you want to be a writer. Each short story is better than the last. His writing is so incredible that it would be wrong to describe him by comparing to others. But, if you need a reference, Jorge Luis Borges and Steven Millhauser tap into the same realm of great imagry and imagination. Plus, after each story Ford reveals his inspirations,and techniques (basically the behind the scene story).
It's a must have book.
Rating:
Summary: A must have book.
Review: This will forever be one of my all time favorite books. I will lend this to my close friends, loved ones, and one day read to my children before bed. This is the type of book that makes you want to be a writer. Each short story is better than the last. His writing is so incredible that it would be wrong to describe him by comparing to others. But, if you need a reference, Jorge Luis Borges and Steven Millhauser tap into the same realm of great imagry and imagination. Plus, after each story Ford reveals his inspirations,and techniques (basically the behind the scene story).
It's a must have book.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb Collection
Review: Those who have been following Jeffrey Ford's career have been awaiting this collection eagerly. Ford's reputation has grown with each story published. Each of his novels has established his place as one of the premier genre authors of his time. Finally, the magnificent Golden Gryphon press brings us a collection of Ford's short stories, a collection packed with grade A fiction. Ford's fiction runs the gamut from the delicately beautifully to the wonderfully bizarre. The masterpiece 'Creation' explores a boy's relationship with his father against the backdrop of a man made out of logs he believes he's created in the forest. 'Creation' is a hauntingly beautiful story that is sure to be included on 2003 award ballets. 'Exo-Skeleton Town' takes place on an alien planet. The alien inhabitants are crazy about vintage movies, and trade balls of dung, which has aphrodisiac qualities, for copies of the movies. The few humans on the planet wear exo-suits (shaped to look like former film stars) to deal with the planet's atmospheric pressure. 'Exo-Skeleton Town' may be my favorite Ford story. Filled with lively and believable characters, magnificently odd plot twists and a touching conclusion. 'The Fantasy Writer's Assistant' tells the story of a best-selling fantasy writer who is losing his gift to 'see' into his created universe and turns it over to his assistant. The assistant learns that the characters in the universe are being exploited by the writer and tries to undo his damage. "Floating in Lindrethool" is a marvelous noirish story about a door-to-door salesman who tries to sell floating brains in a jar but inadvertently falls in love with one of them. You get the idea. Jeffrey Ford is a consumate storyteller, a master of the written word. This collection doesn't even display the full range of Ford's talent. He has written exquisite stories not included herein, currently available in _The Green Man_ and _Leviathan 3_, that I strongly urge you to read. Whether you've read Ford's stories previously or he's a complete unknown to you, this collection is one that you must read. It's not only one of the best genre collections of 2002, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb Collection
Review: Those who have been following Jeffrey Ford's career have been awaiting this collection eagerly. Ford's reputation has grown with each story published. Each of his novels has established his place as one of the premier genre authors of his time. Finally, the magnificent Golden Gryphon press brings us a collection of Ford's short stories, a collection packed with grade A fiction. Ford's fiction runs the gamut from the delicately beautifully to the wonderfully bizarre. The masterpiece 'Creation' explores a boy's relationship with his father against the backdrop of a man made out of logs he believes he's created in the forest. 'Creation' is a hauntingly beautiful story that is sure to be included on 2003 award ballets. 'Exo-Skeleton Town' takes place on an alien planet. The alien inhabitants are crazy about vintage movies, and trade balls of dung, which has aphrodisiac qualities, for copies of the movies. The few humans on the planet wear exo-suits (shaped to look like former film stars) to deal with the planet's atmospheric pressure. 'Exo-Skeleton Town' may be my favorite Ford story. Filled with lively and believable characters, magnificently odd plot twists and a touching conclusion. 'The Fantasy Writer's Assistant' tells the story of a best-selling fantasy writer who is losing his gift to 'see' into his created universe and turns it over to his assistant. The assistant learns that the characters in the universe are being exploited by the writer and tries to undo his damage. "Floating in Lindrethool" is a marvelous noirish story about a door-to-door salesman who tries to sell floating brains in a jar but inadvertently falls in love with one of them. You get the idea. Jeffrey Ford is a consumate storyteller, a master of the written word. This collection doesn't even display the full range of Ford's talent. He has written exquisite stories not included herein, currently available in _The Green Man_ and _Leviathan 3_, that I strongly urge you to read. Whether you've read Ford's stories previously or he's a complete unknown to you, this collection is one that you must read. It's not only one of the best genre collections of 2002, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Highly recommended.
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