The Graveyard of Forgotten Fantasy and Sci-Fi Magazines (Plus 40 Places to Submit)
This is a small memorial to science fiction and fantasy magazines whose original online homes have disappeared. Their stories may survive elsewhere; this page remembers the publications, rather than reproducing their archives. Each entry suggests three places to look next, followed by a broader directory of 40 publications. Check each magazine’s current guidelines and reading windows before submitting.
Red Sun Magazine
2016 — 2019
A home for science fiction, fantasy and horror, with a particular interest in military science fiction and work by veterans. It also welcomed genre-related articles, interviews and reviews. Its fifth issue appeared in May 2019; by March 2020, Duotrope reported no recent issues.
Try instead:
- Apex Magazine for dark, strange science fiction, fantasy and horror.
- Uncanny Magazine for emotionally rich science fiction and fantasy.
- Ash Tales for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories up to 2,500 words; publication is unpaid.
Byzarium
2005 — at least 2008
Original fantasy, science fiction and horror, from flash fiction to short stories. Byzarium favoured people over machinery, welcomed strong female and gay characters, and ran an art-inspired flash-fiction contest. Surviving publication records confirm these years, but not its complete lifespan.
Try instead:
- Uncanny Magazine for imaginative, character-centred science fiction and fantasy.
- Flash Fiction Online for complete speculative stories of 500–1,000 words.
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies for literary adventure fantasy set in secondary worlds.
Oddlands Magazine
2008 — 2008
A short-lived home for speculative short fiction and poetry. Oddlands published five issues of strange worlds and unsettling possibilities before closing in September 2008, after its editor lost submissions and correspondence in a computer failure.
Try instead:
- Strange Horizons for speculative fiction and poetry that explore unfamiliar possibilities.
- Apex Magazine for unsettling, genre-crossing short fiction.
- Ash Tales for strange worlds shaped by an apocalypse or its aftermath, up to 2,500 words; publication is unpaid.
Schrödinger’s Mouse
2011 — 2013
Science fiction with a scientific, philosophical or ethical question at its heart. The magazine published short stories and flash fiction, including Ken Liu’s “Intelligent Design”. Its first edition appeared in 2011; Duotrope recorded it as believed defunct in June 2013.
Try instead:
- Analog Science Fiction and Fact for stories in which science or technology is essential to the plot.
- Escape Pod for science fiction about technology's impact on people and society, published in audio and text.
- Strange Horizons for speculative fiction that questions familiar assumptions.
SCI FICTION
2000 — 2005
Ellen Datlow’s online fiction magazine on the Sci Fi Channel website published new speculative stories alongside selected reprints. Its range reached beyond science fiction into fantasy and horror, helping establish the web as a home for ambitious short fiction. The original archive was later taken offline.
Try instead:
- Apex Magazine for original speculative fiction with a dark or unsettling edge.
- Strange Horizons for inventive speculative fiction across genres.
- Ash Tales for end-of-the-world fiction up to 2,500 words, including disclosed reprints; publication is unpaid.
Ideomancer
2001 — 2015
A home for science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream and speculative poetry, including work that crossed genre boundaries. Launched in 2001 and relaunched with new numbering in 2002, Ideomancer continued until March 2015.
Try instead:
- Strange Horizons for inventive speculative fiction and poetry outside familiar genre boundaries.
- Uncanny Magazine for experimental science fiction, fantasy and poetry.
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies for character-driven adventure fantasy in imagined worlds.
Sources and dates
Researched in November 2026. Dates describe publication history, not domain ownership. Where a complete run or closing year could not be established, the entry says so. Alternatives are editorial recommendations, not successor publications, and may have closed reading windows.
- Red Sun: 2016 launch review, editor’s description and guidelines, D. W. Amendola’s issue-five publication credit, and Duotrope’s inactivity record.
- Byzarium: A. R. Yngve’s December 2005 publication announcement, Nathan Crowder’s November 2008 publication credit, archived guidelines and closure status, and a contributor’s flash-contest account. These establish activity, not the first and final issues.
- Oddlands: Ian Whates’ March 2008 publication credit, Ansible’s closure report, and Suzanne Church’s note that the magazine is no longer live.
- Schrödinger’s Mouse: publisher’s inaugural-edition listing, editor interview, June 2013 defunct-status record, and Ken Liu’s bibliography.
- SCI FICTION: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and a contemporary report of the archive’s removal.
- Ideomancer: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
More magazines and journals accepting submissions
For a wider shortlist, these 40 publications cover literary fiction, flash, speculative stories, crime and audio. This table comes from our complete guide to magazines and journals accepting submissions; each publication links to its detailed entry, including guidelines, fees and reading windows. Some markets are between submission periods.
| Publication | Story length | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| CRAFT | Flash ≤1,000; stories ≤6,000 | $100–$200 |
| The Masters Review | Under 7,000 words | $100–$200 |
| The Sun | Usually under 7,000 words | $200 upwards |
| AGNI | No fixed limit | $30/page, up to $300 |
| Ploughshares | Stories ≤6,500; longform ≤15,000 | $90–$450 |
| The Common | Up to 10,000 words | Honorarium |
| The Missouri Review | No fixed limit | $25/page; $100 online |
| Narrative | Short fiction: 500–15,000 | $250–$1,000 |
| The Cincinnati Review | Print ≤10,000; miCRo ≤500 | $25/page; $25 miCRo |
| New England Review | Up to 20,000 words | $100 + subscription |
| One Story | 3,000–8,000 words | $500 + 25 copies |
| The Threepenny Review | Up to 4,000 words | $400 |
| Boulevard | Up to 8,000 words | $100–$300 |
| The Iowa Review | Up to 25 double-spaced pages | 8¢/word; minimum $100 |
| SmokeLong Quarterly | Up to 1,000 words | $100; $150 with audio |
| Fractured Lit | Micro ≤400; flash ≤1,000 | $50–$75 |
| Flash Fiction Online | 500–1,000 words | $100 original; $36 reprint |
| Wigleaf | Under 1,000 words | Unpaid |
| Pithead Chapel | Under 4,000 words | Unpaid |
| matchbook | Usually under 1,000 words | $20 |
| Okay Donkey | Up to 1,200 words | $25 |
| 100 Word Story | Exactly 100 words | Payment not listed |
| Ash Tales | Up to 2,500 words | Unpaid |
| Uncharted | 1,000–5,000 words | $200 original |
| Beneath Ceaseless Skies | Prefers under 15,000 words | 8¢/word |
| The Dark | 2,000–6,000 words | 5¢/word; 1¢ reprints |
| Strange Horizons | Latest call: up to 5,000 words | 9¢/word; minimum $60 |
| Uncanny Magazine | 750–10,000 words | 10¢/word |
| Apex Magazine | Up to 9,000 words | 8¢/word |
| Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine | Prefers 2,500–8,000 words | 6–8¢/word |
| Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine | Prefers no more than 12,000 | Payment not listed |
| The London Magazine | Up to 4,000 words | Print paid; online unpaid |
| The Stinging Fly | No fixed limit | €375–€1,250; €175 flash |
| Mslexia | Categories from 100–2,200 words | From £30 |
| The Fiction Desk | 1,000–15,000 words | £25/1,000 words + copies |
| Fictive Dream | Micro ≤400; stories ≤2,500 | Unpaid |
| Literally Stories | 500–3,000 words | Unpaid |
| Escape Pod | Originals 1,500–6,000; reprints ≤7,500 | 8¢/word; $100–$175 reprints |
| PseudoPod | Stories 1,500–6,000; flash <1,500 | 8¢/word; $20–$100 reprints |
| Cast of Wonders | Up to 6,000 words | 8¢/word; $20–$100 reprints |
Payments are in US dollars unless marked £ or €. Check the linked entry and the publication’s own guidelines before submitting.