An Interview with David C. Smith
by Jill Elaine Hughes

During the fantasy boom of the 1970s and '80s, the work of a young Chicagoan named David C. Smith consistently kept sword-and-sorcery readers enthralled with tales that heralded back to the pulp S&S adventures of old. Now after many years away from the field, he sits down with Black Gate to discuss that storied publishing age and his career as one of the genre's shining lights.

Black Gate Short Fiction Reviews
by David Soyka

This time out, The Virginia Quarterly Review and the new online version of Subterranean Magazine are both caught in the eagle-eyed glare of Black Gate's resident short fiction critic, David Soyka.

Find out what's hot and what's not among their latest genre offerings - including stories from Jonathan Lethem, Joyce Carol Oates, John Scalzi, R. Andrew Heidel, Poppy Z. Brite, Joe R. Lansdale, and many others. 

A blend of fiction, reviews, and news (we think), Pure Fantasy is one of the most visually impressive magazines we've seen in a long time. At 162 pages, perfect bound on high-quality paper, it's equal in heft to Black Gate - and in terms of design and layout, it's a notch or two better. Pure Fantasy is a work of art, with stunning production values and professional art throughout. Issue 7 (pictured at left) has cover art by Camille Kuo.

"Pure Fantasy [is] an idea and initiative that was developed with Black Gate in the back of our minds," writes Cornelis. "Well, at least in my mind... I think you will find that both PF and BG have a lot in common, and I hope you don't mind we snatched some of BG's basics. Keep up the good work, and most importantly keep inspiring people all over the world to create good fiction."

If you're looking for something new in European fantasy - or simply want to see just how professional the small press can be in the hands of a small group of talented and dedicated writers and editors - we urge you to support a fine new magazine and try Pure Fantasy. We guarantee you'll be impressed.

Join one of the most accomplished reviewers in the field for a fond look back at 2006, and a preview of the contents of three major upcoming anthologies containing the very best it had to offer: Science Fiction: The Best of the Year 2007, Fantasy: The Best of the Year 2007, and the new Space Opera, showcasing the finest in modern space adventure.

Rich also unveils his choices for the Best Online SF/F of 2007, and finally his picks for Hugo nominations for short story, novelette, and novella.

Judith Berman brings us a mini-epic of dark necromancy, haunted ruins, centuries-spanning intrigue, and unquiet dead in "Awakening," the sequel to "The Poison Well" (BG7), and Mark Sumner kicks off a new series of chilling monster tales with "The Naturalist: Going to Applewash."

All this plus Harry James Connolly, a Dabir & Asim story from Howard Andrew Jones, a lengthy feature on 70s SF from Rich Horton, and much more. Subscribe Now to make sure you don't miss out!

Black Gate Short Fiction Reviews: Don't leave home without 'em.

In 1932 Smith found the ideal setting for his poetic and dark imagination: the last continent of dying Zothique. The sixteen stories, a poem, and one-act play that constitute the Zothique cycle contain some of the most superb examples of Smith’s fiction. The far future continent, which Smith imagined "will arise millions of years hence and will witness the intrusions of things from galaxies not yet visible," is the final stage of life on Earth.

In his third article on Smith's fiction, Ryan Harvey examines the Zothique cycle in detail. Join him in a tour of the last human civilization, a land where "New stars without number had declared themselves in the heavens, and the shadows of the infinite had drawn closer. And out of the shadows, the older gods had returned to man…. And the elder demons had also returned, battering on the fumes of evil sacrifices, and fostering again the primordial sorceries."

Don't despair. Last month we dispatched seasoned Black Gate fiction correspondent David Soyka to the outer reaches of the strange and mysterious magazine marketplace (a dimly-lit Barnes and Noble in Charlottesville, VA) and, just when we thought we were going to have to send Don Bassingthwaite on a rescue mission, he returned - with fresh scars, and tales of wondrous things.

Join David as he reports on the exciting sightings on the frontiers of genre fiction, including Interzone, H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, and the strange and mythical thing (once thought extinct) known as Sword & Sorcery, found thriving in the pages of Howard Andrew Jones' Flashing Swords.

Over the years Black Gate editor and publisher John O'Neill has participated in Twilight Tales editors' panels, and been a judge for its "Authors in the Hot Seat" critique shows.

Now David Munger interviews John as part of the Twilight Tales Interview series, covering such topics as the magazine's beginnings, his editorial vision, the future of short fiction, and the three novels every Black Gate reader - and aspiring fantasy writer - should read.

But it's with his fiction that he's made his most important contributions. The author of over three hundred published short stories and three novels, including Mask of the Sorcerer and The White Isle, Darrell Schweitzer has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award three times.

Black Gate author John R. Fultz examines the career of this celebrated author with a look at his most influential novels and collections, and a lengthy interview with the man the critic Mike Ashley labels "today’s supreme stylist."

But if you're a new fan of the genre, it's not always easy to find. In fact, the demarcation between Sword & Sorcery and other forms of heroic fantasy isn't always clear, and many modern critics don't even bother. Is it Lord of the Rings? Conan the Barbarian? What is Swords & Sorcery, exactly?

Join Black Gate author Joseph A. McCullough V as he explores this question, with special regard for the two authors regarded as "truly representative of heroic fantasy," and a look back at some of the genre's most influential and important works.

This year Black Gate is pleased to present Rich Horton's Virtual Best of the Year: 2005, a retrospective of the very best the field had to offer in the last twelve months. From a reading list of over 100 different sources and 1750 stories - the collected output of the finest print and online magazines, collections and anthologies, from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine to Electric Velocipede to The New Yorker - Rich selects the fiction that really matters.

Join us for a fond look back at 2005 from one of the genre's most respected critics.

This issue includes fiction from William John Watkins, James Enge, Murray Leinster, Michael Canfield, and many others. Rich Horton continues his popular series of genre retrospectives with a look at Retro-Hugos That Will Never Be, plus there are columns and reviews from Don Bassingthwaite, Steven Silver, and Todd McAulty.

All this and much more. Subscribe Now to make sure you don't miss out, and we'll include a copy of the acclaimed Lords of Swords for only $4.95, while quantities last!

Don't miss it!