Grasshopper Falls Author:Merrill Gilfillan In his first book of fiction, SWORD BEFORE CRANES, Merrill Gilfillan earned the highest praise from readers and reviewers. BOOKLIST called the collection "astonishing...some of the purest, most concentrated fiction in American prose literature." KIRKUS REVIEWS praised the "heart wrenchingly well-written stories" and THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER com... more »pared the stories to James Joyce's DUBLINERS. Now, in these new stories, Gilfillan strengthens his reputation as one of the most powerful and authentic voices of the Great Plains and the West.« less