Black Cat Weekly #2

Black Cat Weekly #2
Author: Jeff Cohen
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2021
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479462586

The second issue of Black Cat Weekly presents more tales of the mysterious and fantastic—four mystery shorts, a mystery novel, four science fiction stories, and a fantasy novel, by some of the greatest writers of all time. Here are: IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD GIRL! by Jeff Cohen [Barb Goffman Presents - mystery short story] THE MYSTERY OF THE TRUST BUILDER, by Frank Lovell Nelson [Serial story - 2 of 12] ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT, by Hal Charles [Solve it yourself mystery!] THE TWISTED INN, by Hugh Walpole [mystery short story] FALSE TO ANY MAN, by Leslie Ford [mystery novel] THE TELL, by David Brin [Paul Di Filippo Presents - sci-fi short story] MRS. PIGAFETTA SWIMS WELL, by Reginald Bretnor [sci-fi short story] THIRTY DAYS HATH SEPTEMBER, by Robert F. Young [sci-fi short story] THE ALIEN DIES AT DAWN, by Randall Garrett and Robert Silverberg [sci-fi short story] THE ENCHANTED CRUSADE, by Geoff St. Reynard [fantasy novel]

Black Cat Weekly #62

Black Cat Weekly #62
Author: M.A. MONNIN; KATHRYN PRATER BOMEY; SYDNEY J. BOUND.
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 610
Release: 2022-11-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1667660454

Black Cat Weekly #62 presents another thrilling mix of original and classic science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and adventure fiction. Here are more than 600 pages of great reading—no matter what genres you enjoy, you'll find something you'll love in these pages! Mystery / Crime / Suspense: “Siren Song,” by M. A. Monnin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Letter Perfect,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Beneath the Surface,” by Kathryn Prater Bomey [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Code 197,” by Richard S. Prather [novella] A Human Counterfeit, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction / Fantasy / Adventure: “Siren Song,” by M. A. Monnin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Green Roses,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “A Family Matter,” by Sydney J. Bounds [short story] “The Isle of Lost Ships,” by Seabury Quinn [novella] “Miracle,” by Ray Cummings [short story] The Cave Girl, by Edgar Rice Burroughs [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #22

Black Cat Weekly #22
Author: Michael Bracken
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2022
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479471364

Black Cat Weekly #22 features a change of pace fantasy story from Michael Bracken, who is best known for his mysteries and crime stories—selected by Cynthia Ward. It’s our featured story this issue. But that’s not to say the other science fiction and fantasy stories aren’t great, too! “Alien,” by Lester del Rey, is a different take on the crash-landed alien who wants to eat everyone around him. And I’m sure you’ll get a chuckle from Larry Tritten’s gonzo sendup of generic fantasy and science fiction quest stories, “The Lord of the Land Beyond (Book One).” (Hint: don’t look for a sequel.) Classics from Unknown by Malcolm Jameson and from Weird Tales by Manley Wade Welllman round out the section. Mystery readers, too, have a lot to explore. Charlotte Morganti leads off with “Deadly Drama,” selected by Michael Bracken—it begins with an accordion festival—rejoice if you like polkas!—but I don’t want to say too much. Read it yourself! Barb Goffman brings us “All Prayers Are Answered,” a powerful story by Eric Rutter of a homeless man whose friend is murdered. He is drawn into the investigation out of fear a young woman investigating the crime will come to harm—or unearth a terrible secret from his past. If you like your detectives hardboiled, Frank Kane returns with another Johnny Liddell mystery. Traditional mystery fans will enjoy a Madame Story novel from Hulbert Footner. And western and historical readers will enjoy a great pulp novel by Max Brand. And of course, where would we be without our solve-it-yourself mystery? Pit your wits against Hal Charles (the writing tream of Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet) and see if you can solve “The Coin Flip” without reading the solution! Lastly, “The ‘Rexmel,” by Ralph Milne Farley, has an improbable invention, but it’s not really science fiction, even though it’s by a science fiction writer and appeared in a fantasy magazine. Maybe you could call it a pulp sea-story with shaggy dog elements? Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure “Deadly Drama at the Accordion-o-Rama,” by Charlotte Morganti [short story] “A Coin Flip,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “A Package for Mr. Big,” by Frank Kane [short novel] “All Prayers Are Answered,” by Eric Rutter [short story] The Death Notice by Hulbert Footner [novel] A Shower of Silver, by Max Brand [novel] “The ‘Rexmel’,” by Ralph Milne Farley [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy “The Fishmonger’s Wife,” by Michael Bracken [Cynthia Ward Presents, short story] “The Lord of the Land Beyond (Book One),” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Alien,” by Lester del Rey [short story] “Doubled and Redoubled,” by Malcolm Jameson [short story] “Old Dhoh,” by Manly Wade Wellman [short story]

Black Cat Weekly #48

Black Cat Weekly #48
Author: Matthew Hughes
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 717
Release: 2022
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479478873

For this week's Black Cat Weekly, Michael Bracken has acquired an original mystery by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, Barb Goffman found a tale by SJ Rozan that will surely satisfy crime fans, and Cynthia Ward tracked down a Matthew Hughes story. Plus, for the sheer silliness of it all, there’s a Mickey Spillane parody from 1954 (which manages to be both a mystery and fantasy…but wasn’t everything of Spillane’s?) and classics from R. Austin Freeman (a Dr Thorndyke story), a Nick Carter novel, and the first Skylark of Space novel by E.E. “Doc” Smith. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Ripen,” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Death Takes a Swing,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “E-Golem,” by SJ Rozan [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Case Of Oscar Brodski,” by R. Austin Freeman [short story] A Human Counterfeit, by Nicholas Carter [novel] “The Shaky Undertaker,” by Ed Cox [short story] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Shaky Undertaker,” by Ed Cox [short story] “To the Sons of Tomorrow,” by Irving Cox, Jr. [short story] “Mastermindless,” by Matthew Hughes [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Problem In Solid,” by George O. Smith [short story] “Sequel,” by Ben Smith [short story] The Skylark of Space, by E.E. “Doc” Smith [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #140

Black Cat Weekly #140
Author: Steve Liskow
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2024-05-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

This time, we have a pair of original mysteries—tales by Steve Liskow (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and M.A. Blume, plus a terrific tale by Steve Hockensmith (which typography nuts like me will enjoy, courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). The mystery novel is by Avery Gaul, and of course we have a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. On the science fiction side, we have a novel by Golden Age author Arthur Leo Zagat, an early—and quite silly—fantasy from Harlan Ellison, space opera from Edmond Hamilton, and straight-up SF tales from John Victor Peterson and Manly Bannister. Lots of fun. Here’s the lineup: Cover: Ron Miller Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Grifted Age” by Steve Liskow [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Deadly Reunion” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “i” by Steve Hockensmith [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Pretty Is As Pretty Does,” by M.A. Blume [short story] Five Nights at the Five Pines, by Avery Gaul [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Classified Object,” by John Victor Peterson [short story] “The Annals of Aardvark,” by Harlan Ellison [short story] “The Great Illusion,” by Manly Bannister [short story] “The Star-Stealers,” by Edmond Hamilton [short story] The Two Moons of Tranquillia, by Arthur Leo Zagat [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #45

Black Cat Weekly #45
Author: Craig Shaw Gardner
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 677
Release: 2022
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479476897

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #45. This is an fun issue, and I’ve selected Tobias S. Buckell’s fantasy “The Fisher Dragon” as the cover story. (I must admit to having a fondness for dragons. The very first story I sold professionally, way back at the dawn of time when I was 16 years old, was about a dragon. And they appear in several of my novels, most notably Master of Dragons.) Thanks to acquiring editor Cynthia Ward for selecting it. Black Cat’s other acquiring editors are represented in this issue, too—Michael Bracken selected an original mystery from John M. Floyd, and Barb Goffman has a tale about a retired detective by Steve Hockensmith (whose “Holmes on the Range” series of historical mystery stories are must-reads, as far as I’m concerned. Check then out if you get a chance.) And last (but not least), Darrell Schweitzer unearthed one of his paleo-interviews for us—this time with Craig Shaw Gardner. It's from the 1990s, when Gardner had just become a best-selling author, thanks to his Batman movie novelization. And we have classics by George O. Smith, Henry Kuttner, and many others, including a 1915 Nick Carter mystery novel. And, of course, a modern solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles (the writing team of Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet). Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “From Ten to Two” by John M. Floyd [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “An Eggceptional Solution” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Frank” by Steve Hockensmith [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Bush-Rancher, by Harold Bindloss [novel] The Suicide, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Non-Fiction: “Speaking with Craig Shaw Gardner” [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Fisher Dragon”by Tobias S. Buckell [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Catspaw,” by George O. Smith [short story] “The Half-Haunted,” by Manly Wade Wellman [short story] “The Sea-Witch,” by Nictzin Dyalhis [short story] “Chameleon Man,” by Henry Kuttner [short story]

Black Cat 2-1

Black Cat 2-1
Author: Bob Ford
Publisher: BrownBooks.ORM
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2015-01-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612542441

“This moving memoir about the gritty life of a military helicopter pilot fills a gap in the genre of Vietnam literature.”—Foreword Reviews In the Vietnam War, 2,197 helicopter pilots and 2,717 crew members were killed. Black Cat 2-1 is the story of one pilot who made it home and the valiant men he served with who risked their lives for the troops on the ground. Bob Ford invites readers into the Huey helicopters he flew on more than 1,000 missions when he and his men dared to protect and rescue. For those whose voices were silenced in that faraway place or who have never told their stories, he creates a tribute that reads like a thriller, captures the humor of men at war, and resounds with respect for those who served with honor. An Oklahoma Book Award Finalist “Bob Ford’s account of his year in the command seat of his ship of salvation is a priceless contribution to the literary canon of that war.”—David A. Maurer, Special Forces veteran, author of The Dying Place “[Ford] brings to life his story so the reader can experience what it may have been like—and how the troops felt at the time. With moments that feel like they were written for a movie, Black Cat 2-1 will take you in the air over Vietnam and through some of the hardest missions you could expect.”—Week99er “This memoir is hard to beat.”—Air & Space/Smithsonian “Capably written.”—Publishers Weekly “Refreshing . . . evocative descriptions of combat flying.”—The VVA Veteran

Black Cat Weekly #102

Black Cat Weekly #102
Author: Joseph S. Walker
Publisher: Black Cat Weekly
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2023-08-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Black Cat Weekly #102 has quite an eclectic lineup. We have modern mystery tales by Joseph S. Walker and Marc Lecard (thanks to Acquiring Editors Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman. A parody of Harlan Ellison’s work from Larry Tritten. Noir from Bruno Fischer. A story featuring traditional British detective Sexton Blake from Hal Meredith. Classic sci-fi by Lester del Rey. And let’s not forget our solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. We also have more than a few stories by famous authors that appeared outside of the genre for which they are most famous. This time it’s mystery writer Evan Hunter, plus horror writers Joseph Payne Brennan and H.P. Lovecraft, all with science fiction stories. Lovecraft’s first appeared as a 3-part serial in Astounding Stories. How did Lovecraft’s work manage to appear in Astounding? For a brief time, he had an agent—who made the sale for him to a market that paid significantly more than Weird Tales. Surely Lovecraft never would have submitted to Astounding on his own. And never mind that it really is a science fiction story, though there are cosmic horrors as well. Literary quality sold it. And so Lovecraft became a science fiction pulp writer! Evan Hunter—slumming in the science fiction field—sold his story to Science Fiction Quarterly—a respectable market, if not in the top tier. Brennan’s tale appeared as an original in his 1963 collection, Scream at Midnight. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: "Making the Bad Guys Nervous," by Joseph S. Walker [Michael Bracken Presents short story] "Things That Go Bump," by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] "Teardown," by Marc Lecard [Barb Goffman Presents short story] "Py Ponk," by Hal Meredith [Sexton Blake series, short story] "Stop Him!," by Bruno Fischer Science Fiction & Fantasy: "Painbird, Painbird, Fly Away Home," by Larry Tritten "Operation Distress," by Lester Del Rey "The Dump," by by Joseph Payne Brennan "Reaching for the Moon," by Evan Hunter At the Mountains of Madness, by H. P. Lovecraft [novel]

Black Cat Weekly #23

Black Cat Weekly #23
Author: Cynthia Ward
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 492
Release: 2022-02-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479472018

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #23. Lots of good stuff this time—highlighted by a novel from Golden Age mystery author Rufus King, Duenna for a Murder. Plus a few novellas, and lots of great short stories, a solve-it-yourself mystery from Hal Charles, and great selections from Michael Bracken (Laird Long’s “Taken for a Ride”—which qualifies as both a mysery and a fantasy story) and Barb Goffman (Michael Allan Mallory’s “Random Harvest”). On the science fiction side, the Cynthia Ward Presents story is missing this week, but that’s only because we have a fantastic alternate-history story from Cynthia herself! Check out her “On Stony Ground.” Plus an epic disaster story from Allan Danzig, a fantasy from Unknown by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard, a space-based tale by Richard Wilson, and a miniature military SF story from Larry Tritten. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Soul Searching,” by Laird Long [short story] “A Fine Kettle of Fish,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Dead Wrong,” by Frank Kane [short story] “Taken for a Ride,” by Hulbert Footner [short novel] “Random Harvest,” by Michael Allan Mallory [Barb Goffman Presents short story] Duenna to a Murder, by Rufus King [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “On Stony Ground,” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Corrigan’s Homunculi,” by Larry Tritten [short story] “Carillon of Skulls,” by Lester del Rey and James H. Beard [short story] “Abel Baker Camel,” by Richard Wilson [short story] “The Great Nebraska Sea,” by Allan Danzig [short story]

Black Cat Weekly #18

Black Cat Weekly #18
Author: Elizabeth Bear
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Total Pages: 529
Release: 2021-12-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1479470805

Black Cat Weekly #18 is another great lineup of novels and short stories this time, so without further ado—on to the stories! Mysteries / Suspense: “Rediscovery,” by James Holding [short story] “Staying Cool,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “The Ghost Who Read the Newspaper,” by Vicki Weisfeld [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “Mr. Clackworthy and the Auto Rim,” by Christopher B. Booth [short story] “Kane and Averill,” by Bev Vincent [short story] The Merchant of Murder, by Spencer Dean [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Deeps of the Sky,” by Elizabeth Bear [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Spanish Vampire,” by E. Hoffmann Price [short story] “The Potable Zombie,” by Larry Tritten [short story] The Giant Atom, by Malcolm Jameson [novel]