F&SF – Page 2 – Larque Press | The Digest Enthusiast

News July 10, 2020

News Digest July 10, 2020

Current Releases
Mystery Weekly Magazine July 2020
Contents Page
Coy Hall “A Hazard of the Job”
Jeffrey Hunt “Sir Oxnard”
Tell James Glenn “Screen Shot”
April Kelly “Setting the Pick”
Vincent H. O’Neil “Tombstone Dodge”
Joe Giordano “Star Witness”
Adam Meyer “Wipeout”
Gordon Linzner “The Corpse at the Foot of My Bed”
Laird Long “Poisoned Relationship” (A You-Solve-It)

Mystery Weekly Magazine No. 59 July 2020
Publisher: Chuck Carter
Editor: Kerry Carter
Cover: Robin Grenville-Evans
7.4” x 9.7” 84 pages
Print $7.99 Kindle $3.99

Fantasy & Science Fiction Jul/Aug 2020
Contents Pages
Charles Coleman Finlay: Editorial
Rati Mehrotra “Knock, Knock Said the Ship”
M. Rickert “Last Night at the Fair”
James Morrow “Bible Stories for Adults No. 37: The Jawbone”
John Kessel “Spirit Level”
Charles de Lint: Books to Look For
Michelle West: Musing on Books
David Erik Nelson “All Hail The Pizza King And Bless His Reign Eternal”
Ana Hurtado “Madre Nuestra, Que Estás en Maracaibo”
Mary Soon Lee “A Quartet of Alphabetic Bubbles” (verse)
Bennett North “A Bridge from Sea to Sky”
Mel Kassel “Crawfather”
Madeleine Robins “’Omunculus”
David J. Skal’s Films: Darkness Visible
Jerry Oltion’s Science: What the Heck Is an Analemma?
Stephanie Feldman “The Staircase”
Brian Trent “The Monsters of Olympus Mons”
Natalia Theodoridou “The Shape of Gifts”
Coming Attractions
F&SF Market Place
Thomas Kaufsek’s Curiosities: The Contaminant by Leonard Reiffel (1978)

Fantasy & Science Fiction Vol. 139 No. 1 and 2, No. 750, Jul/Aug 2020
Publisher: Gordon Van Gelder
Editor: C.C. Finlay
Assistant Publishers: Barbara J. Norton, Keith Kahla
Assistant Editors: Robin O’Connor, Stephen L. Mazur, Lisa Rogers
Contests Editor: Carol Pinchefsky
Cover: Alan M. Clark
Cartoons: Arthur Masear, Danny Shanahan, Kendra Allenby, Nick Downes
258 pages, $8.99 on newsstands until August 31, 2020
Fantasy & Science Fiction website

Digest Magazine Blogs
Alec Nevada-Lee writes about his story “Retention” from Analog Jul/Aug 2020 and in audio from The Outer Reach and Syndromes at The Astounding Analog Companion.

Kevin Mims on lockdown book browsing at EQMM’s Something is Going to Happen.

Will McIntosh explains The Future of Dating and his story “Nic and Viv’s Compulsory Courtship” from Asimov’s Jul/Aug 2020 at From Earth to the Stars.

MWM July 2020, Commando: Retribution, Galaxy Aug. 1965

Digest Magazine Reviews
Robert Lopresti reviews “Setting the Pick” by April Kelly from Mystery Weekly Magazine July 2020 at Little Big Crimes.

James Reasoner reviews Commando: Retribution! at Rough Edges.

Gideon Marcus reviews Galaxy Aug. 1965 at Galactic Journey.

Analog, Asimov's Ju./Aug 2020 — Analog, Asimov’s Ju./Aug 2020

Gabe Dybing reviews the Asimov’s and Analog Jul/Aug 2020 issues at Black Gate.

Storytime
Gary Hoffman’s “Happy Birthday, Baby” at Kings River Life Magazine. (Thanks, Kevin Tipple.)

TDE Contributor’s Corner
Uncle Jack (Seabrook) and Cousin Peter (Enfantino) review Vampirella No. 18, Eerie No. 41, and Creepy No. 47 at bare•bones e-zine.

Readin’ and Writing’
Worked on my review of the Verdict digest this week, and finished reading the third issue of the series. The lead story, “Bay City Blues’ by Raymond Chandler is excellent, but I struggled writing a recap. Chandler’s stories are always packed with characters fading in and out of complex plots. His trademark prose and non-stop action are thrilling. but I find it easy to forget details of what’s what. I went through a second time and made notes so I could write about it intelligently. It is a tightly plotted tale and everything lines up as it should. It’s also a magical reading experience.

Besides Part 3 of Rex Stout’s novel Fer-De-Lance, the other standout story in this issue is Bruno Fischer’s “No Escape.” The story opens with a home invasion and the tension never stops until the end. Masterful storytelling by another crime fiction maestro.

Thanks to Tony Gleeson for his post about The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 on Facebook this week. In addition to the interview with Tony—and one with John Shirley, the issue also features a comprehensive report from Steve Carper about Photoplay Editions the first novelizations of famous films—and even a few plays. TDE12 is available in print from Lulu.com, and on Kindle and Magzter in digital.

The print version of TDE12 is also in stock at Bud’s Art Books and Mike Chomko Books.

Vintage SF and Fantasy Digest
Fantastic January 1974
Contents Page
Ted White: Editorial
Howard L. Meyers “The Earth of Nenkunal” art by Jeff Jones
David R. Bunch “Alien”
Ted White “And Another World Above” art by Michael Nally
Janet Fox “She-Bear” art by Michael Kaluta
J.J. Russ “The Interview”
Barry N. Malzberg “Network” art by Joe Staton
Susan Doenim “Heartburn in Heaven” art by Gray Morrow
According to You (Letters)

Fantastic Vol. 23 No. 2 January 1974
Publisher: Sol Cohen
Assoc. Publisher: Arthur Bernhard
Editor: Ted White
Assoc. Editor: Grant Carrington
Assist. Editors: Moshe Feder, John Berry
Art Director: J. Edwards
Cover: Esteban Maroto
5.25” x 7.75” 130 pages 60¢

News May 15, 2020

News Digest May 15, 2020

May Digests
Fantasy & Science Fiction May/June 2020
Contents Page
Tom Cool and Bruce Sterling “Hornet and Butterfly”
Leah Cypess “Stepsister”
Ray Nayler “Eyes of the Forest”
Jane Yolen “Mab’s Wedding” (verse)
Charles de Lint: Books to Look For
—Carbon by Andrew Vachas
—In Restless Dreams by Wren Handman
—Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
—Well of Magic by BR Kingsolver
—Stray Bats by Margo Lanagan and Kathleen Jennings
James Sallis’ Books
—Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker
—All Worlds are Real by Susan Palwick
—Meet Me in the Future by Kameron Hurley
Paul Di Filippo’s Plumage from Pegasus: Faster, Publisher! Binge! Binge!
Holly Messinger “Byzantine”
Rich Larson “Warm Math”
Joseph Bruchac “An Indian Love Call”
Rebecca Zahabi “Birds Without Wings”
Mary Soon Lee “First Contact” (verse)
Marc Laidlaw’s Games
—Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
—A Plague Tale: Innocence
Karin Lowachee’s Films: The Disease of Class Divisions
Jerry Oltion’s Science: Starlink, Star Junk
F&SF Competition No. 99 “Ignorance is Bliss”
F&SF Competition No. 100 “The Lowest Form of Humor”
Richard Bowes “In the Eyes of Jack Saul”
Robert Reed “Who Carries the World”
M. Rickert “Another F*cken Fairy Tale”
Coming Attractions
F&SF Market Place
Paul Di Filippo’s Curiosities: Hackenfeller’s Ape by Brigid Brophy

Fantasy & Science Fiction Vol. 138 No. 5 and 6, No. 749, May/June 2020
Publisher: Gordon Van Gelder
Editor: C.C. Finlay
Assistant Publishers: Barbara J. Norton, Keith Kahla
Assistant Editors: Robin O’Connor, Stephen L. Mazur, Lisa Rogers
Contests Editor: Carol Pinchefsky
Cover: Maurizio Manzieri “Who Carries the World”
Cartoons: Kendra Allenby, Bill Long, Arthur Masear
258 pages, $8.99 on newsstands until July 6, 2020
Fantasy & Science Fiction website

The Dark City April 2020
Contents Page
James Blakey “How to Become a Successful 21st Century Cybercriminal (In Five Easy Steps)”
Nicky Johnson “The Darkest of Games”
Michael Chandos “The Happy Ending”
Roger Leatherwood “Green is the Only Color”
Stef Donati “Only a Mother”

The Dark City Crime and Mystery Magazine Vol. 5 No. 3 April 2020
Editor & Publisher: Steve Oliver
Contributing Editors: Barbara Curtis, Darin Krogh
5.5” x 8.5” 120 pages $6.99
The Dark City Mystery Magazine website

2020 Dell Mystery Magazines
Virtual Awards Celebration and Presentation of the EQMM Readers Award

Storytime
The new online issue is out at Flash Bang Mysteries. (Thanks, Kevin Tipple.)

John M. Floyd’s “Flue Sesaon” at Shotgun Honey. (Thanks, Kevin Tipple.)

Rob McClure’s “Against the Grain” at Rusty Barnes’ Tough Crime.

Digest Reviews
Gideon Marcus reviews Galaxy June 1965 at Galactic Journey.

Robert Lopresti reviews “Noble Rot” by Richard Helms (EQMM May/Jun 2020) at Little Big Crimes.

James Reasoner reviews Commando: J-for-Judas at Rough Edges.

John Boston reviews Amazing June 1965 at Galactic Journey.

Victoria Silverwolf reviews Worlds of Tomorrow July 1965 at Galactic Journey.

TDE Contributors’ Corner
Uncle Jack and Cousin Peter review Creepy No. 43, Vampi No. 15, and Eerie No. 37 at bare•bones e-zine.

Peter Enfantino reviews Strange Tales No. 19, Spellbound No. 15, Mystery Tales No. 12, Menace No. 4, and Men’s Adventures No. 22 at bare•bones e-zine.

Digest Magazine Blogs
Tom Cool and Bruce Sterling on their story “Hornet and Butterfly” from F&SF May/Jun 20202 at Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Sarah Gallien discusses the origins of her poem “The New Planet” from Analog May/Jun 2020 at The Astounding Analog Companion.

R.T. Raichev examines Agatha Christie’s first and last short stories at EQMM’s Something is Going to Happen.

Rick Wilber and Brad Aiken on “Ithaca” from Asimov’s May/Jun 2020 at From Earth to the Stars.

TDE Advertiser Spotlight
Fans of nail-biting, genre fiction and reference works about same, should sign up for Stark House Press’s newsletter and browse the Stark House Press website. Check out their $5 warehouse sale now, bargain abound.

Digest Magazine Podcasts
ECR Podclash episode one “Recompense” by William R. Soldan.

Pulp Lit Newsletter
The May 2020 edition of the Pulp Literature e-news is out.

Readin’ and Writin’
Paul D. Marks (TDE11 interview) writes about the L.A. locations in his new novel The Blues Don’t Care at SleuthSayers.

Chris Rhatigan offers One Approach to Writing Short Stories at Do Some Damage. (Thanks, David Nemeth.)

Read the Hard Case Crime edition of Top of the Heap by Erle Stanley Gardner this week. Originally written as by A.A. Fair in 1952, this is No. 13 of his Donald Lam/Bertha Cool series. Lam somehow manages a driving narrative while methodically untangling an intricate plot. Fortunately, the weakest link, his partner Cool, intended to add comic relief, is a minor part of the action. Beginning, middle, and end, a fully satisfying murder mystery. More about Lam and Cool at Thrilling Detective.

Artist Ran Scott delivered four illustrations this week, which were added to the latest rev of Pulp Modern Vol. 2 No. 5. Booked (InDesign function) all of the individual articles for The Digest Enthusiast No. 12 and created the first digital proof. Laid out its cover that features an illustration Tony Gleeson painted on spec for Sol Cohen for Amazing Science Fiction back in the mid-1970s. Rick McCollum completed the art for Rick Ollerman’s story. Sent ads to Switchblade and EconoClash Review for PM5 and TDE12—and another one for TDE12 for The Pulpster. A productive week for Larque Press.

Vintage Crime Digest
The Saint Detective Magazine Oct.-Nov. 1953
Contents Page
Leslie Charteris “The Spanish Cow”
Octavus Roy Cohen “Let Me Kill You Sweetheart”
Clarence Budington Kelland “Case of the Rival Familiars”
William Campbell Gault “Sweet Rolls and Murder”
Arthur Conan Doyle “The Professor Had a Key”
Morris Cooper “A Murder of No Importance”
Edgar Wallace “The Magic of Fear”
Rufus King “The Wreath From the Sky”
Cornell Woolrich “It Had to Be Murder”
Hayden Howard “Murder on San Afet”
Ben Hecht “The Doting Burglar”

The Saint Detective Magazine Vol. 1 No. 4 Oct.-Nov. 1953
President: H.L. Herbert
Publisher: Leo Margulies
Editor: Sam Merwin, Jr.
Supervising Editor: Leslie Charteris
192 pages, cover price 50¢

News April 24, 2020

News Digest April 24, 2020

April Digests
Pulp Literature No. 26 Spring 2020
Contents
Jessica Fabrizius: From the Pulp Lit Pulpit: The Roaring Twenties
In This Issue
Matthew Hughes “The Bicolour Spiral”
Feature Interview: Matthew Hughes
Sarah Summerson “Absent Are the Constellations My Father Plucked from the Sky” (verse)
Mel Anastasiou “The Extra: Frankie Ray at the Gates of Monument Studios”
Melisa Gregorio “The Birthday Party”
Christi Nogle “Watershakers”
Patti Jean Pangborn “The Safest Place in a Trailer During a Tornado is the Bathtub” (verse)
Mike Carson “Deep Water”
The Raven Short Story Contest
—Michael Donoghue “Life4Sale”
—MFC Feeley “Dannemora Sewing Class”
Rina Piccolo “Double Flush” (comic)
J.M. Landels “The Shepherdess: Paris”
The Artists (bios)
Hall of Fame (Patreon supporters)
Marketplace
Conferences and Events
Magazines
Contests

Pulp Literature No.26 Spring 2020
Publisher: Pulp Literature Press
Managing Editor: Jennifer Landels
Senior Editor: Melanie Anastasiou
Acquisitions Editor: Genevieve Wynand
Story Editor: Jessica Fabrizius
Assistant Editors: Samatha Olson
Poetry Editors: Daniel Cowper, Emily Osborne
Copy Editor/Designer: Amanda Bidnall
Proofreader: Mary Rykov
Cover Design: Kate Landels
Cover Art: Tais Teng
Interior Art: Mel Anastasiou
208 pages
Print $14.99 Kindle $2.99
Pulp Literature website

John O’Neill on “The Case of the Missing [Digest] Magazines” at Black Gate.

Storytime
Michael Bracken’s “Dirty Laundry” at Rusty Barnes’ Tough Crime.

Jim Hamilton’s “Revolver” at Shotgun Honey. (Hat tip David Nemeth)

Alec Cizak reads stories on his new YouTube channel.

Digest Reviews
Paul Fraser reviews Argosy Sept. 1955 (UK edition) at SF Magazines.

Gideon Marcus reviews F&SF May 1965 at Galactic Journey.

Digest Blogs
S.L. Huang discusses “The Million-Mile Sniper” from F&SF Mar/Apr 2020 at Fantasy & Science Fiction.

EconoClash Review ranks 24 James Bond films!

Neal Asher’s cover story, “Moral Biology,” for Analog May/June 2020, examined at The Astounding Analog Companion.

Cover images of Richard Himmel’s “Soul of Passion” (National Books, 1950) at Sleazy Digest Books. NSFW

Wynn Quon recalls Emil and the Detectives at EQMM’s Something is Going to Happen.

Elizabeth Bear on “Hacksilver” from F&SF March/April 2020 at Fantasy & Science Fiction.

TDE Contributors’ Corner
Steve Carper: Dueling Hungarian Invisibility Machines at Flying Cars and Food Pills.

Peter Enfantino and Jack Seabrook review G.I. Combat No. 197, Our Army at War No. 299, Our Fighting Forces No. 170, Weird War Tales No. 49, and reveal their choices for the Ten Best DC War Stories 1959–1976 at bare•bones e-zine.

Jack Seabrook: The Hitchcock Project April 23, 2020 at bare•bones e-zine.

Awards
The 2020 Arthur Ellis Awards shortlist announcement. Several prizes sponsored by Mystery Weekly Magazine.

Readin’ and Writin’
My thanks to Karl who read and rated The Digest Enthusiast No. 11 with five stars on Goodreads.

Finished reading Stark House’s A Trio of Beacon Books this week. The introduction by Jeff Vorzimmer begins, “You are holding in your hands over a thousand dollars in books.” That’s because the original Beacon volumes are highly collectible and fetch top dollars if you’re lucky enough to find them.

I was particularly excited to read Marijuana Girl by N.R. de Mexico. His Suspense Novel, Strange Pursuit, was terrific so I was anxious to revisit the author without having to take out a second mortgage to buy a copy. Besides being a thrill to read, the novel is surprisingly accurate in its portrayal of marijuana—a rarity in the 1951, the year it first saw print as a Uni-Book (now, even more expensive than the original Beacon Book shown on the Trio cover).

Call South 3300: Ask for Molly! by Orrie Hitt takes readers behind the scenes of the television manufacturing business of the 1950s. Star salesman Slade Martin is ambitious, hard-drinking, and always on the make. He meets his match when his roving eye catches sight of Ann Frank in the promotion department at All-Channel.

Lastly, The Sex Cure by Elaine Dorian exposes the scandalous world of a gifted surgeon who operates in the boudoir nearly as often as the OR.

Trio delivers three gripping, ripping tales of men and women chasing bad choices that eventually demand reparation. Vorzimmer’s intro—worth reading before and after—only makes things that much sweeter.

Alec Cizak is busy writing his intro and story blurbs, and proofing the stories for Pulp Modern Vol. 2 No. 5. He’s predicting a June release.

This week I completed a six-page layout for Ward Smith’s article for the upcoming The Digest Enthusiast No. 12. Several back issue digests arrived this week. They’ve been scanned and retouched, so more layout work is dead ahead.

Vintage Western Digest
Western Magazine October 1957

L.L. Foreman “Tall, Tough and Texan”
“Brett Gaines and Ty Farnol were in a ticklish and dangerous business. They stole cattle back from rustlers—earning the hatred of the rustlers, and the suspicion of honest cowmen.”

Joseph Chadwick “Trail West of Fury” art by Matt Baker
“The big trail herd was run by a strange man. He was a Johnny Reb who had turned Yankee and then turned gunslinger. He was scorned by many—and feared by all.”

Will Cook “Renegade Wipe-Out”
“The three savage Oakhurst brothers ruled Jackass Gulch with roaring guns and silent treachery. Then they tied their tricks on young McKeene who didn’t know how to quit or when to stop fighting.”

Western Magazine Vol. 4 No. 2 Oct. 1957
Publisher: Martin Goodman
Editor: Harry Widmer
Business Manager: Monroe Froehlich, Jr.
Art Director: Mel Blum
~5.5” x 7.75” 160 pages 35¢

Read Peter Enfantino’s story-by-story recap of Western Magazine in The Digest Enthusiast No. 8.

News March 20, 2020

News Digest March 20, 2020

March Releases
Fantasy & Science Fiction Mar/Apr 2020
Contents Pages
Dare Segun Falowo “Kikelomo Ultrasheen”
SL Huang “The Million-Mile Sniper”
Matthew Hughes “The Last Legend”
Charles de Lint’s Books to Look For
–Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
–A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
–I Know What I Saw by Linda S. Godfrey
–In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz
–Photographing the Dead by Dean Koontz
–The Praying Mantis Bride by Dean Koontz
–Red Rain by Dean Koontz
–The Mercy of Snake by Dean Koontz
–Memories of Tomorrow by Dean Koontz
–Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television by Karen A. Romanko
–Mingus Fingers by Jacob Weisman
Elizabeth Hand’s Books
–Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma
–The Muders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
–The Survival of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
–A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney
Ian Tregillis “Come the Revolution”
John Possidente “Red Sword of the Celiac”
Lauren McBride “To My Shipmates at Journey’s End” (verse)
Amman Sabet “Say You’re Sorry”
Gregor Hartmann “A Solitary Crane Circles Cold Mountain”
Deborah L. Davitt “4 Vesta” (verse)
Amanda Hollander “A Feast of Butterflies”
David J. Skal’s Films: Wet Screams
Jerry Oltion’s Science: Natural Disasters in Utopia
William Ledbetter “Hungry Is the Earth”
Elizabeth Bear “Hacksilver”
Brian Trent “Death on the Nefertem Express”
James Patrick Kelly “The Man I Love”
Coming Attractions
F&SF Market Place
Graham Andrews’ Curiosities: Public Faces by Harold Nicolson (1932)

Fantasy & Science Fiction Vol. 138 No. 3 and 4, No. 748, Mar/Apr 2020
Publisher: Gordon Van Gelder
Editor: C.C. Finlay
Assistant Publishers: Barbara J. Norton, Keith Kahla
Assistant Editors: Robin O’Connor, Stephen L. Mazur, Lisa Rogers
Contests Editor: Carol Pinchefsky
Cover: Mondolithic Studios
Cartoons: Arthur Masear, Kendra Allenby, Mark Heath, Nick Downes
258 pages, $8.99 on newsstands until May 4, 2020
Fantasy & Science Fiction website

Hard Case Crime released Are Snakes Necessary? by Brian De Palma and Susan Lehman on March 17, 2020. Hardcover $22.99 Kindle $7.99 from amazon.

Digest and Book Reviews
Repo Shark by Cody Goodfellow reviewed by J.D. Graves at EconoClash Review.

The premise of “single paragraph book reviews” seems apt for this age of browsing. The March 15th review at Mostly Old Books and Rust features Thunder Wagon by James Reasoner and L.J. Washburn.

Worlds of Tomorrow May 1965 reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf at Galactic Journey.

Hell Chose Me by Angel Luis Colon reviewed by Matthew X. Gomez at EconoClash Review.

Fantasy & Science Fiction April 1965 reviewed by Gideon Marcus on Galactic Journey.

Digest Blogs
Beth Dawkins’ Q&A at The Astounding Analog Companion.

Paul Charles on “Jumping Off a Diving Board” at EQMM’s Something is Going to Happen.

John Possidente on “Red Sword of the Celiac” at Fantasty & Science Fiction.

Interviews
Art Taylor at Washington Independent Review of Books.

Free Online Fiction
“The Man Who Wouldn’t” by Joseph S. Walker on ToughCrime.

Free Newsletter
The American Bystander is standing by at home with too much time on their hands, so they’ve created Bystander’s Quarantine Cavalcade. Subscribe here.

Readin’ and Writin’
Alec Cizak added several of the earliest issues of Pulp Modern to Magzter this week. Of course, all of our joint issues from Volume Two are there as well.

And speaking of Pulp Modern, all the stories have been selected for the next issue. I’ll be working on layouts for the final three this weekend.

Finished reading and made notes on the second issue of Fotocrime for my article for the next issue of The Digest Enthusiast. Part of my research included reading True Crime, True North, full review here. Since the book’s focus is Canadian true crime magazines, it’s not directly relevant to Fotocrime, but seeing how the authors approached their topic was useful. Also exchanged a series of emails with John Shirley about Weirdbook No. 42, to provide readers with the backstory on the issue.

Also read Guns + Tacos Volume One, but I write more about that next week.

Vintage Crime Digest
Verdict Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1953
Contents Page
Cornell Woolrich “All at Once, No Alice” art by Tom O’Sullivan
H.H. Holmes “The Stripper” art by R. Cossette
Dorothy B. Hughes “Homecoming”
Henry Kane “Kudos for the Kid” art by Tom O’Sullivan
Francis Lewis “Has Anybody Here Slain Kely?”
Samuel Blas “Revenge”
Rex Stout “Fer-De-Lance” (Part 2 of 5)
Bruno Fischer “The Man Who Lost His Head”
Frank Kane “Suicide”
Leonard S. Grey “What’s Your Verdict?”

Verdict Vol. 1 No. 1 June 1953
Published monthly by Flying Eagle Publications, Inc.
Editor: John McCloud
Managing Editor: E.A. Tulman
Art Director: Chas. W. Adams
Business Magager: R.E. Decker
5.5” x 7.75” 144 pages 35¢

News March 13, 2020

News Digest March 13, 2020

The Beat of Black Wings editor: Josh Pachter

The Beat of Black Wings, an anthology of crime fiction stories inspired by the music of Joni Mitchell, launches on April 7, 2020. Many of Mitchell’s classics are represented: “Both Sides, Now” by Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, “Big Yellow Taxi” by Kathryn O’Sullivan, “River” by Stacy Woodson, “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” by Donna Andrews, “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines” by Amber Sparks, “Ray’s Dad’s Cadillac” by Michael Bracken, etc. The collection was edited by Josh Pachter. The book will be released on April 7, 2020. Preorders are available in Hardcover $29.75, Softcover $19.55, and Kindle $5.99.

Steve Davidson reviews the premier episode of the new Amazing Stories series on AppleTV+ on, what else, the Amazing Stories blog.

Gideon Marcus examines Galaxy April 1965 at Galactic Journey.

John Boston does likewise for Amazing April 1965 also at Galactic Journey.

Tough Crime: “Walker’s Hollow” by John Floyd.

Q&A with Derek Kunsken at The Astounding Analog Companion.

Ian Tregillis on “Come the Revolution” (F&SF Mar/Apr 2020) at Fantasy & Science Fiction blog.

Jack Bunker writes about his debut with “Active Shooter” in the Mar/Apr 2020 issue of EQMM at Something is Going to Happen.

Read J.D. (EconoClash Review) Graves’ latest Flash Fiction “Trojan H” at Shotgun Honey.

March 2020 Digests
Nostalgia Digest Spring 2020
Contents
Steve Darnall “Hello, Out There in Radioland!”
A Few Moments with . . . Chuck Schaden
Chuck Schaden “Those Were the (Early) Days” (cover story)
“Those Were the Dates” Ten pivotal moments from the 50-year history of Those Were the Days.
Necrology for 2019
Laura Milbraith Stewart “All in the Families” (Tina Cole)
Dan McGuire “At This Theatre Next Week” Chapter Two
Stone Wallace “Everybody Loves Raymond” (Raymond Burr)
Greg Kreinberg “The Daly News”
Wayne Klatt “A Free Soul” (Jean Arthur)
Mail Call

Plus, the Radio Program Guide for Those Were the Days and WGN Radio Theatre

Nostalgia Digest Book 46 Chapter 2 Spring 2020
Editor: Steve Darnall
5.5” x 8.5” 64 pages, b&w interior
$4.50 on newsstands
Four-issue subscription $17
Eight-issue subscription $30
Nostalgia Digest website

Readin’ and Writin’
Finished the audio book of The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. First published in 1896, Moreau is a science fiction classic. Its concept isn’t as revolutionary in 2020 as 1896, but for its era it must have been horrific and shocking. Even today, the prose is terrific, my favorite parts were Wells’ fastidious descriptions of his animal hybrids.

Also immensely enjoyed the print edition of Weirdbook No. 42, a special all John Shirley issue, edited by Doug Draa. A triumphant collection of short stories and poetry capped by a sword and sorcery epic that wraps the volume with an enthralling finale.

I completed reading and making notes on the first issue of Fotocrime this week. Still lots to do but it feels good to get this article for TDE12 started.

Rick McCollum sent the cover art for the next issue of Pulp Modern which should see release sometime this Spring. I loved Rick’s artwork for the last PM and the current TDE, but I gotta say, I think this is the best one yet. It’s based on a story called “Ghost Town.”

PM editor, Alec Cizak, has selected another two stories for the issue, so I’ll be working on layout for those over the next few days.

Vintage Crime Digest
Verdict Vol. 1 No. 1 June 1953
Contents Page
Rex Stout “Fer-De-Lance” (Part 1 of 5)
Craig Rice “His Heart Could Break” (John J. Malone) art by R. Cossette
Dan Stoup’s Tricks of the Trade: Fingerprints
Henry Kane “A Glass of Milk”
Steve Fisher “Goodbye Hannah”
Chester B. Himes “Marihuana and a Pistol” art by R. Cossette
Fredric Brown “Don’t Look Behind You”
Edward Clark’s Crime Firsts: The La Rosa Case
Raymond Chandler “Trouble Is My Business”

News March 6, 2020

News Digest March 6, 2020

Gideon Marcus reviews Analog March 1965 at Galactic Journey.

Essa Hansen answers a few questions about her story “Save, Salve, Shelter” (F&SF J/F 2020) on the Fantasy & Science Fiction blog.

J.M. Landels, Managing Editor of Pulp Literature shares a draft of “The Queen of Swords” via Google Docs.

Hats off to Steve Alcorn of Writing Academy for his 5-Star review of The Digest Enthusiast No. 11 on amazon. He notes the upgrade to full color and the timeline of Leo Margulies’ digests, which I had fun putting together. The visual helps understand when each title appeared in relationship to each other. Turns out Steve was a big fan of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Matthew X. Gomez reviews Rusty Barnes’ Kraj the Enforcer. Scotch Rutherford describes it: “Kraj is a human wrecking ball, hiding a tactical mindset, along with his sense of humor.” The collection of fourteen stories is detailed on the EconoClash Review blog.

Fiction Market Window April 15–25
“Submissions for Switchblade reopen on tax day, for a 10 day window. April 15–25. Crime/Noir short Fiction (2k-4.5k), Flash (up to 1k), and Noir poetry (3 pages max). This will be the only submissions call this year for regular issues. We’ll be filling Issues 12 and 13. (issue 12 will be out in June, 13 will arrive in October) Please see our guidelines at switchblademag.com.

“Remember that Switchblade is a no limit gutter noir mag. We publish the stuff no one else will. Not the best of the best. Switchblade is the lowest of the low. (wouldn’t have it any other way) You don’t see “lit” in the title, do you? Right. And you won’t find our authors listing their literary agents in their bios. If you’re working on your Rizzoli&Isles style commercial novel for the NY5, but would like to slum with us, remember this: gutter noir will always get preference. Vulgarity (something other mags despise), words you’re not supposed to use, amoral protagonists–these are tools you can utilize to forge outlaw fiction. Ten days is a big submissions window for us. There will be a lot of competition. Good storytelling about dark corners, bad people, and worse situations to the front.”

C.C. Finlay announces the March/April edition of Fantasy & Science Fiction and hightlights its contents on the F&SF blog.

Likewise, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine announces their March/April lineup on Trace Evidence.

Tony Gleeson will be signing books and artwork at the upcoming Vintage Paperback Collectors’ Show in Glendale, CA on Sunday, March 8, 2020.

Mystery Weekly Magazine No. 55 March 2020 is now available, with stories by Scott Forbes Crawford, Denise Robbins, E.R. Brown, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, L.A. Wilson, Jr., Andrew McAleer, and a You-Solve-It by Eric B. Ruark. MWM is published by Chuck Carter, and edited by Kerry Carter. Cover by Robin Grenville-Evans. Kindle $2.99 (Print edition coming soon)

“The Big Ticket” by Stefen Styrsky was published online this week at Tough Crime.

Amman Sabet’s “Say You’re Sorry” is a story about the power that apologies hold over us. For more about it, see the Fantasy & Science Fiction blog.

Weirdbook No. 42, the special John Shirley issue is now available. The issue includes a novel, five short stories, and five poems by John Shirley. Editor Doug Draa introduces the issue with resounding praise for the author’s work, “Mr. Shirley has such sights to show you!” Supporting imagery by Allen Koszowski and John Betancourt—plus a wraparound cover by Fotolia. Print $12.00

David Levinson takes the April 1965 issue of Worlds of If on a Galactic Journey.

Brenda Kalt talks about her story “Lemonade Stand” in the March/April issue of Analog on the The Astounding Analog Companion.

Edith Maxwell stars a hyperpolyglot in her story “One Too Many” (EQMM Mar/Apr 2020). Read more on Something is Going to Happen.

Matthew Hughes gives insights into “The Last Legend” in the Mar/Apr 2020 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Readin’ and Writin’
Best of the Small Magazines: John O’Neill provides a detailed overview of The Digest Enthusiast No. 11, Pulp Modern: Tech Noir, and Weird Fiction Review No. 9 on Black Gate.

Mike Chomko Books and Modern Age Books are both stocked with copies of the full color print edition of The Digest Enthusiast No. 11.

Read The Living End by Frank Kane (Black Gat Books No. 22) this week. One of Kane’s standalone novels. It details the rise and roil of sociopath Eddie Marlon as he corrupts his way to success in the music business of the late 1950s. A roadmap for an insecure egomaniac whose inflated sense of entitlement and grievance grants him license to destroy any challenger or lackey who fails to kowtow. He strikes back tenfold to the few who defy his commands, doing his best worst to destroy their careers and lives. But this is fiction, so comeuppance is more easily dealt on the page than its real life reflection.

Started work on an article about Fotocrime, a pocket-size true crime magazine from 1954/55. The last time I wrote about a true crime book was for the debut issue of TDE, on The Big Story.

From the Vault
I believe this is the final issue of this digest’s remarkable twelve-issue run. Several times I’ve been surprised by the writers who show up in its pages. This final issue is no exception with Fredric C. Wertham, M.D.

True Crime Detective Vol. 3 No. 4 Fall 1953
Contents Page
Kevin Wallace “The Great Screwball Bank Robbery”
Frank Mullady “The Red Circle Murders”
Monster of Monsters:
I The Question: The Kidnapping of Grace Budd by Capt. John Ayers & Carol Bird
II The Answer: The Sanity of Albert Fish by Fredric C. Wertham, M.D.
Stuart Palmer “The Ministering Angel”
Forbes Parkhill “The Strange World of Alex Miller”
Verdict of Two: a book review department by The Editors
Edgar Lustgarten “Small H, Mr. Pigott!”
Irwin Ross “Boom in Counterfeiting”
Robert Tallant “I’m Fit as a Fiddle and Ready to Hang”

Publisher: Lawrence E. Spivak
Editors: Anthony Boucher, J. Francis McComas
General Manager: Joseph W. Ferman
Managing Editor: Robert P. Mills
Advisory Editor: Charles Angoff
Art Director: George Salter
Cover: Uncredited, but likely Dirone Photography from “I’m Fit as a Fiddle and Ready to Hang”
5.5” x 7.75” 128 pages 35¢

News February 28, 2020

News Digest Feb. 28, 2020

Paul Fraser reviews Astounding Science Fiction Vol. 33 No. 3 May 1944 on SF Magazines.

Victoria Silverwolf reviews Fantastic Vol. 14 No. 3 March 1965 on Galactic Journey.

The print version of season one of Guns + Tacos season one arrived last Saturday. Each of its two volumes, created and edited by Michael Bracken and Trey H. Barker include three stories around 40 pages each. Volume One: Gary Phillips, Bracken, and Frank Zafiro. Volume Two: Barker, William Dylan Powell, James A. Hearn, and a bonus story by Bracken, making this the thicker of the two volumes. Season Two has been ordered and will begin later this year from Down & Out Books.

Art Taylor writes about the story order in his new anthology The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74 at Auntie M Writes. (Hat tip Kevin Tipple).

Artist and author Tony Gleeson’s new book, Find the Money, is now available on amazon. The mysterious Vanessa has vanished, and it’s worth a million dollars to a vicious drug lord to get her back. But the ransom disappears, turning up in the hands of a bewildered innocent bystander, while ruthless gangsters and hapless kidnappers alike desperately search for the money. Meanwhile, Detective Marlon Morrison, who only wants to comfortably ride out the final year and a half before his retirement without incident, finds himself involved with a growing succession of murder victims, and a bizarre case growing in complexity by the hour…

Josh Pachter talks to Publisher’s Weekly about his anthologies The Misadventures of Ellery Queen and The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe. (Hat tip Michael Bracken)

Doug Draa announced on Facebook that Weirdbook No. 42 has gone to print!

A.T. Sayre describes his joy and appreciation at having his first story, “Rover,” published in the venerable Analog.

Found all four March/April 2020 Dell digests on shelves this week at my local Barnes & Noble’s. Alfred Hitchcock’s features William Burton McCormick’s cover story “Night Train to Berlin.” Ellery Queen’s cover highlights its “Mystery Strangers” theme. Although not listed on the cover, indie favorite Preston Lang also has a story inside—congrats!

Asimov’s cover features Nancy Kress’ “Semper Augustus” and Analog continues their retro-look celebration of their 90th year. Note F&SF Editor C.C. Finley’s name on the cover, and inside there’s a new story by Edd Vick* and Manny Frishberg. *Vick as interviewed by D. Blake Werts in The Digest Enthusiast No. 6.

Corey Flintoff talks about his “Interlude in Arcadia” (F&SF J/F 2020) on the Fantasy & Science Fiction blog.

Readin’ and Writin’
Finished the audio book version of The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and loved it. I listened while driving and more than once got so lost in the gorgeous prose I had to try to remember what was happening in the plot. Narrator Ray Porter’s cadence and inflections are a perfect match to Tom Hanks’.

Also on audio, I listened to Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor. A intimate memoir with Taylor’s recollections of family dysfunction, fighting addiction, and working with Danny (Kootch) Kortchmar, Peter Gordon, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, and Carol King. This guided tour of his early life is interspersed with his gorgeous melodies. Riveting, sad, and unforgettable.

In print, I read Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine June 1957. This issue wraps up the trilogy of the serialized Weep for a Blond Corpse, with more action and excitement than the previous two installments. It also boasts two outstanding novelets by Helen Nielsen and Tedd Thomey, as well as some fine short stories by Fletcher Flora, James Schucker, D.E. Forbes, Murray Wolf, and F. Keston Clarke. A great issue of a great digest magazine! Watch for my reviews in a coming issue of bare•bones.

Jeff Vorzimmer, editor of Stark House Press’ Best of Manhunt, read through the current issue of The Digest Enthusiast and awarded it a 5-Star rating this week on GoodReads. Thanks much, Jeff!

TDE12 Update: Met with my writing group on Thursday and shared my review of Paperback Fanatic No. 43, which will appear in TDE12. Also completed the initial layout of my interview with Tony Gleeson for the issue. Thanks to Tony, it’s loaded with beautiful artwork—mostly from vintage digests.

From the Vault
Ad copy on page 2: “. . . if you enjoy this issue let us enter a subscription for you so that True Crime Detective may be delivered to you on or before publication date without extra cost. You will find each issue a little better than the one before—an anthology of the best detective true crime stories new and old.” Cost? $1.40 for 4 issues. In 2020 dollars that’s $13.53. I have a feeling it would be more, but I’d get it if it were still being published today. Next week: the final issue.

True Crime Detective Vol. 3 No. 3 Summer 1953
Contents Page
W.T. Brannon “Rendezvous at Rondout”
Joseph Shillips “They Wrote Their Own Convictions”
Homer Croy “Cherokee Bill”
William Roughead “The Merrett Mystery”
Manly Wade Wellman “The General Dies at Dusk”
Miriam Allen deford “The Reluctant Lover”
Frank Mullady “Judgement for a Messiah”

Publisher: Lawrence E. Spivak
Editors: Anthony Boucher, J. Francis McComas
General Manager: Joseph W. Ferman
Managing Editor: Robert P. Mills
Advisory Editor: Charles Angoff
Art Director: George Salter
Cover: Dirone Photography from “Rendezvous at Rondout”
5.5” x 7.75” 128 pages 35¢

News June 12, 2019

Cover Preview

Publisher Gordon Van Gelder shares this advance look at the cover to the Jul/Aug issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction, by Mondolithic Sudios, coming to newsstands in July. You’ll see the cover art before its typography was added in The Digest Enthusiast No. 10, which I hope to be able to release tomorrow.

Reviews December 7, 2018

William Ledbetter’s In a Wide Sky, Hidden

Stories from Fantasy & Science Fiction Jul/Aug 2017:

In deep space exploration, the journey is most definitely not the destination. I’ve seen the countless hours crossing vast distances dealt with in stasis, but William Ledbetter has a better idea. “In a Wide Sky, Hidden” deep space exploration is assigned to robots. That is until a strong-willed young astronaut launches a missing persons search across the galaxy. Regina, the explorer’s older sister is an artist of cosmic scale, whose final statement to the universe: “I have found a world of my own. It will be my masterpiece.” Ledbetter adds several futuristic inventions to enliven this bittersweet internal/external rescue mission.

News November 14, 2018

Fantasy and Science Fiction Nov/Dec 2018

Fantasy and Science Fiction Vol. 135 No. 5 and 6, #740, Nov/Dec 2018
Contents
Jeffrey Ford “Thanksgiving”
Y.M. Pang “The Lady of Butterflies”
Sean McMullen “Extreme”
Charles de Lint: Books to Look For
James Sallis: Books
Hanuš Seiner “The Iconoclasma” translated by Julie Novakova
Abra Staffin-Wiebe “Overwintering Habits of the North American River Mermaid”
Robert Reed “Every Color of Invisible”
Ruth Berman “Escaping the Ogre” (verse)
Geoff Ryman “This Constant Narrowing”
Nina Kiriki Hoffman “Other People’s Dreams”
Jerry Oltion’s Science: Space Drives Real and Imaginary
David J. Skal’s Films: Strange Invaders
Gordon Van Gelder: Publisher’s Note
F&SF Competition #96 “Crime Blotter”
F&SF Competition #97 “Watered Down”
Nick DiChario “The Baron and His Floating Daughter”
J.R. Dawson “When We Flew Together Through the Ice”
Bo Balder “The Island and Its Boy”
Coming Attractions
Market Place
Index to Volumes 134 & 135, January–December 2018
David Langford’s Curiosities: The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction by Dorothy Scarborough (1917)

Publisher: Gordon Van Gelder
Editor: C.C. Finlay
Assistant Publishers: Barbara J. Norton, Keith Kahla
Assistant Editors: Robin O’Connor, Stephen L. Mazur, Lisa Rogers
Contests Editor: Carol Pinchefsky
Cover: Alan M. Clark “The Iconoclasma”
Cartoons: Nick Downes, Danny Shanahan
258 pages, $8.99 on newsstands until Dec. 31, 2018
Fantasy & Science Fiction website