The most popular piece of fiction on the Black Gate blog last month was David C. Smith’s “The Shadow of Dia-Sust,” the first new Oron story in 30 years, taken from his brand new short story collection The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories.

Second on the list was our excerpt from The Sacred Band, the new novel in the popular Sacred Band of Stepsons series by Janet Morris and Chris Morris.

Third was perennial favorite “The Moonstones of Sor Lunarum,” by Joe Bonadonna, published here nearly three years ago in December 2011 — and in the Top 10 virtually every month since.

Next was Aaron Bradford Starr’s epic novella “The Sealord’s Successor,” the third adventure fantasy featuring Gallery Hunters Gloren Avericci and Yr Neh, the most popular adventuring duo we’ve ever published.

Rounding out the Top Five was “The Find,” Part II of The Tales of Gemen, by Mark Rigney.

Also making the list were exciting stories by C.S.E. Cooney, E.E. Knight, Dave Gross, Michael Shea, John C. Hocking, Steven H Silver, John R. Fultz, Harry Connolly, Gregory Bierly, Jon Sprunk, David Evan Harris, Judith Berman, Peter Cakebread, and Ryan Harvey.

If you haven’t sampled the free adventure fantasy stories offered through our Black Gate Online Fiction line, you’re missing out. Here are the Top Twenty most-read stories in June.

1. “The Shadow of Dia-Sust” by David C. Smith
2. An excerpt from The Sacred Band by Janet Morris and Chris Morris
3. “The Moonstones of Sor Lunarum,” by Joe Bonadonna
4. “The Sealord’s Successor,” by Aaron Bradford Starr
5. “The Find,” Part II of The Tales of Gemen, by Mark Rigney
6. “Godmother Lizard” by C.S.E. Cooney
7. “The Terror in the Vale,” by E.E. Knight
8. An excerpt from Pathfinder Tales: King of Chaos, by Dave Gross
9. “Tsathoggua,” by Michael Shea
10. “Vestments of Pestilence,” by John C. Hocking
11. “The Cremator’s Tale” by Steven H Silver
12. “The Weird of Ironspell” by John R. Fultz
13. “The Whoremaster of Pald,” by Harry Connolly
14. “A Princess of Jadh,” by Gregory Bierly
15. An excerpt from Blood and Iron, by Jon Sprunk
16. “The Gentle Sleeper,” by David Evan Harris
17. “Awakening,” by Judith Berman
18. An excerpt from The Alchemists Revenge by Peter Cakebread
19. “Stand at Dubun-Geb,” by Ryan Harvey
20. An excerpt from Waters of Darkness, by David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna

The complete catalog of Black Gate Online Fiction, including a complete novel by Martha Wells and new stories by Howard Andrew Jones, Peadar Ó Guilín, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Vera Nazarian, Vaughn Heppner, Mike Allen, Jason E. Thummel, and many others, is here.

The top fiction from May is here.