Four Fab Dark Fiction E-Zines

Reading, Writing

Psst, hey writers, they are PAYING magazines!

These are some of my favorite magazines. All of them are literary, and all of them have a dark (or at least speculative) vibe. I also listed a story from each that sticks in my mind:

34 Orchard I’ve enjoyed every poem, image, and story 34 Orchard has published. The editor is Kristi Petersen Schoonover. Props to her curating skills! She doesn’t shy away from disturbing pieces, but many of the entries are simply unsettling. All of them are good. The magazine is free to download and read, but they gladly accept donations. “One Flesh” by Jon Shank in Issue 3 creeped me out because I both felt sorry for and was disgusted by a certain character.

Apex Magazine At the magazine’s website, you can get a taste of their fiction through some free stories. A full issue is worth the $4.99USD purchase. I really enjoyed a frightening speculative piece called “How to Be Good” by R. Gatwood in the July 2021 issue because the near-future society’s crime-fighting logic makes sense, but it is horrific.

The Dark Magazine The June 2021 issue has a story by Sara Saab called “Welcome, Karate.” It’s a freakishly weird story with an ordinary setting and an everywoman kind of character. The contrast is stark, and I couldn’t stop reading it. You can read each month’s stories free on their website, but a whole issue is only $1.99USD and totally worth it.

Fusion Fragment This magazine a cool method of selling issues. You download an issue then pay whatever you feel like paying. They also sell a high quality paper version for $26.99CAD (would make a nice Christmas gift for your fave speculative fiction reader). “Wesley Evonshire” by Matt Cahill is a science fiction horror story about an alien virus that I won’t soon forget because of the poor kid in the story!

Happy reading, happy writing!

Feature image by Charisse Kenion on unsplash.

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80 thoughts on “Four Fab Dark Fiction E-Zines”

  2. I love the speculative fiction vibe too, Priscilla, and I loved being creeped out when reading short stories. All four of these sound good. This is a viable alternative to purchasing anthologies and seems like a great way to discover new favorite authors.

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  4. Thanks, Priscilla. I have such a long list of books to read that I haven’t checked a magazine for quite a long time, but your suggestions sound excellent. I will try them all out! And good luck with your submissions!

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  6. I only know of a few magazines but haven’t really looked into the different genres of them, so it was so interesting to learn about these four! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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  9. I haven’t bought or subscribed to magazines for years, Priscilla! Well, I take it back. I subscribed to several online magazines to read the headlines when the pandemic started. There’s a pile of men’s magazines in the bathroom. I read a few pages here and there. 🙂

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