Review: Castle of Sorrows by Jonathan Janz

Castle of Sorrows by Jonathan Janz
Flame Tree Press (July 25, 2019)

288 pages; $24.95 hardcover; $14.95 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

The Sorrows  is a wonderful example of a place exercising its influence over its occupants. Gothic horror at its finest.”Frank Errington for Cemetery Dance

This review is dedicated to Frank who would have loved to read and review the sequel to The Sorrows. I miss my friend.Continue Reading

Review: Stoker’s Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi

Editor’s Note: Our friend and colleague Frank Michaels Errington passed away on May 31. Since then, it’s been our honor to continue to run, with the gracious permission of Frank’s family, the reviews Frank had filed with us before his death. Today, it’s with great sadness and great pride that we run our final Frank Michaels Errington review. We miss you, buddy.

Stoker’s Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi
Flame Tree Press (May 30, 2019)
288 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Stoker’s Wilde is the first novel by the writing team of Steven Hopstaken & Melissa Prusi. At first look, readers may be tempted to skip this book—after all, the authors are relatively unknown. It’s written entirely in journal entries, letters, and various articles, a format I generally find off-putting. And then there’s the subject matter: Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde fighting werewolves and vampires.Continue Reading

Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Editor’s Note: Our friend and colleague Frank Michaels Errington passed away on May 31. Frank was a voracious reader and prolific reviewer, and had filed several reviews with us before we lost him. His family has granted us permission to run those reviews, including the one below.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Del Rey (July 2, 2019)
800 pages; $18.89 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Every now and again a book comes along which raises the bar in its genre to new heights. In 1978, Stephen King did just that with the apocalypse. For more than forty years The Stand has been the standard-bearer when it comes to decimating humanity. If I remember correctly, Captain Trips killed off 99% of the global population. Along comes Chuck Wendig, who walks up to Steve and says, “Hold my beer.”Continue Reading

Review: Second Lives by P.D. Cacek

Editor’s Note: Our friend and colleague Frank Michaels Errington passed away on May 31. Frank was a voracious reader and prolific reviewer, and had filed several reviews with us before we lost him. His family has granted us permission to run those reviews, including the one below.

Second Lives by P.D. Cacek
Flame Tree Press (April 2019)
304 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

P.D. Cacek’s brilliant novel, Second Lives, tells the stories of Henry, Sara, Jaime, and Helen, who all pass away in the present day. It also tells us about Timmy, Elisabeth, Aryeh, and Crissy, who have all died at various times over the last century.Continue Reading

Review: The Widening Gyre by Michael R. Johnston

Editor’s Note: Our friend and colleague Frank Michaels Errington passed away on May 31. Frank was a voracious reader and prolific reviewer, and had filed several reviews with us before we lost him. His family has granted us permission to run those reviews, including the one below.

The Widening Gyre: The Remberance War Book 1 by Michael R. Johnston
Flame Tree Press (March 2019)
256 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.29 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Warning: The Widening Gyre: The Remembrance War Book 1 is the beginning of a series. The good news is this is a complete story. Should you decide not to read future tales in said series, you can rest assured you’ve read a great yarn. But, I can’t imagine you not wanting to read the rest of the stories Michael R. Johnston has planned. The Widening Gyre is the best Space Opera I’ve read in years.Continue Reading

In Remembrance of Frank Michaels Errington

Frank Michaels Errington

Cemetery Dance, and the horror fiction community as a whole, lost a special member of our ranks last week when Frank Michaels Errington passed away.

I never got the chance to meet Frank in person, but we’ve been swapping emails and Tweets for almost four years. One of the first reviews I ran after we started Cemetery Dance Online was Frank’s take on Little Girls by Ronald Malfi. “Includes one of the most disgusting scenes I’ve ever read,” he wrote in that review, and I could just see him grinning about that. His love and enthusiasm for horror was infectious and shined through every review he wrote. Even when he didn’t love (or like) the book he was reviewing, he tried to find something positive to say.Continue Reading

Review: The Gemini Experiment by Brian Pinkerton

The Gemini Experiment by Brian Pinkerton
Flame Tree Press (May 30, 2019)
240 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

The premise is somewhat familiar and rather simple. Technology has advanced to the point where it’s possible to digitize the mind. Combine this with the ability to create a perfect, nearly indestructible, mirror-image of a human body and you have the recipe for immortality…or disaster.Continue Reading

Review: The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell

The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
Flame Tree Press (April 2019)
368 pages; $18.19 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

It had to happen sooner or later. I found a Ramsey Campbell book I actually liked.  

Mostly.Continue Reading

Review: Black Wings by Megan Hart

Black Wings by Megan Hart
Flame Tree Press (February 2019)
240 pages; $20.64 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Briella is a bright child, some would say gifted. That being said, she does have trouble making friends.

Along with a loathing for personal hygiene and lack of friends, Briella had taken up lying. Much like her father, she wasn’t really very good at it.

Continue Reading

Review: The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish

The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish
Flame Tree Press (January 2019)
240 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $12.86 paperback; $6.29 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Catherine Cavendish is a prolific writer of horror, frequently with ghostly, supernatural, Gothic and haunted house themes. She’s very active on social  media. I have no idea why I’ve never read her work before now, but now that I’ve finally read one of her novels, I know I’ll be back for more.Continue Reading

Review: The Playing Card Killer by Russell James

The Playing Card Killer by Russell James
Flame Tree Press (February 2019)

288 pages; $20.62 hardcover; $12.38 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Wow. First read of a brand new author for me and I absolutely loved it.  There truly is no greater thrill than finding a new writer whose work keeps you guessing from start to finish. Okay, I can think of one or two greater thrills, but you get the point.Continue Reading

Review: Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk

Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk
Flame Tree Press (March 2019)
240 pages; $24.81 hardcover; $12.38 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

I finished reading Brian Kirk’s latest novel over a week ago and put off writing my review to allow this story time to gel in my mind. Or, maybe ferment is a better word. The whole concept of Will Haunt You is a bit of a mind-altering experience.Continue Reading

Review: Inspection by Josh Malerman

Inspection by Josh Malerman
Del Rey (March 19, 2019)

400 pages; $17.70 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

It’s a wonderful thing, digging into a new Josh Malerman novel—no idea what to expect, no clue where his twisted mind is going to take you.Continue Reading

Review: Jimmy the Freak by Charles Colyott and Mark Steensland

Jimmy the Freak by Charles Colyott and Mark Steensland
Thunderstorm Books (March 2019)
$40 limited edition hardcover
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

From beginning to end, this limited edition novella is something special.  Care is given to every word, beginning with this beautiful opening line…

There’s something magical about it, Mike thinks, watching the fat flakes of snow appear from a sky black as the void.
Continue Reading

Review: Junction by Daniel M. Bensen

Junction by Daniel M. Bensen
Flame Tree Press (January 2019)
240 pages; $23.70 hardcover; $12.86 paperback; $6.29 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Daisuke Matsumori is the star of the most popular nature show on Japanese television and has been recruited to investigate what’s on the other side of a wormhole found in New Guinea. By the way, the pronunciation is “Dice-Kay,” not “Dye-Sue-Key.Continue Reading