Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction No. 51 - April 2026

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 PAST LIFE
George Larson

GRAMPA'S SHED
K.B. Olszewski

JUST BIRDS
Beau Maibaum

THE ANK WILLIAMS STORY
Wayne Kyle Spitzer

THE MELTING POT OF US
Khaled T. Aly

THE SLOW APOCALYPSE OF THE CLOCKWORK SAINTS
Lucien R. Starchild 

THE THING ABOUT ASHRIDGE
Bri Eberhart

THE SIMOOM
Rex A. Paar

WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM
James Rumpel

GRASSHOPPERS
Theodora Sterling