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Review: And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 5, 2022July 4, 2022ReviewsAnd Then I Woke Up, Janelle Janson, Malcolm Devlin, Reviews, TorLeave a comment

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Tordotcom (April 2022)

176 pages; paperback $13.99; e-book $3.99
Reviewed by Janelle Janson

At first glance, you see the flamingo pink and mauve-ish cover. It’s quite pretty with its edgy white font and really catches your attention. Then you look a little closer and see a dark figure in shades of black and grey, in a cloud of gloomy brush strokes, sitting on a chair with a knife at his feet. This figure is difficult to make out, but what you do see is frightening. Of course, being the twisted person that I am, I think it’s just as pretty as the pink. Tordotcom always manages to publish the best novellas with the most striking covers, and as per usual, And Then I Woke Up written by Malcolm Devlin, is outstanding on both fronts.

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Review: Ring Shout by P. Djéli Clark

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 5, 2020September 27, 2020ReviewsMother Horror, P. Djeli Clark, Reviews, Ring Shout, Sadie Hartmann, TorLeave a comment

Ring Shout by P. Djéli Clark
Tor.com (October 13, 2020)
176 pages; $15.99 hardcover; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

I read a brief tagline for Ring Shout that was along the lines of, “a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror” and I was sold. I love everything the tagline promises: Dark Fantasy. Historical Fiction. Novella. Supernatural. Give me all of those things.

Ring Shout not only delivered on these promises, but it also flew past all of my expectations making this book a solid contender for my favorite book of 2020.Continue Reading

Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 26, 2020June 25, 2020ReviewsBlu Gilliand, Night of the Mannequins, Reviews, Stephen Graham Jones, TorLeave a comment

cover of Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
Tor (September 1, 2020)
136 pages; $11.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

So Shanna got a new job at the movie theater, we thought we’d play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead, and I’m really starting to kind of feel guilty about it all.

Stephen Graham Jones packs a lot of information about his new book Night of the Mannequins into that opening sentence. You get a hint of events to come, a clear idea of the tone, and an important clue about the attitude of the narrator, all in less than 40 words. That, my friends, is talent.Continue Reading

Review: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 13, 2019March 10, 2019ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, Scotto Moore, Tor, Your Favorite Band Cannot Save YouLeave a comment

Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore
Tor (February 2019)
128 pages; $13.53 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Just when you thought Lovecraftian horror couldn’t get any weirder, Scotto Moore tosses out this tongue-in-cheek tale of a band that is destined to bring about the end of the world. It’s a fun read that can and will be easily read in one sitting, and is sure to leave the reader with a smile.Continue Reading

Review: Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 12, 2018November 4, 2018ReviewsBedfellow, Jeremy C. Shipp, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, TorLeave a comment

Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp
Tor (November 13, 2018)
224 pages; $8.60 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie Hartmann

Jeremy Shipp has a unique brand of psychological horror. I read his novella, The Atrocities, earlier this year and was taken aback by Shipp’s bold, almost reckless storytelling choices. It seems like anything can happen in his books which can be quite unexpected for the reader. I would say more often than not these strange, almost absurd plot details are successful in creating an enjoyable reading experience; but sometimes, they’re not.Continue Reading

Review: ‘Buffalo Soldier’ by Maurice Broaddus

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 10, 2017November 7, 2017ReviewsAnton Cancre, Buffalo Soldier, Maurice Broaddus, Reviews, TorLeave a comment

Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus
Tor (April 2017)
144 pages, $9.57 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

So, we’ve got Desmond Coke, right? He’s a former James Bondian spy (full of all the expected baddass, class and Dapper Dan style that goes with the title) who found out a little too much. There’s also this boy, Lij Tafari, stuck at the center of the “too much” I just mentioned. They strike off from their home to find a place where the boy can live a normal life in peace, without being the pawn of political figureheads.Continue Reading

Review: 'Good Girls' by Glen Hirshberg

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 9, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Featured, Forge, Glen Hirshberg, Good Girls, Motherless Children Trilogy, Reviews, Tor1 Comment

Good Girls by Glen Hirshberg
Tor/Forge (February 2016)
352 pages; $20.44 hardcover; $12.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Top notch writing, enjoyable prose, a twisted and demented story… but I was a bit lost at times. Seems Good Girls is book 2 in the Motherless Children Trilogy, something the publisher failed to mention when promoting the book. Now that it’s for sale to the public, I see that it’s listed that way, but it’s also being touted as a stand-alone novel. I, personally, would have preferred reading Motherless Child first.

That being said, there is some wonderful story-telling going on here. From the opening line, there’s magic in the words…Continue Reading

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