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. “

 

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

Nick Nightmare Investigates by Adrian Cole

Nick Nightmare Investigates by Adrian Cole. Cover art by Bob Eggleton. Interior art by Jim Pitts. Co-published by The Alchemy Press and Airgedlámh Publications

ISBN 978-0-9573489-8-1

In this frenetic collection of stories taken from the files of Nick Nightmare, Private Eye, the intrepid pulp hero is thrown into a murky world of crawling horrors, spawned by the Old Ones as they seek to rise up from their primordial oceanic depths, ‘when the stars are right.’ Whether he is shooting it out with power-crazed acolytes in his native New York, or slipping across into other dimensions to battle the spreading plague of invasion, Nightmare is never far from the long, clammy reach of the things from the Deep, bizarre artefacts of power, decrepit villages and citadels, magic and voodoo. Life for the private eye is an endless slalom of mayhem.

Joining Nightmare are a host of weird characters, from the Sleaze Sisters, to Sharkbait Bill; the ageing but still potent superhero team, Vengeance Unlimited; and the extraordinary Monitifellini and his Magic Bus. There are the devious depravities of the Vogue Prince, the Bang Gang, and the frightful Spiderhead, to name but a few.

Nick Nightmare Investigates includes a team-up with Damian Paladin in a brand new, full-blooded action thriller, written in collaboration with Mike Chinn. Nick Nightmare Investigates is a potent blend of HP Lovecraft, Mickey Spillane and the roller coaster adventures of the golden age of the pulps. Available as a signed, limited edition (200 copies only) hardcover from The Alchemy Press.