Black Cat Weekly #82 has another great set of new and classic mysteries & science fiction. Here's the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Mobster Serendipity,” by Dave Zeltserman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Disappearing Gem Caper,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Bygones,” by Wayne J. Gardiner [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Clue of the Dead Hand,” by Dick Donovan [novelet] The Texican, by Dane Coolidge [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Robber Girl, the Strangers, and Ole Lukoie,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [Frostflower & Thorn series short story] “Chameleon Man,” by Henry Kuttner [short story] “Sibling,” by Leslie Waltham [short story] “Imitation of Death,” by Lester del Rey [short story] The Starmen, by Leigh Brackett [novel]
Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #14. Over the next few issues, you will note a number of changes coming to Black Cat Weekly. We have been expanding our staff of editors, and this issue Michael Brachen brings us his first selection, “A Ship Called Pandora,” by Melodie Campbell—which fits neatly in both the science fiction and mystery genres! Barb Goffman has an off week, since we’re using one of her own stories—“Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” which was a nominee for the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Of course, we also have several mystery novels—a Mr. Pinkerton puzzler by Zenith Brown and a classic Nick Carter detective story. And don’t miss this issue’s Solve-It-Yourself mystery by Hal Charles. On the science fiction and fantasy side, Michael Brachen brings us his first selection, “A Ship Called Pandora,” by Melodie Campbell—which fits neatly in both the science fiction and mystery genres! (No, you’re not suffering from deja vu. I’m just repeating myself.) New acquiring editor Darrell Schweitzer makes his first selection for BCW with Tom Purdom’s “Madame Pompadour’s Blade,” which combines French history and magic. (Next issue we hope to have a selection from Cynthia M. Ward, another new acquiring editor who is joining th staff.) Plus we have a classic short by Henry Kutttner, a modern short storoy by the late Larry Tritten, a short novel Edmond Hamilton, and I’ve snuck in a fantasy of my own, “Dreamtime in Adjaphon.” Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense “Saving Downtown Abbey,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Two Against Scotland Yard, by Zenith Brown [novel] “Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” by Barb Goffman [short story] A Cigarette Clue, by Nicholas Carter [novel] “A Ship Called Pandora,” by Melodie Campbell [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy “A Ship Called Pandora,” by Melodie Campbell [short story] “Dreamtime In Adjaphon,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “Hydra,” by Henry Kuttner [short story] “Madame Pompadour’s Blade,” by Tom Purdom [short story] “The Dead Woods,” by Larry Tritten [short story] Battle For The Stars, by Edmond Hamilton [short novel]
Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #39. It’s hard to believe BCW is 39! As with every magazine, our goals include not just entertaining our readers, but making every issue better than the last. I finally feel like we’re on top of production methods, and the contents keep offering a selection of great stories for every reader’s taste. (If you can’t find something you love here, I’d be very surprised.) From classic pulp fiction to modern SF and mysteries (not to mention our ventures into adventure fiction and westerns), we cover all the bases. Here's the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Last Seen Heading East” by Joseph S. Walker [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Little Boy Is Missing,” by Saul Golubcow [short story] “A Secret Admirer,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “A Close Shave,” by Art Taylor [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Case of Angus Blair, by Hulbert Footner [novel] The Affair in Death Valley, by Clifford Knight [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Last Ride of German Freddie,” by Walter Jon Williams [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “The Rat Aloft,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “A Question of Salvage,” by Malcolm Jameson [novella] “The Secret of Kralitz,” by Henry Kuttner [short story] “The Monster-God of Mamurth,” by Edmond Hamilton [short story]
Black Cat Weekly #102 has quite an eclectic lineup. We have modern mystery tales by Joseph S. Walker and Marc Lecard (thanks to Acquiring Editors Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman. A parody of Harlan Ellison’s work from Larry Tritten. Noir from Bruno Fischer. A story featuring traditional British detective Sexton Blake from Hal Meredith. Classic sci-fi by Lester del Rey. And let’s not forget our solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. We also have more than a few stories by famous authors that appeared outside of the genre for which they are most famous. This time it’s mystery writer Evan Hunter, plus horror writers Joseph Payne Brennan and H.P. Lovecraft, all with science fiction stories. Lovecraft’s first appeared as a 3-part serial in Astounding Stories. How did Lovecraft’s work manage to appear in Astounding? For a brief time, he had an agent—who made the sale for him to a market that paid significantly more than Weird Tales. Surely Lovecraft never would have submitted to Astounding on his own. And never mind that it really is a science fiction story, though there are cosmic horrors as well. Literary quality sold it. And so Lovecraft became a science fiction pulp writer! Evan Hunter—slumming in the science fiction field—sold his story to Science Fiction Quarterly—a respectable market, if not in the top tier. Brennan’s tale appeared as an original in his 1963 collection, Scream at Midnight. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: "Making the Bad Guys Nervous," by Joseph S. Walker [Michael Bracken Presents short story] "Things That Go Bump," by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] "Teardown," by Marc Lecard [Barb Goffman Presents short story] "Py Ponk," by Hal Meredith [Sexton Blake series, short story] "Stop Him!," by Bruno Fischer Science Fiction & Fantasy: "Painbird, Painbird, Fly Away Home," by Larry Tritten "Operation Distress," by Lester Del Rey "The Dump," by by Joseph Payne Brennan "Reaching for the Moon," by Evan Hunter At the Mountains of Madness, by H. P. Lovecraft [novel]
Our 78th issue features another lineup sure to please. We have an original mystery by Tom Milani (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken). Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has selected a great mystery by Brian Cox. Our other two Acquiring Editors, Cynthia Ward and Darrell Schweitzer, are still on break, but we hope they will be back soon. I’ve balanced out the mystery side of this issue with a Sexton Blake story and a Hulbert Footner novel. For the fantasy side, we have three tales: a Frostflower & Thorn short story from Phyllis Ann Karr, a Jules de Grandin occult detective story from Seabury Quinn, and a ghostly tale by Grant Allen. On the third side, we have three science fiction stories—tales by Joe Bigson, Bill Venable, and Lester del Rey. Fun stuff. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s this issue’s lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Night of the Laundry Cart,” by Tom Milani [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Valentine by the Numbers,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Frozen Fiske.” by Brian Cox [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The White Mouse,” by Hal Meredith [Sexton Blake novelet] Cap’n Sue, by Hulbert Footner [novel] Fantasy & Science Fiction: “A Night at Two Inns.” by Phyllis Ann Karr [Frostflower & Thorn short story] “Pallinghurst Barrow,” by Grant Allen [novelet] “The Man Who Cast No Shadow,” by Seabury Quinn [Jules de Grandin novelet] “I Like You, Too—” by Joe Gibson [short story] “If At First,” by Bill Venable [short story] “Moon-Blind,” by Lester del Rey [short story]
This is a special issue—our 50th, as you may have noticed from our cover. To celebrate, all past and present editors were to contribute a story. (It helps that they are also amazingly talented writers.) So we have stories from Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, Paul Di Filippo, Darrell Schweitzer, and Cynthia Ward in addition to our other fare. But wait! There’s more! This issue features four original tales—Elizabeth Zelvin has a fantasy/mystery stories, Phyllis Ann Karr has a weird western, and Cynthia Ward has a gonzo science fiction crowd-funding story. And I have completed a story by the late H.B. Fyfe, who was best known for his science fiction stories, though this one is a revenge tale that most closely fits the mystery genre. And the good stuff doesn’t stop there. We also have a superhero story from Darrell Schweitzer. Space Opera from Algis Budrys and E.E. “Doc” Smith. A historical mystery novel by western author B.M. Bower. A historical investigation from Charles Todd. A Mallworld story from Somtow Sucharitkul (who also writes as S.P. Somtow). And no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles. All in all, this is an probably our best Black Cat Weekly yet. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Ladies of Wednesday Tea” by Michael Bracken [short story] “Hidden in Plain Sight” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Ice Ice Baby” by Barb Goffman [short story] “Flayed” by H.B. Fyfe and John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “Blood Money” by Charles Todd [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] The Eagle’s Wing, by B.M. Bower [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Rise and Fall of Whistle-Pig City” by Paul Di Filippo [short story] “Rabid in Mallworld” by Somtow Sucharitkul [short story] “Fighting the Zeppelin Gang” by Darrell Schweitzer [short story] “Winona of Bleeding Kansas” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “The Campaign Is Now Officially Complete” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Blood on my Jets” by Algis Budrys [short story] The Skylark of Valeron, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D. [novel]
Finally, it’s October! Home to our favorite holiday—Halloween. The origins of Halloween trace back to ancient Celtic harvest festivals, linking it to themes of change and transition that often elements of the fantastic. Darkness falls, boundaries dissolve, and our imaginations open to infinite possibilities. For authors of fantasy and horror, the imagery and symbolism of Halloween fuels imagination and storytelling around our deepest fears and fascinations. The holiday has cemented itself as a staple in the literary tradition of the fantastic. Here be ghosts, monsters, witches, and everything dark and diabolical. It provides the perfect setting for classic stories. What would the season be without Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls,” Ray Bradbury’s “The October Game,” and and so many others? Not to mention Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and practically everything Stephen King has ever written. You’ll find more than a few seasonally appropraite tricks and treats in this month’s pages. Here’s the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Behind Blue Eyes,” by Robby Robinson [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Case of the Fit Felon,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “A Rat’s Tale,” by Donna Andrews [short story] “On His Majesty’s Service,” by Hal Meredith [short story, Sexton Blake series] The Clue of the New Pin, by Edgar Wallace [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Mad Evren’s Dreams,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “No Other God But Me,” by Adrian Cole [short story] “In the Very Stones,” by Joseph Payne Brennan [short story] “You Can’t Scare Me!” by Charles F. Myers [short story, Pillsworth & Toffee series] “To Make a Hero,” by Randall Garrett [novella]
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “An Adventure Aloft,” by A.L. Sirois [Michael Bracken Presents short story, Sherlock Holmes series] “The Case of the Murdered Manager,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Hidden,” by Victoria Selman [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “My Lord The Baby,” by Hal Meredith [short story, Sexton Blake series] “The Gallery Gods,” by Murray Leinster [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Sympathy For Vampires,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “Sir Farley’s Story,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “Journals of the Plague Years,” by Norman Spinrad [short story] “The Enemy,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “Beyond Our Control,” by Randall Garrett [novelet]
Our 73rd issue is another great one. It features an original mystery story by Laird Long (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken). Great modern tales from Diana Deverell (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman), Nicole Givens Kurtz (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Cynthia Ward), and Richard Wilson (a rare short story that only appeared in a limited edition chapbook). Plus classics from Ray Bradbury, Murray Leinster, Carolyn Wells, George O. Smith, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Quite a list of contributors! Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Murder On My Mind,” by Laird Long [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Play’s the Thing,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “In Plain Sight,” by Diana Deverell [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Case of Oscar Slater, by Arthur Conan Doyle [novel] Where’s Emily, by Carolyn Wells [Fleming Stone series, novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Pluviophile,” by Nicole Givens Kurtz [Cynthia Ward Presents novelet] “A Rat for a Friend,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “Referent,” by Ray Bradbury [short story] “The Seven Temporary Moons,” by Murray Leinster [novelet] Hellflower, by George O. Smith [novel]
This issue, we have four original tales to entertain you—mysteries by Eve Fisher (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Joseph S. Walker (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman)—and science fiction by Janice Law and Alan J. Wahnefried. Three stories are Christmas-themed, and the holiday comes up in passing in a few other stories as well. Plus we have classics by Robert Silverberg, Ron Goulart, Evelyn E. Smith, ,and Sir Anthony Quiller-Couch, plus a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. Great fun! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Four Directions,” by Eve Fisher [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Christmas Surprise,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “A Right Jolly Old Elf,” by Joseph S. Walker [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “My Christmas Burglary,” by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch [novelet] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Argo,” by Janice Law [short story] “Garrison Is Dead,” by Alan J. Wahnefried [short story] “The Yes Men of Venus,” by Ron Goulart [short story] “Mr. Replogle’s Dream,” by Evelyn E. Smith [short story] “There Was an Old Woman—,” by Robert Silverberg [short story]
