“Not since Arthur of Silures kept his round table hath ridden forth upon English soil so true a knight as Norman of Torn.” –Joan de Tany “I am very doubtful about the story. The plot is excellent, but I think you worked it out all together too hurriedly.” –Thomas Newell Metcalf, letter to Edgar Rice Burroughs, 19 December 1911 “I am not prone to be prejudiced in favor of my own stuff, in fact it all sounds like rot to…
By Nina Kiriki Hoffman This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Nina Kiriki Hoffman and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Keith pulled into the truck stop and climbed out of the family’s Quest van into the pouring rain. He was soaked and shivering in seconds. Though it was midday, the storm clouds…
In late 1981, Red Sonja finished her orbit from Robert E. Howard character to Conan supporting cast member to comic book heroine and back to text. Writers David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney were commissioned to write six Red Sonja novels. Their take on the character was uniquely their own, yet there’s enough of the character’s trademarks to leave no doubt these are Red Sonja novels and not just generic adventure tales with a recognizable name pasted over them….
By Ryan Harvey This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Ryan Harvey and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. He was the first person I met who did not have the Sorrow. One day I may meet another, but I’m afraid he will come to the same end as Dyzan Ludd. At the…
The nominees for the 2013 Hugo Awards were announced this weekend. There’s a lot of great reading on this list and, if you’re like me, you’re still planning to get to most of it. It’s not too late — and if you finish your reading before voting closes, you can help decide the winners. Voting is open to all attendees of LoneStarCon 3, the 2013 World Science Fiction Convention, and the winners will be announced at the convention on Sunday,…
I’ve written previously about starting Sword’s Edge Publishing, mistakes I made in running the company, and publishing Sword Noir. When the time came to publish Kiss My Axe: Thirteen Warriors and an Angel of Death, a role-playing game of Viking mayhem, I tried to follow the trail I had blazed with Sword Noir. If I mention the best laid plans of mice and men, you may see where I’m going here. Sword Noir worked out because I knew everyone with…
The idea for a role-playing game focused on playing legionaries was in my head as early as August of 2009 when I did a podcast series on playing military characters in role-playing games, and did episodes on Republican Rome, the Civil Wars and the early Empire. I had always loved Roman history and the image of the legion, and I had run games set in Imperial Rome, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, but hadn’t thought about actually designing a game…
By Emily Mah This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Emily Mah and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Dina was making her second round of refilling ale mugs when the woman arrived. All talk and chatter stopped and all heads turned in the direction of the door. The woman was stunning. Long…
By David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna This is an excerpt from the upcoming novel Waters of Darkness by David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna, presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Damnation Books, David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by David C. Smith and Joe Bonadonna. About Waters of Darkness I wrote the initial draft of Waters of Darkness in…
By David Evan Harris This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of David Evan Harris and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. John Sherman tipped his Forty-Niners cap back so he could press his face against the window, tilting his eyes downward. The cliff-face was not quite sheer, so that it was barely visible…