Plunder The Tomes #3
May 1999 28 Churchill Close, Calne, Wiltshire. SN11 8EN.

Welcome to the shadowed shelves of the Creepy Library. I’m your haunted host Jim Xavier so come with me and see what blasphemous tomes I have pulled from the cobwebbed corners of my loathsome library....

The first publication to have the dust blown from its cover is Sci-Fright #1. A promising first issue which suffers a bit from poor reproduction making the text a bit taxing on these aged eyes. The stories are all solid enough, though disappointingly there are few actual science-fiction stories, there being more Fright than Sci in this issue. Authors featured include Colin Mackay, Maynard & Sims, Rhys Hughes, Ash Miller David Price, Richard Reeve and Steve Saville. Artwork is excellent, with the usual names: Sean Russell Friend, Cathy Buburuz, Marge Simon, Iain Maynard, A. C. Evans and Steve Lines. Only negative comment on the art is that some illustrations (by Iain Maynard and Steve Lines) are printed so damn small that they’re almost postage stamp size and just a grey blur. Also from the same editor we have The Dark Fantasy Newsletter #4 with an excellent cover by A. C. Evans. Strangely the problems mentioned above don’t appear in this publication. Reproduction is excellent; clear and easy to read and the artwork is well printed. There is the usual mix of fiction and poetry (Steve Sneyd, Sean Russell Friend, Jim Dewitt, Peter Tennant, Brian Maycock, Catherine J. Gardner, Paul Bradshaw and Cathy Buburuz), small press reviews (Cathy Buburuz and Robert Monk) and guidelines for prospective contributors to various magazines. A good place to start for those of you who are confused by the amount of magazines available and are unsure which ones to spend your hard-earned cash on.

Unhinged #1 is yet another debut issue with the ubiquitous Des Knight turning in some more of his surreal and stylish artwork (including the cover) and almost 60 pages of fiction with Stuart Young kicking things off with Night Life, a fairly unpleasant tale of revenge followed by the likes of Matthew Firth, Emma Hooper, Geoff Jackson, Catherine J. Gardner, Paul Bradshaw, Sean Russell Friend, Jessica Treat, David Price and Philip McCormac.

Sackcloth & Ashes #3 keeps up the high quality of both content and production values set by previous issues. Another cool Dave Frode cover and interior artwork which is mostly computer generated except for a couple more pieces by Dave Frode and two full page illustrations from Steve Lines. Excellent fiction from, amongst others DF Lewis, Roger Jackson, Paul Finch, Beetleblack and Nancy Bennett. Standout stories being The Playground of the broken Hearts by Steve Saville, Paul Ward’s Why?and Simon Bestwicks Going Under, Flying High. There’s also a letter column, a piece on what is or isn’t ‘Horror’ by R J Krijnen-Kemp and Busby’s Banter.

Enigmatic Tales #4 clocks in this time at over 100 pages packed full of excellent fiction

Artwork this time includes a splendid illustration of a riverboat by Gerald Gaubert which has no noticeable Beardsly influence; another of Des Knight’s fine illustrations which captures the feel of the story it illustrates just by facial expressions and full page illustrations from Cathy Buburuz, Iain Maynard and Steve Lines all of which are of excellent quality. There’s almost 120 pages of fiction here, all of a very high standard, which just goes to show what good editorship can produce. Authors this issue include Jesse F Knight, Katherine Haynes, Zita Inez Ponder, Tina Rath, Michael Pendragon, Stuart Young, James Doig, Peter Wykes, Paul Marshall and somebody called Jules Verne.... I’ve also received a copy of the first Enigmatic Novella titled Moths which is a first rate story from the above magazine’s editors L. H. Mayhard and M. P. N. Sims. Well written with solid characters it tells of an evil force from ancient Japan which resurfaces in the Wiltshire countryside. A gripping tale with two magnificent illustrations from Gerald Gaubert. There are two more Novellas available which will appear here when they sit on the creepy Library’s shelves and more planned.

The Dream Zone #1 is yet another debut and another impressive one. It is let down slightly by the poor reproduction of Steve Lines’ cover - I’ve seen the original and a lot of detail was lost and the picture is much darker than it should be. Steve’s cover and his one interior illustration of a Lovecraftian Dreamhound are the only illustrations in the whole 80 pages but editor Paul Bradshaw promises more art next issue. However these 80 pages are crammed with great fiction by the likes of Joe Rattigan, Sarah Crabtree, John Saxton, DF Lewis, Maynard & Sims, Tim Lebbon, Paul Lee, Ash Miller and many more.

Also from Paul is The Dream Review #1 which hides behind the most hideous cover I’ve ever seen in the small press (that horrible, obese, Cthulhuoid female from You’ve Been Framed!) It send shivers down my spine every time I see it. This slim magazine is basically letters, comments and reviews on issue #1 of The Dream Zone sent out to contributors and interested parties. It also contains a few reviews of other small press publications.

Just in is The Dream Zone #2 another bumper collection of stories and some excellent artwork from Helen Field, more of her voluptuous and semi-naked winged female demons. Her artwork compliments perfectly the intro story Bridge OverTroubled Blood by Rhys Hughes which is a humerous piece littered with lots of puns, in jokes and word plays but still tells an interesting tale in an engaging style. I could read a few more stories set in this universe.... Other standout stories for me were Bodybag by Kenneth H Wood and Turning Point by Paul Pinn.

Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque #4 is the Halloween issue which came out late and is the penultimate issue as the editor is ceasing publication after #5. A shame as TOGA is a fine magazine. There’s a cover and interior illustration by Des Knight, a couple of pictures by Steve Lines and one each by Wendy Down and Iain Maynard all of which are up to the standards we’ve come to expect from these artists. Fiction is equally fine as well and includes Lovecraftian goings on in Philip A. Todd’s The Disappearence of Edward Summerfield and Simon Bestwick’s tale of how a writer with writer’s block would do anything to come up with some stories.....there’s also contributions from Paul Kane, Catherine J. Gardner, Robert Gill, John Davis, Paul Bradshow, Christian Saunders, Philip A. Todd, Maynard & Sims and Stuart Young.

Strix #12, #13 & #14. Three issues of this excellent magazine have entered the Creepy Library in the last few months. All are uniformly of high standard and the magazine has a friendly atmosphere helped by the healthy letter column. Cover art on all three issues is impressive and is provided by Gerald Gaubert (with one of his exotic ladies), Helen Field (who turns in a cheeky winged female) and Steve Lines (who also depicts a female, but this one is surrounded by demons). All interior artwork is of equally high quality: Helen Field’s illustration to John Ford’s The Gooja Bird in #12, Andrew Tolley’s piece for The Moon and Short of a Sixpence (by David Price) and the illustration for August’s Flame by Paul Kane in #13 by Dave Frode being standout pieces. There’s some great fiction as well. John B. Ford’s Hodgeson influenced The Island of the Undead and Sue Phillips’ The Dark Mirror being two of my absolute favourites. There’s also very good stuff from Joe Rattigan, Anna Franklin,Dave Price, Paul Finch, David Cowdall, Paul Kane and many others. As well as the fiction there are reviews, poetry, ancient remedies, articles on fairies, psychometry and scrying and Small Press News.

Saccade #10 is in the same territory as Strix but the reproduction and layout aren’t as good. The editors seem to think that production values aren’t important, which is fair enough I suppose, though it’s an opinion I can’t agree with. Gerald Gaubert provides the cover, and not one of his best I’m afraid; a little too hurried and sketchy. There’s fiction from Julie Travis, Arianne Weaver, Shiela Holligon, Tim Lebbon, Marc Lucien Harris: poetry from Walter Zimmerlie; Steven West on the movie Sonny Boy and an instalment of The A - Z of Weird Fiction.

The Heliograph #5 is another glimpse into a Victorian age that never was (or should have been). The cover illustration and filler illos are by Steve Lines. The stories include The Man Who Lives in a Clock by Geoff Jackson about.......a man who lives in a clock; Telegram Ma’am by Rhys Hughes which has an exasperated Queen Victoria struggling to write telegrams of congratulation to every object in her realm which reaches the age of 100 years and The Adventures of the Bookmakers Partner, which is another splendid tale of those gentleman detectives Barrington Smythe and Shakespeare McTurk. There’s also fiction from Neil K. Henderson, Iain Darby and DF Lewis & Allen Ashley.

Love Stories of the Undead is Joe Rattigan’s first collection of fiction and very impressive it is too. Lavishly illustrated by Steve Lines with nine interior pictures and front and back covers featuring some of his best artwork to date. Production values are high with glossy cover, perfect bound and excellent printing and layout. The book is a delight to the eye and the stories are no disappointment. We have tales of werewolves, zombie bouncers, crawling mould, lots of people dying by stabbing (and in various other unpleasant ways), teeth where teeth shouldn’t be and other grim tales of horror, death and love. This is a superb booklet and you should buy it!

If you would like to see your publication mentioned in Plunder the Tomes then send a copy to Jim Xavier c/o Steve Lines, 28 Churchill Close, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 8EN.

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