The Gist Hunter

and Other Stories

The first collection by writer Matthew Hughes, and the perfect companion to his acclaimed novel Black Brillion, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories features nine stories taking place in the universe of The Archonate, as well as four non-series stories. The stories of Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth's "foremost freelance discriminator", combine mystery and science fantasy while simultaneously recalling the arch irony of Gene Wolfe and the sly fancies of Jack Vance.

Praise for the Archonate novel, Black Brillion.

"Fans of Jack Vance will not be disappointed by this incursion of Matthew Hughes into Vance's science-fantasy territory." - D. Douglas Fratz, Science Fiction Weekly

"...a solid addition to the canon of Dying Earth literature... considerable wit and a flair for reified metaphysics surpassing anything conceived by Vance." - Locus

Contents:

Henghis Hapthorn

* Mastermindless
* Relics of the Thim
* Falberoth's Ruin
* Finding Sajessarian
* The Gist Hunter
* Thwarting Jabbi Gloond

Guth Bandar

* A Little Learning
* Inner Huff
* Help Wonted

Other Tales

* Shadow Man
* The Devil You Don't
* Go Tell the Phoenicians
* Bearing Up

Cover Art by Jason Van Hollander

Hardcover
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, January 2009

Distributed by Night Shade Books
1423 33rd Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-59780-020-4
ISBN-10: 1-59780-020-1

The Gist Hunter and Other Stories © 2005 by Matthew Hughes

Cover illustration © 2005 by Jason Van Hollander
Cover & interior layout and design by Jeremy Lassen

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

Night Shade Books
1423 33rd Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
http://www.nightshadebooks.com

"Mastermindless" © 2004 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2004.

"Relics of the Thim" © 2004 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, August 2004.

"Falberoth's Ruin" © 2004 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 2004.

"Finding Sajessarian" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 2005.

"The Gist Hunter" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 2005.

"Thwarting Jabbi Gloond" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes.

"A Little Learning" © 2003 by Matthew Hughes. First published in Fantasy

Readers Wanted—Apply Within, ed. Nick Aires and James Richey, Silver Lake Publishing, 2003.

"Inner Huff " © 2005 by Matthew Hughes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 2005.

"Help Wonted" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes.

"Shadow Man" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes.

"The Devil You Don't" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes. First published in Asimov's Science Fiction, March 2005.

"Go Tell the Phoenicians" © 2005 by Matthew Hughes. First published in Interzone, May/June 2005.

"Bearing Up" © 1996 by Matthew Hughes. First published in Takes, ed. R.P. MacIntyre, Thistledown Press, 1996.