Dark Horizons 37

After Chills, Peter Coleborn teamed up with Mike Chinn and Phil Williams to edit and produce the British Fantasy Society’s premier publication, Dark Horizons. Unfortunately, their first issue of DH took far too long to appear. The editorial note offers apologies but no excuses – and it’s too far in the past to remember all the details. Anyway, Dark Horizons 37, edited by the aforementioned team, with Joel Lane appointed as poetry editor, appeared in 1998.The cover price was £3.00.

DH37, although neatly produced, used a too-small font, which must have made it hard on the eyes. Dark Horizons included both fiction and non-fiction:

“The Lake” by Linda D Acaster
“Para Dice by the Landing Light” by G W Greenwood. Illustrated by Dallas Goffin
“Worms Feed on Hector: the Gothic Novels of Simon Raven” (NF) by Howard Watson
“A Fence in Rohgate” by D Harrigon
“Terminal” by Simon MacCulloch. Illustrated by Janet Morris
“Heart of the Machine” by Rick Cadger
“Scapegoat” by Alan Casey
“Queue” (verse) by Brian Maycock *
“Scraps” by Paul Finch. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Roots of a Writer” (NF) by Storm Constantine. Illustrated by Bob Covington
“Jenna’s Home” by Rick Kleffel
“Looking Through the Glass” (verse) by Steve Sneyd
“Horrorscopes: a Lover’s Guide” by Peter Tennant
“Kwaidan Revisited” (NF) by John Paul Catton
“A Rather Improbable God” by David Andreas
“Bio” (verse) by Mark McLaughlin
“The Last Story in the Book” by D F Lewis

Cover art was by Bob Covington with additional artwork by Alan Casey.

Note: * denoted a reprint and NF is non-fiction.

Glancing through DH37’s pages, I note that the first Alchemy Press title, The Paladin Mandates, had just appeared. That year’s Fantasycon, FCXXII, was held at the Albany Posthouse Hotel in Birmingham over the weekend 11-13 September. The guests of honour were Freda Warrington and Jane Yolen. Ramsey Campbell was the master of ceremonies. Finally, about this time websites were becoming more popular, with the BFS’ first site appearing on the Geocities server.

Chills, issue 10

The final Chills, issue 10, edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch, was published by the BFS in 1996 (£3.00/$6.00). The cover illustration depicted a bearded gent reading a tome of some dubious ancient lore. Some people assumed it was a picture of your equally-bearded editor; I assure you it’s not – besides, gent’s nose is too large.

Once again, sadly, we had no artwork illustrating specific stories. In fact, artwork is only represented by the fabulous cover (by Russell Morgan) and one spot piece by Martin McKenna. The contents were:

“How the Buckie Was Saved” by David Sutton
“A Musical Calling” by Raymond Nickford
“Beal’s Scrapyard” by Peter Bayliss
“A Cry For Help” by Martin Plumbridge
“Carousel” by Debbie Bennett
“Someone Else’s Problem” by Michael Marshall Smith
“The Lady With Little Friends in Her Hair” (verse) by Mark McLaughlin

So why did Chills end with its tenth issue? For starters, the ten issues covered a decade, more-or-less, and I felt that it was time to give the magazine a rest, at least for a while; and I wanted to pursue some other activities, including joining the editorial team on the BFS’s elder journal, Dark Horizons. Mike Chinn and I co-edited and co-produced DH with Phil Williams (and with Joel Lane in charge of poetry).

Contributors to Winter Chills/Chills were: Allen Ashley, Clive Barker, Roy Bayfield, Peter Bayliss, Debbie Bennett, Gilles Bergal, David F Bischoff, Sydney J Bounds, Ramsey Campbell, Dave Carson, Alan Casey, R Chetwynd-Hayes, Mike Chinn, Richard Coady, Bob Covington, Ken Cowley, Charles Dougherty, Phil Emery, Frank Forte, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Gallagher, Dallas Goffin, Jim Garrison, Phoenix Hitch, Mark Hockley, Peter A Hough, Tony Hough, Alan Hunter, Ian Hunter, Stephen Jones, Andrew S Jordan, Rick Kennett, Rick Kleffel, Allen Koszowski, Arke Kriske, Joel Lane, Alan W Lear, Ben Leech, DF Lewis, Thomas Ligotti, Steve Lines, Brian Lumley, Martin McKenna, Mark McLaughlin, Brian Maycock, MB, Chris Morgan, Russell Morgan, Russ Nicholson, Raymond Nickford, Jeffrey Osier, Norman Partridge, Nigel Pennington, Jim Pitts, Stephen Player, Martin Plumbridge, Andrew Pye, Mark Rainey, Paul Roland, Nicholas Royle, Jeff Salmon, Guy N Smith, Michael Marshall Smith, Sylvia Starshine, John Stewart, David Sutton, Stephen Skwarek, Steve Rasnic Tem, Tia Travis, Peter Tremayne, Lisa Tuttle, Ian Watson, William Thomas Webb, Conrad Williams … and of course my fellow editor Simon McCulloch. My thanks and appreciation to all of you.

Very quickly BFS and other UK small presses were upping the ante as far as production values are concerned – all down to access to home computers and DTP programs. In comparison, Chills looked a little primitive. But the magazine, along with others in that era, was part of the evolutionary process. Whatever, I look back on it with fond memories.

Glancing through Chills 10, I note that BFS membership was still a mere £15.00 a year. FantasyCon XX was scheduled for 4-6 October 1996, at the International Hotel in London. The guests of honour were Christopher Fowler and Tom Holt, with Kim Newman acting as the master of ceremonies. FCXX was the trial run for the following year’s World Fantasy Convention. The 1997 WFC took place in the same Dockland’s hotel, over the weekend 30 October-2 November. This was the second time the event was held in London.

Chills, issue 9

The penultimate issue of Chills (number 9) was published by the BFS in 1996, edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch. Cover price was £3.00/$6.00. Judging by the layout, I had invested in a better inkjet printer; at least the text (single column again) is much cleaner and clearer. Poetry once again was featured. The contents were:

“Better Late” (verse) by Chris Morgan
“The Terrible Lizards” by Rick Kleffel
“Noh Mask” by Anke Kriske
“The Bottom Line” by Ben Leech
“Plague Etiquette” (verse) by Brian Maycock
“Things in Boxes” by “M B”
“The Dark Hem” by D F Lewis
“The Sixth Magician” by Allen Ashley
“One Footfall” (verse) by Andrew Pye

The front cover was by Jim Pitts. Interior (spot) art came from Alan Casey, Frank Forte, Tony Hough and Martin McKenna. For the first time we were unable to include artwork illustrating specific stories.

Chills, issue 8

Chills 8, edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch, was published by the BFS in 1994. The cover price was £2.75/$6.00. For the first time, Chills included poetry. We also used a two-column design for the stories which, bearing in mind the small fonts we used (too small, I now reckon), made it easier to read. The contents were:

“The Outer Districts” (verse) by Joel Lane
“Save the Last Dance For Me” by Norman Partridge. Illustrated by Bob Covington
“The Parchment Recipes” by Raymond Nickford. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Pieces of Silence” by Joel Lane
“The Stone Dog” by Peter Bayliss
“The Lady Of Situations” by Conrad Williams. Illustrated by Steve Lines
“Getting Through” by Phoenix Hitch
“Snakebite” by Allen Ashley. Illustrated by Russ Nicholson
“Scaredy & Whitemouth” by D F Lewis

The front cover illustration was by Bob Covington. Additional artwork was by Dallas Goffin and Jim Pitts.

There was no Jim Pitts back cover illustration this time (and for the rest of the magazine’s run). Instead, we ran an ad for the BFS. In 1994 the cost of membership was a mere £15.00.

Chills, issue 7

Chills 7, edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch, was published by the BFS in 1993. The cover price was £2.50/$6.00. We had a bit of a coup with this issue: we included a Clive Barker story (which had originally appeared in the Guardian on 31 October 1992). This issue’s contents:

“A Date With the Hangman’s Daughter” by Tia Travis. Illustrated by Jim Pitts
“The Departed” by Clive Barker. Illustrated by Bob Covington
“Desktop Priapism With Your PCW” by Mike Chinn. Illustrated by Mike Chinn
“The Goalkeeper’s Fear Of the Crowd” by Nicholas Royle. Illustrated by Bob Covington.
“The Exhibit” by Martn Plumbridge. Illustrated by Steve Lines

The front cover was by Martin McKenna. The back cover (illustrating “The Shambler From the Stars”) was by Jim Pitts. Additional artwork came from Alan Hunter and Jim Pitts.

So then, can anyone under 30 remember the PCW? Compared with today’s PCs and laptops, it wasn’t much of an advancement on the electric typewriter. But at the time… Well, you had to be there.

Chills, issue 6

Issue 6 of Chills was published by the BFS in 1992, and again was edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch. The cover price was £2.00/$4.00. The magazine contained seven stories:

“The Big Ol’ Clown Lady” by Jeffrey Osier. Illustrated by Jeffrey Osier *
“Out Of the Storm” by Rick Kennett. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Junctions” by Conrad Williams. Illustrated by Martin McKenna
“Spiritual Radio” by Mark Rainey. Illustrated by Bob Covington
“Lost Child” by D F Lewis
“Shadows” by Richard Coady. Illustrated by Dave Carson
“The Pet Peeve” by Rick Kleffel. Illustrated by Jim Pitts

Note: *Jeffrey Osier’s story was originally published in Grue 11.

The cover was by Allen Koszowski; back cover (illustrating Robert Bloch’s “The Shadow From the Steeple”) was by Jim Pitts. Additional artwork came from Dallas Goffin, Allen Koszowski and Martin McKenna.

The magazine also featured a competition, sponsored by Grafton Books, to win copies of Shadows in the Watchgate by Mike Jefferies and a t-shirt designed by Jefferies. The question was: In which sporting event did Mike Jefferies represent Britain in 1980? In this day of the WWW, answering it is so much easier.

Chills, issue 5

With issue five, the word "Winter" had been dropped from the title. And with this issue, Simon MacCulloch joined the editorial team. "Winter" was dropped because the magazine started to appear in the other seasons and hence was deemed inappropriate. Also, Chills is snappier (and the abbreviation no longer sounded like a London postcode).

Chills 5, edited by Peter Coleborn and Simon MacCulloch was published by the British Fantasy Society in 1991. The cover price was £1.80/$4.00. Eight stories appeared in this issue:

"Black Leather Kites" by Norman Partridge. Illustrated by Bob Covington
"Uncle E and Uncle T" by Roy Bayfield. Illustrated ny Nigel Pennington
"Twilight Shifts" by Phil Emery
"Out of His Mind" by Ken Cowley. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
"In the Arcade" by Lisa Tuttle. Illustrated by Bob Covington
"Come With Me" by Conrad Williams. Illustrated by Dallas Goffin
"My Giddy Aunt" by D F Lewis. Illustrated by Sylvia Starshine
"The Real Wolf" by Thomas Ligotti. Illustrated by Jim Pitts

The cover illustration was by Charles Dougherty and designed by Nigel Pennington (who also designed the logo). Additional artwork was by Alan Hunter and Nigel Pennington. The back cover illustration was for H P Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" by Jim Pitts.

Note: "In the Arcade" originally appeared in Amazing Science Fiction, 1978. "The Real Wolf" first appeared in Nocturne 1, 1988.

Winter Chills 4

Winter Chills 4, edited by Peter Coleborn and published by the British Fantasy Society, appeared in 1990. It was a slim affair -- just 36 pages. Cover price was £1.50/$3.00. The magazine included seven stories:



"Copyright Infringement" by David F Bischoff. Illustrated by Dallas Goffin
"Flossie Fraser" by D F Lewis
"The Boat of Sighs" by Allen Ashley. Illustrated by Allen Koszowski
"The Law of the Land" by Mark Hockley. Illustrated by Stephen Skwarek
"The Portrait" by Ian Hunter
"Silver" by Andrew S Jordan. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
"Approved to Scrap" by Rick Kennett. Illustrated by Jeff Salmon

The cover was by Martin McKenna, with additional artwork by Dallas Goffin and Martin McKenna.

Note: "Copyright Infringement" originally appeared in RAM (aka Micro Worlds) edited by Thomas F Monteleone in 1984, "Approved to Scrap" first appeared in The Cygnus Chronicle, volume 5, number 3, in 1983.

Winter Chills 3

Winter Chills 3 appeared in January 1989 and was not included in the BFS booklet series. The cover price was £1.50/ $3.00.


Winter Chills 3. Edited by Peter Coleborn. Published by the British Fantasy Society © 1987

"Samathiel’s Summons” by Ian Watson. Illustrated by Jim Pitts
“Safe House” by Steve Rasnic Tem. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“The Authors of Prendergoth” by William Thomas Webb. Illustrated by Martin McKenna
“The Earth Wire” by Joel Lane. Illustrated by Dallas Goffin
“When the Bucket Stilled” by Stephen Player. Illustrated by Stephen Player
“We Can Get Them for You Wholesale” by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Sylvia Starshine.

Front cover illustration by John Stewart. Additional artwork by Dave Carson, Dallas Goffin, Allen Koszowski and Martin McKenna.

Note: “Samathiel’s Summons” first appeared in Fantasy Book (1984) and “We Can Get Them for You Wholesale” first appeared in Knave (1986)

Winter Chills 2

The second issue of Winter Chills also appeared in 1987 – just in time for Christmas. WC2 was number 12 in the BFS booklet series. The cover price was £1.00/ $3.00. And meanwhile, the Stephen Jones & David Sutton produced Fantasy Tales was seeing its tenth anniversary.

A quick comment about fanzine production. I was using a daisy wheel electronic typewriter at the time -- no internal memory, no cut and paste with clicks of a mouse, no easy layouts. The titles were all created with Letraset, and put together with scissors and glue. Things are so much easier now.

Winter Chills 2. Edited by Peter Coleborn. Published by the British Fantasy Society © 1987


“The Wishing Ball” by Stephen Gallagher. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Call to Me, Call to Me” by Alan W Lear. Illustrated by Stephen Jones
“Thanksgiving Dinner” by Mike Chinn. Illustrated by Dallas Goffin
“The Void Within His Head” by Peter A Hough. Illustrated by Allen Koszowski
“A Man Between Two Worlds” by Gilles Bergal. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“The Doll” by Guy N Smith. Illustrated by Jim Pitts
“The Miracle Man” by Paul Roland. Illustrated by Martin McKenna

Front cover illustration by Dave Carson. Additional artwork by Peter Coleborn, Jim Garrison and Dallas Goffin.

Note: “A Man Between Two Worlds” was translated from the French by Stephen Gallagher. It was originally published in Creatures des Tenebres by Gilles Bergal (1985)

Winter Chills 1

Before The Alchemy Press, I edited/produced a number of titles for the British Fantasy Society. Way back in 1986 the BFS’s journal Dark Horizons was failing to appear regularly. I pitched to the then Society chairs (Stephen Jones and Jo Fletcher) an all-fiction, complementary magazine. They gave me the go ahead and so I contacted a number of authors and artists. And in January 1987 Winter Chills debuted. Originally, I aimed for a magazine of ghost stories, to appear in time for Christmas ’86. But WC1 was just a month late and it very quickly spread its coverage over the horror fiction field. I remain very grateful for everyone who contributed to issue one.

With issue 5 the title of the magazine dropped the ‘Winter’ bit and became, simply, Chills. There were ten issues in total, appearing more-or-less annually, with the final issue appearing in March 1996.

I hope to include on this website a complete list of the magazine’s contents in order to provide a useful resource for future reference. WC1’s cover price was 90p/$3.00. And BFS annual membership was just £8.00.

Winter Chills 1. Edited by Peter Coleborn. Published by the British Fantasy Society © 1987

“The Hanging Tree” by R Chetwynd-Hayes. Illustrated by Jim Pitts
“A New Life” by Ramsey Campbell. Illustrated by Dave Carson
“Something Old, Something Evil” by Sydney J Bounds. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Deathstone” by Peter Tremayne
“Lady Megalith” by David Sutton. Illustrated by Alan Hunter
“Late Shopping” by Brian Lumley

Front cover illustration by Dallas Goffin

Notes:  “The Hanging Tree” originally appeared in A Quiver of Ghosts by R Chetwynd-Hayes (1984).  “Late Shopping” originally appeared in Weirdbook 18, edited by W Paul Ganley (1983)