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Grimdark Magazine Issue #33
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
Bargaining by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
The Last Radio God by Yaroslav Barsukov
Crimson Shows the Way of Joy by Eric LaRocca
Lan Thena – Tales from the Bronze Age by Christian Cameron
Save, Salve, Shelter by Essa Hansen
The Calvary by João F. Silva
NON-FICTION
Review: The House of Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Interview with David Dalglish
The Toxic Side of Fandom by Aaron S. Jones
Review: The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
Review: The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
There’s a Monster in the House (and it is us) by Deborah Wolf
Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
An Interview with Fonda Lee
FICTION
Bargaining by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
The Last Radio God by Yaroslav Barsukov
Crimson Shows the Way of Joy by Eric LaRocca
Lan Thena – Tales from the Bronze Age by Christian Cameron
Save, Salve, Shelter by Essa Hansen
The Calvary by João F. Silva
NON-FICTION
Review: The House of Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Interview with David Dalglish
The Toxic Side of Fandom by Aaron S. Jones
Review: The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
Review: The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
There’s a Monster in the House (and it is us) by Deborah Wolf
Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
An Interview with Fonda Lee
Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 18, 2023
Grimdark Magazine remains my favourite fantasy and sci-fi magazine. This issue is no different, offering a nice mix of short fiction, reviews and interviews. For this review I will focus on the short fiction.
Bargaining - Gareth Hanrahan
I am a massive fan of Hanrahan's Black Iron Legacy series so was really excited to read this one. It doesn't disappoint, following an intriguing vignette in the Godswar where a group of mercenaries undertake a mission across a wasteland where a mad god still resides. This does exactly what I want a short story in an existing world to do - taking the world and telling an intriguing secondary story.
5/5
The Last Radio God - Yaroslav Barsukov
This story plays heavily on a weird concept, of a god inhabiting the radio and someone trying to get the revenge on said god. It is decidedly odd. I didn't dislike it but it was not what I was expecting. Intriguing
3/5
Crimson Shows the Way of Joy - Eric LaRocca
I like the concept here! Diving into the psychology behind human sacrifice in a community that accepts it as necessary, both from the point of view of the volunteer victim and the executioner. Dark and weird this one landed well.
5/5
Lan Thena - Christian Cameron
Against All Gods is on my TBR so nice to get a short story introduction to the world. So far it looks fascinating and I cannot wait to dive into the main part of the story. This one gives some origin story for a couple of characters I believe will take a role in the main story. Colour me intrigued
4/5
Save, Salve, Shelter - Essa Hansen
Eco disaster provides a rich vein of dystopian fiction and this short story zooms in on someone trying to save the animals during such a disaster and their conflict with more self serving humans trying to save themselves. It plays well on the human condition and some rather Nietzschean philosophy. Very bleak, but an interesting story
4/5
The Calvary - Joao F. Silva
Regret and strange medicine. There are hints of a fascinating conflict that I kind of want to know more about. We look at a crack team saving 'souls' from people infected by some monster. A nice but very brief story
4/5
Bargaining - Gareth Hanrahan
I am a massive fan of Hanrahan's Black Iron Legacy series so was really excited to read this one. It doesn't disappoint, following an intriguing vignette in the Godswar where a group of mercenaries undertake a mission across a wasteland where a mad god still resides. This does exactly what I want a short story in an existing world to do - taking the world and telling an intriguing secondary story.
5/5
The Last Radio God - Yaroslav Barsukov
This story plays heavily on a weird concept, of a god inhabiting the radio and someone trying to get the revenge on said god. It is decidedly odd. I didn't dislike it but it was not what I was expecting. Intriguing
3/5
Crimson Shows the Way of Joy - Eric LaRocca
I like the concept here! Diving into the psychology behind human sacrifice in a community that accepts it as necessary, both from the point of view of the volunteer victim and the executioner. Dark and weird this one landed well.
5/5
Lan Thena - Christian Cameron
Against All Gods is on my TBR so nice to get a short story introduction to the world. So far it looks fascinating and I cannot wait to dive into the main part of the story. This one gives some origin story for a couple of characters I believe will take a role in the main story. Colour me intrigued
4/5
Save, Salve, Shelter - Essa Hansen
Eco disaster provides a rich vein of dystopian fiction and this short story zooms in on someone trying to save the animals during such a disaster and their conflict with more self serving humans trying to save themselves. It plays well on the human condition and some rather Nietzschean philosophy. Very bleak, but an interesting story
4/5
The Calvary - Joao F. Silva
Regret and strange medicine. There are hints of a fascinating conflict that I kind of want to know more about. We look at a crack team saving 'souls' from people infected by some monster. A nice but very brief story
4/5
July 14, 2023
Very nice selection of short stories from some of the hot new writers in SiFi & Fantasy. enjoyable read. Recommended
January 22, 2023
GDM has quickly become one of my most-wanted reads. This issue opened with a warning from the editor that some stories may not be “typical grimdark fare.” “Today’s lover of the dark and grim goes beyond blood, gore and body count.” (“Uh, wait.” I thought, “Says who, exactly?”) Fortunately, the adjusted mix of grim and dark still brought good reading.
From the top down, in rough order that I enjoyed them:
Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan’s Bargaining delivers both on grimmness and darkness -- and is sketched out in electric, vivid language. You can almost feel the hope leaching out of the situation as the story unfolds to a taut and satisfyingly bleak ending. Excellent stuff.
Essa Hansen’s searing Save, Salve, Shelter is a haunting and vivid enviro-apocalyptic trip where being driven to do the right thing goes bad. Vivid and dark, an all-around solid story.
Eric La Rocca’s Crimson Shows the Way of Joy is a well-crafted exploration of revenge and its unexpected limits. Christian Cameron’s Lan Thena--Tales from the Bronze Age starts off like old-school swords and sorcery, although perhaps it’s less dark than simply grim. Rounding out the more-or-less traditionalist school is The Cavalry, a haunting story from João F. Silva which effectively mixes mil SF with horror.
In the non-fiction section, John Mauro has four good reviews offering clear, even insights into the works at hand, and also interviews author Fonda Lee. Editor Beth Tabler joins Mauro for an interview with David Dalglish that offered a good look into the mind and imagination of an author with whom I wasn’t familiar.
Bringing up the rear was Yaroslav Barsukov’s The Last Radio God. This is about a music fan planning to...murder the spirit inhabiting a radio mast? I found it both well-written and disappointing. There seems to be a shadow over Barsukov’s musical heart, but not one to which I could relate.
As always, the fiction in particular is very strong, and I'll be looking forward to spring and another edition.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews