It’s Official! DEATHREALM: SPIRITS

Alan Lastufka, of Shortwave Publishing, has made the official announcement! Deathrealm: Spirits is in the works and is scheduled for release in October 2023.

From Shortwave’s news release: “Deathrealm was, for a decade, the leading small-press horror magazine in the United States. In 1995, it won the International Horror Critics Award for best horror magazine. And in the Spring of 1996, issue #27 was ‘banned’ in Canada when it was stopped by customs on the grounds the cover art (by Ian McDowell) was too ‘disturbing.’ Deathrealm was edited by Stephen Mark Rainey and published from 1987 to 1997.”

For decades — literally! — the question “Will you ever resurrect Deathrealm?” has come at me on countless occasions. Many, many times after the final issue (#31, Summer 1997), I toyed with the idea of continuing the title by way of an anthology (or series of anthologies), but I knew I would never go back to editing a magazine on a regular release schedule. A decade of that was enough. Over the years, I pitched the anthology idea a couple of times, and just a few short years ago, things were actually moving forward on that front. However, due to various circumstances, things ultimately didn’t pan out. However, fairly recently, the stars seemed to come right for another go at it, and now... it’s a-coming!

We’ll be making regular announcements regarding contributors and any relevant news all over social media. I guarantee you this: Deathrealm: Spirits features a killer line-up of authors.

This time around, I can tell you that Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, and Eric LaRocca are on board. There are many more, to be revealed in time. Much like the magazine, the anthology will feature tales of deep, personal dread, whether rooted in the supernatural, the cosmic, the purely psychological, or other.

Do stay tuned...