Browsed by
Category: Magazines

King of Cats, Queen of Wolves

King of Cats, Queen of Wolves

Comments 5 comments

apexmagazineWhat do you get when you take Monster Blogger Mike Allen, a dark spark of poetic genesis, two fellow Rhysling Award winners, Sonya Taaffe and Nicole Kornher-Stace, throw them in a cauldron together with some wine and a few herbs and some sauteed onions…

Oh, wait. Sorry. Forget it. You know how they say never shop when you’re hungry? Well, same rule applies to writing blogs. Where was I?

Right! This POEM! “The King of Cats, the Queen of Wolves.”

It’s up at Apex Magazine, which continues to publish fine fiction and poetry under editor Catherynne M. Valente, not to mention an often fun blog.

Speaking of Fun Blogs! There I was, trawling Facebook, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this LINK jumped out at me! It howled, it gnashed its teeth, it gnawed upon my ankle. Surrending to the inevitable, I followed it.

And LO! See what Francesca Forrest (Go FRANCESCA! I shall put you in my soup as well! ) hath wrought:

AN INTERVIEW with the aforementioned three poets of the aforementioned poem, which you really should go and read before you read the interview. After which, you should read the outtakes of the interview.

For, as fantasy author and poet Saladin Ahmed said in the comments section beneath the poem:

“Dear God, that was just wonderful.”

Interzone March-April 2011

Interzone March-April 2011

Comments 0 Comment

303_largeIn the mail this week is the latest Interzone. The  fiction features a novella by Nina Allan, “The Silver Wand,” and stories by Tim Lees (“Crosstown Traffic”), Chris Butler (“Tell Me Everything”), and Ray Clule (“Tethered to the Cold and the Dying”).

The magazine is the print home for David Lanford’s “Ansible Link,” a miscellany of genre news. I found this item from the regularly featured “As Others See Us” department particularly humorous:

Kazuo Ishiguro’s clone-themed novel Never Let Me Go can’t be sf even though he says it is, because he’s respectable. To clarify: “It isn’t science fiction–indeed its procedures are the very reverse of generic, for there is no analogy at work in the text, which instead labours (sic) to produce its iterative naturalism as a kind of sub-set or derivation of our own.” (Guardian)

That certainly clears things up.

New Treasures: Who Killed Science Fiction? by Earl Kemp

New Treasures: Who Killed Science Fiction? by Earl Kemp

Comments 0 Comment

who-killed-science-fictionIn 1960, only 34 years after the launch of Amazing Stories, the first true science fiction magazine, fan Earl Kemp mailed a set of questions to 108 SF writers, editors, artists and fans. 71 responded, including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Hugo Gernsback, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Poul Anderson, Ray Bradbury, Fritz Leiber, Andre Norton, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Silverberg, John W. Campbell, Horace Gold, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and many others. The questions were:

1) Do you feel that magazine science fiction is dead?
2) Do you feel that any single person, action, incident, etc., is responsible for the present situation? If not, what is responsible?
3) What can we do to correct it?
4) Should we look to the original paperback as a point of salvation?
5) What additional remarks, pertinent to the study, would you like to contribute?

Kemp published the results in his one-shot fanzine SaFari Annual #1 in 1960. Only 125 copies were printed, and it instantly became a collector’s item. A candid dialog on the flaws and fate of the genre between most of its brightest lights, Who Killed Science Fiction? achieved near-legendary status in the SF community, and SaFari Annual #1 won a Hugo Award in 1961 based on that sole issue.

…

Read More Read More

Tanith Lee’s “The God Orkrem” & Interview at Fantasy

Tanith Lee’s “The God Orkrem” & Interview at Fantasy

Comments 1 comment

tanithlee1It’s a great week for lovers of fantasy fiction!

A brand-new Tanith Lee story, “The God Orkrem” has just been posted for free reading at FANTASY Magazine: http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/new/new-fiction/the-god-orkrem/

Also a special treat for Lee fans is the brand-new interview: www.fantasy-magazine.com/new/new-nonfiction/author-spotlight-tanith-lee-2/

Monstrous Post on Monsters III: Monstronomicon

Monstrous Post on Monsters III: Monstronomicon

Comments 12 comments
The Harpy Celaeno from Peter S. Beagle's THE LAST UNICORN
The Harpy Celaeno from Peter S. Beagle's THE LAST UNICORN

I ranted and raved in the previous installment of this monstrous undertaking about how all the mere morsels who responded to my first post in the the series did little to address my actual question — which was, who are the great monster of modern heroic fantasy? What crevasses do they haunt, what lonely paths do they prowl?

As you can see, many monstrosities were discussed, but little from the preferred topic of this here Black Gate blog.

However, as those comments were coming in, I also received an email from one Massimiliano Izzo of Genova, Italy, who dealt out all sorts of fantastical fantasy monsters the way Grendel dealt out death to drunken Danes — in large amounts, with enthusiasm.

max1Here is how this morsel describes himself: “You can just say that I became addicted to fantasy when I was 13 and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ blew me away…since then I’ve read a little bit of everything from William Morris and Dunsany to recent authors like Erikson and Robin Hobb, but I still do prefer the old school (before-Brooks). I’m also interested in mythologies from all over the world (by the way, Filipino folklore rocks! They have some terrific monsters.)

“Currently I’m a little bit bored with multi-volume series and I prefer standalone books. My favoutite authors, besides Tolkien are Patricia McKillip (hands down!!), Jack Vance and GRRMartin. I could add R.E. Howard, J.K. Rowling and another thousand of pretty predictable names but I’m stopping here… Ah, and I love old school hard rock/heavy metal/AOR.”

All monster lovers should adore metal, of course.

…

Read More Read More

Vintage Treasures: Science Fiction in the Golden Age

Vintage Treasures: Science Fiction in the Golden Age

Comments 4 comments

sf-golden-ageJames Van Hise, renowned comic and pulp expert and editor of The Rocket’s Blast ComicCollector magazine, has compiled a terrific collection of non-fiction articles from the dawn of the science fiction pulp era.

Science Fiction in the Golden Age arrived in the mail a week ago, and I’ve been mesmerized by it ever since. It gathers articles, letters, interviews, advertisements and artwork that appeared in pulps, fanzines and other sources between 1908 and 1955, including a H. G. Wells piece in a 1908 issue of Cosmopolitan speculating about life on Mars – with four illustrations, all reproduced here in color – a 1938 report on John W. Campbell’s plans as the new editor of Astounding Science Fiction, a review of E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Galactic Patrol from 1950,  a report from “Inside the Graf Zeppelin” from Science & Invention (1929), and a lot more.

Authors include Hugo Gernsback, Leigh Brackett, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Thomas Sheridan, and Ray Bradbury, and the vintage art from pulps and fan magazines includes classic work by Frank R. Paul and others, as well as unused art intended for the first edition of The Skylark of Space. I particularly enjoyed the house ads for magazines and novels, including Amazing Stories and Otis Adelbert Kline’s The Planet of Peril.

This is clearly a labor of love from someone who spent years reading and gathering literary gems and curiosities from some extremely rare sources, including Air Wonder Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Scientifiction, Fantasy Review, Boys Magazine, Writers Digest, Fantasy Advertiser, and many other pulps and fanzines. The only criticism I have is that the page numbers in the TOC are rather useless, given that most of the magazine isn’t paginated.

Science Fiction in the Golden Age is the first in a planned series, although since this one came out in May 2005 and no new volumes have followed, I’m not sure about the state of those plans. Volume One is 160 pages, 8 1/2 x 11 (side-stapled) with full color front and back covers by Frank R. Paul. I bought mine from the author on eBay for $20; additional copies are still available.

Locus 602 Arrives

Locus 602 Arrives

Comments 0 Comment

locus-602The latest issue of Locus, the Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field, has arrived at the Black Gate rooftop headquarters.

This issue contains interviews with Gene Wolfe and Alaya Dawn Johnson, a spotlight on Sean Wallace, a column by Cory Doctorow on “Explaining Creativity to a Martian,” short fiction reviews by Gardner Dozois and Rich Horton, the usual treasure trove of detailed book reviews by Gary K. Wolfe, Faren Miller, Paul Witcover, and many others, and a quarterly listing of US & UK Forthcoming Books through December 2011 — the most detailed and accurate catalog of forthcoming books in the industry.

As always, Locus also contains the latest news from the field. This issue includes coverage of the Nebula and Bram Stoker Award nominations, Borders’ bankruptcy, an obit of Brian Jacques, snippets and gossip on people & publishing, and much more.

The complete Table of Contents is here.

Simply put, if you want to keep up with what’s really happening in science fiction and fantasy, you need to be reading Locus.

We last covered Locus with the August 2010 issue.

This issue is 72 pages and priced at $6.95; a one-year (12-issue) subscription is $60. Their website is here, and online subscription form is here.

Weird Tales 357 Arrives

Weird Tales 357 Arrives

Comments 1 comment

weird-tales-357The office copy of Weird Tales arrived today, and it looks great. Howard Andrew Jones immediately challenged me to rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock for the right to take it home, and then had the poor grace to win the best two-out-of-three rematch. Bonehead.

Before it passed out of my grasping hands forever, I did notice that this issue has six new short stories, from N.K. Jemisin, Karen Heuler, J. Robert Lennon, Karin Tidbeck, Peter M. Ball, and Mark Meredith, and poems by Kurt Newton and Seth Lawhorn.

Matthew Kressel contributes a non-fiction piece on real-life weird tales, Geoffrey H. Goodwin interviews Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Contributing Editor Kenneth Hite reports on Lovecraft’s fascination with the town of Kingsport in “Lost in Lovecraft.”

Rounding out the issue are four pages of book reviews and an editorial by Ann VanderMeer, in which she reports on staff changes at the magazine, including the resignation of Stephen Segal, who left for an editorial position at Quirk Books. Ann has now become Editor-in-Chief, and continues to serve as fiction editor, and Mary Robinette Kowal and Paula Guran have joined the staff, as Art Director and Non-Fiction Editor, respectively.

We last reported on Weird Tales with issue 356 in November.  Good to see the magazine stick to a regular quarterly schedule, just as promised.

Cover price for the issue is $6.99. It is 80 pages; the gorgeous cover is by Lee Moyer. Their website is here.

Fantasy Magazine Issue 48 Arrives — Including George R. R. Martin, Tanith Lee and Holly Black

Fantasy Magazine Issue 48 Arrives — Including George R. R. Martin, Tanith Lee and Holly Black

Comments 4 comments

fantasy-mag-march-2011The March 2011 issue (#48) of the excellent Fantasy magazine is now online.

This issue includes original fiction from George R. R. Martin, Tanith Lee, Holly Black, and Genevieve Valentine. It is the first issue assembled by the new editor, John Joseph Adams.

Nonfiction includes author spotlights, and the articles “Three Real Historical Figures Who Embarked Upon the Hero’s Journey,” by Graeme McMillan, “Five Fantasy Worlds That You Wouldn’t Want to Visit,” by Te Jefferson & J. Corbeau, “From Story to Screen,” by LaShawn Wanak, and an interview with Steven Erikson, conducted by Andrew Bayer.

Each week in March one story and one nonfiction article is posted free online. So far they’ve posted an editorial by John Joseph Adams, and the HTML and podcast version of Genevieve Valentine’s “The Sandal-Bride.”

You can buy the complete issue at any time for just $2.99 USD, or subscribe via Weightless Books. The complete Table of Contents is here.

The cover is by Scott Grimando. David Soyka reviewed Fantasy #2 for us back in 2008.

Apex Magazine 22 Released

Apex Magazine 22 Released

Comments 1 comment

apex22Apex continues to mock us by releasing their issues on time.

Their latest includes two works of original fiction, “The Dust and the Red” by Darin Bradley, and “The Speaking Bone” by Kat Howard, as well as a reprint: “Rats” by Veronica Schanoes.

Poetry contributors are Jessica Wick with “Quest,” and the trio of Mike Allen, Sonya Taaffe, and Nicole Kornher-Stace, with  “The King of Cats, the Queen of Wolves.”

Apex is edited by popular author and legendary supermodel Catherynne M. Valente.

We last covered Apex with issue 21 and issue 19.

Apex Magazine 22 is sold online for $2.99; it’s also available in Kindle, Nook, and a downloadable format through Smashwords. Previous issues are available through their back issue page.

Why not subscribe and get 12 issues for just $19.99? Support one of the best new fantasy magazines on the market. You know you want to (or as my English teacher would say, you know it is that which you want).