Heavenmakers

Dark Horizons 55

Artwork by Arthur Wang.

Dark Horizons 55 has been released with fiction from Richard Ford, Naoko Awa (tr. Toshiya Kamei), Alex Davis, Mike Phillips, Alison J. Littlewood, Ian Hunter, Mike Chinn, Ralph Robert Moore, Astrid Klemz, Shaun Jeffrey, Douglas Thompson Jim Steel; poetry from Michael Fantina, Wade German and Victor D. Infante.

Non-fiction by Mike Barrett, Paul Campbell and Craig Herbertson. As well as Arthur Wang, this editions features David Bezzina, Jackie Burns, Mark Pexton, Dominic Harman, John Shanks and Ally Thompson. Stephen Theaker editor.

My humble contribution is comparable to a bible-sellers spiel on the great pulp sf author E.C. Tubb. More accurately, its a request to regard the Dumarest saga as the best sf series in existence.

The print edition is out in September.

At the age of ten my teacher told me to pick a book from the basket. Perhaps it was this new vista of choice that started it all off. It was a green book with little snow capped mountains, recommended by a friend.

At the age of sixteen another friend recommend I read ‘The Hobbit’ and because I was the luckiest boy in the world I had the joy of rediscovering Tolkein’s classic.

Lord of the Rings followed. I am eternally grateful to Providence for this but even more grateful to Mr Whittaker who on hearing me rave about Tolkein’s saga, gave me The Worm Ouroborous.

Ouroborous and the other three connected works have lit the darkness with few rivals since that first late night love affair.

I read Peake’s ‘Gormenghast ‘and still remember the delicious excitement of waiting with Steerpike in the little cell buried in the Castle, just before his great voyage to the roof tops. Nevertheless that wondrous work of fantasy will always be eclipsed by Eddison.

Vance, brilliant, Peake beautiful, Lewis, fun to read, Burroughs exciting, Le Guin quite wonderful but the only one to rock the fantastical house into the neighbour’s garden apart from Eddison, is David Lindsay. And then only ‘A Voyage to Arcturus’

That leaves me with five fantasy books to fill the grave of eternity. Still I want no more.

Fantasies

School: The Seventh Silence (2005) Editor: Storm Constantine

Novelettes

The Heaven Maker (1988) Editor: Clarence Paget The 29th Pan Book of Horror,

Short Stories

Soap 7 (1991) Editor: Dave W Hughes  Works 7
The Glowing Goblins (1992) Editor: Nik Morton Auguries 16
Under the Moons of Mars (1995) Editor: Frank Westwood Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Return to Greenwood (1997) Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Strange Fruit (2008) Editor: Rog Pile Filthy Creations 3
On the Couch (2008) Editor: Charles Black The Second Black Book of Horror
Synchronicity. (2008) Editor: Charles Black  The Third Black Book of Horror
Soup (2009) Editor: Charles Black: The Fourth Black Book of Horror.
Leibniz’s Last Puzzle ( 2009) Editor: Charles Black The Fifth Black Book of Horror.
A Game of Billiards ( 2009) Editor:  Benedict Jones Tales from the Smoking Room
Maidenhead ( 2009) The Thinking Man’s Crumpet
Spanish Suite (2010)  Editor: Charles Black: The Sixth Black Book of Horror.
The Waiting Game (2010) Editor: John Mains  Back from the Dead

Poetry

Timeless Love (2008) Editor: Rog Pile Filthy Creations 2
A White Rabbit in Gent (2005) Editor: Storm Constantine ‘School: the Seventh Silence’
Candlelit Waltz (2009) Editor: Coral King The Thinking Man’s Crumpet

Articles
Tarzan, Nietzschian Superman? Editor: Frank Westwood Fantastic worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Rope Editor: Frank Westwood Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Dumarest: The Coming Event?, (2010)  Editor:Stephen Theaker Dark Horizons 55#