Not all that long ago, Douglass Draa was the Online Editor for Weird Tales, maintaining a lively Facebook presence and posting numerous highly readable articles on the website (which, sadly, have now been removed.) Although the magazine has essentially been dead since 2014, Doug kept the Weird Tales name alive as best he could, and I frequently found myself wondering what someone with that much energy could do with more editorial control.

We found out in 2015 when the much-loved magazine Weirdbook returned to print with Doug at the helm. The first issue, #31, was a generous 160 pages of brand new weird fiction and sword & sorcery from many familiar names, packaged between gorgeous covers by Dusan Kostic and Stephen E. Fabian. Over the next three years Doug has produced no less than 10 issues — a staggering 2,000+ pages of new content — plus the very first Weirdbook Annual in 2017. Issues arrive like clockwork, and the magazine only seems to get better and better.

2018 was a great year for Weirdbook, with three huge issues. It seems to have settled into a comfortable 256-pages, and readers of this blog will be pleased, as I was, to see several Black Gate writers among the contributors — including John C. Hocking, John R. Fultz, and the prolific Darrell Schweitzer, with no less than three stories. I was especially pleased to see Doug’s use of quality interior art, which I think greatly enhances the look of the magazine. The latest issue, which just arrived last week, includes moody and effective spot art by the great Allen Koszowski, who also graced the pages of Black Gate back in the day.

[Click the images for even weirder-sized versions.]

Here’s the details on the three issues to appear in 2018.

Weirdbook 38 (190 pages, $12 print/$3.99 digital, March 16, 2018) — cover by Alexandra Petruk, interiors by Allen Koszowski
Weirdbook 39 (252 pages, $12 print/$3.99 digital, July 5, 2018) — cover by Vukkostic
Weirdbook 40 (256 pages, $12 print/$3.99 digital, November 19, 2018) — cover by J. Florencio, interiors by Allen Koszowski

If you’re a fan of weird fiction, Weirdbook is where the action is. With many of the top writers in the field, dozens of exciting new names, great art, and a whole lot of content for the money, it’s one of the best values you’ll find on the magazine rack. A subscription is the best way to make sure you don’t miss an issue — see the link below.

And here’s the TOC for of the 2018 issues.

Weirdbook 38

HARLOT ROAD, by Michael Bracken
WITH A POET’S EYES, by John C. Hocking
THE WISHING WELL, by Robert Graves
O KING OF PAIN AND SPLENDOR!, by Darrell Schweitzer
YOU’D DO IT FOR DIAMONDS, by Adrian Cole
DREADFUL APPETITE, by Franklyn Searight
THE HANDMAID OF THE KEY, by R.C. Mulhare
BLUE MOON, by Allen Mark Price
SHE WHO GIVES LIFE, by C. I. Kemp
AN IMPLEMENT OF ICE, by W. H. Pugmire
NIGHT OF THE CIRCUS, by Sharon Cullars
WOLVERS HILL, by Tim Jeffreys
RAFTS, by Lorenzo Crescentini
CLEAN SWEEP, by Edward Ahern
LEAVING MALAGA, by Cynthia Ward
CATTLE CALL, by Gregg Chamberlain
ABOMINATION IS HER NAME, by J.N. Cameron
KACHINA, by Kenneth Bykerk
FLAT IS FLAT AND THAT IS THAT, by David J. Gibbs
DEATH IS NOT MY MASTER, by Scott Harper

Poetry:
THE OLD ROCK, by Russ Parkhurst
SLEEPING WITH MAD SHADOWS, by Frederick J. Mayer
THE LIQUID PROFESSOR, by Jeff Barnes
THE TOAD STOOL PEOPLE, by Chad Hensley
THE PROMISE OF A POLIDORI SORE THROAT, by Clay F. Johnson
THIS HUNGRY EARTH, by S.L. Edwards

Weirdbook 39

HORROR AROUND THE BEND, by Franklyn Searight
A TINY CUT, by Samson Stormcrow Hayes
POSTHUMOUS, by Marlane Quade Cook
PAGES FROM AN INVISIBLE BOOK, by Darrell Schweitzer
THAT NAME WAS EVOC, by Lorenzo Crescentini
MISDIAGNOSED, by Jackie Bee
DOG DROOL, by Frederick J. Mayer
THE VENUSIAN MANTIS, by Teege Braune
THE COLOR OF THE GODS, by Ken Heuler
SPAWNING GROUND, by Hannah Lackoff
CURSE OF THE DARK QUEEN, by Lily Luchesi
MONIKA UNRAVELING, by Rebecca House
CRAWLING WITH THEM, by Jason Zwiker
SEVEN SISTERS, by James Machin
THE HOUSE IN THE MOUNTAINS, by Michael Washburn
EYES WITHOUT A FACE, by Thomas Vaughn
CLARTLEY CHOWDER, by Richie Brown
DOMINION OVER ABBADON, by Richard J. O’Brien
DIVINE WIND OF THE DARK, by Frank Schildiner
SKRIK, by Bekki Pate
THE FERRYMAN’S JOURNAL, by Ed Burkley
DEMIURGE, by Mark A. Fitch
AND IN HER EYES THE CITY DROWNED, by Kyla Lee Ward
CLOUDS LIKE MEMORIES, WORDS LIKE STONES, by John R. Fultz
UP THE LAZY RIVER, by Adrian Cole
SYLVAN SIMALCRUM, by Chad Hensley
MISTER DORTON’S CATS, by Russ Parkhurst
THE AUTUMN PEOPLE, by Kurt Newton

Poetry • EA CARPE NOCTIS, by Frank Coffman
THE CURSED, by Julio Toro San Martin and Hank Simmons
BAD NIGHT, by Lucy Snyder
SONGS OF THE QUAIL, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
MISKATONIC ETUDES, by James P. Roberts

Weirdbook 40

Iconoclasm, by Adrian Cole
Have a Crappy Halloween, by Franklyn Searight
Early Snow, by Samson Stormcrow Hayes
The Dollhouse, by Glynn Owen Barrass
Elle a Vu un Loup, by Loren Rhoads
Bringing the Bodies Home, by Christian Riley
Restored, by Marlane Quade Cook
Nameless and Named, by David M. Hoenig
Playing A Starring Role, by Paul Lubaczewski
And the Living is Easy, by Mike Chinn
The Prague Relic, by Paul StJohn Mackintosh
The Circle, by Matt Sullivan
Sanctuary, by John Linwood Grant
The Giving of Gifts, by Matt Neil Hill
The Santa Anna, by Jack Lothian
The Dread Fishermen, by Kevin Henry
Blind Vision, by Andrew Darlington
The Thirteenth Step, by William Tea
This Godless Apprenticeship, by Clint Smith
Waiting, by John W. Dennehy
Pouring Whiskey In My Soul, by Paul R. McNamee
True Blue, by Darrell Schweitzer
The Treadmill, by Rohit Sawant
The Veiled Isle, by W. D. Clifton

Gila King, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson (poem)
Necro-Meretrix, by Frederick J. Mayer (poem)
Grinning Moon, by Frederick J. Mayer (poem)
The Burning Man, by Russ Parkhurst (poem)
Silent Hours, by Russ Parkhurst (poem)
The Old White Crone, by Maxwell I. Gold (poem)

Weirdbook is published by Wildside Press, and edited by Douglas Draa. Issues are 250+ pages, and priced at $12 for print editions, and $3.99 for the digital version. You can buy individual issues at Amazon.com and Wildside Press, and subscriptions are available here:

wildsidepress.com/4-issue-subscription-weirdbook-u-s-only

We last covered Weirdbook with issue #37. The magazine’s website is here. See all of our Weirdbook coverage here, and all of our recent fantasy magazine coverage here.