Magazines review
TTA Press
www.ttapress.com
Release date Out now

Sci-fi, horror and slipstream fiction and articles...

The market for short stories is, unfortunately, much smaller than it was 20 years ago, so it’s good to see that TTA Press are keeping the format alive with their regular genre magazines Interzone and Black Static (they also publish the crime mag Crimewave).

Interzone has been chugging along for 26 years now, and in its long history has seen contributions from the likes of Iain M. Banks, J.G. Ballard, Brian Aldiss and many others. The biggest name in Issue 217 is probably Paul McAuley (Cowboy Angels), whose story, Little Lost Robot, is an original look at the various ‘personalities’ (Librarian, Navigator, Tactician and Philosopher) of an intelligence-destroying robot.

There’s a selection of other interesting stories too which showcase just how diverse the genre can be; pick of the rest is probably Suzanne Palmer’s fun Concession Girl about a young woman who works in a fast food joint on a space station and finds herself trying to save the place from possible destruction. All stories are nicely illustrated, and there’s a well-written selection of sci-fi reviews at the back.

Black Static is a reincarnation of former cult mag The Third Alternative, but there's now less emphasis placed on fantasy and more focus on the dark, weird and horrific. Not every story here has supernatural or horror content, but all are preoccupied with the darker side of life – Simon Avery’s The Better Part of You centres around a psychologically scarred girl, while Peter Tennant’s Special Needs focuses on the relationship between a grieving boyfriend and a disabled prostitute (though there’s a little twist at the end). Along with the stories there are a couple of mini-essays by Stephen Volk (writer of Ghostwatch and Afterlife), an interview with [Rec] directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza and reviews of the latest horror books and DVDs.

Anyone with a passing interest in genre fiction (or small press) would do well to pick up these two well put-together titles. James Skipp

VERDICT
Interzone: 8/10
Black Static: 8/10

Interzone Isssue 218 is also out now.