Black Gate

An exorcist in Ancient China stumbles across far more than he bargained for…an escaped serf in a world of dangerous dimensional portals learns that fortune indeed favors the bold…an aging monarch receives the potentially lethal gift of a slave girl, the last living child of a dead Mage King…and a young man leads a ragtag band of soldiers to the surface to face the horrid invaders of Earth for the first time in millennia.

It’s all in the big fall issue of Black Gate. Have a look at our online sneak peek, featuring artwork, excerpts, and more. Our action-packed sixth issue contains new fiction from Mark W. Tiedemann, Rick Norwood, Iain Rowan, Karen Jordan Allen, and the novel-length pulp reprint “Tumithak in Shawn,” the sequel to last issue’s epic “Tumithak of the Corridors” by Charles R. Tanner.

All this plus the next hilarious installment of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic. Don’t miss it!

We’ve updated the Black Gate subscription form to make it even easier to order back issues or subscribe online!

Now you can choose from a variety of payment options — including Visa, Mastercard, and Paypal — as well as a handy new printer-friendly order form to mail in payments by check or money order. Don’t take a chance that your local bookstore runs out of Black Gate. Subscribe today!

All copies of Black Gate are mailed in a sturdy protective envelope, to ensure that they arrive at your door in pristine condition. Take advantage of our special Sample Issue offer — we’ll pay the postage!

A young woman and her barbarian protector stumble across an ancient horror in a ruined temple…a group of children are trapped by the lethal remnant of a sorcerous war…a young explorer undertakes a dangerous journey to Earth’s surface, untold centuries after an alien conquest…and the last survivor of a race of shape-shifters faces an unexpected fate in the bloody coliseum of Ancient Rome.

These and many more exciting stories await you in the big spring issue of Black Gate, on sale now. Have a look at our online sneak peek, featuring lengthy excerpts, artwork, and much more. This issue features fiction from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Brian A. Hopkins, a chilling new horror novella from Todd McAulty, and great new fiction from Don Bassingthwaite, Michael H. Payne, Jennifer Busick and many others. And don’t miss the hilarious exploits of the Knights of the Dinner Table by Jolly R. Blackburn!

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has released the 2002 Nebula Awards preliminary ballot, and we are very proud to announce that ElizaBeth Gilligan’s “Iron Joan,” from our Winter 2002 issue, has been nominated in the category of Best Short Story. The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA, and the Awards will be announced at the 2002 Nebula Awards Banquet to be held in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 19th.

ElizaBeth’s tale of a mysterious young woman’s arrival in a small town, and the effect she has on its inhabitants, was one of the most acclaimed pieces of fiction we’ve published, and we are very pleased to present “Iron Joan” online here in a Special Fiction Feature, complete in its entirety and with the original art by Chris Pepper. We hope you enjoy it.

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A Chicago pub where the ghosts of Blues legends gather to swap tales and jam one final time…a post-apocalyptic cityscape where automated bombers still cruise overhead and the last rock band hears the sound of extinction…a wild west where a trio of demons test the wits of a lone bounty hunter…and the dungeons of Chateau Machecoul, where an aging knight comes face-to-face with a horror unlike anything he’s ever known.

These are just a few of the unique and exciting settings that await you in the big summer issue of Black Gate. This issue features the start of a major fantasy series from Hugo Award-winning author Bill Johnson and a new novelette from epic fantasy novelist David B. Coe, as well as fiction from Cory Doctorow, Tina Jens, Mark McLaughlin, and many others. And don’t miss the return of the hilarious Knights of the Dinner Table comic by Jolly R. Blackburn to the pages of Black Gate!

Interested in submitting fiction to Black Gate? BG magazine is one of the top-paying markets in the field, but we have very specific needs and requirements. Be sure to check out our updated Submission Guidelines to get the latest on what we’re looking for.

New to this edition are clarified requirements & advice for both post and e-mail submmissions, as well as two special features by Black Gate editor John O’Neill: “The Seven Most Common Reasons we Return a Manuscript,” and “Six Things That Will Cause Us to Stop Reading.” That’s thirteen great reasons to have a look at our updated guidelines!

Zed runs a friendly, profitable business in Pald’s foreign quarter — kept that way by his seeming willingness to avoid conflict at all costs. But beneath this carefully constructed cowardly exterior beats the heart of a shrewd businessman, one who will go to any lengths to protect both his business and his employees. But he’ll need every resource at his disposal when he finds himself up against an unknown opponent who wants him dead… an opponent with very powerful allies, and deadly Lisk stitch magic at his fingertips.

Harry James Connolly’s “The Whoremaster of Pald,” praised for “vivid prose strongly reminiscent of Jack Vance” (Tangent Online), was one of the most popular and acclaimed tales in Black Gate‘s second issue. Now we are proud to present it online, complete in its entirety, with the original art and sketches by Chris Pepper. If you enjoy it, be sure to read Connolly’s second tale of swordplay and magic in the decaying city of Pald, “Another Man’s Burden,” in the Winter 2002 issue of Black Gate!

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A trio of adventurers scheme to steal a deadly enchanted sword… a dwarven detective stumbles on an ingenious new scam in a very old casino… a deadly worm terrorizes the helpless inhabitants of an ancient sky city… and the Lord of the Underworld tracks a child murderer across a chilling landscape where spiders lurk in hidden lairs and ghosts are hunted for sport — all in the big Winter issue of Black Gate magazine, shipping this week.

Our third big issue features fiction by multiple Hugo-Award winner Mike Resnick, Forgotten Realms novelist Elaine Cunningham, Darrell Schweitzer, and a brand new Pald story by Harry James Connolly! Our special preview has a complete list of the contents, as well as artwork and fiction excerpts. Look for our 224-page Winter issue in the finest book and comic stores across North America — or drop by our subscription page to subscribe online.

As our big Winter issue heads to press — with new fiction from Mike Resnick, Elaine Cunningham, Darrell Schweitzer, and much more — we continue to receive a wide array of comments and suggestions on the first two issues of Black Gate.

In the inaugural issue of our Letters Column we hear from aspiring writers, gaming fiction readers, Knights of the Dinner Table fans, and the renowned editor of Amazing Stories during the 1960’s, Joseph Wrzos.

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We’ve made some minor updates to the website, including adding to the second issue contents page, and updating our staff and submission guidelines.