Black Static Magazine #38-39

by | May 12, 2014 | Reviews

BLACK STATIC #38-39

Once again, for those who have forgotten about my reviews of the best international magazine of dark fiction, pay close attention.  Very few magazines are worth the price of subscription – ever.  This is the exception (other than Cemetery Dance, who I review for, obviously).  With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or anniversaries, BLACK STATIC will make a great gift for those who prefer fine fiction, reviews, and columns

TTA Press is the real deal which produces a fine, slick, quality digest-sized product. In addition, they also publish INTERZONE(scifi), Crimewave (well, crime and suspense), and now, their own line of books.

As I’ve written prior to this review, it’s more than the British equivalent of Cemetery Dance – it’s much more. BLACK STATIC churns out regular issues at a steady clip – without fail – and never losing the high level of quality not found elsewhere.

#38 opens on a somber note.  A tribute to talented author Joel Lane by Nicholas Royle is a touching, informative piece on a life cut too short.  For those who both had the pleasure or knowing him and those who only knew his work, the tribute alone is worthy of an entire issue.  Yet editor Andy Cox never stops at what is simply sufficient. He always continues to ensure that BLACK STATIC never is, packing each issue with top notch material from cover to cover. Stephen Volk and Lynda E. Rucker have consistently penned strong columns about the genre, and interesting, many times about writing and the business of horror. Both continually exceed the norm, often bringing a unique slant to the genre, both for fans and for authors. Peter Tennant and Tony Lee continue to cover books and movies in detailed fashion with keen eyes for novelty and innovation.  Tennant typically spotlights authors or publishers. This time he reviews Gary Fry along with an insightful interview.  The stories in strong tales by Andrew Hook, John Grant, Maura McHugh, Tim Waggoner, Malcom Devlin, and Danny Rhodes.

#39 is just as impressive with the Volk’s and Rucker’s columns and Tennant focuses on Australian horror, Dedalus, Mortburry Press, Pendragon Press, and Hippocampus Press, with countless reviews.

Once again, the task is simple: pick up a subscription to this fine magazine or if you’re across the pond, get yourself to the store grab a copy.  Not many things are worth the money these days and few are guaranteed to entertain consistently, but this is one that fulfills without fault every time.

 

 

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