122 years ago today, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the father of modern horror, was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Here at Black Gate we’ve celebrated Lovecraft’s works in numerous ways over the years. In 2010, John R. Fultz interviewed the authors behind the landmark anthology Cthulhu’s Reign in “Cthulhu Has Risen…”, perhaps the single most popular blog post we’ve ever published, and last year he examined a brand new magazine celebrating Cthulhu’s creator, Lovecraft eZine. Matthew David Surridge took a detailed…
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The Steel Seraglio Mike, Linda, and Louise Carey ChiZine Publications (424 pp, $15.95 US/$17.95 CAD, trade paperback) Reviewed by Matthew Surridge The Steel Seraglio is a fantasy novel by husband/wife/daughter trio Mike, Linda, and Louise Carey, put out by ChiZine Publications. There’s also a chapbook set in the same world (which you might be able to get if you order the book directly from ChiZine). It’s a story set in a pseudo-historical Arabia, in a desert of city-states ruled by…
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I’m launching a contest to win an advance reader copy (known as an ARC) of the next Dabir and Asim novel, The Bones of the Old Ones. Now Bones won’t actually be available until December 11 of 2012 through bookstores (or via Kindles and Nooks and what have you), but ARCs will start going out to reviewers within the next few months. And one of them could be headed your way. Here’s the deal. The Dabir and Asim series needs…
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The nominations for the 2012 Hugo Awards have been announced by Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention. Chicon 7 will be held over Labor Day weekend right here in Chicago. The nominations are: Best Novel Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor) A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra) Deadline by Mira Grant (Orbit) Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey) Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Orbit) Best Novella Countdown by Mira…
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Ten thousand gallons of virtual ink have already been spent on the subject of cliché elves’n’dwarves’n’rogues’n’rangers fantasy. But here’s a few droplets that I think are worth noting. Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, for those not fully assimilated into the etherium of the web, is a popular reviewer of games and maker of funny videos. He’s also the author of Mogworld, which I haven’t read. Anyway, in his recent video review of the fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur, he introduces a point…
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Saturday was my last day at Gen Con, and it will be missed … at least for another year. Tomorrow, I’ll post a bit more in the way of reflections, but for now, let me cut straight to some of the games that I came across. Pulp Adventure Roleplaying Games For gamers who lean toward pulpy goodness (which I imagine includes many Black Gate readers), there are a lot of great options out there. One of the best games available…
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I recently stumbled across G.W. Thomas’ marvelous Reader’s Guide to Sword & Sorcery Magazines, which is well worth a look for short fiction readers interested in the history of the genre. G.W. Thomas is editor and publisher of Dark Worlds, the pulp-Descended magazine of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery and other genres. Dark Worlds was nominated for the Harper’s Pen Award earlier this year for Michael Ehart’s original sword & sorcery tale “Tomb of the Amazon Queen.” But back to the…
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Black Gate is the fastest-growing fantasy magazine on the stands, and has designs on becoming the magazine for adventure fantasy in the 21st Century. But we can’t do it without your help. If you’ve got feedback or questions on any aspect of our fiction or articles, we’d love to hear from you. What Do you Mean “Epic Fantasy?” Hi John, Just got my first two issues of Black Gate. I love it so far. It did lead me, however, to…
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The first few issues of Black Gate magazine have seen rave reviews from some of the most respected publications in the industry, including Locus, Interzone, SF Site, and many others. Here are some brief excerpts from some of the highlights. Where possible, links to the complete review are provided. Year’s Best Volumes The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #14 2003 Edition Edited by Stephen Jones Even Weird Tales wasn’t as good looking as Black Gate: Adventures in Fantasy Literature….
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I’m more than halfway through the new Black Gate, and I can honestly say that, if anything, it’s even better than Black Gate 10. I’m not just saying that — (anyone who knows me knows that I’m neither a shill nor much of a salesman) — the writing from the regulars is even stronger than it’s been in the past. Much as I liked previous entries from Enge and Wells and Rowan, their entries this time had me so spellbound I…
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