num_pages: 320
description: Mixing the mundane with the metaphysical, the pairings of the everyday and the extraordinary in this collection of short fiction yield supernatural results—a young musician perceives another world while drinking coffee, a fairy chronicles his busy life in a sandcastle during the changing tide, a demonic 16th-century chess set shows up in a New Jersey bar, and Charon, the boatman of hell, takes a few days vacation. Storylines both conventional and outlandish reveal humdrum routines as menacing, or imaginary worlds as perfectly familiar. Allusions to authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne reinforce the fantasy tradition in these tales, while understated humor and moments of sadness add a quirky unpredictability. Also included is the previously unpublished novella, "Botch Town," a coming-of-age story about a boy on Long Island whose family and friends live ordinary lives under threats both real and imagined. Each story is followed by a brief afterword that details its genesis.ContentsIntroduction by Jonathan CarrollThe Annals of Eelin-Ok + Story NotesJupiter's Skull + Story NotesA Night in the Tropics + Story NotesThe Empire of Ice Cream + Story NotesThe Beautiful Gelreesh + Story NotesBoatman's Holiday + Story NotesBotch Town + Story NotesA Man of Light + Story NotesThe Green Word + Story NotesGiant Land + Story NotesCoffins on the River + Story NotesSummer Afternoon + Story NotesThe Weight of Words + Story NotesThe Trentino Kid + Story Notes
language: English
title: The Empire of Ice Cream
titlecomplete: The Empire of Ice Cream
genres: Short Stories, Short Story Collection, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Horror, Fantasy, Anthologies, Fiction, Speculative Fiction
ratings_count: 510
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Hugo Award
category: Best Novelette for "The Empire of Ice Cream", awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Nebula Award
category: Best Novelette for "The Empire of Ice Cream", awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Locus Award
category: Collection and for Novella for "Botch Town" and Novelette for "The Empire of Ice Cream", awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: World Fantasy Award
category: Collection (2007) and for Novella for  “Botch Town” (2007) and Nominee for Novella for “The Empire of Ice Cream”, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award
category: "The Empire of Ice Cream" and "Botch Town" (2007)
publisher: Golden Gryphon Press