Our 92nd issue features a pair of classic novels, the science fiction tale Destiny Times Three, by Fritz Leiber, and The Clue of the New Pin, a mystery by Edgar Wallace. Leiber is one of my favorite authors (he has an amazing body of work, notably the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser sword and sorcery series, but also much else of note in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror fields). And Edgar Wallace was an amazing British author who created scores of classic stories, novels, and movies (including the original King Kong). At one point, a quarter of all novels sold in England were by Wallace.
If you’re a fan of the French answer to Sherlock Holmes, Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin, you’re in for a treat. Here is a rare 1912 Arsène Lupin short story, “The Man with the Goat Skin,” in a brand new translation. (I’m finally putting my 7 years of French studies to good use.)
And, of course, our acquiring editors Barb Goffman and Michael Bracken have been hard at work. This issue, we have a story by O’Neil De Noux, thanks to Michael. Barb snagged reprint rights to John M. Floyd’s Derringer Award-winner, “On the Road with Mary Jo.”
Plus we the final 3 stories from Sekenre: The Book of the Sorcerer, by Darrell Schweitzer; a dark fantasy tale by Adrian Cole; a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles; plus vintage science fiction from Lester del Rey and Wm. Gray Beyer.
Here’s the complete lineup:
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
“A Pretty Slick Guy,” by O’Neil De Noux [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
“The Case of the Murdered Manager,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
“On the Road with Mary Jo,” by John M. Floyd [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
“The Man with the Goat Skin,” by Maurice Leblanc [short story, Arsène Lupin series]
The Clue of the New Pin, by Edgar Wallace [novel]
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
“Demon Driver” by Adrian Cole [short story]
“The Deadly Thinkers,” by Wm. Gray Beyer [short story]
“And There Was Light,” by Lester del Rey [short story]
Sekenre: The Book of the Sorcerer (part 4), by Darrell Schweitzer [4-part serial]
Destiny Times Three, by Fritz Leiber [novel]