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Retreats from Oblivion: The Journal of NoirCon

Retreats from Oblivion: The Journal of NoirCon

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Author: msorrento

“Unfruitful Works of Darkness” by Ly Faulk

FLASH FICTION: “Seeing the city isn’t necessary to know what is going down out there. Crime. He can smell it….”

Read More “Unfruitful Works of Darkness” by Ly Faulk

Hope in Uncertainty: Filmmaker Doug Cunningham on Highway

INTERVIEW: “Bad things happen to the characters in the film. But the engagement with those bad things has motivated the characters to start writing their own stories (metaphorically speaking) rather than having their stories written for them….”

Read More Hope in Uncertainty: Filmmaker Doug Cunningham on Highway

“Red Lightning” by Ly Faulk

FLASH FICTION: “As she walked by, I tipped my glass and she winked at me. I watched her go, taking with her my fantasies….”

Read More “Red Lightning” by Ly Faulk

“Noir with a Social Conscience: Ride the Pink Horse (1946)” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Using a distinct setting, a complex anti-hero, a series of unsavory, as well as empathetic characters, and most notably, a social heartbeat, Dorothy B. Hughes’ Ride the Pink Horse offers an extremely compelling journey.”

Read More “Noir with a Social Conscience: Ride the Pink Horse (1946)” by William Blick

“Jim Dandy to the Rescue” by D. V. Bennett

FICTION: “Seeing her in silhouette, my reaction plummeted to the low level of a lonely, recent dumpee, but when she stepped into the light, my imagination ventured into the realm of shame….”

Read More “Jim Dandy to the Rescue” by D. V. Bennett

“Street Sweeping in the City that Works” by David Hagerty

FICTION: “A fresh breeze off the lake carried away the roar of cars and the decaying scents of the city. Yet before he’d passed the trinket shop, two police officers blocked his way….”

Read More “Street Sweeping in the City that Works” by David Hagerty

“Uncanny Valley” By Gary D. Rhodes

POETRY: “I had to remind myself, / uphill or down, / never to speak of this again….”

Read More “Uncanny Valley” By Gary D. Rhodes

“No stupid moves: Frank Oz’s The Score” By Anees Aref

REVIEW ESSAY: “Thieves should respect their elders, too.”

Read More “No stupid moves: Frank Oz’s The Score” By Anees Aref

 “Retribution, with Extreme Prejudice” by Glen Bush

FICTION: “I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. That made me even more nervous, so I started to turn around and answer him but that’s when he hit me with a hard punch to my kidney….”

Read More  “Retribution, with Extreme Prejudice” by Glen Bush

“Jonathan Latimer, Skilled Artisan of the Crime Genre: Headed for a Hearse (1935)” by William Blick

BOOK REVIEW: “Demonstrates a degree of mastery of plot, character, and structure as the mystery is solved with all twists and turns readers have come to expect from the genre….”

Read More “Jonathan Latimer, Skilled Artisan of the Crime Genre: Headed for a Hearse (1935)” by William Blick

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Top Posts & Pages

  • RFO Editor Matthew Sorrento in Conversation with Novelist Jacinda Townsend, 4/3/26, Inkwood Books, Haddonfield
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Authors

andy rausch Anees Aref Ann Chernow Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Barry Gifford BearManor Media Ben Himmelfarb Brian Greene Burt Kearns Charles Rammelkamp Charles Willeford Chris McGinley Chris Roy Clarinda Harris Craig Faustus Buck D.V. Bennett Dan Bronson Dane Ince David Goodis David Hagerty David Rachels David Ryan Earl Javorsky Gary D. Rhodes George Toles Gerald So Graham Wynd J.D. Smith J.L. Delozier J.M. Tyree Jaap Boekestein Jack Dann Jay Gertzman Jim Towns John McCann John Talbird Jo Perry Joseph Goodrich Joseph Hirsch Ken Hall Kurt Brokaw Lance Mason Lionel White Ly Faulk Mark Krajnak Mark Mayes Mark SaFranko Matthew Sorrento Matt Phillips Melanie Dante Mike Madden Mitchell Grabois Nick Sweeney Patricia Abbott Paul D. Brazill Peter Rozovsky Reed Farrel Coleman Rick Ollerman Robb T. White Robert Cooperman Ryhor Cisiecki Sharon Dempsey Stark House Press Stephen D. Rogers Steve Hodel Steve Levi Susan Hammerman T.L. Huchu Theresa Rodewald Thomas Pluck Tom Leins Vicki Hendricks Warren Moore William Blick Woody Haut

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