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Pulp Modern: Volume Two, Issue Three
The first and best independent genre fiction journal returns with nine new stories. Find out for yourself why Pulp Modern is read around the world...
127 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2018
Pulp Modern is in its second iteration joining the new wave of indie genre lit-zines that includes Switchblade, Econoclash Review and
Broadswords and Blasters along with the soon to be published in print, Tough Crime. The editors of each 'zine form a tight knit community on social media each supporting the other and I'm sure the Pulp Modern editor, Alec Cizak, has been able to lead with some experience from the magazine's first run.
This is an edition that grabs you by the collar and never let go and displays all of Cizak's experience as someone with an eye for a great story. The issue opens with "The Great Unknown" by Doug Lane, which is an excellent piece of hardboiled crime that is not for the squeamish as a mob enforcer is given a way to pay off his debts. "The Revenge of the Dead Coat-Check Girl" by Thomas Dade doesn't let up on either category as a disgraced cop looks to get revenge on the man who's left him working as a hotel detective.
Michael Bracken's "Good Girls Don't" is perhaps my favourite story from the issue and is best described as a hardboiled adventures in babysitting. "A/S/L?" by Stephen D. Rogers dips into the world of predators in chatrooms as a police officer investigates one such case. "Elizabeth Beatrice Moore" by John Kojak has a great classicism to it with it's Hollywood setting and young women trying to be stars.
"Roadsong" by Cynthia Ward neatly segues into the other genres that PM regularly features with this sc-fi noir about a young man who can read the emotions and feelings of those around him, but drives a long haul truck to dampen his power's effects. "Going Dark" by Scotch Rutherford goes full sci-fi with a Philip K. Dick-ian tale of corporate skullduggery and packs a lot into his allotment of pages.
"Sand in a Jar" by J.A. Prentice brings us a stylish fantasy horror story, that while not usually a genre I truck in had me hooked and bursting for the ending. "The Killing at Queen's Tooth" by Chris McGinley rounds out the issue with a western tale of two town outcasts.
If you've never read Pulp Modern before I'd say there isn't a better time to start than now with this flawless collection of stories. I'm off to read David Nemeth's far more professional review over at Unlawful Acts.
Broadswords and Blasters along with the soon to be published in print, Tough Crime. The editors of each 'zine form a tight knit community on social media each supporting the other and I'm sure the Pulp Modern editor, Alec Cizak, has been able to lead with some experience from the magazine's first run.
This is an edition that grabs you by the collar and never let go and displays all of Cizak's experience as someone with an eye for a great story. The issue opens with "The Great Unknown" by Doug Lane, which is an excellent piece of hardboiled crime that is not for the squeamish as a mob enforcer is given a way to pay off his debts. "The Revenge of the Dead Coat-Check Girl" by Thomas Dade doesn't let up on either category as a disgraced cop looks to get revenge on the man who's left him working as a hotel detective.
Michael Bracken's "Good Girls Don't" is perhaps my favourite story from the issue and is best described as a hardboiled adventures in babysitting. "A/S/L?" by Stephen D. Rogers dips into the world of predators in chatrooms as a police officer investigates one such case. "Elizabeth Beatrice Moore" by John Kojak has a great classicism to it with it's Hollywood setting and young women trying to be stars.
"Roadsong" by Cynthia Ward neatly segues into the other genres that PM regularly features with this sc-fi noir about a young man who can read the emotions and feelings of those around him, but drives a long haul truck to dampen his power's effects. "Going Dark" by Scotch Rutherford goes full sci-fi with a Philip K. Dick-ian tale of corporate skullduggery and packs a lot into his allotment of pages.
"Sand in a Jar" by J.A. Prentice brings us a stylish fantasy horror story, that while not usually a genre I truck in had me hooked and bursting for the ending. "The Killing at Queen's Tooth" by Chris McGinley rounds out the issue with a western tale of two town outcasts.
If you've never read Pulp Modern before I'd say there isn't a better time to start than now with this flawless collection of stories. I'm off to read David Nemeth's far more professional review over at Unlawful Acts.
July 19, 2018
There's precious little light in this mag, the stories falling heavy on the noir and crime, with a few speculative fiction pieces thrown in (that also lean heavy on the dark). On the level, the writing is sharp and the editing professional, easily making PULP MODERN a go-to for short fiction with an edge.
A breakdown:
“The Great Unknown” by Doug Lane. A small-time goon gets a chance to work off a debt to a mob boss, he just needs to steal a sideshow attraction. But double-crosses come easy when there’s no honor among thieves, and sometimes you need to take out a bit of extra insurance to get away clean.
“Revenge of the Dead Coat-Check Girl” by Thomas Dade. A short piece heavy on the noir, of judgment (if not justice) delivered albeit late. It reads like ‘30s hardboiled noir too, which is part of the appeal of it, and (almost) none of the characters comes across well.
“Good Girls Don’t” by Michael Bracken. A tale of a suburban crime spree and the interplay of sex and violence, of forbidden lust and temptation and of wanting to be noticed and the price that comes with.
“A/S/L?” by Stephen D. Rogers. A police officer hunting sex traffickers and pedophiles on the net stumbles across something even more disturbing.
“Elizabeth Beatrice Moore” by John Kojack. Two women in Hollywood meet up and fall in love or lust, or maybe a mixture of both. But when one of them leaves, the other refuses to let it go, the sting of betrayal and of wanting to know why driving her on.
“Roadsong” by Cynthia Ward. A moody spec fic piece of a lonely trucker who prefers to song of the road to the thoughts of people around him. But a stopover at a Maine diner changes all that when he has to decide whether to intervene when he knows other people are in danger.
“Going Dark” by Scotch Rutherford. A dark, cyberpunk tale of swapped identities and contingency plans, this is a story that I enjoyed… but feel like it would have worked better as a novella at the least given the amount of detail and worldbuilding going on. More corporate thriller than noir, but definitely a good read.
“Sand in a Jar” by J.A. Prentice. A strange mélange of Egyptian setting with faerie elements, of cycles of revenge and bargains that don’t work out the way you plan.
“The Killing at Queen’s Tooth” by Chris McGinley. A woman living on the outskirts of town by herself. A drifter with a distinct lack of a moral compass. You don’t get old on the frontier without knowing how to survive though, and you know there’s going to be blood come the end.
A breakdown:
“The Great Unknown” by Doug Lane. A small-time goon gets a chance to work off a debt to a mob boss, he just needs to steal a sideshow attraction. But double-crosses come easy when there’s no honor among thieves, and sometimes you need to take out a bit of extra insurance to get away clean.
“Revenge of the Dead Coat-Check Girl” by Thomas Dade. A short piece heavy on the noir, of judgment (if not justice) delivered albeit late. It reads like ‘30s hardboiled noir too, which is part of the appeal of it, and (almost) none of the characters comes across well.
“Good Girls Don’t” by Michael Bracken. A tale of a suburban crime spree and the interplay of sex and violence, of forbidden lust and temptation and of wanting to be noticed and the price that comes with.
“A/S/L?” by Stephen D. Rogers. A police officer hunting sex traffickers and pedophiles on the net stumbles across something even more disturbing.
“Elizabeth Beatrice Moore” by John Kojack. Two women in Hollywood meet up and fall in love or lust, or maybe a mixture of both. But when one of them leaves, the other refuses to let it go, the sting of betrayal and of wanting to know why driving her on.
“Roadsong” by Cynthia Ward. A moody spec fic piece of a lonely trucker who prefers to song of the road to the thoughts of people around him. But a stopover at a Maine diner changes all that when he has to decide whether to intervene when he knows other people are in danger.
“Going Dark” by Scotch Rutherford. A dark, cyberpunk tale of swapped identities and contingency plans, this is a story that I enjoyed… but feel like it would have worked better as a novella at the least given the amount of detail and worldbuilding going on. More corporate thriller than noir, but definitely a good read.
“Sand in a Jar” by J.A. Prentice. A strange mélange of Egyptian setting with faerie elements, of cycles of revenge and bargains that don’t work out the way you plan.
“The Killing at Queen’s Tooth” by Chris McGinley. A woman living on the outskirts of town by herself. A drifter with a distinct lack of a moral compass. You don’t get old on the frontier without knowing how to survive though, and you know there’s going to be blood come the end.
May 30, 2019
Pulp Modern is Noir At it’s Finest
Pulp Modern has all the ingredients that into successful noir fast paced plotting, crime, violence, deft plots and brilliant characterization. Here is a chance to read some of the rising stars of noir before the assume their much deserved stature.
Pulp Modern has all the ingredients that into successful noir fast paced plotting, crime, violence, deft plots and brilliant characterization. Here is a chance to read some of the rising stars of noir before the assume their much deserved stature.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews