Out of the Blue

[saginawhorror]

Got #21 today. Brothers in Arms has a cool cover. Disappointed that everyone didn't sign. Doubt I'll buy anything new from gauntlet again.

[RonClinton]

Got mine today, not overly wowed. As long as the stories are good, I'm fine.
Mike

I'm about a third of the way through the anthology...'fraid you're not going to be fine, Mike. Along with a profusion of both misplaced and missing quote marks and typos ("...head separated from the rest of his boy" (not body), among others), the stories -- aside from perhaps the first one by Bradbury (which was itself a pretty slight story) -- that I've read thus far are just not very good. I'm staying optimistic, though...hopefully the remaining 2/3 will be better.

[mhatchett]

I saw some other issues as well. What a disappointment. These don't compare to Gauntlet's Bradbury titles which were fantastic. I have to agree with you Ron. And as Saginaw said, I doubt Gauntlet will get any more of my money.

[Sock Monkey]

I'm about a third of the way through the anthology...'fraid you're not going to be fine, Mike. Along with a profusion of both misplaced and missing quote marks and typos ("...head separated from the rest of his boy" (not body), among others), the stories -- aside from perhaps the first one by Bradbury (which was itself a pretty slight story) -- that I've read thus far are just not very good. I'm staying optimistic, though...hopefully the remaining 2/3 will be better.

I saw some other issues as well. What a disappointment. These don't compare to Gauntlet's Bradbury titles which were fantastic. I have to agree with you Ron. And as Saginaw said, I doubt Gauntlet will get any more of my money.

That’s really disappointing to hear, especially the proofreading errors. What’s the difference between these and the Bradbury books?

[RonClinton]

I saw some other issues as well. What a disappointment. These don't compare to Gauntlet's Bradbury titles which were fantastic.

What’s the difference between these and the Bradbury books?

The Gauntlet books from back in the day, with the misc. Bradbury and Matheson classic works, the Repairman Jack novels, the Classics series (PSYCHO, EXORCIST, etc.) were terrific -- impressive books with nice layouts and designs and production qualities, clean text, stunning traycases, and so on. But the last few years the quality just seems to have diminished significantly, everything from line/copyediting to cover designs (Wilson's THE GOD GENE, anyone?) to the binding (not sure what used for this two-volume Matheson set but it feels and looks flimsy, like (correct or not) a cheap glue job) and board covering, it feels very much like corners are being cut to the bone from what came before, making these later books pale even more in comparison. If Camelot took returns, I'd likely send these back, and that's a thought I've never had about a Gauntlet release.

Gauntlet has done some remarkable work since their inception in 1994 and I've been a fan for nearly all that time, and, as well, the fact that they've been around for 25 years when so many small presses have bit the bullet is something to be applauded. But in my estimation they've faltered the last few years in by cutting corners to presumably stave off increasing costs...I certainly can't blame them for looking for ways to stay economically viable in an increasingly challenging environment, but I hope they find some way to turn things around and regain their noted quality -- a good first step would be looking to their past for inspiration.

[Martin]

The Gauntlet books from back in the day, with the misc. Bradbury and Matheson classic works, the Repairman Jack novels, the Classics series (PSYCHO, EXORCIST, etc.) were terrific -- impressive books with nice layouts and designs and production qualities, clean text, stunning traycases, and so on. But the last few years the quality just seems to have diminished significantly, everything from line/copyediting to cover designs (Wilson's THE GOD GENE, anyone?) to the binding (not sure what used for this two-volume Matheson set but it feels and looks flimsy, like (correct or not) a cheap glue job) and board covering, it feels very much like corners are being cut to the bone from what came before, making these later books pale even more in comparison. If Camelot took returns, I'd likely send these back, and that's a thought I've never had about a Gauntlet release.

Gauntlet has done some remarkable work since their inception in 1994 and I've been a fan for nearly all that time, and, as well, the fact that they've been around for 25 years when so many small presses have bit the bullet is something to be applauded. But in my estimation they've faltered the last few years in by cutting corners to presumably stave off increasing costs...I certainly can't blame them for looking for ways to stay economically viable in an increasingly challenging environment, but I hope they find some way to turn things around and regain their noted quality -- a good first step would be looking to their past for inspiration.

This is really sad to read. It has been a few years since I have purchased anything from Gauntlet but I have always been happy with my purchases.