Grimdark Magazine

REVIEW: Daggermouth by H. M. Wolfe Daggermouth transports us to New Found Haven, a city carved into rings of privilege and poverty, watched over by masked elites who treat love like treason and obedience like oxygen.

Powerful in how unapologetically feral, messy, and perfectly imperfect it is.

As we get deeper into our print journey, I'm realising the importance of print for industry commentary. The ability to hold industry buzz in your hands during a digital age is priceless.

@locusmag.bsky.social is running their '26 fundraiser--well worth your time: locusmag.com/igg26

Best editor (short form):
· Beth Tabler (Grimdark Magazine)

Best semiprozine:
· Grimdark Magazine

Best dramatic presentation (short form)
· Luke Arnold’s reading of a Reputation for Prudence by Richard Swan (YouTube)
· Laura Brent’s reading of All the Lovely Brides by Kelly Sandoval (YouTube)
· Colin Mace’s reading of The Last Wardog by Michael R. Fletcher (YouTube)

Best Related Work:
· Project Starship article series

Best short story (3/3):
· When the Skies Cried Crimson Rain by Ryan Cahill
· Ten Times Dead from the Goddess in the Womb by Ryan Cole
· The Bull Beneath by Hûw Steer
· The Salt Apostle by Zamil Akhtar

Best short story (2/3):
· The Brackwater Son by Andrea Stewart
· Only the Broken by Clayton Snyder
· Born Pious by Peter McLean
· Bravery by Michael R. Fletcher
· The Blacksmith of Lothar’s Cross by R.S. Ford
· The Name by Abhishek Sengupta

Best short story (1/3):
· Bastards and Baguettes by Justin Lee Anderson
· The Imbibing of Inggid Sel by Moses Ose Utomi
· Black Goat Parade by Josh Rountree
· Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent by Scott Lynch
· Beneath Green Skies, We Devour by Ed McDonald

Best novella:
· Casthen Gain by Essa Hansen
· The Scour by Richard Swan

We released a stack of fiction and non-fiction eligible for the Hugos this year. If you’ve yet to cast a vote (or GdM gives you an irresistible urge to turn your coat) then this is what we put out there and the relevant categories (check the following Tweets):

REVIEW: The Dorians by Nick Cutter The Dorians is a grand slam, a major new work by a major author in the horror field, and one that will leave your reeling, and thinking, long after you've finished with it.

A grand slam.

One of my favourite things about the growth we're experiencing is how much cool art I get to procure. I can't tell you how much I love working with artists to create cool things.

Today, I want to show off a black and white piece that Carlos Diaz did for our Patreon.

REVIEW: Sentient by Michael Nayak This is Michael Nayak’s ‘Ice Plague Wars’ series that sees a highly-adaptable, extremophile microbe engineered and dropped onto unsuspecting scientists in Antarctica by shady CIA types.

This installment feels a little more like Aliens, given the increased fire power.

EXCLUSIVE: Return to Low Town with The Soft Touch by Daniel Polansky We reveal the cover for the Low Town novella The Soft Touch by Daniel Polansky, with art by Fran Vegas and design by Shawn T. King.

Find out more about The Soft Touch: www.grimdarkmagazine.com/return-to-lo...

Grimdark fantasy fans: your favourite stand-alone novella of 2026 has a cover! The Soft Touch by Daniel Polansky is now up for pre-order.

Come find out more in the comments.

REVIEW: Green & Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons If you like the sound of fast-paced and darkly fun standalone fantasy adventure with strong ideas, twisted greenery, and a romantic core, I would definitely give Green & Deadly Things a shot.

Necromancers, a holy knight school, sentient killer trees, and the promise that history got it all wrong.

INTERVIEW: with author Christopher Buehlman We sat down with Christopher to talk about the March 2026 traditional republishing of his self-published medieval horror novel Between Two Fires, the next installment in the Blacktongue Series, the jo...

We sat down with @buehlmeister.bsky.social to talk about the March 2026 traditional republishing of his self-published medieval horror novel Between Two Fires, the next installment in the Blacktongue Series, the joy of fictional languages, writing horror creatures, and more.

REVIEW: Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce Something in the Walls is a potent, unsettling addition to the grimdark genre and will leave the back of your neck slick with sweat.

Something in the Walls is a potent, unsettling addition to the grimdark genre and will leave the back of your neck slick with sweat.

I had such a great conversation with @grimdarkmagazine.bsky.social about why the "Malevolent Seven" aren't typical heroes and the value of friendship in dark worlds.
If you want to read our chat: www.grimdarkmagazine.com/an-interview...
#bookchat #booktalk #GRIMDARK #fantasy

REVIEW: Against the Demon World by D.M. Ritzlin Against the Demon World is a lean, action-packed adventure boasting a wonderfully weird setting.

A lean, action-packed adventure boasting a wonderfully weird setting.

REVIEW: Tale of the Nine Tailed Tale of the Nine Tailed presents a mesh of dark fantasy, horror, and romance that watches kind of like an urban fantasy with the stakes and emotion dialed way up.

It will definitely appeal to dark fantasy fans with its combination of horror and grim supernatural elements.

REVIEW: Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross If you’re in the mood for a mythological fantasy cut with a sinister edge, look no further than Wild Reverence.

Set in the same world as her bestselling duology Divine Rivals, Rebecca Ross returns with Wild Reverence, where gods and goddesses exist in a realm adjacent to a mortal one.

INTERVIEW: with author Oliver Brackenbury Sword & sorcery fiction kicks so much ass. From its humble beginnings to its current incarnation, sword & sorcery (or S&S) began in magazines, telling tales of high adventure, horrific terror, and thr...

I’ve been a fan of New Edge (or NESS) for quite a while now, and I was delighted to speak with Oliver Brackenbury about how he got into the genre, NESS’s origin story, the community surrounding the magazine, and where he hopes to take it in the future.

Love it mate! How does KotSk stack up against the show?

What’s everyone reading at the moment? I am currently absolutely HOOKED on Steel Gods by Richard Sean, The Will of the Many by James Islington, and Dark Age by a Pierce Brown.

We are once again partnering with @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social to release our second ever print edition! Our first print edition, issue #45 sold out quickly, so don't miss your chance to get in on what we think is one of the coolest thinks happening in the SFF magazine space!

REVIEW: A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann If there was ever a debut that demanded a standing ovation, it’s A Stage Set for Villains...It’s dark, dramatic, and viciously confident in what it’s doing

If there was ever a debut that demanded a standing ovation, it’s Shannon J. Spann’s A Stage Set for Villains.

REVIEW: No Life Forsaken by Steven Erikson Steven Erikson is one of my favourite writers...Unfortunately, with No Life Forsaken, I feel that I have become Malazan-fatigued.

I feel that I have become Malazan-fatigued.

REVIEW: Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward Ward weaves her usual magic of mystery and subtlety, with easy prose and weighty chills, Nowhere Burning is another success from the award-winning author.

Ward weaves her usual magic of mystery and subtlety, with easy prose and weighty chills.

EXCLUSIVE: Check out the cover for our second print issue of Grimdark Magazine! Our second print issue is almost here! Grimdark Magazine Issue #46 hits stands in April in glorious glossy, perfect bound print. After the epic reaction to issue #45 (sold out!) I know you’re all goin...

Cover reveal and pre-orders live for Grimdark Magazine Issue 46!