From time to time we produce what we call Specials – books or issues which are conjured from outside the usual run of the magazine. These include:
The Angry Dead by Rosemary Pardoe
These twelve supernatural stories (eleven of them featuring church restorer Jane Bradshawe) were originally written and published in the 1980s, and have all been fully revised for this new edition. Ro Pardoe, one of the world’s leading authorities on M R James, provides mysteries and puzzles to delight.
“I love the occult detective sub-genre of literary ghost stories a great deal, and none more so than the ghostly investigations of art restorer Jane Bradshawe!” – Jessica Amanda Salmonson.
BUY THE ANGRY DEAD (all formats) https://mybook.to/AngryDead
ODM Mythos Special #1
Headlined by a brand-new novelette by James Bennett, a twisting and twisted tale which is totally Mythosian but which involves protagonists you would certainly not find in HPL. Alongside this, we have a wide selection of reprints from recent years. Paula Ashe provides a dark, epistolary-style glimpse into cadaverous horror, whilst Will Murray gives us something closer to a Lovecraftian version of The Men in Black; Nick Mamatas has a very different and highly inventive take on the Mythos’s Mi-go, and Pete Rawlik offers smart, futuristic noir in his story of shoggoths and much more.
Denise Dumars explores moving, contemporary echoes of Lost Carcosa, and supernatural horror dwells in Michael Keyton’s story of a mirror with a dreadful secret. Added to this we have an unusual tale by DJ Tyrer set in the era of early post-war atomic tests in the Australian desert. For those who appreciate classic period settings, we have William Meikle’s recounting of a brush with cosmic horror for William Hope Hodgson’s archetypal occult detective, Thomas Carnacki, plus I.A. Watson’s story of another Miskatonic expedition which did not go well – accompanied by wry derring-do and Shub-Niggurath from Tim Mendees, and an appearance of that old ‘devil’ Aleister Crowley dealing with the result of dubious pacts, by Bob Freeman.
BUY MYTHOS SPECIAL #1 (print; e-format coming) https://mybook.to/ODMMY-01
ODM Mythos Special #2
COMING WINTER 2023/24
ODM #0
A bumper promotional Special, available to download free, which does — we hope — give readers a good idea of what to expect in regular issues of the magazine.
Josh Reynolds has supported the magazine from the beginning, and we’re so grateful that he offered us an unpublished tale of Charles St Cyprian and Ebe Gallowglass. Bev Allen graciously donated Mrs Lillicrop’s second adventure to this promotional issue, S.L. Edwards gave us a brand new Joe Bartred story, and Adrian Cole sent us an interesting piece on his British Fantasy Award winning creation – Nick Nightmare. There’s some amazing material amongst the reprints too. Best-selling crime author, Paul Finch donated a story featuring his occult detective, Major Craddock. You’ll notice that this one is a bit longer than usual for the magazine. We also have a superb story from no less than BAFTA Award nominated author Mike Carey!
If any single character can be claimed to be the biggest influence, and therefore a major factor in this magazine’s birth, it would be William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki The Ghost Finder. We are especially pleased to include one of Carnacki’s weirdest cases, from the pen of William Meikle.
The fiction is rounded out by tales of I.A. Watson’s popular Vinnie de Soth, Mike Chinn’s Damian Paladin, Rosemary (Mary Ann Allen) Pardoe’s Jane Bradshawe, and E.J. Stevens’ Ivy Granger, among others. We also have a selection of non-fiction, from Tim Prasil, G.W. Thomas and co-editor Dave Brzeski, plus our usual review column.
ODM #0 can be read or downloaded — free of charge — here:
Occult Detective Magazine #0 PDF