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Review: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 29, 2024January 28, 2024ReviewsChristopher Golden, Dave Simms, Reviews, The House of Last ResortLeave a comment

cover of The House of Last Resort The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden
St. Martin’s Press (January 30, 2023)
304 pages; $24.65 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Christopher Golden knows better than many writers how to turn a setting into a brutal, living, breathing character. His new, terrifying novel might be the perfect encapsulation of that statement. When a reader takes into consideration the body of work that includes Ararat (possible resting place of Noah’s Ark), Road of Bones (forbidden frozen land in Russia), and Strangeland (what might be the most inventive setting in horror fantasy in ages), the praise for this story is not taken lightly.Continue Reading

Review: Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 24, 2024January 22, 2024ReviewsChandra Claypool, Jason Marc Harris, Master of Rods and Strings, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Master of Rods and Strings Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris
Crystal Lake Publishing (January 12, 2024)
104 pages; paperback
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Do you like to read things that scare you? And I don’t mean just general horror… I mean specifics. I absolutely cannot be around dolls… and by default, puppets. Puppets may almost even be worse since they actively move – even if it’s in a controlled way by the person with the rods and strings. So of course I had to read this story of Elias, who wants to be as talented as his sister as puppetry. She is recruited by their Uncle Pavan, who is well known for his successes in his puppetry school. But something seems off and Elia won’t stop until he finds his sister. No cost is too big and he finds himself spiraling into the occult. Nothing will stop him.Continue Reading

Review: Ornithologiae edited by Mark Beech

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 22, 2024January 16, 2024ReviewsDaniel Braum, Ornithologiae, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Ornithologiae Ornithologiae edited by Mark Beech
Egaeus (June 2022)
260 pages; Limited edition of 460 Copies
Reviewed by Daniel Braum

Ornithologiae is an anthology with the theme of birds edited by Mark Beech from his Egeaus Press in the United Kingdom. The subtitle of the book is “Being a collection of weird and uncategorizable stories and poems on the subject of birds.” The volume is hardcover with black and white interior illustrations and color illustrated end pages.Continue Reading

Review: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 17, 2024January 16, 2024ReviewsHaley Newlin, Jenny Kiefer, Reviews, This Wretched ValleyLeave a comment

cover of This Wretched Valley This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
Quirk Books (January 2024)
309 pages; $18.99 paperback; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

DO NOT TOUCH THIS GROUND

Some monsters live outside the shadows, beneath the sun, sitting beside you, watching and plotting.

Jenny Kiefer’s debut, This Wretched Valley, will appease horror readers who crave fright outside the typical haunted house or killer’s dimly lit basement. Many hair-raising, nail-biting scenes occur in broad daylight, and exploring an uncharted rock in the valley leaves the team isolated from surrounding campers or hikers. Not that many visit that wretched valley, anyway. Not after all the disappearances over the years. Continue Reading

Review: Shimmerfish by Bethany Browning

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 15, 2024January 14, 2024ReviewsBethany Browning, Chandra Claypool, Reviews, ShimmerfishLeave a comment

Shimmerfish by Bethany Browning
Sonoma MediaWorks (October 2023)
126 pages; $4.99 paperback
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)

Shimmerfish is a coming-of-age horror about a young woman who flees abuse and finds a new world filled with the enchantments of mermaiding. She’s got her tail, her mer-sona and a mer-name, but something feels fishy, and she’s forced to confront her deepest fears in order to uncover the truth.

Review: Creep This Way – How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling by Rebecca Cuthbert

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 11, 2024January 10, 2024ReviewsCreep This Way, Joshua Gage, Rebecca Cuthbert, Reviews1 Comment

Creep This Way: How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling by Rebecca Cuthbert
Seamus & Nunzio Productions (January 15, 2024)
92 pages; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

cover of Creep This Way Rebecca Cuthbert is a dark fiction and poetry writer living in Western New York. She loves ghost stories, folklore, witchy women, and anything that involves nature getting revenge. Her debut poetry collection, In Memory of Exoskeletons, is out now with Alien Buddha Press, and her hybrid poetry and story collection, Self-Made Monsters, will arrive in Fall of 2024. Her non-fiction book, Creep This Way: How to Become a Horror Writer With 24 Steps to Get You Ghouling will be out in January 2024 from Seamus & Nunzio Productions.Continue Reading

Review: On the Subject of Blackberries by Stephanie M. Wytovich

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 9, 2024January 8, 2024ReviewsJoshua Gage, On the Subject of Blackberries, Reviews, Stephanie M. WytovichLeave a comment

cover of On the Subject of Blackberries On the Subject of Blackberries by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Raw Dog Screaming Press (September 2023)
128 pages; hardcover $24.95
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous magazines and anthologies such as Weird Tales, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others. Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Point Park University, and a mentor with Crystal Lake Publishing. Her newest poetry collection is On the Subject of Blackberries. Continue Reading

HAIL….SANTA?

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 3, 2024January 2, 2024Essays, ReviewsBlood Bound Books, Essays, Hail Santa, John McNee, Reviews, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

Hail Santa cover In true Splatterpunk style, John McNee’s Hail Santa combines relevant social commentary with all the red mayhem and over the top violence you can shake a razor-sharp candy cane at. While the grueling gore is kept front row center this holiday season, it walks a fine line with a fully fleshed out story that’s as engaging as it is daring. Every page keeps our eyes glued to its frenzied pace even while the author leans in on gruesome details that are certain to leave even the naughtiest of elves blushing at the sheer insanity of it all. Continue Reading

Review: The Maker’s Box by David Barclay

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 29, 2023December 24, 2023ReviewsDavid Barclay, Haley Newlin, Reviews, The Maker's BoxLeave a comment

The Maker’s Box by David Barclay
9 Swords (March 2022)
89 pages; $6.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Stephen King’s dreamscape fantasy Rose Madder meets the precise cleverness of Richard Chizmar’s Gwendy’s series in The Maker’s Box.

I’d never read anything from Barclay before The Maker’s Box, but now I’m blood-thirsty for more. Continue Reading

Review: Double Dose by F. Paul Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 27, 2023December 24, 2023ReviewsDave Simms, Double Dose, F. Paul Wilson, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Double Dose Double Dose by F. Paul Wilson
Gordian Knot Books (September 2023)
382 pages; $16.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

The world of legend F. Paul Wilson continues to grow in this second installment of the Duad series. Is it the finale or just another chapter? Read on to decide but if one is familiar with Wilson’s storytelling, the mystery is always afoot. One thing is sure, however. The man seems incapable of penning a bad — or boring — book.Continue Reading

Review: Thirsty for Love by Carmen Pizarro and David Ocampo

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 26, 2023December 24, 2023Reviews, The Comic VaultCarmen Pizarro, Columns, David Ocampo, Joshua Gage, Reviews, The Comic Vault, Thirsty for LoveLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

Thirsty for Love by Carmen Pizarro and David Ocampo
Independently Published (2022)
48 pages; $15.00 perfect bound collector’s edition of 100
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Thirsty for Love is a clever monster graphic novel written by David Ocampo and illustrated by Carmen Pizarro. When Emily goes missing, her friend Josie thinks she knows what happens. She’s aware of the new girl, Charlotte Smith, and suspects she’s responsible for Emily’s disappearance. When she confronts Charlotte, Josie discovers that her suspicions are not only wrong, but that the truth is far worse than she could ever imagine. Continue Reading

Review: Pluto in Furs 2 edited by Scott Dwyer

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 20, 2023December 17, 2023ReviewsDaniel Braum, Pluto in Furs 2, Reviews, Scott DwyerLeave a comment

cover of Pluto in Furs 2 Pluto In Furs 2 edited by Scott Dwyer
Plutonian Press (January 2022)
228 pages; $14.99 paperback
Reviewed by Daniel Braum

Pluto In Furs 2 is the follow up volume to the 2019 anthology Pluto In Furs: Tales of Diseased Desires and Seductive Horrors edited by Scott Dwyer from his Plutonian Press. It is an anthology of themed short stories with the theme of erotic horror.Continue Reading

Review: Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas edited by Carina Bissett, Hillary Dodge, and Joshua Viola

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 18, 2023December 17, 2023ReviewsAnthology, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Shadow AtlasLeave a comment

cover of Shadow Atlas Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas edited by Carina Bissett, Hillary Dodge, and Joshua Viola
Hex Publishers (November 30, 2021)
461 pages; $26.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

The Shadow Atlas is a really clever concept for an anthology. It is described as follows: “Ancient peoples knew there were lands given over to shadow and spirit. The world is full of haunted places that exact a terrible toll on trespassers. Our forebears paid a heavy price to earn the wisdom and the warning they bequeathed to future generations. Their stories are maps revealing the topography and contours of landscapes unimaginable and dark. The Shadow Atlas collects their adventures.” This idea, that authors and writers will be looking at various locations and landscapes throughout the Americas and writing the horror specific to those locales is intriguing, and while this is a mixed bag (as any anthology is going to be), it’s a really strong showing of thematic writing that horror fans will enjoy. Continue Reading

Review: Seth’s Christmas Ghost Stories (2023 Edition)

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 12, 2023December 10, 2023ReviewsBibliosasis, Blu Gilliand, Christmas, Reviews, SethLeave a comment

Seth's Christmas Stories 2023 Seth’s Christmas Ghost Stories 2023 Set
Biblioasis (December 2023)
$25 paperback set
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

These annual sets of ghost stories from cartoonist Seth and publisher Biblioasis has, over the last few years, become one of my favorite holiday traditions. The 2023 set arrives bearing three creepy stories and an armload of stark, atmospheric illustrations that perfectly capture and bolster them to chilling effect.Continue Reading

Review: Split Scream Vol. 4 by D. Matthew Urban and Holly Lyn Walrath

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 4, 2023December 3, 2023ReviewsD. Matthew Urban, Holly Lyn Walrath, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Split ScreamLeave a comment

cover of Split Scream Split Scream Vol. 4 by D. Matthew Urban and Holly Lyn Walrath
Tenebrous Press (October 2023)
152 pages; $13 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

This book begins with an introduction by the series editor Alex Ebenstein regarding the novelette. He describes it as “longer than a short story and shorter than a novella,” or between ten to twenty thousand words. As such, the book is presented as a “double feature” of sorts, pairing “Nonsense Words” by D. Matthew Urban with “Bone Light” by Holly Lyn Walrath. The stories have nothing to do with each other beyond being well written and scary, and the whole concept of this book is really quite clever and appealing. Continue Reading

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