By Aaron Bradford Starr This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Aaron Bradford Starr and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Art by Aaron Bradford Starr This is Part II. Read Part I here. The Descent I continue this account by the light of the lantern in our cabin, although the glow of…
By Mark Rigney This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Mark Rigney and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. This is Part Two of The Tales of Gemen the Antiques Dealer Read Part One, “The Trade”, here. The boy who would later become Gemen the Antiques Dealer was exactly ten-and-a-half years old the day that…
by Vaughn Heppner This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Vaughn Heppner and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Lod was about to die and all he could think about was Inanna’s dainty chin. He had loved running his fingers over it. He would smile, and that would make her smile. Her kisses…
I’ve mentioned a few times before that I have a fascination with 80s fantasy, and suspect a number of now-overlooked genre books from those years are worth closer examination. I want to put forward another example of what I mean: The Interior Life, written by Dorothy Heydt under the name Katherine Blake. Published in 1990, it’s a novel that does interesting things in mixing a fantasy world with the experiences of a modern-day housewife. The book starts with Sue, whose…
by Jason E. Thummel This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Jason E. Thummel and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Gunnerman Clap rechecked his safety line for the tenth time and then turned his attentions once again to the oncoming gale. The waves that preceded it were growing alarmingly large, sending punishing…
Journey Into Mystery first appeared in 1952, one of a number of anthology titles from publisher Martin Goodman’s line of comic books. Over the years, the title featured a lot of short horror, fantasy, and science fiction tales, many of them collaborations between editor/scripter Stan Lee and artists like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. Until 1962. At that point Goodman’s comics were beginning to change direction, following a revival of interest in the super-hero genre. A team book, The Fantastic…
Remember when Red Sonja killed that king way back in Savage Sword of Conan 1? People are still giving her crap about it. Honestly, that must have been twenty issues ago, at least. I’m sure that the statute of limitations in the Hyborian Age was something like six months for regicide; but people still bring it up. But first, this story begins with Sonja trying to cross a rope bridge. A frayed rope, rotten wood-plank bridge. She decides that the…
by Gregory Bierly This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of Gregory Bierly and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Original art by Rachel Patterson. And last, emperor, understand the price of your dominion, of your mastery of my sea, knowledge of its secret currents and the hidden way of its storms. If a…
Three Against the Stars is the second book I’ve read by Joe Bonadonna. Unlike his sword & sorcery work, this marks a venture into pure space fantasy. My knowledge of the genre is admittedly spotty. I was unfamiliar with the works of Edmond Hamilton and E. E. “Doc” Smith, who are both cited as influences, but part of the joy of genre fiction is that one does not need to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all that has gone before…
By E.E. Knight This is a complete work of fiction presented by Black Gate magazine. It appears with the permission of E.E. Knight and New Epoch Press, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013 by New Epoch Press. Behold! O Exalted One… The famed bearded horses of your allies of the Maygyen Heights: From silken back-banner to the tooled leather of the hock-guards. Notice the stoutness protecting vital sinews, the workmanship in…