First novels: Bait by J. Kent Messum (Plume) is an ugly little book about six junkies who are strangers and find themselves on an island with no heroin. They’re forced to swim to another island for their next fix. Are there sharks? Of course there are sharks. The Golem and the Jinn by Helen Wecker (HarperCollins) is about the relationship of two magical creatures that mysteriously appear in the New York of 1899. Splintered by A. G. Howard (Abrams/Amulet) is a young adult dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman (Minotaur) is about a former FBI agent drawn back into one of her unsolved cases involving a sexual predator. The Black Fire Concerto by Mike Allen (Haunted Stars) is the author/editor’s first novel. A young harpist residing on a river boat infested by ghouls is drawn into a fight to save the world by using her music as magic — dark and light. Stoker’s Manuscript by Royce Prouty’s (Putnam) is about a manuscript and handwriting expert lured back to his native Rumania to authenticate the original draft of Stoker’s Dracula. Longtime Lovecraft expert S. T. Joshi’s first novel, The Assaults of Chaos: A Novel About H. P. Lovecraft (Hippocampus Press), celebrates Lovecraft’s life and his work. The Year of the Storm by John Mantooth (Berkley) is about a young boy searching for his mother and sister after they disappeared in a violent storm. Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama (47 North) is about a man faced with increasingly bizarre behavior in his wife after the birth of their son.
It’s important to recognize the work of the talented artists working in the field of fantastic fiction, both dark and light. The following artists created art that I thought especially noteworthy during 2013: Teresa Tunaley, Dominic Black, Dave Senecal, Yuri Kabisher, Tara Bush, Kinuko Y. Craft, David Gentry, Vincent Sammy, Tessa Chuddy, Soufiane Idrassi, Carlos Araujo, Saber Core, Sarah Emerson, Rasa Dilyte, Athine Saloniti, Brigitte-Fredensborg, Akura Pare, Linda Saboe, Nick Gucker, Ben Baldwin, John Kaaine, Mike Dominic, Eric Lacombe, Anja Millen, Kate Harrison, Lynette Watters, Stephen Upham, Melissa Gannon, Azathoth, Tais Teng, Joachim Luetke, Sam Dawson, Mikio Murakami, Richard Wagner, Tom Brown, Ed Binkley, Miles Tittle, Stephen J. Clark, Reggie Oliver, Danielle Serra, George Cotronis, Oliver Wetter, Richard Wagner, Erin Wells, Edward Miller, David Ho, Ashley Mackenzie, Szymon Siwak, David Rix, Keith Miller, Louise Boyd, Lauren Rogers, Amandine van Ray, Katerina Apostolakou, Johannes Amm, Pauline De Hoe, Martin Wydooghe, Richard Anderson, Jon Foster, Greg Ruth, Chris Buzelli, Red Nose Studio, Victo Ngai, John Jude Palencar, John Picacio, Robert Hunt, Gregory Manchess, Anna and Elena Balbusso, Goni Montes, Karla Ortiz, Nicolas Delort, Pascal Campion, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Erik Mohr, Harry Morris, and Justin Aerni.
The British Fantasy Society’s Journal is a quarterly perk of membership in the British Fantasy Society and was edited in late 2012 throughout 2013 by Cavan Scott, Stuart Douglas, Guy Adams, and Ian Hunter. The Journal includes fiction, poetry, regular columns, and nonfiction articles. There were strong stories during 2013 by Clare Le May, Aliya Whiteley, and Joel Lord.
Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter, edited by Rosemary Pardoe, continues to be published periodically. Two issues came out in 2013, and they included news of the field, articles, reviews, a letter column, and some original fiction. There were notable stories by Chico Kidd, Jane Jakeman, and Peter Bell.
The Friends of Arthur Machen is a society whose stated intention is to “encourage a wider recognition of Machen’s work, foster familiarity with his work, and provide a focus for critical debate.” Members receive the twice yearly newsletter, Machenalia, edited by Gwilym Games, and the twice yearly journal, Faunus, edited by James Machin, which has Machen-related material in it.
The Silent Companion, edited by António Monteiro, is an annual fiction magazine that comes as part of the subscription price to A Ghostly Company, an informal literary society devoted to the ghost story in all its forms. The group produces a quarterly, non fiction newsletter containing articles, letters, and book reviews. The fiction magazine featured seven stories, the strongest by Mark Nicholls and Christopher Harman.
The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic Supernatural and Fantastic Literature, edited by Brian J. Showers, debuted with two issues and is a welcome addition to the realm of accessible nonfiction about supernatural horror. These issues include essays about the plays of Conor McPherson, Le Fanu’s use of the oral tradition in his works, Lord Dunsany’s connections to the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, and plenty of other interesting material, including book reviews.
Black Static, edited by Andy Cox, is one of the best horror magazines in looks and content and is well-worth your money for its fiction, book, television, and movie reviews. My favorite stories in 2013 were by Drew Rhys White, Jacob A. Boyd, Tim Casson, James Cooper, Steven J. Dines, Jason Gould, Andrew Hook, V. H. Leslie, Ray Cluley, Nina Allan, Joel Lane, Ilan Lerman, and Steve Rasnic Tem. Stories by Priya Sharma, Ray Cluley, Tim Casson, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Stephen Bacon are reprinted herein.
Shadows & Tall Trees, edited by Michael Kelly, brought out one issue in 2013 and will move to an annual anthology in print and ebook format in 2014. The eight supernatural stories were all good, but those that stood out for me were by Lynda E. Rucker, Daniel Mills, Ray Cluley, D. P. Watt, and Richard Gavin. There was also a brief essay about Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
Supernatural Tales, edited by David Longhorn, continues its excellent run as a digest-sized journal from England. Three issues were published in 2013, with notable stories by Christopher Harmon, Chloe N. Clark, Iain Rowen, Sam Dawson, Sean Logan, John Llewellyn Probert, Jane Jakeman, Stephen Goldsmith, and Michael Chislett. The Jakeman is reprinted herein.
Not One of Us, edited by John Benson, is published twice a year and contains stories and poetry. In 2013 there were notable stories and poetry by Mat Joiner, Patricia Russo, and Adrienne J. Odasso. In addition, Benson puts out an annual “one-off” on a specific theme. The theme for 2013 was Lost and Lonely and there was good fiction and poetry by Patricia Russo and K. S. Hardy.
Nightmare: Horror and Dark Fantasy, edited by John Joseph Adams, is one of only a handful of webzines dedicated to publishing horror fiction, articles on horror, and art. It had a good year in 2013 with notable stories by Tanith Lee, Marc Laidlaw, David Tallerman, Carrie Vaughn, Brit Mandelo, Brooke Bolander, Jennifer Giesbrecht, Alison Littlewood, C. S. McMullen, Sam J. Miller, Tamsyn Muir, Linda Nagata, Norman Partridge, David J. Schow, Lynda E. Rucker, and Jeff VanderMeer. The Rucker and Nagata are reprinted herein.