Black Gate 14 is a landmark issue — and at 384 pages, it’s also the largest in our history. 

It celebrates the growth and success we’ve seen over the last year, and it’s a big “Thank You” to all the readers who’ve supported us while so many small press magazines are struggling. We worked hard to get it out in 2009, but its sheer size and complexity (over 150,000 words of fiction, and nearly 25 full pages of art) made that impossible.  The issue shipped in March.

Special thanks are due to Contributing Editor Bill Ward, who assembled a huge 32-page review section, and Managing Editor Howard Andrew Jones, for a 20-page gaming section.  Thanks also to Rich Horton, for his lengthy article on Modern Reprints of Classic Fantasy, and to Bruce Pennington for a magnificent cover.

What awaits you in BG 14? A young girl confronts an ancient evil on the rooftops of a decaying city, armed only with her father’s sword… A band of desperate men pursue the slave traders who stole their families across cold barrows where a dread thing sleeps… An ambitious witch finds her schemes for revenge may not be quite treacherous enough… And New York’s first karma detective discovers a simple case to re-unite two lovers conceals a sinister conspiracy. Includes new fiction from John C. Hocking, Michael Jasper & Jay Lake, Pete Butler, Martin Owton, Chris Braak, and a Morlock novella from James Enge!

Buy this issue — ­ only $18.95 plus postage and handling!

Black Gate 14 — Winter 2010

 

• 384 pages, $15.95
• On Sale March, 2010
• Edited by John O’Neill
• Published by New Epoch Press
• Managing Editor: Howard Andrew Jones
• Cover by Bruce Pennington
• Spot Art by John Woolley
• Interior Art by David Bezzina, Kent Burles, Storn Cook, Mark Evans, John Kaufmann, Jim & Ruth Keegan, Matthew Laznicka, Chuck Lukacs, Malcolm McClinton, Bernie Mireault, Aaron Starr, and Richard Tucker

Order this issue for only $18.95 plus $3.50 shipping – or as part of a 2-issue subscription for just $32.95.

Short Stories

 

Click on the titles below to read an excerpt.

“Dark of the Year”
By Diana Sherman
At the dark of the year, the Shadows and their darkling servants came creeping through towns, calling for the children.

“The Hangman’s Daughter”
By Chris Braak
The Thing was in her room again, shuffling softly by her bed. ‘I am the Hangman’s daughter,’ Cresy told herself, and opened her eyes….

“The Bonestealer’s Mirror”
By John C. Hocking
‘It comes at night,” said the chieftain. “No one has seen it and lived.”

“The Word of Azrael”
By Matthew David Surridge
When the Angel of Death left the battlefield, Isrohim Vey knew he would live. And that he would spend the rest of his life seeking the Angel, and the meaning of its smile.

“The Mist Beyond the Circle”
By Martin Owton
In which a band of desperate men pursue the slave traders who stole their families — across cold barrows where a dread thing sleeps.

“Freedling”
By Mike Shultz
Naia was pinned under the rubble when the quake hit, trapped with the cruel sorcer, Cer Vassir. And then her nightmare truly began.

Complete Online: “The Renunciation of the Crimes of Gharad the Undying”
By Alex Kreis
He’s sorry he tried to conquer the world. He’s very, very sorry.

“Devil on the Wind”
By Michael Jasper & Jay Lake
It was her fifth suicide. Such was the way of the Killaster Witches. But as ambitious as she was, Lena’s schemes for revenge might not be quite treacherous enough…

“The Girl Who Feared Lightning”
By Dan Brodribb
The sarcophagus was empty, the mummy was on the loose, and Corporate expected her to deal with it. Seemed like a lot to ask, especially for minimum wage.

“Red Hell”
By Renee Stern
It looked like a routine hire… until Kellen found himself framed for theft, and embroiled in a plot to steal the secret of the Crown’s great airships.

“The Lady’s Apprentice”
By Jan Stirling
Lady Nyla was once rich and powerful. Now she lived in a hut on a lonely road. But tonight the Mother Goddess gave her back a measure of her old power — to set her against a terrible foe.

“The Wine-Dark Sea”
By Isabel Pelech
The crumbling passage led to an underwater city, filled with marvels, wild magic… and secrets. Including more than a few that could kill.

“On a Pale Horse”
By Sylvia Volk
Once there was a Bedouin girl who tamed a crooked stallion — and because of her, the Arabian breed was born. A tale of legend and desert war.

“La Senora de Oro”
By R.L. Roth
She was tiny and beautiful… and crafted of pure gold. Her gifts were pure as well: gold, and madness.

“Building Character”
By Tom Sneem
It’s hard to be a modern hero. Especially when the author can’t make up his mind.

“Folie and Null”
By Douglas Empringham
The ruined mansion seemed the perfect place to elude their pursuers… until they began to penetrate its secrets.

Novellas

 
“The Price of Two Blades”
By Pete Butler
The raiders were coming to destroy the village, but the Old Gods promised protection… if they were willing to pay the terrible price.

“Destroyer”
By James Enge
Thend was halfway through the mountain pass before he noticed the stones all around him were bones.  A tale of Morlock the Maker.

“The Natural History of Calamity”
By Robert J Howe
In which New York’s first karma detective discovers a simple case to re-unite two lovers conceals a sinister conspiracy… and an opponent who may not be entirely human.

Poems

 

“Wanted! A Clown Incognito,” Aamir Aziz

“Broadcaster,” Arthur Porges

“Spanish Dance,” Arthur Porges

Features

 

Back to the Future: Modern Reprints of Classic Fantasy, by Rich Horton

Departments

 
Editorial: Tiny Empires, by John O’Neill

Letters, From Our Readers

Back Issues: A list of rare (but miraculously still available) back issues of Black Gate.

Next Issue: Fantastic fantasy from:

Sarah Avery, S. Hutson Blount, Harry Connolly, Brian Dolton, Frederic S. Durbin, Nye Joell Hardy, Vaughn Heppner, John C. Hocking, Rosamund Hodge, Howard Andrew Jones, Derek Künsken, Michael Livingston, Emily Mah, James McEwan, Fraser Ronald, Darrell Schweitzer, Maria Snyder, Paula Stiles, Jeremiah Tolbert, Chris Willrich, and more!

Review Features

 

Thoughts on the latest Fantasy Books: 32 pages of reviews, assembled and edited by Bill Ward. Titles reviewed include:

Swords From the West, Harold Lamb (Bison Books)
Swords from the East, Harold Lamb (Bison Books)
Blood of Ambrose, James Enge (Pyr)
This Crooked Way, James Enge (Pyr)
Summa Elvetica: The Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy, Theodore Beale (Marcher Lord Press)
The Vampire Tarot, Robert M. Place (St. Martin’s Press)
Drood, Dan Simmons (Little, Brown)
Treason’s Shore, Sherwood Smith (DAW)
Black Horses for the King, Anne McCaffrey (Magic Carpet)
Dark Road Rising, P.N. Elrod (Ace)
The Stepsister Scheme, Jim C. Hines (DAW)
Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Simon & Schuster)
Deader Still, Anton Strout (Ace)
Gamer Fantastic, edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Kerrie Hughes (DAW)
Intelligent Design, edited by Denise Little (DAW)
The Magicians, Lev Grossman (Viking)
Turn Coat, Jim Butcher (Roc)
Princep’s Fury, Jim Butcher (Ace)
Warhammer 40K: Daemon World, Ben Counter (BL Publishing)
The White Raven, Robert Low (HarperCollins)
Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson (Tor)
Warhammer: Knight of the Realm, Anthony Reynolds (BL Publishing)
Warhammer: Matthias Thulmann: Witch Hunter, C. L. Werner (BL Publishing)
Warhammer: Grey Seer, C. L. Werner (BL Publishing)
The Drums of Chaos, Richard L. Tierney (Mythos Books)
The Magic of Nightfall, S.L. Farrell (DAW)
Magic in the Blood, Devon Monk (Roc)
The Birthing House, Christopher Ranson (St. Martin’s Press)
The Shadow Queen, Anne Bishop (Roc)
The Bell at Sealey Head, Patricia A. McKillip (Ace)

Reviewed by Bill Ward, Rich Horton, John Ottinger III, Sue Granquist, Ryan Harvey, E.E. Knight, Andrew Zimmerman Jones, Chris Braak, Howard Andrew Jones, Howie Bentley, Charlene Brusso, Jacksol Kuhl, and Thomas M. MacKay.

Gaming

 

Fantasy Game Reviews: 20 pages of reviews, assembled and edited by Howard Andrew Jones.

Alien Module 1: Aslan, Gareth Hanrahan (Mongoose Publishing)
Traveller: Tripwire, Simon Beal (Mongoose Publishing)
Traveller: FASA and Gamelords, CD ROM (Far Future Enterprises)
HeroScape Expansion Pack 1-4: Blackmoon’s Siege (Wizards of the Coast)
Legends of Steel: Savage Worlds, Jeff Mejia (Evil DM Games)
Level UP Issue 1, Magazine (Goodman Games)
Far Avalon, Martin Dougherty (Avenger/Comstar Games)
Shard RPG Basic Compendium, Aaron de Orive and Scott Jones (Shard Studios)
Hero’s Handbook: Tieflings, Edited by Ken Hart (Goodman Games)
Hero’s Handbook: Dragonborn, Edited by Aijalyn Kohler (Goodman Games)
Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song, Edited by Aeryn Blackdirge Rudel (Goodman Games)
Forgotten Heroes: Scythe and Shroud, Edited by Aeryn Blackdirge Rudel (Goodman Games)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook, Jason Bulmahn (Paizo Publishing)
Pathfinder Module: Crypt of the Everflame, Jason Bulmahn (Paizo Publishing)
Pathfinder Adventure Path #25: Council of Thieves (1 of 6): The Bastards of Erebus, Edited by Sean K. Reynolds (Paizo Publishing)
Ruins of Hyboria, Vincent N. Darlage (Mongoose Publishing)
Judge Dredd, Lawrence Whitaker (Mongoose Publishing)
Age of Cthulhu: Death in Luxor, Harley Stroh (Goodman Games)
Maelstrom Storytelling, Christian Aldridge (Hubris Games/Precis Intermedia)
Tales from the Empire, Christian Aldridge (Hubris Games/Precis Intermedia)
Dacartha Prime, Christian Aldridge (Hubris Games/Precis Intermedia)
Spirit of the Century, Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera (Evil Hat Games)
Dungeon Crawl Classic 57: Wyvern Mountain, Mike Ferguson (Goodman Games)
Dungeon Crawl Classic 58: The Forgotten Portal, Chris Doyle (Goodman Games)
Dungeon Crawl Classic 61: Citadel of the Corruptor, Adrian Pommier (Goodman Games)
Dungeon Crawl Classic 53: Sellswords of Punjar, Harley Stroh (Goodman Games)
Dungeon Crawl Classic 56: Scions of Punjar, Chris Doyle (Goodman Games)
Blackdirge’s Dungeon Denizens, Aeryn Rudel (Goodman Games)

Reviewed by Howard Andrew Jones, Andrew Zimmerman Jones, Jeff Mejia, Robert Rowe, and Vincent N. Darlage.

Comics

 

Knights of the Dinner Table: The Java Joint

An original 8-page Knights of the Dinner Table strip by Jolly Blackburn, Steve Johansson, and John O’Neill