This week we thought we’d take you on a tour of some of the online reactions to out latest print issue, Black Gate #11. You’ll find a gamut of opinions represented below, from both pros and amateurs.

Our first stop is The Fix, the longtime short fiction review magazine that over the last few years has reinvented itself as an online-only publication. Sherwood Smith delves into each story in #11, praising them by turns as “imaginative and complex,” “terrific and visual,” and “a masterly blend of image, action, and humor.” Sherwood has been a friend to the magazine since we started, and the care and attention she takes with all her reviews is obvious. This is another great overview that will have any fence-sitters out there panting to buy the issue.

Over at Michele Lee’s Book Love blog is a look at #11 originally intended for Tangent before that venue went on hiatus. Michele has a more subdued reaction to the issue, suggesting some readers might be irritated by continuing serials leaving some plot threads open, but that didn’t sting as much as calling Tolkien’s wizard “Gandolf,” instead of Gandalf. Ouch. Drop by and leave a comment anyway.

At Grasping for the Wind, another site dedicated to science-fiction and fantasy book reviews, John Ottinger offers a critical analysis declaring, that “nothing in this issue disappoints” (before admitting a bit further down, “I was a bit disappointed by this installment”). On the bright side, John has a lot of praise for selected stories, calling one “extremely well written and very creative in its approach. I’ve never read anything quite like it before.” To which tale was he referring? Click on the link and find out.

Finally, we end with our favorite review, courtesy of Karl Bradley at the Ultimate Sword & Sorcery Blog of Ultimate Destiny. As Karl puts it: “I wish I could’ve stayed up all night last night and read Black Gate Magazine cover-to-cover and given you a review today. Instead, I went to work. But I have to do something about Black Gate‘s recent release. So here is my review of the first sentence of every story in the magazine.” He actually goes through with it, and it turns out to be a lot of fun, so navigate over to US&SBoUD and enjoy.

And if you haven’t bought Black Gate #11 yet, what are you waiting for? There’s no magazine out there publishing more eclectic, thought-provoking, and action-packed tales of Sword-and-Sorcery and fantasy — visit our subscription page and place your order today.