Claremont Tales [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

Richard A. Lupoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

This book is presented in slipcase. These 12 science fiction stories comprise a wealth of genres, from mystery to science fiction to autobiographical fiction. Included is a Sherlock Holmesian mystery, a Walter Mitty-like escape into the world of software, and a Cthulhu Mythos tale in the Lovecraft tradition. Among the varied plot lines are a tale of book-collecting in the distant future, the story of a gambler who faxes Lady Luck, and a detective's account of his work on a moon of Mars.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After some 50 books and 100 short stories, Lupoff has yet to achieve stardom, but he remains a skillful and inventive practitioner of lighter fantasy, as shown in this somewhat mixed collection. The opening tale, "Black Mist," about a Japanese space station on a Martian moon, gets bogged down in its Japanese idiom. Similarly, "The Second Drug," a pastiche of the overwritten, exotic stories of a century ago, is a heavyweight exercise in nostalgia. Humor is Lupoff's strong suit, for he can be quite funny, though again he can overindulge. "Lux Was Dead Right" flounders in a welter of "inside" referential puns. In "Documents in the Case of Elizabeth Akeley," an homage to H.P. Lovecraft, the author's weakness for Yiddish humor slows down the story. Even in a more serious effort at using Lovecraft, the kaleidoscopic "Discovery of the Ghooric Zone," which has an unexpectedly poignant scene of the death of HPL's aunt, Lupoff is compelled to drag in the old pop tune "Bei Mir Bist du Schon" for irony. Fortunately, when he is in control, as in "The Tootsie Roll Factor," about a compulsive gambler saved by Lady Luck as an 11-year-old freckled girl, he knows precisely when to stop. And in "At Vega's Tacqueria" he offers an alternate world story to end the genre, with worlds changing every paragraph. "So laugh a little already," Lupoff seems to say. (Apr.) FYI: A $100 limited deluxe hardcover edition (ISBN 1-930846-01-0) is available for collectors. Lupoff will be the guest of honor at NecronomiCon in August.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In "Black Mist," the discovery of a murdered woman near a research station on one of the moons of Mars leads to an investigation involving the mysterious "Face" of the red planet, while "Documents in the Case of Elizabeth Akeley" provides an eerie addition to Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Including ten other stories, most of them published only in magazines, this volume of short fiction illustrates Lupoff's breadth of talent as a storyteller. Suitable for large libraries' sf or short story collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: Golden Gryphon Press; Limited edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930846010
• ISBN-13: 978-1930846012
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh Come on, Joe Slater, October 27, 2001

By 

A. Shechter (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Claremont Tales (Hardcover)

Reviewer Joe Slater from Melbourne, Australia is really off-base with his review of CLAREMONT TALES. Dick Lupoff is a talented and neglected author, and especially in his short fiction whose length lets his talents shine. It is quite amazing that Lupoff, whether writing about eldritch Lovecraftian doom or four-color comic heroes or obscure scientifiction (yes, that is the original Hugo Gernsback term!) referential fiction, always manages to deliver thoughtful and creative work. CLAREMONT TALES is an excellent follow-up to his earlier anthology, BEFORE 12.01 AM... AND AFTER.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcases a master storyteller's talent, July 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claremont Tales (Hardcover)

Author of more than fifty novels and a hundred short stories, Richard Lupoff is very well known to mystery and science fiction fans. Claremont Tales showcases a master storyteller's talent ranging from Sherlockian mysteries to alternate universes, Cthulhu mythos tales, and storybook worlds that fully engages and literarily transport readers to other places, times, and events populated by memorable characters and unexpected plot twists. "Must" reading for all Lupoff fans, the stories comprising this impressive anthology include: Black Mist; The Second Drug; At Vega's Taqueria; I Don't Tell Lies; Mr. Greene And The Monster; The Monster And Mr. Greene; Lux Was Dead Right; The Child's Story; The Tootsie Roll Factor; Documents In The Case Of Elizabeth Akeley; The Adventures Of Mr. Tindle; and Discovery Of The Ghoorie Zone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding collection from a (relatively) obscure author, July 10, 2001

By 

Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claremont Tales (Hardcover)

I'll say this up front. Previous to this collection, I'd never heard of Richard Lupoff. This can be attributed to many factors, mainly that I've only been paying attention to the science fiction and fantasy genres for the last few years. But also is the fact that Richard Lupoff is an unjustly neglected talent.

Lupoff belongs to an earlier generation of writing. He was featured in Harlan Ellison's celebrated 'Dangerous Visions' series. He was an accomplished talent. But somehow he became a neglected author.

I love Golden Gryphon press. They bring serious collections to light by authors that otherwise may be forgotten or undiscovered. In recent memory I've discovered authors, Richard Paul Russo, Andy Duncan, Neal Barrett, and Tony Daniel through Golden Gryphon press. Now I can add Richard Lupoff to the list.

Lupoff's stories don't stay in any one genre or style. His incredible versatility means that this is a collection that can appeal to many different readers. Hard-SF readers will enjoy 'Black Mist' and 'The Child's Story'. Mystery readers will love the 'The Second Day' and it's Holmes-like investigator. Lovecraft aficionados will find pleasure in 'Discovery in the Ghooric Zone' and 'Documents in the Case of Elizabeth Akeley', both of which are superb examples of the late master's style. Fantasy fans will love the fantastic universe changing action in 'At Vega's Taqueria' or the Walter Mittyesque 'Mr. Tindle'.

As a previous reviewer noted, only a handful of those stories were published in prominent genre publications. Unlike the reviewer I see this as a good thing. I see it as hope that a prolific author such as Lupoff will be able to find his audience through unknown means. (Also this collection is one of several Lupoff has released in recent years and collects several of his stories from the less-traveled mediums. His stories from the main magazines were collected years earlier).

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection and discovering yet another talented author who has, until now, escaped my attention. I look forward to reading more of his works, but as another reviewer noted, they're very difficult to come by. Check out Lupoff (and for that matter all of the Golden Gryphon releases. They're fabulous!). You won't be sorry.