Clik here to view.
Barry N. Malzberg, July 24, 1939 – December 19, 2024
Barry Malzberg in 2009 Barry Malzberg died Thursday, December 19, 2024, at the age of 85. I never met Barry in person, but I knew him through correspondence — much of it on an email list, but also some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Holmes Christmas Carol
Just about everyone is familiar with A Christmas Carol. The first short movie was made in 1901, based on a play adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel. And there were new adaptations this year. THAT is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Of “Dick Merryman” and “a Bad Stink”
British Film Institute Box Set of BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas One of the earliest Christmas ghost stories concludes with dismemberment and a fart joke. Those familiar with the tradition of telling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Merry Christmas from Black Gate
This has been a milestone year for our little website. In 1999 my friend Wayne MacLaurin helped me register the blackgate.com domain, and we launched the site to support our ambitious fantasy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chess in Sword & Planet Fiction, Part IV: Lin Carter’s Callisto
The 8-volume Callisto series by Lin Carter (Dell, 1972-1978). Covers by Vincent DiFate and Ken Kelly After Burroughs worked chess — in its Martian version of Jetan — into his John Carter series with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A to Z Review: Once There Was a Way, by Bryce Zabel
The Beatles were one of the most important bands of the twentieth century, but at the same time, and despite the massive Beatlemania the accompanied them, they only really existed in the public...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jumping the Shark, Part III
Sharknado 6: It’s About Time (The Asylum/Syfy Films, 2018), and Great White (Piccadilly Pictures, 2021) So, here we go. A new watch-a-thon, this one based on a handful of the 500+ shark movies that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From Al-Qadim to The East Mark Gazetteer
Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures (TSR, 1992). Cover by Jeff Easley Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures, by Jeff Grubb (with Andria Hayday), was one of the finest settings produced by TSR during the AD&D 2E...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Best of Bob: 2024
Happy 2025! Let’s kick butt for another year. Or at least, limp to the finish 52 weeks. from now. I take what I can get. I started a Best of Bob feature last year. And while it may seem I’m constantly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Failed Giant: Five Tributes to Barry N. Malzberg
Barry N. Malzberg Barry N. Malzberg died on December 19. In his Black Gate obituary, Rich Horton wrote: Malzberg was in his unique way a true giant in our field. Barry himself, in his later years,...
View Article