Eibonvale Press - Blind Swimmer by Eibonvale Press

Blind Swimmer

by All the Eibonvale Press Writers

360 pages

Eibonvale Press came into being in the winter of 2005 in a tiny Slovenian mountain town at the hands of David Rix, who sat down one day and decided “Today I am going to make a book.” The fact that he knew a lot about books but nothing at all about the book world somehow failed to make that dream flicker away like most dreams and the slow crescendo of Eibonvale Press continued from there and is still continuing. That quiet and lonely winter in the Slovenian mountains still doesn’t seem so far away as the press continues its search for the bizarre, the unclassifiable and the strange in new writing, in the process working with some of the best writers in the UK and elsewhere.

Now, this new book provides a chance to look back a bit and define Eibonvale Press as an entity. Blind Swimmer collects together 11 stories, most never before published, by all the writers who have made up or will soon make up the Eibonvale Press family. The result is a book that is as varied as the press itself. Creativity in Isolation was the theme we set, and the results are as varied as the writers themselves. Different takes on what creativity is, what isolation is and whom we are talking to as we tell our tales in the wilderness. The stories stretch from classically tinged horror to urban strangeness to experimental fiction and surrealism. From short stories to full length novellas. From the wilderness of Britain and Sweden to the equal wilderness of the American urban landscape. Blind Swimmer is a unique and spectacular journey through the flip-side of contemporary writing.

With a foreword by Joel Lane and an introductory essay by David Rix.

Contributors: Nina Allan, Gerard Houarner, Rhys Hughes, Brendan Connell, David Rix, Allen Ashley, Jet McDonald, Douglas Thompson, Terry Grimwood, Alexander Zelenyj, Andrew Coulthard

Contents:

These stories aren't easy stories, because they'll make you think about things and they linger in your mind long after you read them. All the stories in this anthology are more or less weird and some of them are a bit disturbing, but that's part of their attraction. Readers who appreciate weird stories will find lots to enjoy in this anthology.

I have to confess that I read all the stories twice, because I loved the way they were written. After reading these stories twice I can say that Blind Swimmer is without a doubt one of the best anthologies of 2010.

Blind Swimmer is a fine anthology of different kind of speculative fiction. If you like well written short stories and want to read something different, you should read this anthology, because you won't regret reading it. These stories will lead you to a world of wonder and amazement. Reading this anthology will reward you with glorious, wondrous and unique visions of different things, because all the writers are capable of transforming ordinary elements into new and exciting forms.

Seregil of Rhiminee - Rising Shadow

Creativity in isolation is the theme of this anthology, which features work from the writers who have contributed to Eibonvale Press over its first five or six years of existence. It's a good showcase for the press, demonstrating something the style and standard you can expect from its authors.

Blind Swimmer is an intriguing and brave collection, filled with challenging stories which often sit on the edge of genre definitions, defying our expectations.

Ros Jackson - Warpcore SF

Themed anthologies are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that editors' imaginations are constantly challenged by the need to find new, previously unheard of, subjects. I think that the first prize for originality should be awarded to the recently established but quite lively Eibonvale Press, the latest product of which is Blind Swimmer, an anthology devoted to the unusual and stimulating theme of creativity in isolation.

This is definitely an anthology worth reading from a promising publisher which deserves to be kept under close scrutiny in the future.

Mario Guslandi - The Zone

Blind Swimmer is available in the following formats:

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