First Page Cage: Readers’ Choice Semifinals, Match One!

And Then There Were Four

It’s time to cast your vote in the First Page Cage: Readers’ Choice Semifinals, Match One! Four first-page entries have made it this far. Who will emerge as number one?

In case you are new to the Cage Match party, here’s what’s up: The Pulp Lit editors selected the eight First Page Cage Match entries that enticed us enough to want to read more. These eight quarter-finalist authors then sent along the first ten pages (2500 words) of their manuscripts. And the top four that piqued our interest have been invited to send along their first thirty pages (7500 words).

We gave you, our keen-eyed readers, a chance to join the fun and vote for your favourite first pages.

The quarter-finalist round of the Readers’ Choice division is complete, and now the winners of week one and week two are going head to head. Read the captivating openers here. Then cast your vote in our Readers’ Choice poll.

Let the voting begin!

In this corner, it’s …

C U by Marie Powell, which you can read here.

And in this corner, it’s …

Henri & The Lion by MJ Malleck, which you can read here.

Vote in the first match of the Readers’ Choice semifinals now!

Voting in this bracket closes Thursday, February 8th. And look forward to the next round, where the final two semifinalists go head to head, next week!

To find out the winner of each bracket, sign up for our Pulp Spec newsletter!

And for all the latest First Page Cage Match news, stay tuned to the blog! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Bluesky, or sign up for our newsletter.

Short-form writers, for your chance to appear in the magazine — and win $300! — enter the Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest, closing February 15th!