Free is Good

Todd McAulty announced at the Black Gate newsgroup on SFFNet that a free PDF of Black Gate 12 will be available on the website for a limited time. They’re not abandoning print publication, but they are looking toward some kind of electronic publication in addition.

It’s a good issue to offer as a free sample, I think. My story in it is just some of the old sword-and-sorcery hokum about golems and glass lizards where the plot hinges on the narrator’s menarche; REH did it a million times. But the issue also has a Martha Wells story about Ilias and Giliead which should please her many fans and win her some new ones. And there’s a new Dabir and Asim story from Howard Jones. For those who don’t know this series, they’re fantasy-mystery adventures set in the fabled reign of Haroun-al-Rashid. They’ve been appearing for a few years now in various venues, but “Whispers from the Stone” is chronologically the first in the series and a a great place to start. Issue 12 also has new stories from Todd McAulty, Ed Carmien and Constance Cooper, and the lead story is an intriguing story of spiders, theft and death by John Fultz (“Oblivion is the Sweetest Wine”). Then there’s the pulp reprint that Black Gate usually does: this issue it’s the final, long-lost episode of the Tumithak saga. I have an irrational fondness for the Tumithak stories, going back to when I read Asimov’s Before the Golden Age as an impressionable youngster, so my response to this story isn’t wholly rational. As always, the issue is feature-rich with a letters column, reviews of books and games, a new solo-fantasy adventure, John’s editorial and the Knights of the Dinner Table comic. (At first I thought Eddie was an idiot; now I suspect he may be some sort of genius, a suspicion helped along by the silent revelation in this episode that he’s a Mac user.)

About JE

James Enge is the author of the World-Fantasy-Award-nominated novel Blood of Ambrose (Pyr, April 2009). His latest book is The Wide World's End. His short fiction has appeared in Black Gate, Tales from the Magician's Skull, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and elsewhere.
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13 Responses to Free is Good

  1. peadarog says:

    I have posted this news of a few forums (fora), but you do it so much more elegantly…

  2. My story in it is just some of the old sword-and-sorcery hokum about golems and glass lizards where the plot hinges on the narrator’s menarche; REH did it a million times.

    Well, you can’t blame him. Stories about menstruation were always an easy sale to Weird Tales.

    I’m delighted to see there’s going to be a Morlock novel.

    • JE says:

      “Well, you can’t blame him. Stories about menstruation were always an easy sale to Weird Tales.”

      Farnsworth “the Old Softie” Wright being so fond of them…

      “I’m delighted to see there’s going to be a Morlock novel.”

      Thanks! Here’s hoping it doesn’t disappoint.

  3. renesears says:

    Thanks for the link. I just recently read and very much enjoyed a few of your Morlock stories, and I look forward to reading more. Not to mention the novels.

    • JE says:

      Thanks back at you. I hope the novel works for people: the greater length required a bigger, somewhat different kind of plot.

      • Anonymous says:

        Ah, just think what kind of novel you’d have if you had a new fantastical element every three hundred words. 🙂

        I’ve really enjoyed the Morlock stories, but “Turn Up This Crooked Way” blew me away.

        –Jeff Stehman

        • JE says:

          Thanks, Jeff.

          I’m not sure if that would work at a length of 100-120K. But I’m not sure it wouldn’t…

          • Anonymous says:

            Just insert “Pause here to catch your breath” every fifteen pages or so. 😉

            –Jeff Stehman

  4. newguydave says:

    James,
    I’ve recently read a few Morlock stories in BG #8 and “The Return of the Sword,” and I’m looking forward to catching up on the rest of your published tales.

    Keep up the great storytelling. BTW, I listed you as a friend so I can keep up.
    Take care,
    Dave

  5. Anonymous says:

    Hey James!

    Thanks for helping to get the word out on the free PDF. Traffic to the BG website has nearly hit a record in the past 48 hours (roughly a thousand unique visitors per day – roughly twice our normal average).

    We’ll see if that translates to a flood of new orders for the PVC statue of Morlock we’re offering as a subscription bonus. 🙂

    – John

    John O’Neill
    Editor
    Black Gate

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