A new magazine that has come out is Skelos. It’s billed as “the journal of weird fiction and dark fantasy.” Like others, it was launched with Kickstarter, but you can still order issues. I subscribed to the first four and recently received the first issue.
As noted, the focus is on weird fiction. In an editorial, this is given as the fiction that came from Weird Tales and from a variety of authors: Arthur Machen, Ambrose Bierce, Lord Dunsany, and on into H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, C.L. Moore, and the many who followed them. And it also includes artists like Margaret Brundage, Virgil Finley, and the like. So pretty impressive company.
The first issue (Summer 2016) seems to set the stage for future issues. We get a collection of short fiction, a couple of novelettes, and some poetry. But we also get some essays and even an illustrated story. There is also a selection of a half-dozen book reviews.
I haven’t read all the contents, but what I have read was pretty interesting. Not all is fantasy. There was some weird science fiction as well.
On the essays, all were interesting, and found myself more focused on them than the fiction.
The first one ties to a bit of previously unpublished work by Robert E. Howard. This was some draft outlines for something called “The Nameless Tribe.” These outlines show REH’s world building, and that was the focus of the essay: an examination of his anthropological world building. This essay really adds to the enjoyment of the draft outlines.
Another essay looked at the connections between Lovecraft and Machen. The last essay was a look at gender dynamics and C.L. Moore.
Over the next few weeks will be reading more of the issue. This is a good start to this new journal and I look forward to the next issue. If you like weird fiction, please check this one out. It’s available from Skelos Press.
