The Millennial War left a sullen void where civilization once stood. But then the whales began their song -- a mysterious song that resounded throughout the polluted seas and told an ancient heartbreaking tale that moved the survivors to revive and honored ritual . . .

This is a special issue—our 50th, as you may have noticed from our cover. To celebrate, all past and present editors were to contribute a story. (It helps that they are also amazingly talented writers.) So we have stories from Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, Paul Di Filippo, Darrell Schweitzer, and Cynthia Ward in addition to our other fare. But wait! There’s more! This issue features four original tales—Elizabeth Zelvin has a fantasy/mystery stories, Phyllis Ann Karr has a weird western, and Cynthia Ward has a gonzo science fiction crowd-funding story. And I have completed a story by the late H.B. Fyfe, who was best known for his science fiction stories, though this one is a revenge tale that most closely fits the mystery genre. And the good stuff doesn’t stop there. We also have a superhero story from Darrell Schweitzer. Space Opera from Algis Budrys and E.E. “Doc” Smith. A historical mystery novel by western author B.M. Bower. A historical investigation from Charles Todd. A Mallworld story from Somtow Sucharitkul (who also writes as S.P. Somtow). And no issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself mystery by Hal Charles. All in all, this is an probably our best Black Cat Weekly yet. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “The Ladies of Wednesday Tea” by Michael Bracken [short story] “Hidden in Plain Sight” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Ice Ice Baby” by Barb Goffman [short story] “Flayed” by H.B. Fyfe and John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “Blood Money” by Charles Todd [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] The Eagle’s Wing, by B.M. Bower [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The House of Marble” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Rise and Fall of Whistle-Pig City” by Paul Di Filippo [short story] “Rabid in Mallworld” by Somtow Sucharitkul [short story] “Fighting the Zeppelin Gang” by Darrell Schweitzer [short story] “Winona of Bleeding Kansas” by Phyllis Ann Karr [short story] “The Campaign Is Now Officially Complete” by Cynthia Ward [short story] “Blood on my Jets” by Algis Budrys [short story] The Skylark of Valeron, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D. [novel]

"Billy Binder lived in a very different world from the other kids at school. It was a place of eternal cold, a land of snow dragons and ice princesses ruled by a dark figure called the Ringmaster. A world without hope, without fear, without pain, where anger was the greatest weapon, the greatest strength. A land called the Fallen Country. It was a desolate, forsaken place, but it was better than the real world Billy had left behind. Until a group of friends dared to cross over into Billy's private world, and help him learn the secret of the Ringmaster's power."--Pg. [4] of cover.

Timmy Valentine, teen rock star and secret vampire, tries to come to terms with the feelings of guilt and compassion he has for his victims

"Live by the laser--die by the sword! High above a ravaged Tokyo, deep within the Visitor Mother Ship, the Japanese-American anthropologist, Tomoko Jones, is being revived from suspension--to become the consort of the fearsome Fieh Chan, Visitor Commander of Tokyo. Meanwhile, her husband, resistance fighter and ninjitsu expert Matt Jones, has stumbled on a Visitor plot to kidnap the Earth's martial arts grand masters for conversion. All clues point to Tokyo, and Matt leads a strike force to rescue the grand masters, aided by Kenzo Sugihara, a swordmaster of dazzling gifts who saves the Americans' lives more than once. Who is this man of mystery? The fates of Matt, Tomoko, and the whole resistance may be tied to the true identity of The Alien Swordmaster."--Back cover

The conquerers were gone, the wooden horse lay rotting; and the son of Hector came down from the mountains to reclaim the throne of ravaged Troy. But there was no way for young Astyanax to rebuild his country or wreak vengeance--until the gods gave him a destiny: kidnapping the demi-goddess Helen . . . again.

J.J. is upset when his brother, Ben, commits suicide, but at his aunt's house he begins getting messages from Ben on his aunt's computer