Maelstrom Speculative Fiction
Entry updated 19 February 2024. Tagged: Publication.
US low-paying Print Magazine published and edited by David L Felts, Palm Harbor, Florida. It ran for eight issues from Summer 1998 to October 2001, and was in a slim (usually between 28 and 32 pages) large review size (see Magazines) format. Like many Amateur Magazines that emerged in the 1990s, the editor wanted to publish material that was out of the ordinary and would make the reader think. Most of the stories verged on horror and the fantastic, but there were a number of pure sf stories such as "Phoenix" (Winter 1999 #3) a post-apocalypse setting by Jonathan Sullivan, or the nanotech future described in "Puppets of the Nanomaster" (January 2000 #5) by Tim Pratt, or the Cyberpunk tale "Trash" (October 2001 #8) by Ken Honeywell. Other contributors included Vera Nazarian, Ken Rand, Mark Rich, Lawrence M Schoen and Sonya Taffe. The fiction was almost equally balanced by the nonfiction with extensive Interviews, writer advice columns and reviews. Overall Maelstrom was a rewarding magazine with more depth than its appearance suggested. When David Felts wound it up he shifted to the internet and set up SFReader.com.
The magazine should not be confused with either the US Fanzine Maelstrom edited by Russ Maheras, which called itself "The Ultimate Fanzine", was devoted to the hero Pulps and comics, and ran for two issues from Spring to September 1974, being later revived with issues #3 (Spring 1987) to #6 (October 1990), with two long-delayed final issues #7 (November 1999) and #8 (July 2002); nor with Maelstrom edited by Malcolm Wright of Southend, Essex, which ran for 10 issues from November 1987 to Summer 2001 with fiction by many British amateur writers much like Dream or Full Moon. [MA]
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