The premiere issue of Black Gate magazine, on sale November 2000, will include new fiction, columns and artwork from some of the finest talents in the industry. We’re proud to present a sample of the contents here on the Black Gate website.

Article

Building the Fantasy Canon: the Classic Anthologies of Genre Fantasy: Part One

by Rich Horton

From the earliest days of this century, some of the most important works of fantasy have appeared in genre magazines — including the Conan tales of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber’s classic tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, the Cthulhu tales of H. P. Lovecraft and many, many more. The crumbling pulps where those stories first appeared are now in the hands of collectors, and command outrageous prices. But over the decades these tales proved their worth by appearing in a number of wonderful fantasy anthologies — many highly collectible in their own right. Rich Horton takes us back almost 50 years with a look at the most important early anthologies in American Fantasy, in part one of his in-depth retrospective of the classic anthologies of the genre.

Review

The Grand Ellipse, by Paula Volsky

(Bantam, 560 pp $27.95) October 2000

Review by Charlene Brusso

Paula Volsky is known for lush, intelligent fantasy, often patterned on historical events — including such popular novels as Illusion (set during a reworked French Revolution) and The White Tribunal. Her latest takes places in an alternate 19th Century Europe — a land of dark politics, decadent aristocracy, and high adventure. Reviewer Charlene Brusso takes a closer look, and likes what she sees. This book is “wicked good fun.”

Fiction

“The Dark Muse,” by Karl Edward Wagner

illustrated by Bernie Mireault

Karl Edward Wagner practically re-invented the dormant Sword & Sorcery genre in the 1970’s with a brilliant series of stories featuring Kane, an intelligent and resourceful rogue who strode the streets of the world’s earliest cities in the First Age of mankind. One of the finest Kane stories is “The Dark Muse,” a tale of sorcery, poetry and betrayal set amongst the long-forgotten ruins of a once-great empire. Black Gate is very proud to present this classic of dark fantasy, out of print for nearly two decades, with brand new art by fantasy master Bernie Mireault.

Gaming

Forgotten Realms: Cloak & Dagger (Wizards of the Coast) June 2000

Review by Marc Goldstein

The latest Advanced Dungeons & Dragons accessory describes the numerous secret societies operating in the world of Faerûn, unmasking mysterious brotherhoods like the Night Masks, the Knights of the Shield, the Iron Throne, and the Shadow Thieves. It starts out with a three-year timeline that focuses on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of the various secret groups, and critical events like the schism dividing the Harpers, the rise of tyrannical Fzoul Chembryl, and the Manshoon Wars get additional attention in sidebars. Obsessed with the world of the Forgotten Realms? Plenty of surprises for you here.