Black Cat Weekly 42

An exciting game is afoot, thanks to acquiring editor Michael Bracken! Yes—we are delighted to present an original Sherlock Holmes story by A.L. Sirois this issue. It’s one that only Sirois could write, as Holmes meets no less a person than Bram Stoker! Then the mysteries keep coming with “The Echoes,” by Charles John Harper [courtesy of acquiring editor Barb Goffman], plus a mystery novel by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. And, of course, we have a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles. On the fantastic side of things, editor Cynthia Ward has found a steampunk triumph in “Pimp My Airship,” by Maurice Broaddus. plus we have science fiction tales by Lester del Rey and George O. Smith, as well as fantasies by Weird Tales alums Manly Wade Wellman, Clifford Ball, and Dorothy Quick. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Lady Corwynne’s Legacy,” by A.L. Sirois [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Present from the Past” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Echoes” by Charles John Harper [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Who’s Afraid, by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding [novel] Science fiction and fantasy: “Pimp My Airship,” by Maurice Broaddus [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Rescue Team,” by Lester del Rey [short story] “Vocation,” by George O. Smith [short story] “The Liers in Wait,” by Manly Wade Wellman [short story] “The Werewolf Howls,” by Clifford Ball [short story] “The Lost Door,” by Dorothy Quick [short story]

Our mystery selections kick off with “A Matter of Trust,” N.M. Cedeño’s tale of a genetic genealogy detective trying to prove an illegitimate child’s claim to a family trust. Thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken for this one. And Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has a Halloween-appropriate tale in “Grimalkin,” by Mark Thielman, in which a cat may be more than it seems. We also have fantasist Phyllis Ann Karr’s first sale—which turns out to be a mystery!—and a novel by British master J.S. Fletcher. And, of course, no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. Continueing our seasonal celebration of all things Halloween, we have a pair of dark delights—tales by Adrian Cole and me. Have some ghoulish shivers on us! For lovers of science fiction, we have a terrific recent tale by Norman Spinrad, plus classics by Charles V. De Vet and Lester del Rey. Great stuff. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “A Matter of Trust,” by N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Case of the Munificent Musketeer,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Grimalkin,” by Mark Thielman [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “An Economical Means of Murder,” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] The Herapath Property, by J.S. Fletcher [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “In the Court of the Pumpkin King,” by Adrian Cole [short story, Nick Nightmare series] “Sand,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story, SCP series] “Quarantine,” by Norman Spinrad [short story] “Survival Factor,” by Charles V. De Vet [short story] “The Band Played On,” by Lester del Rey [novelet]

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]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #49. This is another strong issue, and we lead off with an original tale by celebrated mystery author Brendan Dubois (courtesy of acquiring editor Michael Bracken). We also have a powerful crime story by Y.S. Lee (courtsey of acquiring editor Barb Goffman), and a pair of novels by Edgar Wallace and Nicholas Carter. And, of course, no issue would be complete without a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles. On the science fiction side, acquiring editor Cynthia Ward has selected a great story by Linda D. Addison—plus we have more from George O. Smith, Poul Anderson, C. Shook, and Robert Moore Williams. Good stuff! Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Obsession” by Brendan DuBois “Ghost of a Chance” by Hal Charles “In Plain Sight” by Y. S. Lee The Fellowship of the Frog, by Edgar Wallace Driven from Cover, by Nicholas Carter Science Fiction / Fantasy: “The Power” by Linda D. Addison “Rat Race,” by George O. Smith “The Temple of Earth, ” by Poul Anderson “The Band Played On,” by C. Shook “The Impossible Invention” by Robert Moore Williams

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #38. This issue, we have some real gems—starting with our featured story, Hope Mirrlees’s Lud-in-the-Mist. It’s a true classic of fantasy, acclaimed by critics for generations. Plus we have a Hashknife Hartley historical adventure novel (okay, you can call it a Western!) from W.C. Tuttle. Our acquiring editors have been busy, too. Michael Bracken snagged an original private eye tale from Laird Long, Barb Goffman found a terrific John M. Floyd story, and Cynthia Ward picked up a great science fiction story by Nisi Shawl and Michael Ehart. And I’ve been busy picking out stories, too—just so you don’t think I’m resting on the magazine’s laurels. This issue has a classic-style detective yarn from new author Saul Golubcow (the first of of three stories we’ll be running in this series), plus classic science fiction from Lester del Rey, John W. Campbell Jr., and Otis Adelbert Kline. Here’s the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Toy Ploy” by Laird Long [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Robber’s Craft” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “The Cost of Living”by Saul Golubcow [novelet] “The Barlow Boys” by John M. Floyd [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Buckaroo of Blue Wells, by W. C. Tuttle [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “In Blood and Song” by Nisi Shawl and Michael Ehart [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Shadows of Empire” by Lester del Rey [short story] “The Immortality Seekers” by John W. Campbell, Jr. [novelet] “Meteor Men of Mars” by Harry Cord and Otis Adelbert Kline [short story] Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees [novel]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #31. This time, the lineup includes pretty much everything fans look for in fantasy and science fiction—time travel, pyramids, space adventure, alternate history, war, monkeys, and even Nazi spies. Does it get much better than that? Not to forget our mystery readers, for them we have time travel, a private detective, police, international adventure, war, a solve-it-yourself puzzler, and even Nazis. (Did I mention there’s some overlap between the fantastic and the mysterious in this issue? Surprise! There is.) I leave you to sort it out among yourselves. In case you need some help, here’s the breakdown: Non-Fiction: “Speaking with Joe Haldeman,” conducted by Darrell Schweitzer [interview] Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Dutiful Rookie,” by James Holding [short story] “A Wee Bit Of Dough,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “The Case of the Truculent Avocado,” by Mark Thielman [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Paying the Price, by Nicholas Carter [novel] “Van Goghing, Goghing, Gone,” by Alan Orloff [Michael Bracken Presents short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Van Goghing, Goghing, Gone,” by Alan Orloff [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “How High Your Gods Can Count,” by Tegan Moore [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “How We Came Back From Mars,” by Ian Watson [Darrell Schweitzer Presents short story] “Death by Proxy,” by Malcolm Jameson[short story] Bring the Jubilee, by Ward Moore [novel]

Our 68th weekly issue has several holiday tales to spice up the season, including an original (“Merry Library Murder,” by N.M. Cedeño, courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and some modern classics by Heather Critchlow (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman) and one of my own favorite authors, Nina Kiriki Hoffman (she’s amazing!) Cynthia Ward has selected an exciting fantasy from Milton J. Davis, plus we have great tales by Ray Bradbury, Lester del Rey, and James Holding, a Sexton Blake tale by Hal Meredith, and of course a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. It’s a fun issue. Here’s this issue’s lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Merry Library Murder,” by N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Where There’s a Will,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Heavenly Peace,” by Heather Critchlow [short story] “The Inquisitive Butcher of Nice,” by James Holding [short story] “The Barton Tunnel Mystery,” by Hal Meredith [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Wishmas,” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman [short story] “The Gate,” by Milton J. Davis [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “The Irritated People,” by Ray Bradbury [short story] “Solstice Cakes,” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman [short story] “Unto Him that Hath,” by Lester del Rey [short story]

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #46. This is one of our longest issues to date, thanks to no less than 3 novels! Not only is there a Nick Carter mystery novel, but we also have a classic time-travel novel from Edmond Hamilton, plus We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin—one of the most important dystopian novels of all time, influential on generations of writers, including Ursula K. Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut. Not to mention George Orwell! Of course, our acquiring editors have also selected great tales by S. Phillip Lenski (an original mystery), Stephanie Jaye Evans (a remarkable crime tale, as a mother plans to commit murder for her son), and a science fiction story by Hugo Award-winner David D. Levine. Great Stuff. Plus we have stories by James Holding, Larry Tritten, and Murray Leinster...and what issue would be complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles? Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Four Dead Bodies in a Cornfield,” by S. Phillip Lenski [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Bottled Up,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Jamie’s Mother,” Stephanie Jaye Evans [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Baby Bit,” by James Holding [short story] The Call of Death, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Wreck of the Mars Adventure,” David D. Levine [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “A Science Fiction Readers’ and Writers’ Guide to the Universe,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Trouble,” by George O. Smith [short story] “Skit-Tree Planet,” by Murray Leinster [short story] The Time-Raider, by Edmond Hamilton [novel] We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin [novel]