There’s always an air of excitement chez Grant whenever a new publication from TTA Press drops through the mailbox. Interzone has always been great, and I make sure to get my hands on it first before it disappears into the black hole that is my son’s bedroom, but now I have a similar situation with Black Static, the magazine of horror and dark fantasy writing from those same publishers and a favourite with both my wife and daughter. Issue 8 came to us just before Christmas and I’ve only just got my hands on it, but I’m glad to say that it doesn’t disappoint.
There are six short stories between the covers of this issue and it has to be said upfront that the quality of the writing just gets better and better with each one. We start with ‘At the Gates’ by Patrick Samphire in which teenager Grace finds an abandoned and very sick dog on her way home from school. Never one to abandon a good cause, and in a silent protest against her mother’s abusive boyfriend, Malcolm, she sneaks it home and names it Hope. But Hope remains sick and Malcolm gets worse and Grace must seek help from the very depths of hell to save herself and her dog.
Next up is Lynda E. Rucker’s ‘These Things We Have Always Known’ set in the backwoods American town of Cold Rest that no-one ever leaves and where the seemingly normal turns into the decidedly strange, where hand-carved sculptures come to life and where, eventually, a life lived in hiding will come for you.
‘Noppero-Bo’ by Steve Rasnic Tem takes us to Japan. After his Mother’s death, schoolboy Aaron goes to live with his Father in an identikit estate house with all the other ex-Pats. He finds himself stalked by a faceless woman, but this is no monster chasing him, rather it is a manifestation of his own self-inflicted alienation from this strange new world, and he must master it before it masters him.
James Cooper’s ‘There’s Something Wrong With Pappy’ also features two kids, an absentee parent and a rural, moorland setting. As Pappy tries to come to terms with his wife’s death, he spends whole days up at the big grey house. Meanwhile, Alice sits in her room building a replica of the house from scraps of wood. As Pappy’s behaviour becomes more erratic it becomes clear to her brother that the house has a hold on Pappy and to free him, they must destroy Alice’s model before it takes him over forever.
‘The Book of Ruth’ by Steven Pirie is a dark tale of desperate, quiet, frustration and horrific sexual abuse set in that most inoffensive of suburban places, the local charity shop. Very British in tone and language it ends with the most unexpected of turns.
Gary Fry’s “Taking On Life” has teenager Louis using his old printer to create an idealised image of his life, until one image seems to be a warning from his future.
Each tale is terrific in the telling and, as I said before, the quality improves with every magazine. In amongst this are some great features, Christopher Fowler accepts that the country needs more engineers and scientists but asks for more dreamers, for they will change the world. Stephen Volk looks at where good ideas come from and amongst the plentiful reviews of books and DVDs, Mike O’Driscoll continues his look at the future of the genre.
All in all another fine addition to the Black Static library, get a copy, you won’t regret it.
Black Static is published by TTA Press and subscriptions can be ordered from their website.