Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #24—another great issue packed with new and classic mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. Here are: Mystery and Suspense: THE ADVENTURE OF THE CURIOUS CUBE, by A.L. Sirois A JAR FULL OF CHARITY, by Hal Charles THE SLEEPER CAPER, by Richard S. Prather WHERE THE STRANGE ONES GO, by Steve Hockensmith IT NEVER GOT INTO THE PAPERS, by Hulbert Footner WON BY MAGIC, by Nicholas Carter Science Fiction and Fantasy: PANCHO VILLA’S FLYING CIRCUS, by Ernest Hogan THE ENGINEER, by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth THE DATE, by Larry Tritten TRAUMEREI, by Charles Beaumont KING OF THE HILL, by James Blish THE OLD ONES HEAR, by Malcolm Jameson
Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #15—enjoy our holiday cat cover! The magazine is coming more sharply into focus, as our acquiring editors spread out through the mystery and science fiction fields and bring new stories to our lineup. This issue, we officially welcome Cynthia M. Ward to the editorial staff. She comes bearing a gift—Nancy Kress’s excellent science fiction story, “The Art of War.” Darrell Schweitzer was supposed to be back with his second acquisition this week (a comical Esther Friesner tale) but there were problems with the text and I’ve made a last-minute executive decision to push it back an issue or two, while it’s being fixed. I’ll slip in a replacement from my own backlist, another entry in my “Slab’s Tavern” series of fantasy bar stories. Barb Goffman and Michael Bracken have acquired a pair of original tales for us. First, Barb presents “The Importance of Being Urnest,” by Eleanor Cawood Jones. Then Michael selects “Romeo and Isabella” by John M. Floyd. Great stories, both. Thanks, everyone! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Westerns “The Writing Workshop,” by Janice Law [short story] “Romeo and Isabelle,” by John M. Floyd [short story] “Secret Santa,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself mystery] West of Quarantine, by Todhunter Ballard [novel] “The Importance of Being Urnest,” by Eleanor Cawood Jones [short story] “Dr. Kreener’s Last Experiment,” by Sax Rohmer [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy “Serendipity,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “The Art of War,” by Nancy Kress [short story] “Well Bottled at Slab’s,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] Forever We Die! by Stephen Marlowe [short novel]
Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row examines the full scope of the career of this often overlooked film auteur, with essays exploring individual films, groups of films (such as his important work in film noir), repetitive themes appearing across the spectrum of his work, and a case study of three essays analyzing The Black Cat (1934).
The Black Cat web site has been around for almost four years now, serving up a weekly buffet of new and classic mysteries—and more recently science fiction—to thousands of readers each week. Rather than continue to release all these novels and stories as individual ebooks, we have decided to bundle them up into a convenient weekly magazine…which is a lot more fun to work on! So here is Black Cat Weekly #1, for your enjoyment pleasure. To make the first issue memorable, we are including a lot more content than usual—double the usual word count, in fact. This time we have no less than three complete novels and 7 short stories—and even a “true crime” feature by Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason! There’s something here for everyone to enjoy, whether you’re a fan of traditional mysteries, psychic detectives (in the case of Frank Lovell Nelson’s story, a telepathic detective, the first of 12 stories featuring Carlton Clarke from 1908, all of which will run in the Black Cat’s pages). Looking for modern detection? We have that, too. And if your taste runs to the fantastic, we also have adventures across parallel worlds and well into the future. (And monsters. Did I mention monsters?) Included are: REMISSION, by Michael Bracken A KEY FOR REBECCA, by Hal Charles AUROVIA’S FAMOUS LODGE CASE, by Frank Lowell Nelson THE CASE OF THE KNOCKOUT BULLET, by Erle Stanley Gardner HAND IN GLOVE, by James Holding THE SKULL OF THE WALZING CLOWN, by Harry Stephen Keeler HAVER, by Brian Evenson A ZLOOR FOR YOUR TROUBLE, by Mack Reynolds VALLISNERIA MADNESS, by Ralph Milne Farley LAST CALL FOR DOOMSDAY! by S. M. Tenneshaw WORLDS OF THE IMPERIUM, by Keith Laumer
Our 80th issue has some great tales for you, starting with an original mystery by Hugh Lessit (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and a great reprint by Jim Thomsen (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Plus we have a pair of detective novels, the first featuring New York-based private investigator Nick Carter, and the second another original Hardy Boys mystery. If you read the later editions, you will be shocked to find how much was changed from the originals. These are not the watered-down Hardy Boys most of us read as kids. Give it a read. On the science fiction and fantasy side, we have a Frostflower & Thorn tale by Phyllis Ann Karr, as she brings her famous duo to a world created by M. Coleman Easton...in collaboration with Easton. Great fun. Plus classic SF by Mike Curry, Robert Silverberg, Robert F. Young, and Murray Leinster. Here’s this issue’s complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Shade Tree Mechanic” by Hugh Lessig [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Clear as Glass” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Ride Home,” by Jim Thomsen [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Little Glass Vial, by Nicholas Carter [novel] The Tower Treasure, by Franklin W. Dixon Science Fiction & Fantasy: “A Glassmaker’s Courage,” by Phyllis Ann Karr and M. Coleman Easton [short story] “Metamorphosis,” by Mike Curry [short story] “Come Into My Brain!” by Robert Silverberg [short story] “Bbruggil’s Bride,” by Robert F. Young [short story] The Gadget Had A Ghost, by Murray Leinster [novella]
Three of our contributing editors brought in amazing tales. Barb Goffman presents Jason’s Half’s “The Last Ferry,” Cynthia Ward brings us “Quinn’s Deal,” by L. Timmel Duchamp, and Michael Bracken offers “A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy,” by N.M. Cedeño. Two are mysteries and two are science fiction. I leave it to you to figure out which is which. (No cheating and checking the list of stories below…unless you absolutely can’t help yourself!) We have three fantasies this time, too—Larry Tritten returns with a story featuring a djinn and a man with a hankering for travel. Everil Worrell has a date with Death. And in Curios, a short story collection by Richard Marsh, we find 7 short stories featuring a pair of rival curio collectors—with some most unusual items! And, of course, there are some classic tales—A Sharper’s Downfall is a mystery novel featuring Nick Carter, Stephen Wasylyk has a vintage mystery short, and we have rip-roaring science fiction tales from Paul W. Fairman and Malcolm Jameson. And of course we couldn’t forget a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. (Yes, it’s a Halloween solve-it-yourself. I should have included it in one of the October issues, but messed up. Doh! You’ll just have to live with it.) Here is the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense: “The Halloween Costume Caper,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Ten Dollar$ a Week,” by Stephen Wasylyk [short story] "A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy," by N.M. Cedeñov [short story] "The Last Ferry," by Jason Half [Barb Goffman Presents short story] A Sharper’s Downfall, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Curios, by Richard Marsh [fantasy and mystery collection] Science Fiction & Fantasy: Curios, by Richard Marsh [fantasy and mystery collection] “Leonora,” by Everil Worrell [fantasy short story] “Travels With Harry,” by Larry Tritten [fantasy short story] "A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy," by N.M. Cedeñov [science fiction short story] “Quinn’s Deal,” by L. Timmel Duchamp [Cynthia Ward Presents science fiction novelet] “Traitor’s Choice,” by Paul W. Fairman [science fiction short story] “Blockade Runner,” by Malcolm Jameson [science fiction short story]
Black Cat Weekly #60 presents another great lineup of modern and classic tales. This issue kicks off with "Buxton," an original by Dave Zeltserman, and continues through classic crime and detective stories, including a psychic detective tale featuring Jules de Grandin by Seabury Quinn. Plus there are monsters, hardboiled detective Nazi villains, science fiction, and more! Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Buxton”by Dave Zeltserman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Unlucky Horseshoe” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Nineteen Creaks” by Peter DiChellis [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Thirty Pieces of Lead” by Frank Kane [short story] “Suicide” by Frank Kane [short story] “The Tenants of Broussac,” by Seabury Quinn [novelet, psychic detective] Science Fiction / Fantasy / Horror: “Finders”by Melissa Scott [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Boiling Point” by Lester del Re [short story] “Murder by Magic” by Sydney J. Bounds [short story] “The Vampire Maid,” by Hume Nisbet [short story] “The Tenants of Broussac,” by Seabury Quinn [novelet, psychic detective]
Exciting stuff this time: a new Velda P.I. story from Ron Miller, a new supernatural mystery from Steve Liskow (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), plus great modern tales from Melodie Johnson Howe (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman) and Anna Tambour. On top of that, we have a mystery novel from Isabel Ostrander and a space opera novel from Edmond Hamilton. (Truly something for every taste.) And did I mention science fiction classics from Nelson S. Bond, Ray Cummings, and Evelyn Goldstein? And another solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles? Here’s the lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Kindred Spirits,” by Steve Liskow [Michael Bracken Presents short story ]“Who Killed Yogi Barrett?” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Losing It,” by Melodie Johnson Howe [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “E-I-E-I-Oh, Velda!” by Ron Miller [short story, Velda P.I. series] The Fifth Ace, by Isabel Ostrander [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Kindred Spirits,” by Steve Liskow [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “None So Seeing As Those Who’ve Seen,” by Anna Tambour [novelet] “The Recalcitrant,” by Evelyn Goldstein [short story] “He Who Served,” by Ray Cummings [short story] “The Ghost of Lancelot Biggs,” by Nelson S. Bond [short story, Lancelot Biggs series] The Universe Wreckers, by Edmond Hamilton [novel]
It’s our final Halloween issue of the year—with lots of treats and only a few tricks. Headlining this issue is Bram Stoker’s “lost” horror tale, “Gibbet Hill,” which a researcher recently discovered in an Irish newspaper supplement from 1890. (It wasn’t listed in any of Stoker’s bibliographies, and it created quite a stir among horror aficionados.) I’ve very carefully edited it, correcting typos and a few dropped words, and fully annotated it. I think you’ll enjoy it. We also have original tales from bestselling authors Donna Andrews (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman) and Sharyn Kolberg (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), and one from newcomer Christopher Lawrence Froehlich, who makes his Black Cat Weekly debut. Plus a pair of modern classics from British masters John S. Glasby and E.C. Tubb, plus a nautical thriller by Alan B. Le May—who is most famous as the author of the classic Westerns The Searchers (1954) and The Unforgiven (1957). Our novels this issue are Allen Upward’s The Club of Masks—a rare British mystery from the Golden Age—and E.H. Visiak’s pirate fantasy, The Haunted Island. Here’s the complete lineup— NOVELS The Club of Masks, by Allen Upward There’s murder at a scandalous London club where decadent masked aristocrats mingle… The Haunted Island, by E.H. Visiak Being the History of an Adventure to an Island in the Remote South Sea. Of a Wizard there. Of his Pirate Gang; His Treasure; His Combustible… SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY “The Purloined Pumpkin,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Can you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there! SHORT STORIES “The Gate,” by Sharyn Kolberg [Michael Bracken Presents short story] After years of tension and escalating fights with her husband George, a simple accident turns deadly. “The Grim,” by Donna Andrews [Barb Goffman Presents short story] A rogue cemetery guardian causes chaos, chasing souls and scaring mourners. A paranormal expert intervenes… “Ghost Lanterns,” by Alan B. Le May Sailors begin disappearing as “ghost lanterns” float across the deck. Is the ship cursed? “Gibbet Hill, by Bram Stoker The recently discovered “lost” story from the Dracula author—and it’s a supernatural fantasy! “The Other Seance,” by John S. Glasby When a famous medium (and skilled charlatan is challenged to prove his powers, his tricks work too well… “Death Plays Baseball,” by Christopher Lawrence Froehlich When Death and Nostalgia swap jobs to prove whose job is harder, a cosmic game of baseball leads to unexpected chaos. “Museum Piece,” by E.C. Tubb In a future where war and violence are ancient relics, one man relives fantasies of military conquest…
On the mystery side, Black Cat Weekly #25 has an original mystery by Joseph S. Walker, thanks to editor Michael Bracken, and Barb Goffman has tracked down an Edgar Award nominee by Judith Green. Plus we have a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles (the writing team of Charlie Sweet and Hal Blythe), and novels by Lange Lewis and Nicholas Carter. On the fantastic side, Cynthia Ward has selected “Cabbages and Kale” by David Marusek for this issue. Plus we have modern and classic tales by Larry Tritten, Lester dey Rey, Fletcher Pratt, and Richard Wilson. Good stuff! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Here on Seventeen,” by Joseph S. Walker [short story] “A Present from the Past,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “A Good, Safe Place,” by Judith Green [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Meat for Murder, by Lange Lewis [novel] The Pressing Peril, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Cabbages and Kale,” by David Marusek [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Play It Again, Sam,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Done Without Eagles,” by Lester del Rey [short story] “Danger,” by Irvin Lester and Fletcher Pratt [short story] “Course of Empire,” by Richard Wilson [short story]
