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Grimdark Magazine Issue #34
Grimdark Magazine presents the darker, grittier side of fantasy and science fiction. Each quarterly issue features established and new authors to take you through their hard-bitten worlds alongside articles, reviews and interviews. Our stories are grim, our worlds are dark and our morally grey protagonists and anti-heroes light the way with bloody stories of war, betrayal and action.
FICTION
The Royal Game by Christopher Ruocchio
The Night Sung out My Name by Ken Scholes
The Cure by Guy Haley
Dead Reckoning: An Arcana Imperii Story by Miles Cameron
Electric Sonalika by Samit Basu
NON-FICTION
An Interview with Alexander Darwin by Beth Tabler
Review: The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
Review: Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey
An Interview with Jeff VanderMeer by Beth Tabler and John Mauro
Video Game Adaptations: Is the Curse Broken? by Aaron S. Jones
Review: Veniss Underground: A Novel by Jeff Vandermeer, Foreward by Charles Yu
Review: The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
The Future is So Bright, I have to Wear Shades (Because We Burned off the Atmosphere and Now We Are Screwed) by Deborah Wolf
An Interview with Richard Swan by Adrian Collin
Review: Life Beyond Us by the European Astrobiology Institute
FICTION
The Royal Game by Christopher Ruocchio
The Night Sung out My Name by Ken Scholes
The Cure by Guy Haley
Dead Reckoning: An Arcana Imperii Story by Miles Cameron
Electric Sonalika by Samit Basu
NON-FICTION
An Interview with Alexander Darwin by Beth Tabler
Review: The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
Review: Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey
An Interview with Jeff VanderMeer by Beth Tabler and John Mauro
Video Game Adaptations: Is the Curse Broken? by Aaron S. Jones
Review: Veniss Underground: A Novel by Jeff Vandermeer, Foreward by Charles Yu
Review: The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
The Future is So Bright, I have to Wear Shades (Because We Burned off the Atmosphere and Now We Are Screwed) by Deborah Wolf
An Interview with Richard Swan by Adrian Collin
Review: Life Beyond Us by the European Astrobiology Institute
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
ebook
First published April 1, 2023
About the author
Beth Tabler
11 books186 followersBeth Tabler, editor of the quarterly issues of Grimdark Magazine and resident cat-herder/jello-nailer for the Before We Go Blog, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where she takes long-bubble baths while planning her next move to conquer the fantasy and sci-fi review world.
She enjoys whiskey and sticking up for the marginalized with deadly precision. She is on her third SPFBO, and can't wait for more. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other
She enjoys whiskey and sticking up for the marginalized with deadly precision. She is on her third SPFBO, and can't wait for more. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 6, 2023
Good collection of short stories by new writers. I enjoy the chance to see what new talent is emerging. Recommended
April 5, 2023
So I bought this for the “Sun Eater” short by Christopher Ruocchio and that by itself was a 5 star read for me, but I’m biased. And I’ll admit that. But man was it cool to catch a glimpse of the state of everything after book 5.
The other stories were good. I’m usually not a fan of short form story telling just because I’m worried I won’t identify with the story or characters, unless they are in a world I already know (the short from the Sun Eater) or an author I already follow. But these were good. I enjoyed them and would probably read some more stuff from the authors.
The other stories were good. I’m usually not a fan of short form story telling just because I’m worried I won’t identify with the story or characters, unless they are in a world I already know (the short from the Sun Eater) or an author I already follow. But these were good. I enjoyed them and would probably read some more stuff from the authors.
August 7, 2024
Acquistato per leggere "The Royal Game" di Christopher Ruocchio, testo che si colloca dopo il quinto romanzo, "Ashes of Man".
Impossibile anche solo accennare alla vicenda, visto dove si colloca all'interno della timeline della Sun Eater Series. Racconto non imprescindibile ma che, se siete stati bravi a non farvi alcuno spoiler sulla vicenda post AoM, potrebbe sorprendervi non poco.
Impossibile anche solo accennare alla vicenda, visto dove si colloca all'interno della timeline della Sun Eater Series. Racconto non imprescindibile ma che, se siete stati bravi a non farvi alcuno spoiler sulla vicenda post AoM, potrebbe sorprendervi non poco.
April 24, 2023
Grimdark Magazine continues to be an excellent source of short format fiction at the grittier end of the speculative fiction scale! This issue focuses on Sci-Fi grimdark fiction and offers an intriguing mix of stories. As always I will review each of the short stories individually
The Royal Game - Christopher Ruocchio
I am a big fan of the Sun Eater series and it was fun to see a new short story from it. This definitely is a mid series story though, so it does contain some spoilers for those who have not read the larger series. Otherwise it does work pretty well as a standalone short story though - focusing on the side of the main timeline, yet still featuring Adrian Harlowe. Sun Eater definitely has grimdark vibes - the whole alien civilization/existential threat, the petty politicking and all the characters definitely are on the grey spectrum from a moral perspective. This story definitely showcases that aspect, with politicking and Adrian Harlowe using intimidation to get his way. A fun little side trip from the main story line.
4.5/5
The Night Sung Out My Name - Ken Scholes
An interesting take on AI overriding your agency. Definitely dark in feel with an intriguing glimpse at an alien world, but the overarching theme appears to be on dependency on AI despite its inherent danger. With the rise of AI in the public discourse at the moment it feels timely!
4/5
The Cure - Guy Haley
The least Sci-Fi of the stories here, this one was more in the Fantasy realm, tracking a group of mercenaries hired to escort a pair of priests across some decidedly hostile terrain. The recurring refrain of 'more pay for the living' each time a member of the party dies is wonderfully mercenary in its echoes. This also pokes some fun at religion as well, but is ultimately a morbid tale of effectively a suicidal mission. I enjoyed this!
4.5/5
Electric Sonalika - Samit Basu
Another take on AI, but this one plays more on the boundaries of what is the meaning of humanity. Our main character, Sonalika is mostly maching, but human enough to pass as human, in a society where AI has risen up once and been defeated. Sonalika is a tragic figure, not able to fit into either world. Kind of a cinderella story, but with some dark twists and turns. I'm not overly prudish but some of the machine sex stuff seemed a bit unnecessary other than to play on potential incest themes (it did nothing for the plot) but otherwise an enjoyable enough tale. Was interesting to have something with some Indian cultural sensitivities referenced here too
3.5/5
Dead Reckoning - Miles Cameron
Again, I am already a fan of Arcana Imperii, the series that this story links in with. This operates a vignette into the larger story arc, with a different ship and crew to that featured so far in the only novel in the series (Artifact Space) but linked into the wider universe (and story). There is some fantastic foreshadowing going on here with hints of threats to come. This series has to be the sci-fi series I am most anticipating as the first book was so brilliant. Probably the least grimdark of the short stories in this issue, it kept my appetite thoroughly wetted for the series though...
4.5/5
The Royal Game - Christopher Ruocchio
I am a big fan of the Sun Eater series and it was fun to see a new short story from it. This definitely is a mid series story though, so it does contain some spoilers for those who have not read the larger series. Otherwise it does work pretty well as a standalone short story though - focusing on the side of the main timeline, yet still featuring Adrian Harlowe. Sun Eater definitely has grimdark vibes - the whole alien civilization/existential threat, the petty politicking and all the characters definitely are on the grey spectrum from a moral perspective. This story definitely showcases that aspect, with politicking and Adrian Harlowe using intimidation to get his way. A fun little side trip from the main story line.
4.5/5
The Night Sung Out My Name - Ken Scholes
An interesting take on AI overriding your agency. Definitely dark in feel with an intriguing glimpse at an alien world, but the overarching theme appears to be on dependency on AI despite its inherent danger. With the rise of AI in the public discourse at the moment it feels timely!
4/5
The Cure - Guy Haley
The least Sci-Fi of the stories here, this one was more in the Fantasy realm, tracking a group of mercenaries hired to escort a pair of priests across some decidedly hostile terrain. The recurring refrain of 'more pay for the living' each time a member of the party dies is wonderfully mercenary in its echoes. This also pokes some fun at religion as well, but is ultimately a morbid tale of effectively a suicidal mission. I enjoyed this!
4.5/5
Electric Sonalika - Samit Basu
Another take on AI, but this one plays more on the boundaries of what is the meaning of humanity. Our main character, Sonalika is mostly maching, but human enough to pass as human, in a society where AI has risen up once and been defeated. Sonalika is a tragic figure, not able to fit into either world. Kind of a cinderella story, but with some dark twists and turns. I'm not overly prudish but some of the machine sex stuff seemed a bit unnecessary other than to play on potential incest themes (it did nothing for the plot) but otherwise an enjoyable enough tale. Was interesting to have something with some Indian cultural sensitivities referenced here too
3.5/5
Dead Reckoning - Miles Cameron
Again, I am already a fan of Arcana Imperii, the series that this story links in with. This operates a vignette into the larger story arc, with a different ship and crew to that featured so far in the only novel in the series (Artifact Space) but linked into the wider universe (and story). There is some fantastic foreshadowing going on here with hints of threats to come. This series has to be the sci-fi series I am most anticipating as the first book was so brilliant. Probably the least grimdark of the short stories in this issue, it kept my appetite thoroughly wetted for the series though...
4.5/5
June 12, 2023
I love it when new issues of this magazine drop – so much so, that when I sat down to write “a few lines” I came up for breath four paragraphs later. And knocking this review out took almost as long as reading it had because I opened the issue up to check something…and promptly reread large chunks of it. So what did we get?
The jewel in the crown is The Royal Game from Christopher Ruocchio. It starts with a game of chess; like the “game of kings,” it quickly turns out this is being played for stakes that go beyond pieces on a board. Yazdan ban Vahid, accomplished spymaster, is an avid player of dark, patient games. He’s had a great track record until an evening when he learns the truth of the saying "if you come at the king, you best not miss." This story is taut and exciting, a good advertisement for what other reviewers have said is a longer series.
The other fiction is uniformly excellent. Ken Scholes’ The Night Sung Out My Name is a timely look at how breaking up with your combat A.I. is hard to do. Black Library veteran Guy Haley unleashes The Cure, a dark and grim mercenary adventure story which – shockingly – is a bit short on sympathetic characters. “More pay for the living” is a great theme, though, and Haley uses it to set the stage for horrors to come. Electric Sonalika from Samit Basu offers a horrifying update on the Cinderella story, in which a foot, rather than just a shoe, plays a telltale part. Last but not least comes Miles Cameron’s Dead Reckoning, a crisp adventure with another spy, this time a more down to earth type who finds high drama in deep space. I want to read more by all these folks.
This issue is rounded out by a strong collection of non-fiction. There are strong interviews of authors Alexander Darwin and Jeff VanderMere, along with reviews of The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan, M.R. Carey’s Infinity Gate, VanderMere’s Veniss Underground, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn from Mark Lawrence (start of the deceptively dull-sounding “Library Trilogy”), and an anthology, Life Beyond Us, credited to something called the European Astrobiology Institute. Interspersed with them are two shorter, free-form pieces which were good tries but weak. The topics were video game adaptations and the climate crisis – the latter ending rather bleakly with, well, “at least we’ll have some great stories to leave behind.”
Let’s hope it’s not that bad. But if it is this issue is a good down payment on that legacy.
Total: 8.5/10 (4.25 stars, rounded to 4)
April 30, 2023
Purchased this magazine to read Christopher Ruocchio's short story ("The Royal Game"), and really enjoyed it. The story takes place after the events of his latest novel (Ashes of Man), so keep that in mind.
Of the other stories included, I thought "The Cure" by Guy Haley was well done. The other stories I couldn't get into.
Of the other stories included, I thought "The Cure" by Guy Haley was well done. The other stories I couldn't get into.
January 21, 2024
Fantastic cover art.
From the Sun Eater series- The Royal Game by Christopher Ruocchio was outstanding.
Enjoyed Miles Cameron's Dead Reckoning. Not familiar with The Arcana Imperii series but good short story.
From the Sun Eater series- The Royal Game by Christopher Ruocchio was outstanding.
Enjoyed Miles Cameron's Dead Reckoning. Not familiar with The Arcana Imperii series but good short story.
April 2, 2023
Ho letto Royal Game di Christopher Ruocchio.
HO BISOGNO DI DISQUIET GODS ORA
HO BISOGNO DI DISQUIET GODS ORA
March 1, 2024
“The Royal Game” by Christopher Ruocchio - 5 stars
September 16, 2023
Slightly too many filler articles and interviews versus the number of short stories in this issue. Still interesting, but prefer less non fiction and more stories
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews