Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #45. This is an fun issue, and Iâve selected Tobias S. Buckellâs fantasy âThe Fisher Dragonâ 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 Catâs other acquiring editors are represented in this issue, tooâMichael Bracken selected an original mystery from John M. Floyd, and Barb Goffman has a tale about a retired detective by Steve Hockensmith (whose âHolmes on the Rangeâ series of historical mystery stories are must-reads, as far as Iâm concerned. Check then out if you get a chance.) And last (but not least), Darrell Schweitzer unearthed one of his paleo-interviews for usâthis 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).
Hereâs the complete lineup:
Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:
âFrom Ten to Twoâ by John M. Floyd [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
âAn Eggceptional Solutionâ Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
âFrankâ by Steve Hockensmith [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
The Bush-Rancher, by Harold Bindloss [novel]
The Suicide, by Nicholas Carter [novel]
Non-Fiction:
âSpeaking with Craig Shaw Gardnerâ [Interview with Darrell Schweitzer]
Science Fiction & Fantasy:
âThe Fisher Dragonâby Tobias S. Buckell [Cynthia Ward Presents short story]
âCatspaw,â by George O. Smith [short story]
âThe Half-Haunted,â by Manly Wade Wellman [short story]
âThe Sea-Witch,â by Nictzin Dyalhis [short story]
âChameleon Man,â by Henry Kuttner [short story]