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October GigaNotoSaurus Features “To Us May Grace Be Given” by L.S. Johnson

October GigaNotoSaurus Features “To Us May Grace Be Given” by L.S. Johnson

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GigiNotoSaurus

GigaNotoSaurus got my attention back in July with Daniel Ausema’s long Sword & Sorcery novelette “The Poetics of Defiance.” Here’s what Ausema said about the story at his website, Twigs and Brambles.

“The Poetics of Defiance” is one of the longer stories I’ve had published. It’s a fun one that I’m very proud of. It started with an idea to come up with the two most unlikely jobs for a traditional sword & sorcery story, and I came up with an alchemist (I’ve liked the idea of a traveling alchemist ever since I was into D&D back in high school) and a poet. It ended up straying from the S&S idea somewhat… I had a lot of fun with creating the snippets of poetry for the attack poet.

This month GigaNotoSaurus features a brand new 15,507-word Weird Western by L.S. Johnson, “To Us May Grace Be Given.” Here’s Charles Payseur at Quick Sip Reviews.

October’s GigaNotoSaurus brings a sort of paranormal Western longer novelette, with a whiff of ash and the taste of blood and coming violence. It’s a storm of a story, sweeping through the life of the main character and leaving nothing untouched. It’s a piece that explores the vast frontier that the American West used to represent, the potential or at least the hope of renewal and forgiveness. And yet it was all built on murder, and exploitation, and blood, and the story paints this place as incredibly dark, perilous, and toxic. It’s a wonderful take on the setting and genre…

Read the story free here, and read Charles’ complete review here.

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The Expedition Into the Black Reservoir: A Dungeon Adventure at Greyhawk Castle by Gary Gygax

The Expedition Into the Black Reservoir: A Dungeon Adventure at Greyhawk Castle by Gary Gygax

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The Expedition Into the Black Resevoir Gary Gygax

The early days of D&D have been chronicled many times, in Shannon Appelcline’s excellent Designers and Dragons books, Michael Witwer’s Empire of Imagination, David Kushner and Koren Shadmi’s Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D, and a rapidly growing corpus of gaming history texts. When an era you lived through in your teens now has its own shelf in the history section, you’re getting old.

Still, there are plenty of unchronicled tidbits of gaming history out there, and I stumbled on one this weekend. In 1974 Gary Gygax, strapped for marketing cash for his just-released adventure game Dungeons and Dragons, agreed to contribute two articles to issue 12 of El Conquistador, a Chicago small press magazine devoted to play-by-mail Diplomacy leagues and general wargaming, in exchange for a full-page D&D ad. The first article was “Postal Brotherhood,” a short piece on play-by-mail gaming, a pastime that was already dying (and was fully dead less than two decades later).

The second was vastly more interesting: a four-page story that’s believed to be the first Greyhawk tale ever published.

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The October Fantasy Magazine Rack

The October Fantasy Magazine Rack

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Apex Magazine October 2017-small Beneath Ceaseless Skies October 12 2017-small Black Static September October 2017-small Clarkesworld October 2017-small
Grimdark Magazine 13-small Lackington's Summer 2017-small MAGAZINE OF HORROR 36-small Shimmer September 2017-small

One thing I cherish about the zines in this genre is their endless diversity. We have gritty SF and fantasy (Grimdark magazine), literary adventure fantasy (Beneath Ceaseless Skies), Canadian speculative fiction (Lackington’s), contemporary horror (Black Static), pulp replicas (Magazine of Horror #36), and much, much more.  Best of all, we have writers capable of crossing all those boundaries — such as the amazing Natalia Theodoridou, who appears in no less than three magazines this month (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, and Shimmer). Here are the magazines that grabbed my attention in October (links will bring you to magazine websites).

Apex Magazine — Issue #101, with new fiction from Dennis Danvers, Lavie Tidhar, Annie Neugebauer, and others
Beneath Ceaseless Skies — Natalia Theodoridou, Emily B. Cataneo, plus a podcast and a reprint by Samantha Murray
Black Static — with creepy tales by Carole Johnstone, Tim Lees, Ray Cluley, and Stephen Hargadon
Clarkesworld — new fiction from Jack Skillingstead, Natalia Theodoridou, Xia Jia, Genevieve Valentine, and others
Grimdark — fresh fiction from Richard A. Knaak, S. Andrew Swann, David M. Hoenig
Lackington’s — “Diseases” Issue, with stories by Evelyn Deshane, Nin Harris, Dayna K. Smith, Adrian Simmons, and Kat Weave
Magazine of Horror #33 — a reprint of the classic magazine from 1970, with fiction by Clark Ashton Smith, Paul Ernst, Arthur Styron, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Robert E. Howard, and others
Shimmer — great new stuff from Sonya Taaffe, Brian Holguin, Maria Haskins, and the ubiquitous Natalia Theodoridou

Click any of the thumbnail images above for bigger images. Our late September Fantasy Magazine Rack is here.

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Fantastic Stories of Imagination, January and February 1964: A Retro-Review

Fantastic Stories of Imagination, January and February 1964: A Retro-Review

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Fantastic Stories of Imagination January 1964-small Fantastic Stories of Imagination February 1964-small

These issues are significant in that they include the serialization of a Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser novella — but not just any novella: this includes the first and nearly only contribution to the series from Leiber’s original collaborator, and supposed model for the Mouser, Harry Fischer.

Each cover is by Ed Emshwiller, and they both illustrate the serial. The interiors in January are by Emsh, Lutjens (first name perhaps Peter?), Dan Adkins, Lee Brown Coye, and Virgil Finlay. In February they are from the same folks except for Coye.

The editorials concern, in January, Harry Fischer’s role in the creation of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, and in February, serious research in both the US and the Soviet Union into telepathy. There is a brief book review column in January, by S. E. Cotts, in which she praises Shirley Jackson’s The Sundial very highly, and is somewhat more reserved on R. DeWitt Miller’s Stranger Than Life, one of those books about “unexplainable events.” The February issue includes a lettercol, According to You, with letters from Bill Wolfenbarger (praise for Schomburg, and for the more horrific side of fantasy), E. E. Evers (much disdain for the November 1961 issue, even for the Le Guin story), and Norman Masters (hated Sharkey’s “The Aftertime,” likes Le Guin).

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Old School Steampunk: Reading The Steam Man of the Plains (1883)

Old School Steampunk: Reading The Steam Man of the Plains (1883)

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In the days before television, movies, or even pulp magazines, readers who wanted exciting fantastic fare read dime novels. This style of popular literature lasted from about 1860 to 1930, before the pulps finally killed them off. In those 70 years, countless series and titles were published — mysteries, Westerns, historical dramas, romances, and even steampunk.

Yes, steampunk goes right back to the age of steam. I recently read one of the most popular titles, the 1883 edition of The Steam Man of the Plains, published by the Five Cent Wide-Awake Library, a series directed specifically at adolescent boys. You can read it online at Northern Illinois University’s excellent online collection of dime novels.

Warning: spoilers follow!

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Support an Exciting New Magazine of Sword & Sorcery: Tales From the Magician’s Skull

Support an Exciting New Magazine of Sword & Sorcery: Tales From the Magician’s Skull

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Tales from the Magician's Skull-small

Here’s the best news I’ve heard all month: Goodman Games, publisher of the excellent Dungeon Crawl Classics line of old-school RPG adventures, has launched a brand new magazine of Sword & Sorcery, Tales From the Magician’s Skull. The editor chosen to helm this groundbreaking project? None other than our very own Howard Andrew Jones. Here’s Howard with the scoop.

A gong shivers…
The mists part to reveal a grisly object lying upon a mound of rubble, a browned and ancient head with one glowing, malefic eye…
It speaks, in a voice of cold command: “Silence, mortal dogs! It is time now for
TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN’S SKULL!
Goodman Games [has launched] the Kickstarter for the exciting new sword-and-sorcery magazine inspired by Appendix N. I am mightily pleased to be the magazine’s editor, and I’ve had a blast assembling it with Joseph Goodman. We’ve been working together for almost a year, and I’ve got to tell you that the result is GLORIOUS. Just check out that Jim Pavalec cover.

The first issue, with stories by James Enge, John C. Hocking, Chris Willrich, Howard Andrew Jones, C.L. Werner and others, truly is a knockout. The Kickstarter funded in less than 24 hours, and continues to gather momentum. Make a pledge, and make sure you get your copy of the the first issue of what’s sure to be one of the most important magazine launches of the decade. And check back here this week for a 3-way interview with publisher Joseph Goodman, Howard Andrew Jones, and the grinning skull itself!

September/October Analog Now on Sale

September/October Analog Now on Sale

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Analog Science Fiction September October 2017-smallThe September/October Analog has a diverse mix of tales, of time travel, uplifted animals, ghostmail, siege engines on Mars, cryo-prisons, space elevators, crash landings on hostile worlds, mysterious alien invaders, and Norman Spinrad’s tale of the Order of the Galactic Eye. Here’s Nicky Magas at Tangent Online to give us the highlights.

An exciting new world that is hostile to technology awaits Mbasi in “Orphans” by Craig DeLancey. No probes sent to the planet teeming with vegetation have survived through to their full life expectancy. It’s up to Mbasi and the rest of the research crew to figure out why. But when an unexplainable accident forces them into an emergency crash landing from their planned orbit, Mbasi finds herself a little closer to the conundrum than she first anticipated. To make matters worse, whatever has been destroying their probes is making short work of their ship as well.

The mystery in “Orphans” is what truly makes this story shine. The sense of urgency DeLancey puts into every word is palpable to the reader, making every decision seem like life or death. DeLancey cultivates a deep curiosity in readers, and though he peppers the narrative with speculation between his characters, the open ended nature of the conclusion leaves readers on the edge of the cliff of what is knowable, both satisfied and deeply wanting more.

In “The Old Man” by Rich Larsen, Ezekiel wants nothing more than to kill his father and have him know who did it. Lucky for him the Old Man escaped his cryo-prison. Luckier still, the government thawed Zeke for the task of taking him out. The Old Man has much to atone for and Zeke means to see the debt settled down to the last drop of blood.

Larson tells a fascinating story of revenge and humanity in “The Old Man.” As the narrative unravels itself in a non-linear way set to the backdrop of the swampy bayou, readers find their sympathies torn between politics, family, and human rights in a technologically advanced future. There are layers to this story that make it exquisitely complex and an ethically thoughtful read. Readers expecting a story whirling with technology might be surprised by how intricately and tragically organic it is, however this does not detract from the brilliant piece of futuristic science fiction that it is.

Read Nicky’s complete review here.

The September/October issue contains fiction by Edward M. Lerner, Lettie Prell, Jerry Oltion, Rich Larsen, Michael F. Flynn, James Van Pelt, Stanley Schmidt, Norman Spinrad, Bud Sparhawk, and many others. The cover is by Eldar Zakirov, for “My Fifth and Most Exotic Voyage,” by Edward M. Lerner.

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A Mutiny in Space, and an Emperor of the Stars: High Adventure #153: Classic Stories from Wonder Stories

A Mutiny in Space, and an Emperor of the Stars: High Adventure #153: Classic Stories from Wonder Stories

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Hig Adventure 153-small Hig Adventure 153-back-small

I began collecting pulp magazines in my early teens. Back then I wasn’t too concerned about condition or rarity… I just wanted to read them. Books like Jacques Sadoul’s 2000 A.D. Illustrations From the Golden Age of Science Fiction Pulps and Asimov’s Before the Golden Age ignited an intense curiosity about these early science fiction tales of alien invasions, space explorers, killer robots, and scientists with labs that would make Reed Richards green wth envy.

Pulps were hard to find in those pre-eBay days, and mostly I had to make do with tattered anthologies. I would have appreciated a magazine like High Adventure very much at the time, let me tell you. The magazine reprints about a half-dozen short stories and novelettes from the pulps in each themed issue; the reprints are facsimiles shot right from the original pages, with art, ads, and all. The theme for issue #143 is Classic Stories from Wonder Tales, and it contains hard-to-find fiction by Manly Wade Wellman, Clark Ashton Smith, Nathan Schachner and Arthur L. Zagat, Gawain Edwards, and R.F. Starzl.

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The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1969: A Retro-Review

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1969: A Retro-Review

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The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November 1969-small

This is Part 3 of a Decadal Review of vintage science fiction magazines published in November 1969. The articles are:

Amazing Stories, November 1969
Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1969
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1969
Worlds of If, November 1969
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, November 1969

General feeling is that MoF&SF is a little flimsier than others, a bit more ‘pulpy’ (as in the paper itself, not the style) and not nearly as much artwork.

It jumps right into the fiction, “The Mouse,” by Howard Fast. Tiny aliens from a heavy gravity world come to explore Earth. Part of their exploration plan is that they find a local lifeform and augment it to be, roughly, human intelligence. In this case, the lifeform is a small mouse. It gets intelligence, and an ability to read minds. It does not take it long to figure out that the aliens don’t really have a post-exploration plan for the mouse — can’t come back to their homeworld due to the gravity, and they didn’t bother making any other intelligent mice, so they tearfully abandon it to commit suicide. A fairly gripping ending to a fairly poor set-up.

“A Feminine Jurisdiction” by Sterling E. Lanier. This is one of the continuing adventures of Brigadier Donald Ffellowes. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace — with the boys down at the pub taking about the dames and then D. Ffellowes discussing one of his wartime adventures, beginning with the set-up and intrigue around Greece, and leading to a shipwreck on a small uncharted island and being harassed by a downed German pilot. It isn’t a great story, but it isn’t bad, either. Lanier deserves a bit of credit for going past the obvious Medusa idea and going into the other gorgons. He also adds a bit of a Lovecraftian touch to things. I’m not super-familiar with the gorgons, so I have a feeling that I was missing some things.

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The Late September Fantasy Magazine Rack

The Late September Fantasy Magazine Rack

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Apex September 2017-rack Back Issue 100-small Pulp Literature magazine 16 Autumn 2017-rack Lightspeed September 2017-rack
Interzone September October 2017-rack Meeple Monthly September 2017-rack Space and Time Magazine Summer 2017-rack Uncanny September October 2017-rack

I know, I know. We’re in October already. But I’m still not finished with all of September’s great magazines yet. Here are the ones that grabbed my attention in the last half of the month (links will bring you to magazine websites).

Apex Magazine — Issue #100, with new fiction from Andrea Tang, plus reprints by Kameron Hurley & others
Back Issue #100 — our second issue #100 this month is a 100-page centennial featuring Bronze Age comic fanzines
Pulp Literature — with a story by Black Gate blogger Brandon Crilly!
Lightspeed — new fiction from Tony Ballantyne, Timothy Mudie, and others
Interzone — Aliya Whiteley, Paul Jessup, T.R. Napper, and Erica L. Satifka
Meeple Monthly — covering November board game releases
Space and Time — new fiction from Paul Michael Anderson, Gordon Linzner, and others
Uncanny — great new stuff from N. K. Jemisin, Fran Wilde, Catherynne M. Valente, Delia Sherman — and our very own C. S. E. Cooney!

That’s not all, of course. Earlier this month Fletcher Vredenburgh checked in with his September Short Story Roundup, featuring the latest issues of Cirsova and Swords & Sorcery magazine.

Click any of the thumbnail images above for bigger images. Our early September Fantasy Magazine Rack is here.

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