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Review: 'Freedom of the Mask' by Robert McCammon

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 7, 2016ReviewsBlu Gilliand, Featured, Freedom of the Mask, Reviews, Robert McCammon, Subterranean Press1 Comment

Freedom of the Mask by Robert McCammon
Subterranean Press (May 2016)
528 pages; $24.26 hardcover; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

The Matthew Corbett books have historically been hefty affairs—Speaks the Nightbird, the first in the series, clocked in at over 800 pages, and the others have gone 400 or more. The lone exception was the fifth book, 2014’s River of Souls, which was a lean 256 pages. It’s my personal favorite of the series, the perfect mix of Robert McCammon’s incredibly detailed world building and action/thriller pacing.

Freedom of the Mask has put some of the weight back on—my advance copy hit 530 pages—but maintains the breathless pace of its predecessor. There’s enough story packed in it for two books, but it’s filler-free, and for good reason: there’s a ticking clock hanging over McCammon’s head now. He’s announced that the series will go nine books and no further, which puts us deep in the overall Corbett story arc at this point. McCammon is very calculated in the way he handles each book’s immediate plot while moving all the pieces toward the series conclusion. Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #191 — Review: 'End of Watch'

Bev VincentJune 6, 2016Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBev Vincent, bill hodges, brady hartsfield, city center massacre, Columns, end of watch, Featured, Finders Keepers, Mr. Mercedes, News from the Dead Zone, Reviews, Stephen King, trilogyLeave a comment

End of Watch by Stephen King
Scribner (June 7, 2016)
448 pages; $18.00 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Bev Vincent

End_of_Watch_cover Shortly after the publication of Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King announced that the book was the first in a trilogy that would be connected by the City Center Massacre (in which a psycho named Brady Hartsfield stole a Mercedes and plowed into a crowd of people who were waiting in line at a job fair in a struggling Mid-western city).

Hartsfield got away with that crime but was—during the commission of an even more audacious and nefarious scheme—eventually brought to justice by a rag-tag group led by retired police detective Bill Hodges. Hartsfield was effectively taken off the playing board at the conclusion of Mr. Mercedes but, at the end of the second book, Finders Keepers, King hinted strongly that this villain would be back, front and center, for the finale. He also suggested that the third book would be closer to a traditional King novel, by which I mean it might have supernatural elements.

The phrase “End of Watch” will be familiar to anyone with more than a passing knowledge of police dramas. In one context, it refers to the day when a cop retires. On another, more ominous level, it refers to a cop killed in the line of duty. Bill Hodges has already experienced the first usage—the question the title of the third book poses is whether he will experience the other.Continue Reading

WHC Part 2: Spirits

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 3, 2016Brian Keene's End of the RoadBrian Keene, Columns, End of the Road, Featured, WHC, World Horror Convention2 Comments

EndofRoad-web

WHC Part 2: Spirits

The first time I ever went to Utah, it was to meet with some producers who wanted to option my novel, The Rising. It didn’t work out because we had conversations like this:

THEM: “We see The Rising as sort of a buddy road comedy starring Chris Tucker and Gary Sinise.”

ME: “But it’s a serious novel about a father looking for his son during the zombie apocalypse.”

THEM: “Not if we option it.”

ME: “I’m leaving now.”

As if that wasn’t bad enough, during that trip, I also got hit by a van while crossing the street, which seems to be a common malady among horror writers. In hindsight, that wasn’t a good weekend.Continue Reading

Review: 'The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel' edited by Nathan Hystad and Samanda R. Primeau

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 2, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Josh Black, Nathan Hystad, Reviews, Samanda R. Primeau, The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel1 Comment

The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel edited by Nathan Hystad and Samanda R. Primeau
WoodBridge Press (April 2016)
202 pages; $13.99 paperback; $0.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

It’s been over a hundred and fifty years since a plague ravaged the area around Lake Manor. With few left to bury them, the corpses were unceremoniously dumped into the lake by their surviving loved ones.

Years later, Lake Manor Hotel is alive with the shadows of the dead. Within the hotel’s 13 rooms, there are 13 tales to tell. Guests will face evil demons, ghosts, creatures from the lake, and the worst monsters of all: the ones within themselves.

13 will check in, but how many will check out?

Review: 'Babylon Terminal' by Greg F. Gifune

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 1, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Babylon Terminal, Darkfuse, Featured, Greg F. Gifune, ReviewsLeave a comment

Babylon Terminal by Greg F. Gifune
Darkfuse (June 2016)
$99.00 hardcover; $16.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

I can’t say I always connect with a Greg F. Gifune story, but I always try to read his work. He challenges me as a reader and Babylon Terminal did just that. This is not a casual read, it’s not light material. I feel I had to work for every bit of enjoyment I got out of this book, but it was worth it.

There is some stunning wordcraft in this story. At times Gifune’s prose is close to breathtaking. There is powerful, rich dialogue, as well.Continue Reading

Review: 'Borderlands 6' edited by Olivia F. Monteleone and Thomas F. Monteleone

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 30, 2016ReviewsBorderlands 6, Featured, Olivia F. Monteleone, Reviews, Thomas F. MonteleoneLeave a comment

Borderlands 6 edited by Olivia F. Monteleone and Thomas F. Monteleone
Borderlands Press (June 2016)
258 pages; $50.00 limited edition hardcover; $15.99 paperback; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

It’s been 26 years since Tom Monteleone brought us the inaugural volume of Borderlands. That volume and subsequent ones have been filled with stories that veer off the beaten path of genre tropes, journeying instead into the uncanny, the inexplicable, the unexpected. There’s a twelve year gap between this sixth volume and the fifth, but in this case the adage proves true: Good things come to those who wait.Continue Reading

WHC Part 1: A Brief History of the World Horror Convention

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 27, 2016Brian Keene's End of the RoadBrian Keene, Columns, End of the Road, Featured, WHC, World Horror ConventionLeave a comment

EndofRoad-web

WHC Part 1: A Brief History of the World Horror Convention

The World Horror Convention, more commonly known as WHC, is perhaps best described as an annual trade show for horror writers, publishers, artists, booksellers, agents, and others with an interest in the field. Fans of horror fiction are welcome to attend, too, and they do, but WHC is a professional gathering, and it’s expensive, and you’re not apt to see cosplayers or a guy in the dealer’s room selling bootleg copies of Manimal on DVD like you would at a fan or media convention such as San Diego Comic Con or Dragon Con. The first WHC was held in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991. There’s been one every year ever since, usually in the United States or Canada, although the 2010 event was held in the United Kingdom, finally putting the World in the World Horror Convention.Continue Reading

Review: 'The Moving Soul' by Joshua Criss

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 25, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Joshua Criss, Reviews, The Moving SoulLeave a comment

The Moving Soul by Joshua Criss
Self-Published (October 2015)
262 pages; $9.95 paperback; $1.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

“Three hundred and thirty-five years ago, a settler in the Virginia colonies completed a sacrificial spell and buried a legendary occult book for the next one destined to find it. Now, that person has…”

The Moving Soul is a supernatural thriller that focuses on three main characters, all students at Jamestown University in Virginia. Louis is a meek, socially awkward kind of guy, Carolyn is the girl he longs for and eventually ends up in a relationship with, and Darin is his new roommate. Darin also happens to be a real piece of work, a sociopath who’s seeking everything he needs to complete a spell that will grant him immortality. When he makes a certain sacrifice and reaches that goal, he intends to taunt, torture, and kill for eternity.Continue Reading

Review: 'The Everything Box' by Richard Kadrey

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 23, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Reviews, Richard Kadrey, The Everything BoxLeave a comment

The Everything Box by Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager (April 2016)
368 pages; $17.14 hardcover; $15.29 paperback; $12.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

“Earth. Four thousand years ago. Give or take.” When this is the opening line in your new novel, it better be epic. The verdict? Richard Kadrey delivers again.

It’s just after the great flood and the angel Qaphsiel is sent by God to finish off mankind, but he misplaces the Instrument of Destruction. Fast-forward to the present day where a number of individuals and groups are closing in on The Everything Box. Of course the usual Kadrey wit abounds. It’s a story filled with magic, where literally anything is possible.Continue Reading

THE SHINING Second LAST Chance! First Come, First Served!

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 20, 2016July 12, 2016Breaking NewsLeave a comment

The Shining: The Deluxe Special Edition
LAST CHANCE TO RESERVE THE SLIPCASED GIFT EDITION!

Hi Folks!

We took purchase links for The Shining by Stephen King off our site on Monday, just FOUR DAYS after the official announcement, because we were speeding toward all 3,000 copies being reserved and we wanted to confirm our order numbers and make sure we didn’t oversell.

We now know exactly how many we have left and we can say for certain that this is your last chance to reserve your copy of The Shining with Stephen King’s lost prologue because we DO NOT have very many copies left available!

These last copies are being sold FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. No second chances!

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

Making a Living in a Post Mid-List World without Borders

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 20, 2016Brian Keene's End of the RoadBrian Keene, Columns, End of the Road, Featured3 Comments

EndofRoad-web

Making a Living in a Post Mid-List World without Borders

So, we ended last week’s column about the deaths of the mid-list and the Borders bookstore chain with the following question: “If self-publishing, independent presses, and independent bookstores are more preferable to former mid-list authors then why are you still selling books to mainstream publishers and signing in big chain bookstores, as well, Keene?” Is the answer:

A) Money.
B) People are stupid.
C) To have a stable, secure writing career in this post-mid-list world without Borders, full-time writers of genre fiction need to diversify.
D) All of the above.

Review: 'Mongrels' by Stephen Graham Jones

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 18, 2016ReviewsBlu Gilliand, Featured, Mongrels, Reviews, Stephen Graham JonesLeave a comment

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
William Morrow (May 2016)
320 pages; $19.39 hardcover; $12.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

The werewolves of Mongrels roam the South like a pack of feral dogs, surviving on the very instincts and abilities that often work directly against them. They live in ratty trailers, work an endless parade of menial jobs, subsist on road kill and strawberry wine coolers. They sneak into town under assumed names and sneak out under the cover of night when things go bad. And they always go bad.Continue Reading

Is Today The Last Day To Order A Copy of THE SHINING??

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 17, 2016July 12, 2016Breaking NewsLeave a comment

The Shining: The Deluxe Special Edition
Is Today The Last Day To Order A Copy??

Hi Folks!

As you know, The Shining by Stephen King is now more than 98% sold out and we’re preparing to remove the order button from the website at the close of business today.

Tomorrow, we will manually check all of our counts to confirm exactly how close we are to all copies being reserved. We didn’t expect the slipcased Gift Edition to sell this quickly, but our collectors have clearly spoken!

Then, this FRIDAY, we will put the product back on the website and send out one more newsletter. Those last copies will be sold FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. No second chances.

But if you don’t want to try your luck on Friday, place your order NOW before time runs out!

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

The Shining Slipcased Gift Edition Now 95% Sold Out!

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 16, 2016July 12, 2016Breaking NewsLeave a comment

The Shining: The Deluxe Special Edition
Slipcased Gift Edition Now 95% Sold Out!

BREAKING NEWS! Our special edition of The Shining by Stephen King is now more than 95% sold out and we expect to take this title off the site within the next 24 hours! Read more or place your order while supplies last!

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

Featured review: 'The Fireman' by Joe Hill

Bev VincentMay 16, 2016ReviewsBev Vincent, Featured, fireman, harry potter, helen reddy, Joe Hill, mary poppins, Reviews, rush, Stephen King, The Fireman, The Stand, toto1 Comment

The Fireman by Joe Hill
William Morrow (May 17, 2016)
768 pages; $18.82 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Bev Vincent

The Fireman, Joe Hill’s fourth novel, is an apocalyptic tale in which a deadly disease destroys the world. If this conjures thoughts of The Stand, it’s not a coincidence. Hill is on record as saying that the book is his version of The Stand “soaked in gasoline and set on fire.” In his dedication he says he stole “everything else” about the book from his father other than the title.

The illness that spreads like wildfire is Draco incendia trychophyton, a spore rather than a virus. People exposed to it do not burn with a fever—they simply burn. First, lesions develop. Some are almost decorative, resembling scales, hence the illness’s nickname: Dragonscale. Victims are mostly asymptomatic until they suddenly catch fire, usually when under stress. It’s a devastating and terrifying disease, because the conflagration takes out others in the vicinity. Buildings burn, then city blocks, and cities, and more.Continue Reading

WHC Part 2: Spirits

WHC Part 1: A Brief History of the World Horror Convention

Making a Living in a Post Mid-List World without Borders

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