Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction No. 52: May 2026 (Dark Horses Magazine)

dark horse
/ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/
noun
1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.
“a dark-horse candidate”

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:

A CHILD WITHOUT SIN
Diana Ionita

A MINOR REVOLUTION
Lee Clark Zumpe

A NIGHT AT THE CASTLE
Lee Clark Zumpe

VORPAL
Wayne Kyle Spitzer

DARK TIMBER
Lee Clark Zumpe

AMONG THE DEAD 101
Dennis Kohler

PSYCHOSOMATIC
Terry Sanville

WAY STATION
Michael Fontana

THE TRADE
Bradley J. Collins

A RULEBOOK FOR GHOSTS
Ausiàs Tsel

CIRCLE OF STONES
Joe Prosit

DRAINS
David Castlewitz

HELL HATH NO FURY
James Callan

LOST IN THE STACKS
Peter Emmett Naughton

PYRRHIC PROOF
Mark J. Schultis

RELEASING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
Griffith Pound

EKKLE-ROG AND MENK
Taylor Layne

PLUNGE
Anuel Rodriguez