''Black Gate'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

published by New Epoch Press. It was published in glossy print until 2011, after which it shifted online.

History

First launched in October 2000 using the slogan "Adventures in Fantasy Literature," ''Black Gate'' primarily features original short fiction up to

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

length. It also features reviews of fantasy

novels A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...

graphic novels A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and ...

, and

role playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...

products. This is supplemented by columns and articles reflecting on fantasy literature's past as well as the occasional interview. Every print issue contained the comic ''Knights of the Dinner Table: Java Joint'' by

Kenzer & Company Kenzer & Company (KenzerCo) is a Waukegan, Illinois based publisher of comic books, role-playing games, board games, card games, and miniature games. They are known for the ''Kingdoms of Kalamar'' campaign setting and for their own '' HackMaste ...

of ''

Knights of the Dinner Table ''Knights of the Dinner Table'' (''KoDT'') is a comic book/strip created by Jolly R. Blackburn and published by Kenzer & Company. It primarily focuses on a group of role playing gamers and their actions at the gaming table, which often result ...

'' fame. Much of the fiction is by lesser known or new authors, but noted contributors have included

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct mag ...

Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull ...

and

Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born 17 July 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of th ...

. As a semi-regular feature, ''Black Gate'' reprinted rare adventure stories from earlier decades or work from more recent years that the editors feel has been neglected. For instance, issues featured serialized Tumithak novels from Charles R. Tanner. While officially a quarterly publication, the print version was never produced on a reliable schedule. Its 15th and (to date) final issue was published in 2011; however, it continues to produce new online content.

Critical response

On its debut, ''Black Gate'' received strong reviews in '' Locus'' and elsewhere, many citing the sheer size of the issues (usually greater than 200 pages) and the high production values. This has proved quite ambitious, though. Various production problems have led to publication less frequent than the intended quarterly schedule. While John O'Neill made a public commitment to readers and advertisers to get production back on track, the magazine never achieved a reliable quarterly release. In 2008,

Judith Berman Judith Berman (born 1958) is an American anthropologist and science fiction and fantasy writer. Biography Berman grew up in Moscow, Idaho, and read works from Golden Age science fiction during her childhood. She began writing and making up her ...

's story "Awakening" in ''Black Gate'' No. 10 was a finalist for the

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...

Editors

* John O'Neill, 2000 to present *

Howard Andrew Jones Howard Andrew Jones (July 19, 1968 – January 16, 2025) was an American speculative fiction and fantasy author and editor, known for ''The Chronicles of Hanuvar'' series, ''The Chronicles of Sword and Sand'' series and ''The Ring-Sworn'' trilog ...

, 2006 to present

References

External links

* * {{Isfdb series, title=Black Gate Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States Fantasy fiction magazines Irregularly published magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 2000 Magazines disestablished in 2011 Magazines published in Chicago Online magazines with defunct print editions Quarterly magazines published in the United States