Here We Go Again: Realms of Fantasy Folds

At the risk of sounding like Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again.  On Wednesday, William Gilchrist of Damnation Books announced the folding of Realms of Fantasy.  Gilchrist stated that the company was losing money on the magazine, and that the October issue (which shipped late) will be the last.  The magazine is currently up for sale.

I've been distracted by things the last few days, including but not limited to NaNoWriMo, so I only saw the announcement this morning.  While I wasn't greatly impressed with what I've seen of the magazine lately, I hate to see it go and hope someone picks up the torch.  I'll post further thoughts sometime in the next few days, once I've gotten some family obligations off my plate.

Realms of Fantasy: A Review of the April 2011 Issue

Realms of Fantasy,  April 2011 Issue
81 p., $6.99

I don't know if this issue was late or if the distributor at the local chain box store simply drug its feet, but I just saw this issue a couple of days ago.  I know it wasn't in the store a week prior to that. 

It doesn't really matter, either.  The important thing is that the issue is there.  After last year's cancellation of the magazine, it's good to see it back on the stands. The usual slew of columns are basically intact:  book reviews, movie reviews, a special in-depth look at the Addams Family on Broadway.  Theodora Goss devotes her Folkroots column to vampires, something we've examined a time or two here in the last few weeks. The Artist Gallery, always one of the high points of the magazine, looks at Brom this month. 

Which brings me to a negative point.  The cover stock used by the new publisher is of a lower quality than what was used in the past.  I was halfway through reading the issue when I noticed that the ink was coming off on my fingers.  Now I prefer my reading material to melt in my mind, not in my hands.  I understand the need to economize and that the new publisher, Damnation Books, is in business to make a profit.  But at seven bucks a pop, it wouldn't hurt to invest in the cover a little  more.

All that aside, the fiction is the backbone of the magazine, even though it tries to cover every aspect of the fantasy field.  So the question is, how does the fiction in this issue hold up?