Black Static Issue 47

Black Static

by Andy Cox (Editor), John Connolly, Eric J. Guignard

The July-August issue contains new stories by internationally bestselling author John Connolly, James Van Pelt, Kate Jonez, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Ray Cluley, and Eric J. Guignard. The front and back cover art is by Richard Wagner, and interior illustrations are by Wayne Haag, Dave Senecal, Jim Burns, and Richard Wagner. Features: Coffinmaker's Blues by Stephen Volk (comment); Notes From the Borderland by Lynda E. Rucker (comment); Case Notes by Peter Tennant (book reviews and an interview with Ray Cluley); Blood Spectrum by Tony Lee (DVD/Blu-ray reviews).

Stories:
On the Road with the American Dead by James Van Pelt
All the Day You'll Have Good Luck by Kate Jonez
Razorshins by John Connolly
The Devil's Hands by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
When the Devil's Driving by Ray Cluley
A Case Study in Natural Selection and How it Applies to Love by Eric J. Guignard

Art:
Richard Wagner
Wayne Haag
Dave Senecal
Jim Burns

Commentary:
Coffinmaker's Blues by Stephen Volk
Notes From the Borderland by Lynda E. Rucker

Reviews:
Case Notes: Book Reviews by Peter Tennant, including an extensive interview with Ray Cluley, an appreciation of Tanith Lee, reviews of many novels and anthologies
Blood Spectrum: DVD/Blu-ray Reviews by Tony Lee, covering The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Miss Osbourne, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Dream Home, Whiplash, Stonehearst Asylum, It Follows, The Voices, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, The Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence, Tusk, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and many more.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2015

Reviews

[Math · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love reading modern horror stories, or tales of the strange and eerie, then Black Static Magazine is the place to be. As always, all the stories in this magazine are of the highest quality. I loved every story in this issue, but the ones that stood out for me were: 'On the Road with the American Dead' by James Van Pelt. Pelt is an excellent writer and never disappoints, and this particular story had a twilight-zone feel to it. John Connolly's 'Razorshins' is a crime/horror mix, and an excellent example of narrative style and great story telling. The story I enjoyed the most, however, was 'A Case Study in Natural Selection and How it Applies to Love' by Eric J. Guignard. There's a great narrative voice to this dystopian, coming-of-age tale, which finds just the right balance between hope, despair and human frailty.

There's also the regular reviews of books and DVDs, and an interview with the excellent Ray Cluley, and if you're not familiar with his work then I recommend you check it out.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

ON THE ROAD WITH THE AMERICAN DEAD by James Van Pelt
“You know, the wonder is we don’t see more ghosts.”

When reviewing Black Static or Interzone, I usually don’t mention any story’s bespoke accompanying artwork. Not that I think artwork is unworthy of mentioning or inferior in any way, but I think that my role is to dwell on the pure texts among and between.

Those who regularly read my reviews will know exactly what I mean. And what is more, I don’t consider myself to be an expert on (or a fan of) artwork and its effects in the context of fiction.

However, I was particularly struck with Richard Wagner’s opening shot for this story. I felt I was driving the car as evoked by a combination of the words and the monochrome car’s cockpit of the story. And that made the rest of it work perfectly. An off beat experience of driving with the recurrent talkative ghosts in the passenger seat from their own history and place of my route. All capped off with the gem of an ending that rationalises the existence of the ghosts in this story, in any story that creates them for us. Story as a truth truer than truth itself?

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the design and graphics, not so much the stories. Most of them seem a little old-fashioned and longwinded for my taste.