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Beneath Ceaseless Skies 210 Now Available

Beneath Ceaseless Skies 210 Now Available

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beneath-ceaseless-skies-210-smallIssue #210 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies is now available, completely free on their website. It is dated October 13 and features fiction by Stephanie Burgis and Martin Cahill, a podcast by Stephanie Burgis, and a reprint by Siobhan Carroll. Here’s the complete Table of Contents.

“A Cup of Comfort” by Stephanie Burgis
“Of course I will come,” said the Dragon Queen. Her voice was muted beneath the layers of dark cloth that covered her, but a ripple of amusement sounded as she added, “I should hope my old friend has not forgotten my favorite blend, after all these decades. I shall be disappointed if there isn’t a fresh pot awaiting me.”

“A Glass Kiss for the Little Prince of Pain’” by Martin Cahill
His grip tightens. He looks up at me with an honesty reserved for saints and the soon to be executed. “If you do this, it’ll ruin you. Please, come back with me to the school, give up this alliance with the Empress, and together we can find a way to save the boy. Armila, please, this kind of murder, to one so young? You can’t come back from that kind of corruption.”

Audio Fiction Podcast

“A Cup of Comfort” by Stephanie Burgis (Duration: 28:08 — 19.32MB)
“Nonsense. You are my guest.” The dragon reached out with long, sharp, delicately curving claws and tipped the teapot.

From the Archives

“In the Gardens of the Night“ by Siobhan Carroll
If the General wants her dead, he must agree to my requests.

Read issue 210 online completely free here.

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New Treasures: Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom by David Neilsen

New Treasures: Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom by David Neilsen

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dr-fell-and-the-playground-of-doom-smallAh, Halloween. That gorgeous, short-lived season when publishers cram a year’s worth of spooky fiction into a single month.

If you pay attention for the next few weeks, you’ll see a delicious flood of horror for all ages in your local bookstore. New novels and collections by Stephen King, Laird Barron, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Robert Aickman, and many others.

There’s plenty for younger readers, too (after all, they tend to embrace the Halloween spirit even more than us old folks). One of the more intriguing releases for younger readers to cross my desk recently was Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom, by David Neilsen. It’s a Middle Grade horror story written by someone who does one-man performances based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft… who can resist that??

When the mysterious Dr. Fell moves into the abandoned house that had once been the neighborhood kids’ hangout, he immediately builds a playground to win them over. But as the ever-changing play space becomes bigger and more elaborate, the children and their parents fall deeper under the doctor’s spell.

Only Jerry, Nancy, and Gail are immune to the lure of his extravagant wonderland. And they alone notice that when the injuries begin to pile up on the jungle gym, somehow Dr. Fell is able to heal each one with miraculous speed. Now the three children must find a way to uncover the doctor’s secret power without being captivated by his trickery.

“Recommended for school libraries that need to breathe life into their traditional mystery collections.” —School Library Journal

Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom was published by Crown Books for Young Readers on August 9, 2016. It is 240 pages, priced at $16.99 in hardcover and $10.99 for the digital version.

Future Treasures: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Future Treasures: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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certain-dark-things-banner-smallSilvia Moreno-Garcia is a Mexican born Canadian fantasy writer. Her debut novel, Signal to Noise, was a finalist for the British Fantasy, Locus, Aurora and Solaris awards, and made seven year’s best lists, including B&N’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, Buzzfeed, i09, and Tor.com. Earlier this year she was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award for her Lovecraftian anthology She Walks in Shadows.

Her second novel, Certain Dark Things, is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the fall. Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts) says it “is steeped in the history of Mexico City and vampire lore and yet manages to deftly re-invent the bloodsucker… Certain Dark Things packs a wallop.” And Lavie Tidhar says:

Not since Anne Rice’s seminal Interview with the Vampire has the vampire story been so radically reimagined. Silvia Moreno-Garcia reinvents it for the 21st century in this high-concept, explosive tale of narco-vampires in Mexico City, and just when you thought it was safe to step out of the coffin. Certain Dark Things is dark, inimitable, and so very, very cool. Unmissable.

Sounds pretty intriguing already! Here’s the description.

Welcome to Mexico City… An Oasis In A Sea Of Vampires…

Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is busy eeking out a living when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life.

Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, must feast on the young to survive and Domingo looks especially tasty. Smart, beautiful, and dangerous, Atl needs to escape to South America, far from the rival narco-vampire clan pursuing her. Domingo is smitten.

Her plan doesn’t include developing any real attachment to Domingo. Hell, the only living creature she loves is her trusty Doberman. Little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his effervescent charm.

And then there’s Ana, a cop who suddenly finds herself following a trail of corpses and winds up smack in the middle of vampire gang rivalries.

Vampires, humans, cops, and gangsters collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive?

Certain Dark Things will be published by Thomas Dunne Books on October 25, 2016. It is 323 pages, priced at $25.99 in hardcover and $12.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by Kerri Resnick. Get more details at Silvia’s website.

John DeNardo’s Savory Selection of Science Fiction and Fantasy for October

John DeNardo’s Savory Selection of Science Fiction and Fantasy for October

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Over at Kirkus Reviews, the tireless John DeNardo itemizes the 13 “must-read science fiction and fantasy books being released in October.” And John reads even more than I do, so he should know. Here he is on Faller by Will McIntosh, which will be released by Tor Books on October 25.

The people of the world find themselves on floating islands of rock, with no memory of who they are, how they got there, or what happened. A man calling himself Faller discovers in his pocket a photo of himself with a woman… thus prompting him to find the woman he can no longer remember… This science fiction thriller starts with a mystery that will make you not want to put the book down.

And Impersonations by Walter Jon Williams (Tor.com, October 4).

After the fall of an evil empire that subjugated both humans and aliens, a hero emerged from the civil war that followed. But Caroline Sula offended her superiors by winning a battle without their permission, and now she is posted to old Earth to keep her quiet. But the powers that be aren’t content; someone is manufacturing evidence that would lead to her false imprisonment… This is a sweeping space opera with an emphasis on adventure.

And Yesternight by Cat Winters (William Morrow, October 4).

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New Treasures: The Late Breakfasters and Other Strange Stories by Robert Aickman

New Treasures: The Late Breakfasters and Other Strange Stories by Robert Aickman

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Robert Aickman was one of the finest horror writers in our field. He received the World Fantasy Award in 1975, and the British Fantasy Award in 1981, the year he died.

Not familiar with Aickman? Great! There’s never been a better time to try him. The marvelous Valancourt Books has returned much of his work to print, including The Late Breakfasters and Other Strange Stories, an omnibus collection of his early work, released in hardcover and an affordable trade paperback format last week. It contains his debut novel The Late Breakfasters (1964), half a dozen short stories, and a new introduction by Philip Challinor.

I first discovered Valancourt by standing in front of their booth at the World Fantasy Convention a few years ago, and being absolutely astounded at how many terrific books they have in their back catalog. Here’s a few I’ve managed to highlight recently at Black Gate.

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October 2016 Clarkesworld Now Available

October 2016 Clarkesworld Now Available

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clarkesworld-121-smallOkay, I’ve settled into a routine now. I drop by Charles Payseur’s Quick Sip Reviews to see what he thinks of this month’s crop of magazines, read what he has to say about Clarkesworld, and then make a beeline to the Clarkesworld website. The guy knows how to whet your appetite for good fiction.

Here he is on Genevieve Valentine’s 9,000-word tale, “Everyone from Themis Sends Letters Home.”

So this is a rather heartbreaking story about a place that doesn’t even exist. Not exactly. It’s about a woman who has been unfortunate all her life finally being a part of something that she loves, that makes her feel…okay, and then having to find out that it’s been not only a lie but a cruel one… It’s also about a game, a game that comes to be something more than that, mired in the horror of what it did but also in the good that came of it. The story is brilliantly told through letter, at first between Marie and a mysterious other person, then drawing out to include other people… The story does a terrific job of selling the idea of the game and then exploring how the game abused its test subject. How a corporation teamed with a prison to use people and how no one cared. The story flits from person to person but only through letters, so that the story is in some ways the evidence being gathered by the main character, by Benjamina, to turn over to expose what has happened. And it’s completely believable that such treatment of inmates would happen. It points to how we treat the incarcerated, how we treat those we’ve deemed criminal. How powerless they become and how easy they are to use, even when it leaves permanent damage. It’s a wrenching story and I love how it plays out, the guilt and the pain and the yearning. It uses form to great effect and you should definitely read this one. Go!

Read Charles’ complete review of the issue here.

The October Clarkesworld, issue #121, is packed with new fiction by Robert Reed, James Patrick Kelly, Chi Hui, and Nnedi Okorafor & Wanuri Kahiu, and reprints by Jy Yang and Michael Swanwick.

Here’s the complete list of stories.

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Distinctive Visions of Earth After Climate Change: Drowned Worlds, edited by Jonathan Strahan

Distinctive Visions of Earth After Climate Change: Drowned Worlds, edited by Jonathan Strahan

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Reading reviews frequently helps heighten my anticipation for a book. That’s certainly the case with Jonathan Strahan’s acclaimed new anthology Drowned Worlds, a collection of SF tales which looks at the future of Earth after the full effects of climate change.

The book includes all-new fiction from Ken Liu, Kim Stanley Robinson, Christopher Rowe, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Charlie Jane Anders, Jeffrey Ford, Rachel Swirsky, Lavie Tidhar, Catherynne M. Valente, and many others. It’s been getting some terrific reviews, from places like Tor.com, Locus Online, and other fine institutions. Here’s a few samples, starting with author James Lovegrove in the Financial Times.

Taking its cue — as well as its title — from JG Ballard’s 1962 debut novel The Drowned World, the book offers 15 memorable, distinctive visions of Earth after climate change has exerted its grip. Sea levels have risen, and deserts have spread. People live aboard rafts, amid ruins, on other planets. The Anthropocene era has done its apocalyptic worst. There is nevertheless, a thin silvery thread of hope — humankind, through its adaptability and ingenuity, endures.

And here a snippet from Gary K. Wolfe’s lengthy review at Locus Online.

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Black Gate Online Fiction: “Queen of Toads” by Joe Bonadonna

Black Gate Online Fiction: “Queen of Toads” by Joe Bonadonna

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joe-bonadonna-smallWe posted Joe Bonadonna’s Dorgo the Dowser novelette “The Moonstones of Sor Lunarum,” part of Joe’s first swords and sorcery collection, Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser, way back in December 2011. It quickly became one of our most popular online stories, and it has remained so for nearly five years. We also presented an exclusive excerpt from Waters of Darkness, his supernatural pirate dark fantasy novel co-written with David C. Smith, in 2013. Since then, Joe has become one of our most reliable and popular reviewers.

We are very pleased to have the opportunity to present “Queen of Toads,” an old-fashioned pulp horror tale, for your reading pleasure.

In the marsh out back, these strange creatures. I’ve seen them at night, hopping back and forth across Venn Road, coming from and heading to the marsh. They must be going out hunting, though what they might prey upon sure has me stumped. Maybe fish or small game. Hell, they’re as big as some breeds of dogs. And the way those strange feathers of theirs glow in the moonlight — the same colour as the rocks! — makes me wonder how they could possibly sneak up on anything! Makes me wonder if they came here with those rocks, came from inside them, maybe. They look like frogs and toads, but like none I’ve ever seen before. I surely won’t be frying up and eating their legs! I told my Minerva to steer clear of the things, too. Told her not to touch or try to catch them. You never know where they might have come from and what sickness they might carry.

The complete catalog of Black Gate Online Fiction, including stories by Mark Rigney, Michael A. Armstrong, C.S.E. Cooney, Vaughn Heppner, E.E. Knight, Jason E. Thummel, Judith Berman, Howard Andrew Jones, Dave Gross, Harry Connolly, and others, is here.

“Queen of Toads” is a complete 9,000-word humorous Lovecraft-pastiche offered at no cost.

Read the complete story here.

Read an Original Short Story in the World of The Lazarus Gate and The Iscariot Sanction at the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi Blog

Read an Original Short Story in the World of The Lazarus Gate and The Iscariot Sanction at the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi Blog

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Mark Latham’s new novel in The Apollonian Case Files, The Iscariot Sanction, was published by Titan Books on September 20. It’s the follow-up to The Lazarus Gate and, in honor of the occasion, the popular Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog at BarnesandNoble.com has posted a brand new story set in the same world, “The House of the Dead.”

Mark Latham’s two novels of The Apollonian Case Files, The Lazarus Gate and The Iscariot Sanction, take place in an alternate Victorian Age in which Her Majesty’s Empire is under attack by supernatural threats, and only a mystery “gentlemen’s club” stands in the way of total oblivion. They’re great fun, mixing elements of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft, James Bond and H.G. Wells, with a setting we love spending time in — which is why, in honor of the release of the latest in the series, we’re pleased to present an original short story set in the same universe. Enjoy!

Read the complete story here.

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The October Fantasy Magazine Rack

The October Fantasy Magazine Rack

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We added two new magazines to our regular coverage this month: Skelos, the Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy, edited by Mark Finn, Chris Gruber, and Jeffrey Shanks, and Postscripts, edited by Nick Gevers, which is more of a regular anthology series, but it publishes short fiction and has numbered issues, so what the hell. Welcome aboard.

We also have lots of interest for vintage fiction fans, including retro reviews by Rich Horton and Matthew Wuertz of the July 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction (with stories by Clifford D. Simak, James H. Schmitz, C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner, Fritz Leiber, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Shaara), the November and December 1963 Fantastic (John Jakes, Neal Barrett, Jr., Ursula K. Le Guin, Keith Laumer, and Edmond Hamilton) and the May 1963 Amazing (Henry Slesar, Leigh Brackett, Albert Teichner, and Robert F. Young).

Check out all the details on the magazines above by clicking on the each of the images. Our September Fantasy Magazine Rack is here.

As we’ve mentioned before, all of these magazines are completely dependent on fans and readers to keep them alive. Many are marginal operations for whom a handful of subscriptions may mean the difference between life and death. Why not check one or two out, and try a sample issue? There are magazines here for every budget, from completely free to $35/issue. If you find something intriguing, I hope you’ll consider taking a chance on a subscription. I think you’ll find it’s money very well spent.

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