PUBLISHER & EDITOR John O’Neill ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Patty Templeton ASSOCIATE EDITOR & COPY EDITOR Alice Dechene GAMES EDITOR Neil Baker EDITORS EMERITUS C.S.E. Cooney Michael Penkas CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rich Horton, Andrew Zimmerman Jones, Bill Ward SUBMISSION READERS Howard Andrew Jones, Joseph McCullough, C.S.E. Cooney, Patty Templeton, Jason M. Waltz, Scott Taylor, Katie Redding REVIEWERS Charlene L. Brusso, John C. Hocking, Sue Granquist, Rich Horton, Andrew Zimmerman Jones, Howard Andrew Jones, E. E. Knight, Jackson Kuhl, Thomas M. MacKay, Todd Ruthman,…
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It’s always nice to see an old standby come roaring back into the fiction arena. Almost three years after The Third Alternative vanished from newsstands the popular magazine has returned, sporting a new look, new focus, and even a new title: Black Static. Does it measure up to what came before? Black Gate reviewer David Soyka delves into the first two issues and finds a lot to like. Highlights include work from authors like M. K. Hobson, Lisa Tuttle, Steve…
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Black Gate‘s David Soyka examines two new offerings from Apex SF & Horror Digest and Subterranean Magazine, in the process delineating the modern boundaries of horror. In tales by notables with names like Shepard, Creasey, Tuttle, Priest, Bisson, Tidhar, and Ford, there’s a wide swath cut between subtle creeping dread and rank gratuitous gore. Which is more effective in a literary sense? Or as pure visceral terror? Come inside to find out…if you dare. READ THE ARTICLE
Flesh eating mutants, golden apples, post-apocalyptic witches, and a crazy little thing called Love — just another day in the office for Black Gate reviewer David Soyka. This week he reviews notable offerings from Fantasy and Science Fiction and Interzone, issues featuring the work of authors such as Ted Chiang, John Lanagan, M. John Harrison, and Gwyneth Jones. Which one prompted David to exclaim, “Cormac McCarthy, eat your heart out!”? Click the link and find out. READ THE ARTICLE
So life has been busy. I guess it usually is for most of us. I’ve hunkered down with the rest of the e-subs and a few things I’ve been handed in person, and I’m gearing up for more book and game reviews. Outside the Black Gate world I’ve been applying for adjunct positions with my new Master’s degree in hand and steaming ahead on the rewrite of my fantasy novel. And look at that — I got a good review…
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Time and History are on the agenda in David Soyka’s latest fiction reviews for Black Gate readers. In Paradox Magazine #10, Soyka tells how author C. Kevin Barrett succeeds where so many others fail in their depictions of alternate history, and delves into new tales from Sarah Monette and Danny Adams, among others. Meanwhile, Interzone 210 offers compelling new fiction by Rachel Swirsky and Tim Akers. . . but is the magazine’s cover more misleading than matter-of-fact? Dive into David’s…
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From the venerable Sunday New York Times Magazine to small online bastions such as Clarkesworld and Strange Horizons, short fantasy and science fiction is still out there in the marketplace of ideas, thrilling readers around the world. Join Black Gate‘s David Soyka on a trip through all the latest gems in the field, including the latest from a Pulitzer Prize winner and several nominees for the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards. READ THE ARTICLE
It’s into the small press maelstrom once again with Black Gate‘s David Soyka, as he considers two new offerings from the world of short genre fiction. This month we look at the debut of an ambitious new print magazine titled Greatest Uncommon Denominator, as well as the third issue of the online publication Darker Matter. Both are crammed with lots of intriguing stories by authors such as Jason Stoddard, Bruce Boston, and Charlie Anders, and David points you to the…
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This time out, The Virginia Quarterly Review and the new online version of Subterranean Magazine are both caught in the eagle-eyed glare of Black Gate‘s resident short fiction critic, David Soyka. Find out what’s hot and what’s not among their latest genre offerings — including stories from Jonathan Lethem, Joyce Carol Oates, John Scalzi, R. Andrew Heidel, Poppy Z. Brite, Joe R. Lansdale, and many others. READ THE ARTICLE
Ace correspondent David Soyka, high above the fiction landscape in the Black Gate chopper, checks in with a live report on which lanes are open and which to avoid. There’s routine traffic crawling on many of your regular morning routes, but on the Interzone and Fantasy expressways things seem to be moving splendidly. Black Gate Short Fiction Reviews: Don’t leave home without ’em. READ THE ARTICLE