Alchemy Press editors interviewed

Editors of The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors, Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards, have been interviewed by Jenny Barber:

Besides the very general theme ‘horror’ the book has no theme. I feel that stories in themed anthologies, especially tightly themed ones, can become too similar. I enjoy variety. I enjoy coming across something unexpected. In this I mirror the views expressed by Mark Morris, editor of the wonderful New Fears series.

I use the word ‘horror’ as a wide catch-all net. What you will find between the covers is 25 well-written yarns that will hopefully chill you, or at the least make you go: wow, I didn’t expect that. Weird stories. Creature features. There are stories that may have been at home in The Pan Book of Horror Stories, perhaps in New Terrors (edited by Ramsey Campbell), or in one of Stephen Jones & David Sutton’s anthologies. Other anthologies are available.

Read the full interview on Jenny’s website.

 

New crop of anthologies

The writer/editor Paul Finch covers a number of new and recent horror anthologies and short stories:

For whatever reason, these dull, dark and soundless days in the autumn of the year start to make us think ghosts and goblins. I’ve addressed the possible explanations for this many times before on this blog, so I won’t try to get all scholarly on you now. Who knows why we do it? Deep fears of the unknown embedded into us from time immemorial and rekindled by the withering of the land and dwindling of the light? The undying pagan myths wrapped about the season’s most ancient and beloved festivals, Halloween, Christmas etc? The mere tradition of it – the fact that our ancestors had nothing to do once the crops were all in except sit around fires and tell each other tall tales?

Visit Paul’s blog to read the full article.

 

 

Horror stories

I publish books as The Alchemy Press. This month sees the launch of The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors, edited by Jan Edwards and me. This is the first volume in a projected annual series.

Twenty-five tales of horror and the weird, stories that encapsulate the dark, the desolate and the downright creepy. Stories that will send that quiver of anticipation and dread down your spine and stay with you long after the lights have gone out.

Who is Len Binn, a comedian or…? What secrets are locked away in Le Trénébreuse? The deadline for what? Who are the little people, the garbage men, the peelers? What lies behind the masks? And what horrors are found down along the backroads?

Discover who has written super all-new stories between the covers here.

 

Compromising the Truth

With my another hat on I publish Alchemy Press books. 2017 was a very quiet year due to moving house and illness and so in 2018 I crept back into the bullpen — slowly. I have two books due out this year. The first, already available, is Compromising the Truth by Bryn Fortey: eighteen stories plus two dozen poems of the weird and wonderful: a touch of science fiction, a tidbit of horror, a sprinkling of the strange.

From Adrian Cole’s introduction: “His stories reflect a clear understanding of the human condition and he imbues his characters with knowing insights. The tales vary from stark, unnerving urban horror, to blackly humorous, almost preposterous fantasy, although even these hugely entertaining yarns are seated in reality. “

 

2017 BFS Awards – short list

The nominees for the 2017 British Fantasy Society Fantasy Awards has been published. As usual, it’s  list of many categories, of which The Alchemy Press features in three of them: Best Independent Press; Best Anthology (Something Remains, a tribute to the late Joel Lane, edited by Peter Coleborn and Pauline E Dungate); and Best Short Story (“Charmed Life” by Simon Avery from Something Remains). Fingers crossed.

The winners will be announced at FantasyCon at the end of September. The full list is available here.

 

 

Hekla’s Children reviewed

 

Hekla’s Children by James Brogden. Titan £7.99

Reviewed by Peter Coleborn

Quite simply, I was captivated by this novel almost instantly. I admit that some may think I’m somewhat biased: I’ve known James Brogden for many years and have included some of his short stories in the magazines I edited for the British Fantasy Society, as well as publishing a collection of his finely crafted short stories (Evocations, The Alchemy Press). However, and trust me in this, if I hadn’t enjoyed Hekla’s Children I wouldn’t have read it so quickly and you wouldn’t be reading this review.

Nathan is a teacher who has a simple task, guide four teenagers round Sutton Park as part of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. Except that he’s too infatuated with Sue and hangs back observing them from a distance. As the children cross a stream and continue trekking, he sees the terrain alter. The stream is now a river, the ground becomes a wooded hill. Yet within moments the real world returns – all except the four kids.

Alchemy Press book launch

For those going to FantasyCon by the Sea this year, The Alchemy Press launches two anthologies at noon on Saturday 24 September:

• The Private Life of Elder Things
• Something Remains

Promises to be a great book launch. Many of the contributors will be in attendance.

 

New books

• Neal Asher – Dark Intelligence – Pan £8.99
• Tony Ballantyne – Dream Paris – Solaris £7.99
• Christopher Fowler – The Sand Men – Solaris £7.99
• Alexander Freed – Star Wars: Battlefront: Twilight Company – Century £19.99
• Wayne G Hammond & Christina Scull — The Art of the Lord of the Rings — Harper Collins £25
• Marcus Hearn – Thunderbirds: The Vault – Virgin £25
• Dave Hutchinson – Europe at Midnight – Solaris £7.99
• George RR Martin — A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — Harper £20
• Paul Meloy – The Night Clock – Solaris £7.99
• Adam Nevill – Lost Girl – Pan £7.99
• Stephen Nicholas & Mike Tucker – Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds – BBC £35
• Terry Pratchett – The Shepherd’s Crown – Doubleday £20
• Rob Redman (ed) – Long Grey Beard and Glittering Eye – Fiction Desk £9.99
• Justin Richards – Doctor Who : The Time Lord Letters – BBC £20
• Brandon Sanderson – Shadows of Self – Gollancz £18.99
• Brandon Sanderson – Legion – Gollancz £8.99
• Brandon Sanderson – Legion: Skin Deep – Gollancz £9.99
• Yrsa Sigurdardottir – The Undesired – Hodder £14.99

New Books

 

• Joe Abercrombie – Half a War – Harper £12.99
• Trevor Baxendale – Doctor Who: Deep Time – BBC £6.99
• Bradley Beaulieu – Twelve Kings – Gollancz £16.99
• Jim Butcher – Skin Game – Orbit £8.99
• Ernest Cline – Armada – Century £16.99
• Joshua Gaylord – When We were Animals – Del Rey £12.99
• Laurell K Hamilton – Dead Ice – Headline £ 19.99
• Robin Hobb – Fool’s Assassin – Harper £8.99
• Robin Hobb – Fool’s Quest – Harper £20
• Mark Hodder – The Return of the Discontinued Man – Del Rey £8.99
• Andrew Michael Hurley – The Loney – John Murray £14.99
• Erika Johansen – The Invasion of the Tearling – Bantam £14.99
• James Brogden — Evocations — The Alchemy Press £10.99
• Jasper Kent – The Last Rite – Bantam £7.99
• Dean Koontz – Saint Odd – Harper £7.99
• Mark Lawrence – The Liar’s Key – Harper £14.99
• Una McCormack – Doctor Who: Royal Blood – BBC £6.99
• Alexander Maskill – The Hive Construct – Corgi £7.99
• Weston Ochse – grunt Traitor – Solaris £7.99
• Seth Patrick – Lost Souls – Pan Macmillan £7.99
• Gary Russell – Doctor Who: Big Bang Generation – BBC £6.99
• Yrsa Sigurdardottir – The Undesired – Hodder £14.99 (October)

 

Worlds of the Unknown

Worlds of the UNKNOWN is a new magazine that endeavours to emulate the feel of three magazine now no longer with us: the pulp magazine Unknown / Unknown Worlds, the golden years of the digest magazine Fantastic, and the short-lived digest magazine Beyond Fantasy Fiction. So far Spectre Press has produced two Volumes of Worlds of the UNKNOWN.

Volume 1 contains stories by Adrian Cole, Andrew Darlington and Mike Chinn, with artwork by Bob Covington and Jim Pitts, Issue 1 also includes an essay by Mike Ashley about Unknown. The cover art is by Jim Pitts.

Volume 2 contains reprints of Theodore Sturgen‘s ‘IT’ from Unknown; Arthur Machen‘s ‘The Bowmen’ plus one other of his stories to mark 100 years since World War 1; many more original stories; and an article by Jon Harvey about Beyond Fantasy Fiction.  The cover is by Bob Covington who also provided a four-page comic called ‘The Angels of War’.

Both issues are available for £10 plus £1.50 each p&p in the UK. Copies can be obtained by Paypal, using the email jon.harvey @ talktalk.net, or a cheque made out to Jon Harvey, at 56 Mickle Hill, Sandhurst, Berkshire, GU47 8QU.

The publisher (Jon Harvey) is currently organising Volume 3, which contains stories by Andrew Darlington, Marion Pitman plus tales first published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction. Jon states:

 I am looking for more stories in the vein of the three magazines mentioned above.  I am also looking for artists to illustrate various stories and covers.  I have used artists such as Bob Covington, David Fletcher, Fergal Fitzgerald, Russ Nicholson and Jim Pitts in the first two volumes, but I need more artist to help ease the load.  Authors and artists, please contact me at jon.harvey @ talktalk.com.  All copyrights will remain with you, plus original artwork.

If you are interested in a catalogue of Spectre Press publications or you wish to discuss contributions to WOTU magazine, please contact the editor:

jon.harvey @ talktalk.com