Like everything else in Blood Knife, the main thing we look for in fiction is work that is unlikely to be featured in other publications — whether due to genre, content, stylistic decisions, or some other reason. If you can easily imagine your story appearing in several other magazines, it’s probably not a good fit for us.
We place significantly more emphasis on tone and style than on strict genre adherence. We are looking for the decadent, the grotesque, the weird, the alienating, and the agonizing. We are not looking for the gentle, the upbeat, the hopeful, or the comforting.
All speculative genres are welcome, but we are especially fond of dark fantasy, gothic fiction, cosmic horror, and cyberpunk. Again, we value tone and style over genre conventions.
Sex, violence, and gore are all welcome. Almost anything is welcome, provided it’s well written, unique, and has something to say.
Political content is exceptionally welcome, but remember that we are an explicitly leftist, anti-capitalist publication. Stories about hero cops or the need for political compromise are unlikely to go over well.
We value interesting fiction, writing, and execution over political statements. A story must work as fiction first and foremost—if it’s mostly just a political statement, it’s not a good fit for us.