Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction No. 54: September 2026

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. >Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses! In this issue: DEATH TRIP AT COMMAND OF FAT MAN Samuel Ramirez HERE, THE WOODS Leah Kafetz Rothman NIGHTBERRIES AND MAMMOTHS Griffith Pound THE DAGGER AND THE CHALICE Wayne Kyle Spitzer ROCK RESURRECTION David Sheskin SWEET REVENGE June Trop GEN-F Bill Walthall PLAYTIME WITH OUR MEN Abigail Shackelford THE GHOSTS ADRIFT AND THREE OTHERS Jack Ranieri BEER AND TENTACLES Bill Link FLAMENCO FRIO Tom Witherspoon SALVAGE Kelly Shepherd ESCALOT Thalia M. Peters DAY 97 David Blitch