S. T. Joshi
The seventh issue of Penumbra features nine original works of weird fiction. Among them are Wade German’s sardonic account of a struggle between two wizards in an imaginary land; James Ulmer’s moving account of a revenant in the rural South; Harley Carnell’s grim account of a birthday party gone wrong; Scott Bradfield’s whimsical portrait of a dog and his owner wrestling with death; and other tales by James Ulmer, Ellen J. Greenham, Scott J. Couturier, Mark Howard Jones, Manuel Arenas, and Lee Weinstein.Four substantial articles grace the issue. Ben Keene thoughtfully assesses the emotional reactions evoked by weird fiction as a means of establishing the parameters of the genre. James Goho writes an expansive article on the weird work of the little-known British writer Mary Butts, while Perry M. Grayson surveys the diverse work of Frank Belknap Long. Edward Guimont studies the obscure film The Spacewoman Brought Terror (1963) and its cultural and literary analogues.In the 'Dead Reckonings' section of the issue, Darrell Schweitzer evaluates John Langan’s new short story collection; Peter Cannon dissects a new biography of H. P. Lovecraft’s wife, Sonia H. Greene; Leigh Blackmore presents an overview of the work of Australian weird writer Chuck McKenzie; and S. T. Joshi takes note of Ramsey Campbell’s new novel.Aside from Campbell’s customary 'Rant,' the issue also contains poetry by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa, Dmitri Akers, Ann K. Schwader, and other leading contemporary weird poets.
