Black Cat Weekly 118

This issue, we have 17 short stories and 2 novel serials for you—one of our largest lineups ever! (Of course, quite a few of the stories are short, and hopefully you like awful-pun stories…) On the mystery front, we have original tales from Dave Zeltserman (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Justin M. Kiska (a Christmas fantasy-mystery), plus another fantasy-mystery from C. C. Guthrie (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our serial of Jack Guthrie’s Tiger Island concludes. And, of course, there’s a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. For the science fiction and fantasy lineup—we have the above-mentioned Kiska and Guthrie tales, plus the complete series of 8 Benedict Breadfruit stories by Randall Garrett (written under the pseudonym “Grandall Barretton”) plus 3 more pun-stories from the series Garrett was parodying, The Adventures of Ferdinand Feghoot Through Time and Space, by Reginald Bretnor (written under the pseudonym “Grendel Briarton”) and a Feghoot by Your Editor, John Betancourt (written under the pseudonym “Grendel Briarton, Jr.”). See my intro to this very punny section for more info. On top of all that, we have a delightful fantasy from Anna Tambour, a classic SF piece from Ben Bova, and part 3 of Francis Jarman’s historical fantasy novel, The Eagle’s Wing. Whew, that’s a lot! And just a reminder: if you’d like to contribute to Black Cat Weekly, please see our submission portal at blackcatweekly.com for guidelines. We are always looking for original mystery and science fiction/fantasy stories. Here’s this issue’s complete lineup (in order of appearance): Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Ice Lady,” by Dave Zeltserman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Coveted Coin Caper,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The December Candle Caper Con,” by C. C. Guthrie [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “North Pole Noir,” by Justin M. Kiska [short story] Tiger Island, by Jack Ritchie [serial novel, part 3 of 3] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The December Candle Caper Con,” by C. C. Guthrie [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “North Pole Noir,” by Justin M. Kiska [short story] “The Godchildren,” by Anna Tambour [short story] “Through Time and Space With Benedict Breadfruit: I to VIII,” by Grandall Barretton [8 short stories] “Through Time and Space With Ferdinand Feghoot: VIII, XIX, and XXXVII,” by Grendel Briarton [3 short stories] “Through Time and Space With Ferdinand Feghoot: Alpha,” by Grendel Briarton, Jr. [short story] “Answer, Please Answer,” by Ben Bova [short story] The Eagle’s Wing, by Francis Jarman [serial novel, part 3 of 4]

Our mysteries this issue include Josh Pachter’s “The Secret Lagoon” (Michael Bracken’s pick), Larry Allen Tyler’s “Just a Little Before Winter’s Set In” (selected by Barb Goffman) and a solve-it-yourself from Hal Charles (the writing team of Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet). A futuristic detective tale by Larry Tritten, and a classic Nick Carter novel from 1903, The Plot That Failed, round things out. On the science fiction & fantasy side, we have a vampire classic by Carl Jacobi, “Revelations in Black” (which was also the title story of one of his Arkham House collection); “Bullard Reflects,” by Malcolm Jameson, which is classic SF from Astounding; “Strike,” by Richard Wilson, about newspaper reporters coming a shipping strike in space; and “Three Bananas,” by Larry Tritten—which is one of his gonzo cross-genre mashups. Fun stuff. Plus the already-mentioned “Extended Family,” by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. (Did we mention that this is one of those stories you won’t want to miss?) Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense “The Secret Lagoon,” by Josh Pachter [short story] “The Game’s Afoot,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Just a Little Before Winter’s Set In,” by Larry Allen Tyler [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Plot That Failed, by Nicholas Carter [novel] “Three Bananas,” by Larry Tritten [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy “Extended Family,” by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough [Cynthia Ward Presents, short story] “Bullard Reflects,” by Malcolm Jameson [short story] “Three Bananas,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Strike,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “Revelations in Black,” by Carl Jacobi [short story]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #32. This issue, we have more original stories than ever before. Editors Michael Bracken and Cynthia Ward have brought in new tales by Wil A. Emerson and the writing team of Jayme Lynn Blaschke and Don Webb, and I snagged magazine rights to Mel Gilden’s new novel, The Case by Case Casebook of Emily Silverwood. Mel’s story is a new and thoroughly modern take on the Mary Poppins theme. Wil Emerson has a study on the dynamics of detective partners. And Blachke and Webb’s story (as Cindy Ward put it) “reveals the connections between Nietszche’s abyss, Lovecraft’s god-monsters and non-Euclidean spaces, and Cordwainer Smith’s monsters of subspace.” Wow! Not to be outdone, Barb Goffman acquired Stacy Woodson’s first story, which won the Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Reader’s Award. And, of course, we have a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles, a historical adventure novel from Edison Marshall, and a slew of great science fiction stories from such masters as Henry Slesar, and Edmond Hamilson. And a World War II fantasy from Malcolm Edwards. Here’s the lineup: Non-Fiction: “Speaking with Robert Sheckley,” conducted by Darrell Schweitzer [interview] Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Insieme,” by Wil A. Emerson [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “An Eggcellent Equation,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “Paper Caper,” by James Holding [short story] “Duty, Honor, Hammett,” by Stacy Woodson [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Infinite Woman, by Edison Marshall [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: It Gazes Back,” by Jayme Lynn Blaschke and Don Webb [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] The Case by Case Casebook of Emily Silverwood, by Mel Gilden [serialized novel] “Vengeance in Her Bones,” by Malcolm Jameson [short story] “The Man Who Liked Lions,” by John Bernard Daley [short story] “A Message from Our Sponsor,” by Henry Slesar [short story] Crashing Suns, by Edmond Hamilton [novel]

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]

THE CAT’S MEOW Welcome to Black Cat Weekly. This issue, on the mystery side of things, we have original stories from Brendan DuBois (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), E Senteio (crime in the library!), and Cody Goodfellow (has the classic villain Fantomas finally met his match?)…plus Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has unearthed a gem by Eve Fisher. Our novel is Behind the Bronze Door, by William Le Queux, and of course we have a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. As if that weren’t enough, we also have science fiction stories from Lester del Rey, Philip Jose Farmer, and T.D. Hamm. Rounding out the issue is a Jules de Grandin novelette by Seabury Quinn. Our cover is by our art director, Ron Miller. I’ve had to twist his arm (he’s far too humble for self promotion) and next issue, we’re going to have an illustration feature—a portfolio of his best and favorite book covers. Something to look forward to. Here’s the complete lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Million-dollar Recovery,” by Brendan DuBois [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “An Historic Heist,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “Wind Power,” by Eve Fisher [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Damned If You Do, and Damned If You Don’t,” by E Senteio [short story] “The Black Hand of Fantomas,” by Cody Goodfellow [short story, Fantomas series] Behind the Bronze Door, by William Le Queux [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Battleground,” by Lester del Rey [short story] “Tongues of the Moon,” by Philip Jose Farmer [short story] “The Survivors,” by T.D. Hamm [short story] “The Jewel of Seven Stones,” by Seabury Quinn [novelette, Jules de Grandin series] Until next time, happy reading!

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #43. If this isn’t the best issue we had to date, it’s pretty darn close. Lots of great tales are packed into this one—including not one, but two mystery novels (by Edwin Balmer and Nicholas Carter), three shorter mysteries (including a major new novelet by Robert Lopresti, a great reprint by Victoria Weisfeld, and a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles). On the science fiction side, we have an amazing set of stories by Daniel Marcus, Isaac Asimov, George O. Smith, Murray Leinster, and Robert Silverberg. It’s hard to get better than that. Oh, wait—we also have an interview with Robert Varley, courtesy of Darrell Schweitzer. This is another one of his “paleo-interviews,” going back to 1976, the time when Varley burst onto the scene and became one of this hottest writers in the field. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Suicide Club,” by Robert Lopresti [Michael Bracken Presents short story] A Wee Bit of Dough,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] Evidence, by Victoria Weisfeld [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Ruth of the U.S.A., by Edwin Balmer [novel] An Uncanny Revenge, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Non-Fiction: "Speaking with John Varley” [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Jesus Christ Superstore,” by Daniel Marcus [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Let’s Get Together,” by Isaac Asimov [short story] “The Undamned, by George O. Smith [short story] “Planet of Sand,” by Murray Leinster [short story] “The Guest Rites,” by Robert Silverberg [short story]

Black Cat Weekly #83 has something for everyone -- modern and classic mysteries? Check! Science fiction? Check! Fantasy? Check! Even a crime tale set in the Old West! Novels, short stories, series tales featuring such great characters as master detective Nick Carter, western hero Hashknife Hartley, and sword & sorcery team Frostflower and Thorn are ien this issue. One of our best! Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Lucky Day” by Bruce D. Arthurs [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Grand Larceny at the Grand Prix” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “How Does He Die This Time?,” by Nancy Novick [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Blood Will Tell, by Nicholas Carter [Nick Carter series, novel] Hidden Blood, by W.C. Tuttle [Hashknife Hartley series, novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Truth About the Lady of the Lake,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [Frostflower & Thorn series, short story] “Time for Survival,” by George O. Smith [short story] “Nobody Saw the Ship” by Murray Leinster [short story] “Momentum,” by Charles Dye [short story] Convoy to Atlantis, by William P. McGivern [novel]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #44. This is an amazing issue, with quite the all-star lineup. First off, private detective Frank Wolf and his grandson Joel return to our pages with a new short novel by Saul Golubcow, The Dorm Murder (published simultaneously with Golubcow’s collection, The Cost of Living and Other Mysteries). This is one of my favorite series in recent years, and I highly recommend you start with The Dorm Murder. You won’t be disappointed. Black Cat’s acquiring editors have been busy, too—Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, Cynthia Ward, and Darrell Schweitzer all have contributions this issue. Michael and Barb found great mysteries by Mary Dutta and Brendan Dubois, Cindy has a neo-classic science fiction tale by David Marusek, and Darrell has unearned a “paleo-interview” from 1988 with fantasist Nancy Springer. It’s fascinating. And we have classics by Fritz Leiber, Robert Silverberg, George O. Smith, Henry Kuttner, and a Nick Carter mystery novel. Plus, of course, a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles (the writing team of Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet). Here's the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: The Dorm Murder, by Saul Golubcow [short novel] “The Wonderworker” by Mary Dutta [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “An Eggcellent Equation” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Lake Tenant” by Brendan DuBois [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Blue Veil, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Non-Fiction: “Speaking with Nancy Springer” [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Getting To Know You” by David Marusek [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Friends and Enemies," by Fritz Leiber [short story] “Lair of the Dragonbird," by Robert Silverberg [short story] “Meddler’s Moon,” by George O. Smith [short story] Avengers of Space, by Henry Kuttner [short novel]