Black Gate

This is a beautiful magazine. I admired and enjoyed the dedication to adventure literature as…a field of depth and history. The emphasis on how the past of the field relates to the present is presented with love and care.

There’s been some discussion from time to time about how to encourage readers to be better readers, more thoughtful and with a greater knowledge of the depth of the field. Black Gate is already doing it.

— Tangent Online

As we go to press with issue #7, let’s pause for a minute to catch up on the latest Black Gate coverage. Visit our Review Page to see the most current reviews and commentary on our recent issues.

Black Gate is a slick publication and — brace yourself for this — more than 200 pages long! That’s right: each issue has enough short stories to be a paperback anthology in itself…the eleven (!) stories in this issue each [have] at least two quality illustrations, even better than the ones in Asimov’s. I can’t help but gush over such a lovely publication. Just looking at it is a pleasure.

— The Green Man Review

What are the critics saying about Black Gate? What aren’t they saying? “Serious work…[and] magnificent storytelling” says Locus. “Enough material in it for a good-sized trade paperback…brisk pacing, imagination, and swashbuckling fun” proclaims SF Site. And The Eternal Review of Books says “John O’Neill is showing a deft touch in his development of talented new writers…I should not be at all surprised if more than one of these works were competing for genre awards at the end of the year.”

We’ve published links to, and excerpts from, a dozen new reviews of our recent issues, from such diverse publications as Year’s Best Fantasy, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, The Fix: The Review of Short Fiction, and others. Come see why Black Gate is being called “one of the most exciting things to appear in the fantasy genre in quite some time!”

“There’s a whiff of Ray Bradbury, maybe even a hint of Stephen King…This is readable, entertaining fantasy at its best. Excellent stuff. It may well evolve into a ‘must read’ for all fans of the fantasy scene.”

— The Fix

We’ve posted excerpts from seven new reviews of our recent issues, from such diverse publications as Locus, SF Site, SFReader.com, The Fix, and others. Come see why Black Gate is being hailed as “Spellbinding…expect your vision of Fantasy fiction to be challenged and enlarged by some of the most imaginative and technically proficient storytellers the genre has to offer.”

Critical acclaim for the first three issues of Black Gate continues to pour in. “These guys aren’t kidding around,” says Tangent Online of our third issue — “This heavy-duty volume, bigger than many trade paperbacks, is very classy.”

Our fiction, reviews and columns have been called “Incredible” (Indigenous Fiction), “Excellent” (SF Chronicle), and “Genuinely arresting” (Locus). And SFReader.com exclaimed “You won’t find a better looking or more professionally written pub…the literary standards, production value, and generously-heaped content of Black Gate are unparalleled.”

But don’t just take our word for it — read what the experts have to say. We’ve updated our reviews page with excerpts and links to six new in-depth reviews, from The Fix: The Review of Short Fiction, SF Site, SF Chronicle, and other fine publications. Enjoy!

What have the reviewers been calling Black Gate magazine? “Ambitious” (Interzone), “Wonderful” (RPGNet), “Spectacular” (Tangent Online), and “The Best Thing to happen to fantasy since Robert E. Howard faked his own death, moved to England, and took on a new identity as J.R.R. Tolkien” (The Wall Street Journal).

Okay, we’re kidding about that last one. But we’ve been thrilled to see the reception the critical press is giving BG. With just three issues shipped so far, SF Site proclaimed “Black Gate promises to be what I’m looking for.” And The Fix: The Review of Short Fiction asked “240 pages? How do they manage to fill all that?… So much for not much, in a good-looking, easy to read format. All power to John O’Neill and Black Gate!”

But don’t take our word for it. Drop by our new reviews page to read excerpts and recent articles about us from magazines such as Locus, SF Chronicle, Tangent Online, and many more. And find out why Interzone proclaimed “Does Black Gate deliver? In spades!”

So much to read, so little time… if you’re like us, there’s a lot of attractive titles on the shelves commanding your attention. If you’re a fan of heroic fantasy, we’re here to help.

Black Gate Recommends looks at some of the most intriguing titles to come our way in the last 60 days, including new work by Matthew Woodring Stover, Chris Bunch, Jeffrey Ford, Eric van Lustbader, and more.

READ THE ARTICLE

Some of the very best fantasy fiction on the market today isn’t on the shelves of your local bookstore — it’s in the magazine rack. If it’s been a while since you’ve picked up a fantasy magazine, you’ve been missing the latest work by some of the field’s finest authors. David Soyka plunges into the pulp jungle to report on some of the best magazines for your money — including small press and international efforts.

READ THE ARTICLE