Synopses & Reviews
Crossword masochists: these 45 super-tough puzzles are for you. But beware—they're so hard, your brain may go up in flames! Every brilliantly executed crossword will test your skills with devilishly difficult clues and wickedly tricky themes. There are even explanations for the toughest clues in the back, along with the answer grids! If you enjoy the Friday and Saturday offerings from places like the New York Times, you'll love these! Solve with a pen … if you dare.
Review
Praise for Fireball Crosswords and Peter Gordon: “These are daring, first-rate puzzles. They are fresh, smart, and contemporary, and they go places that newspaper puzzles don't, won't, or can't. Every serious crossword enthusiast I know is a Fireball subscriber. If you want to know what the cutting edge of crossword construction in America looks like, just open this book and start solving.” —Michael Sharp, aka Rex Parker, author of the crossword blog “Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle”
“Fireball puzzles are hot. If, like me, you're a crossword geek who needs something to keep yourself challenged Mondays through Thursdays, they're the perfect solution.” —Daniel Okrent, former public editor of the New York Times, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition “A book of Fireball Crosswords? Oh, no, what a terrible idea. I need to have a week or two in between these puzzles, or else I'd be unable to get anything else done-they're that addictive. Readers, hear me: Ration yourselves!” —Jon Delfin, seven-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion
“Peter Gordon has a remarkable talent for tough (sometimes very tough) but fair cluing. His Fireball Crosswords are inevitably challenging and original. These are some great puzzles-I wish every puzzle editor aspired to this level of quality.” —Eric Berlin, author of The Puzzling World of Winston Breen “These ain't your grandma's crosswords-unless your grandma is awesome and likes awesome puzzles.”
—Brian Cimmet, Lollapuzzoola co-director
“I like my puzzles devilishly hard. So I thank Satan for Peter Gordon and Fireball Crosswords, the toughest, cleverest puzzles under the sun.” —Lou Kesten, The Associated Press
Synopsis
Solve…or get burned! These 45 brilliantly executed puzzles are for solvers who like their crosswords tough, with devilishly difficult clues. It's just right for fans of the Friday and Saturday offerings from places like the New York Times. Each puzzle has a wickedly tricky theme; in fact, there are even explanations in the back for the hardest clues! So if you can't stand the heat…get out while you can!
Synopsis
Solvers in search of devilishly hard crosswords will find the ultimate challenge in these 45 diabolical puzzles! Some are themed, some not—and others up the ante with metapuzzles: puzzles within puzzles designed to stump even ultrafans. Plus, many of the grids are larger than the usual 15×15 squares, with more fiendish clues to figure out. These’s absolutely nothing harder out there.
About the Author
Peter Gordon is the Editorial Director of Puzzlewright Press. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Newsday, and numerous puzzle magazines, including Games, where he was an editor for seven years. Gordon was a member of the winning US teams at the 1990 International Crossword Marathon in Bjelovar, Yugoslavia. His titles include Hall of Fame Crosswords, Yahtzee Scratch & Play, Match Wits With Mensa: Test Your Trivia Smarts, and Verbiage for the Verbose; he is also the coauthor of Solitaire Battleships, Scrabble-doku, and the Puzzlewright Guide to Solving Sudoku. He writes a weekly current-events crossword for The Week.