The Premier Issue of Nightmare Magazine is so Good It's Scary

Yes, I'm starting another review with another bad pun.  As I said previously, some things just have to be done.

Nightmare Magazine is the new online venture from John Joseph Adams, through Creeping Hemlock Press.  Whereas Lightspeed focuses on science fiction and fantasy, Nightmare will feature new and reprint horror and dark fantasy, with interviews, nonfiction, and artist spotlights thrown into the mix. 

Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, Nightmare is out of the gates and running, having gone live on October 1.  If the quality holds, it will definitely be worth the money I spent to support it.  Supporters got their electronic copies the same day the magazine went live, or I would have posted a review in advance.

While current plans are to publish two new and two reprint stories a month, the first issue has four new stories, an editorial by Adams, a column by R. J. Sevin, Author Spotlights in which the authors discuss their stories, and part one of an interview with Peter Straub.  Cover artist Jeff Simpson is the featured artist in this issue's Artist Spotlight.

Since this blog tends to be fiction oriented, let's take a look at John Joseph Adams' selections, shall we?

The Greatest Show...Anywhere

A few weeks ago, when I was doing the series Seven Days of Online Fiction, I looked at what was the then current issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies on Day 1.  Because I wasn't reviewing series fiction as part of the Seven Days, I only examined one story.  The one I didn't look at was "The Finest Spectacle Anywhere" by Genevieve Valentine.  After I posted the review, the editor, Scott Andrews, kindly sent me an email telling me the story was self-contained. 

I'd intended to go back and look at the story.  Then Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus came to town.  They're set up at the coliseum getting ready for a series of performances that start tomorrow.  I've been driving by the elephants going to and from work every day this week.  What better motivation to visit a circus in a fantasy world?

Seven Days of Online Fiction, Day 1: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

The first story we'll be looking at in our Seven Day of Online Fiction is"Buzzard's Final Bow" by Jason S. Ridler in the May 5 issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  This is issue number 68 for those of you who are counting. The other story in the issue is "The Finest Spectacle Anywhere" by Genevieve Valentine.  It's the second in a series.  Since one of the rules of The Seven Days is to only look at standalone stories, it won't be considered here.  It looks intriguing, though, so I may post about it after The Seven Days.