Ed Bryant, August 27, 1945 – February 10, 2017
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SF author and critic Ed Bryant died yesterday after a lengthy illness.
Bryant wrote a single novel, Phoenix Without Ashes (1975), a collaboration with Harlan Ellison. As an author he was best known for his short fiction, including his Nebula Award-winning stories “Stone” (1978) and “giANTS” (1979). His collections include Among the Dead and Other Events Leading Up to the Apocalypse (1973), Cinnabar (1976, cover by Lou Feck), and Particle Theory (1981, cover by Richard Powers), which contained both “Stone” and “giANTS.” His most recent collection was Predators and Other Stories (2014), from ReAnimus Press. He was a contributor to the Wild Cards shared world series, and was featured on the cover of issue #0 of Pulphouse magazine (1991).
But Bryant’s most significant contribution to the field, and certainly the way I came to know him best, was through his reviews. He had long-running review columns in Locus (for nearly two decades, 1989-2007), The Twilight Zone magazine (1987-89), and Cemetery Dance (1990-98), and published reviews in Vertex, TaleBones, and many other places. Bryant’s columns were frequently the first features I read in many of my favorite magazines. He was an insightful and prolific critic with a keen appreciation for a good tale, as well as a frequent convention-goer. His numerous convention reports in Locus were always entertaining, and did a great deal to promote science fiction conventions across the country.
Ed Bryant died on February 10th in North Denver, from complications of Type 1 Diabetes. He was 71.
I’m very sad to hear of Ed Bryant’s passing. He was simply a great short story writer. Among the Dead is a good place for anyone wanting to get acquainted with his work to start. One of the stories in that book, “Shark”, would probably be on my list of the dozen best SF short stories I’ve ever read.
I love “Cinnabar”, which I first read about thirty years ago, and re-read often; it’s certainly one of my favorite collections of stories ever. Very saddened by the news.
Alas! I always think of Mr. Bryant as one of the “new” sf authors, i.e., one of the people who started writing in the 1970s when I was first learning about the field, and thus not one of the “old guard” of the 1950s and before. Sigh. Carter Scholz and Michael Bishop better be in great health, is all I can say.
Wow. Totally forgotten I’d read ‘Cinnabar’ (that cover was the clincher). Kind of like Tanelorn, if memory serves me correctly.
Hello – I’m the editor of The Complete Works of Edward Bryant, which brings out in hardcover, trade paperback and ebook the entirety of Ed’s works over his 45-year career. I just saw this post as I was trying to figure out how to reach the owner of Black Gate! Volumes I (“On the Road to Cinnabar”) and II (“Dark Angels”) were issued earlier in 2025, and Volume III (“Particle Theories”) was just launched at Mile Hi Con in Denver, where Ed lived most of his life. Each book is between 500-600 pages, fully illustrated, with both fiction and numerous essays written by Ed and about him, including lengthy introductions to each section of stories, which he wrote before he passed away in 2017 (this project originated back in 2011!). They are available through the normal outlets, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and via bookstores. If the Black Gate owner reads this and has an interest in obtaining review copies, please get in touch with me. Thanks!