Issue Two Introduction

As we move on to the second issue, I’m thrilled to talk about some of my favorite reprints, as well as exciting new material. For new fiction, we have three stories. “Rerolling the Dice,” by Akis Linardos is a heartbreaking tale of family, love, and loss that plays out over time in a magical school with dark echoes of Harry Potter. “The Ossification of the Space Between Us” by Kathleen Schaefer is centered around a hotel made of bones, and who wouldn’t want to read that? Touching, sweet, and nicely haunting. “While My Brother is Devoured by Eagles” by Avra Margariti leans into some grandly weird fantasy with mythical imagery that resonates throughout. And then our reprinted fiction features two brilliant stories—“Daniel’s Theory About Dolls” by Stephen Graham Jones, which is just crushing in its horror and commitment to family, as well as “The Jaws of Ouroboros” by Steve Toase, where the paste of ground up human beings is turned into a powerful drug. These may be my favorite two stories by these authors. Our new non-fiction features two exciting essays—“Retrofuturism,” by J. D. Harlock, where we combine the past and the future, and “My Top 20 Dark Speculative Books of 2023” by R. B. Wood, which is an amazing list. “The Thing About Cancer,” by Clinton Crockett Peters combines a classic horror film with a personal essay about death, with profound results. And our issue is rounded out by two powerful new poems by Chloe N. Clark—”The Girl in the Image of the Cat-Woman” and “Biblically Accurate Angels.” Something for everyone here, I think, right? ENJOY!