Review: ‘The Girls in the High-Heeled Shoes’ by Michael Kurland

The Girls in the High-Heeled Shoes by Michael Kurland
Titan Books (February 2016)
320 pages; $12.95 paperback; ebook $7.99
Reviewed by Peter Tomas

Michael Kurland’s sequel to his debut Alexander Brass novel, Too Soon Dead, manifested itself in The Girls in the High-Heeled Shoes: a manifestation which doesn’t disappoint.

Continue Reading

Review: ‘Norse Mythology’ by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
W. W. Norton & Company (February 2017)
304 pages; $13.66 hardback; $9.32 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Norse mythology has always been a strange beast. Its tenets reach around what most readers know from Greek, Roman, and Christian stories, delving into the darker but wackier side of the tales passed down through our Jungian collective. Whereas most other cultures took themselves a little too seriously for the most part, Norse mythology dances with the devil, tosses him in the air, tosses back a few, and laughs into the great beyond.Continue Reading

“An Island Unto Herself” and “Vicious Cycle”

Hello again, folks. This is the 6th installment of monthly double reviews studying the structure of great horror fiction published in our beloved Cemetery Dance.

Last time I reviewed two Bentley Little titles: “The Janitor” from Cemetery Dance #1 (1988) and “We” from Cemetery Dance #64 (2010). This marked the 2nd time my little column compared an older and a newer story from the same author. I know I liked it, and readers seemed to as well.

Fortunately, I get to do this again this month with a pair of Barry Hoffman stories. His two pieces were published in Cemetery Dance in 1988 and 1997. And while they may not be separated by the two full decades like we saw with Mr. Little, Mr. Hoffman’s stories nevertheless show both growth over this span of time as well as a certain, unique thematic element.

Let’s see if you can figure it out before I connect those dots…Continue Reading

Reading Stephen King Signed Limited Edition Officially Announced!

We’re very pleased to officially announce READING STEPHEN KING edited by Brian James Freeman, a brand new signed Limited Edition hardcover featuring essays about Stephen King and his work from Clive Barker, Stewart O’Nan, Frank Darabont, Stephen Spignesi, Richard Chizmar, Justin Brooks, Tony Magistrale, Michael R. Collings, Rocky Wood, Robin Furth, Kevin Quigley, Hans-Ake Lilja, Billy Chizmar, Jack Ketchum, Bev Vincent, Mick Garris, and Jay Franco!

Reading Stephen King

Read more or place your order while supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Ararat’ by Christopher Golden

Ararat by Christopher Golden
St. Martin’s Press (April 18, 2017)
320 pages; $24.99 hardcover; $12.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

It has been several years since a novel has truly unsettled this reviewer. This is one which produced nightmares, repeatedly, a read that will nestle under the skin like few others. Christopher Golden has penned some great tales in the past—most recently, the disturbing Dead Ringers—but Ararat just might be his best.Continue Reading

The Mailman by Bentley Little Beautiful Trade Hardcover Edition IN-STOCK!

Hi Folks!

While organizing our warehouse, we found a few more cartons of our BEAUTIFUL hardcover edition of THE MAILMAN by Bentley Little. This is a hefty special hardcover for a great low price, and you can read more on our website or place your order while supplies last!

The Mailman

Read more or place your order while our supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Jackals’ by Stuart R. Brogan

Jackals by Stuart R. Brogan
CreateSpace (January 2017)
356 pages; $13.95 hardback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I’m reading a horror novel and I know who’s gonna die. Jackals is NOT one of those novels and I loved it. It begins with a big surprise and delivers one powerful punch after another, right to the unexpected end.Continue Reading

LAST CHANCE to order our Gwendy’s Button Box Limited Edition T-Shirt!

Our Cemetery Dance Limited Edition T-Shirt to commemorate the publication of Gwendy’s Button Box needs to get rolling this week, so this is your last chance to preorder because no more orders will ever be accepted after Wednesday!

Please don’t wait to place your order because this will be a one-time Limited Edition printing!

Shirt

Shirt

Read more or place your order while our supplies last!

Don’t forget! We will be publishing the World’s First Hardcover Edition of Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, a brand new original Castle Rock novella! In addition, this title is available as an eBook from us (Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes) and an audiobook from the awesome audiobook team at Simon & Schuster (Amazon * Audible on Amazon * Audible.com * Cemetery Dance Online Store).

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Why Jason Loves the ’80s More Than You

People ask me all the time who the next Jason, Michael or Freddy will be. I tell them there’s a better chance of a Glenn Miller-hip hop genre emerging on pop radio than ever seeing the likes of our favorite killing machines from the ’80s. They were a product of a very special time in horror cinema. The best we’ve been able to come up with since then is Saw. A puppet and dying old dude really don’t shiver me timbers. Continue Reading

Review: ‘Hekla’s Children’ by James Brogden

Hekla’s Children by James Brogden
Titan Books (March 7, 2017)
400 pages; $8.79 paperback; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Sometimes a book which comes out of left field can be a home run. Hekla’s Children landed on this reviewer’s desk with the invitation to give it a whirl. Whirl it did, and the wild ride became one of the best surprises in recent memory. James Brogden has published three other books but this hopefully will be his breakout effort. Some will call this urban fantasy, others weird, while most will simply enjoy a story which has a bit of everything. Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #197

Stephen King News From the Dead ZoneThere’s been so much news lately, I hardly know where to begin. What merits top billing? Let’s start with that trailer for It. First we had a teaser for the trailer, that stirred up interest. And then we got the 2-½ minute trailer itself, and boy what a beauty that was. In its first 24 hours, it racked up an astonishing 197 million views around the world, smashing all previous records. That speaks a lot to anticipation for this movie.Continue Reading

Review: ‘Clive Barker’s Next Testament’ by Mark Alan Miller

Clive Barker’s Next Testament by Mark Alan Miller
Earthling Publications (April 2017)
 $45 gift edition; $100 deluxe edition; $125 lettered edition
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Is there a God? If there is, what is He like? Why would He put up with the hell on earth for the past millennia, and what would He think of what humanity has become? Clive Barker and Mark Miller have posited the answer to these questions in a fascinating graphic novel series Next Testament. Continue Reading

An Update From the Desk of Richard Chizmar, Founder of Cemetery Dance Publications

An Update From the Desk of Richard Chizmar,
Founder of Cemetery Dance Publications

It’s been quite a whirlwind around here ever since we announced GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX. A lot of pre-production work (GWENDY will have the largest first printing ever for a Cemetery Dance book) and a whole lot of press and publicity. Stay tuned for more news soon regarding the audio book release from Simon & Schuster, overseas sales, and even movie possibilities.

But, while GWENDY has stolen most of the recent spotlight, we’ve also been hard at work putting together a publishing line-up that will make 2017 and 2018 two of our biggest years ever — just in time for the 30th anniversary of our founding in 1988.

Although we’re not ready to accept reservations yet for many of these (so please don’t email the office and ask), I wanted to give you a sneak peek at just a few of these amazing projects.

First, I’m extremely excited to report we will be publishing a special edition of SLEEPING BEAUTIES by Stephen King and Owen King. I cannot say more at this time, other than we’ve already read this massive novel and we’re incredibly thrilled to be able to publish it in three different deluxe editions. Details to come later this year, and again, we’re not accepting reservations yet, but we expect this one to sell out in record time. (And yep, that’s a photo of the manuscript!)

We’ll also be publishing a signed Limited Edition of STRANGE WEATHER by Joe Hill. This brand new novella collection from one of the finest young authors working in horror today will feature full-color artwork from four different artists handpicked by Joe and will be published in a unique format that will make STRANGE WEATHER one of Joe’s most collectible special editions ever.

Our special edition of WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER by Owen King is headed to the printer in the next month or so, and we’re already working on another special edition with Owen that will feature so much bonus material that our edition will be double the length of the trade edition.

In addition to THE DAMNATION GAME by Clive Barker, which will be shipping in late summer, we also have another surprise signed Limited Edition from Clive that we’ve been secretly working on. This new project won’t be announced until it’s ready for the printer.

Longtime Bentley Little fans will be very pleased to learn that we’re sending the signed Limited Edition of his brand new novel, THE HANDYMAN, to the printer next month, with trade editions to follow later this fall. THE HANDYMAN is classic Bentley Little, and one of my all-time favorite Little novels. We’re also publishing close to ten backlist titles of Bentley’s as trade paperbacks and eBooks this year. We’re thrilled to get these amazing books back in print!

We also recently received the lengthy manuscript for a new Bentley Little short story collection – featuring many brand new, never-before-published stories, as well as some seldom-seen reprints. No title on this one yet, but more details coming soon.

Not only do we have TWO very special (unannounced) signed Limited Editions from Robert McCammon deep in production to be published this year (and they are very unique books that have never seen print in this format before!), but I’m thrilled to report that in February 2018 we’ll be publishing one of our most important releases ever: THE LISTENER by Robert McCammon, a breathtaking new novel that will not only please his longtime fans but also captivate readers who have somehow missed out on his previous work. This one feels like a game changer to everyone who has read it.

Simply put, this is one of the finest novels I’ve read in years. Period. THE LISTENER will be published in trade hardcover and eBook formats for general readers, but we also have some incredible plans for the signed editions as well. Stay tuned for complete details over the next year as we gear up to publish this novel in a major way.

That’s all for now, but I’ll probably pop back in later this year for another update regarding even more exciting Cemetery Dance releases. As always, thanks for your continued support and enthusiasm!


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Review: ‘Velvet’ by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting

Velvet Deluxe HardcoverVelvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
Image Comics (April 4, 2017)
416 pages; $33.99 deluxe hardcover
Reviewed by Gef Fox

I grew up with James Bond films as my sole reference for the spy genre, and I considered him a cartoonish one at that, since he became the stuff of parody by the time the ’80s came along. It wouldn’t be until I was all grownup when I learned more of the history of the genre. And  Ed Brubaker’s and Steve Epting’s Velvet, now compiled in a delicious deluxe hardcover, reads like a love letter to the spy genre’s golden era.Continue Reading

COVER ARTWORK for Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King!

Just a reminder, we will be getting copies of Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King, their brand new and spectacular collaboration, and we’re also now pleased to show off the cover artwork:

Sleeping Beauties

Read more or place your order while our supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!