Another installment of the UK magazine BLACK STATIC, a publication which has no equal today. America has several quality cousins, but none hold as much quality and consistency, as well as sheer variety, as this treasure from across the pond.
Each issue, produced at a steady every other month clip, never fails to include high quality stories, interviews, reviews, and columns. Of course, other offerings have strong stories regularly but where Black Static rises above in the fiction realm is through its relatively unknown authors. While some issues do include a “celebrity” story, such as this one’s inclusion of Steve Rasnic Tem’s short terror, editor Andy Cox seems to prefer giving others the spotlight. This time out includes tales by Tim Cabbon, Ilan Lerman, Ray Cluley,Priya Sharma, Drew Rhys White, and Lavie Tidhar. After sitting back to allow take hold, none rang hollow and a couple, “The Withering” and “The Anatomist’s Mnemonic” stuck in memory for quite awhile.
As usual, Chris Fowler and Stephen Volk, intimidating authors through many years, deliver strong columns which leave one with an interesting thought behind.
Even the reviews stand out: Peter Tennant (books) and Tony Lee (films) thoroughly dissect their specimens and often without hesitation to praise or skewer. Each review backs up the opinions with strong examples and often facts built from a knowledge of the history of the genre.
The interview with Tem is a special moment. Correlated with a short story and a pair of book reviews, his words illuminate a mind which has been mired in horror for decades through both poetry and prose.
There’s a good reason BLACK STATIC has won consecutive British Fantasy Awards – it is top notch from cover to cover ever time. It has been called Britain’s Cemetery Dance. It possibly goes a step further than that iconic publication – a cornerstone in the history of horror. Rarely would a magazine garner the recognition to so readily gain a recommendation for subscription. It’s time for the rest of the world to get on board.
- THE BEST OF ROD SERLING’S TWILIGHT ZONE - April 11, 2015
- BLIND RAGE - April 11, 2015
- Black Static #44-45 - April 11, 2015
- The Halloween Children - February 12, 2015
- Darkness Ad Infinitum - November 24, 2014
- Fear City - October 5, 2014
- The Boneyard - July 24, 2014
- Double Feature: A Novel - July 24, 2014
- Never Alone - July 24, 2014
- Blind Vengence - July 24, 2014
