Review: Under Her Skin edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller

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cover of Under Her SkinUnder Her Skin edited by Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller
Black Spot Books (April 5, 2022)
145 pages; $14.95 paperback; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

There has been a recent movement in horror writing to promote previously underrepresented voices, which should absolutely be encouraged and supported. Many anthologies have been put together regarding various voices in horror fiction, but little has been done with horror poetry, until now. Lindy Ryan and Toni Miller recognized the dearth of poetry anthologies championing women’s voices in horror poetry, and have edited Under Her Skin, which is a strong anthology and one that I hope is the first of many such anthologies.Continue Reading

Review: Shadowman by Jamie Delano and Charlie Adlard

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cover of ShadowmanShadowman by Jamie Delano & Charlie Adlard
Valiant Entertainment (April 5, 2022)
272 pages; $24.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

When the first writer of the Hellblazer series (Jamie Delano) and one of the major artists of The Walking Dead series (Charlie Adlard) team up, readers know that something exciting is going to happen. Taking Valiant’s character Shadowman, these two artists were able to create a solid graphic novel of voodoo and horror in New Orleans that is sure to entertain any horror aficionado.Continue Reading

Review: Ghoul n’ the Cape by Josh Malerman

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cover of Ghoul n' the CapeGhoul n’ the Cape by Josh Malerman
Earthling Publications (January 2022)
727 pages; limited edition (1,000) hardcover $75
Reviewed by Dave Simms

What can be said about this monstrosity of a book that either won’t ruin the odd, weird, serpentine, acid trip plot or confuse the living hell out of the reader? That’s kind of simple, actually?
It’s written by Josh Malerman. That should be enough for most to pick it up.

Continue Reading

Review: The Eleusinian Mysteries by Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler

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cover of Eleusinian MysteriesThe Eleusinian Mysteries by Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler
Aubade Publishing (March 22, 2022)
84 pages; $14.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler is part of a literary translation team with Reilly Costigan-Humes. They work with both Ukrainian and Russian and are best known for their renderings of novels by great contemporary Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan, including Voroshilovgrad, published by Deep Vellum, and Mesopotamia, published by Yale University Press. Wheeler is also a poet whose work has appeared in journals including The Big Windows Review, The Peacock Journal, and Post(blank). His newest collection of poetry is The Eleusinian Mysteries, a series of narrative poems based on the Greek story of Persephone.Continue Reading

New Book Trailer (and Pre-Order Special) for Kevin Lucia’s The Night Road

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We thought you’d like to get a look at the haunting new book trailer for Kevin Lucia’s The Night Road, which Booklist called “A heartbreakingly beautiful, thought-provoking, and compelling read with an unforgettable protagonist.”

The e-book version of The Night Road is on sale for the special pre-order price of 99 cents through April 1.

Essay: The Historical Significance of the Horror Novels of 2020

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cover of The End of October2020 was a rough year for the world. A pandemic, lockdowns, police violence, and the protests in response. A year of division and societal cracks highlighted by an election that ended with a coup attempt and supporters chanting to hang the Vice President from their own party. Regardless of your social or political leanings, most people will not remember 2020 fondly.

The entertainment industry was not immune, reeling with theaters unable to open after tentpole horror movies like Last Night in Soho and Halloween Kills were put on the shelves. Thankfully for fans of horror, one corner of the genre thrived.Continue Reading

Review: Just a Bite by Boris Bacic

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cover of Just a BiteJust a Bite by Boris Bacic
Butterdragons Publishing (March 22, 2022)
230 pages; $12.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Boris Bacic is a horror author who has written more than ten novels, including collections of short horror stories. He’s been writing stories for years, ranging from genres like horror, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, suspense, etc. He’s been praised widely as an author who constructs compelling narratives and plots that will keep you at the edge of your seat. His stories regularly find their way among the top posts on Nosleep and he’s had dozens of his stories narrated by famous Creepypasta YouTube narrators. His newest novel is Just a Bite, a medical horror novel that’s a quick read and will interest fans of body horror. Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Ride or Die with James Newman

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author James Newman
James Newman

James Newman is the author of a diverse array of horror and suspense tales told with a Southern twang and a hint of pitch-black humor. Newman’s publications include Midnight Rain, The Wicked, Animosity, Ugly as Sin, Odd Man Out, Scapegoat (co-written with Adam Howe), Dog Days O’ Summer (co-written Mark Allan Gunnells) and In the Scrape (co-written with Mark Steensland) along with a feature film adaptation of The Special (based on Newman’s novella co-written with Mark Steensland). His newest release is a lean mean novella called Ride Or Die, available now through Silver Shamrock Publishing.

Here, we cover a plethora of in-depth topics like how the man finds time to write, his process when collaborating with other authors, writing convincing dialogue, his lifelong heroes, and a whole lot more. Enjoy!Continue Reading

Review: Dark Tales of Sorrow and Despair by Jack Darby

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cover of Dark Tales of Sorrow and DespairDark Tales of Sorrow and Despair by Jack Darby
Independently Published (November 2021)
337 pages; $14.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by R.B. Payne

Reviewer’s Note

Many of you know I relocated to Paris, France in 2018. Here, I am connecting with like-minded authors who specialize in dark fiction whether it be horror, thriller, or science fiction. These writers are a diverse group living in Spain, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Romania, Belgium, France, Denmark, Poland, Ireland, Lithuania, and Austria, to mention a few.

These “European Dark Fiction Writers” bring a vastly different perspective to their stories because here, amongst the charming castles and ancient battlefields, history is old… very, very old. Wounds and fears are centuries or eons deep, yet some primordial scars are still oozing fresh blood. The creatures that lurk just beyond the shadows in the cities and forests and mountains of Europe may not be quite so recognizable as the ones you think you already know.Continue Reading

Review: Secret Identity by Alex Segura

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cover of Secret IdentitySecret Identity by Alex Segura
Flatiron Books (March 15, 2022)
368 pages; $27.99 hardcover; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

“It was barely eleven and Carmen Valdez already wanted to die.”

Doesn’t exactly sound like someone working at their dream job, does it? Carmen Valdez knows that being the secretary for the owner/editor-in-chief of Triumph Comics isn’t what she wants, but she’s hoping it’s at least a foot in the door…a first step on her journey to writing comic books for a living.Continue Reading

Review: Escaping the Body by Chloe N. Clark

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cover of Escaping the Body by Chloe ClarkEscaping the Body by Chloe N. Clark
Interstellar Flight Press (March 7, 2022)
118 pages; $12.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Chloe N. Clark is the author of Collective Gravities, Under My Tongue, Your Strange Fortune, and The Science of Unvanishing Objects. Her forthcoming books include Every Song a Vengeance and My Prayer is a Dagger, Yours is the Moon. She is a founding co-EIC of literary journal Cotton Xenomorph. Her favorite basketball player will always be Rasheed Wallace and her favorite escape artist can only be Houdini. Her newest collection, Escaping the Body, is a tour de force exploring the physical body and the liminal spaces between one’s soul and one’s skin and bones. Continue Reading

Review: The Pussy Detective by DuVay Knox

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cover of The Pussy DetectiveThe Pussy Detective by DuVay Knox
CLASH Books (February 2022)
180 pages; $14.95 paperback
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

The Pussy Detective. A title like this elicits a response; an invite to engage right off the bat. For some, it’s off-putting because of the p-word. Others see the title and the amazing retro-inspired artwork and pull the trigger. Some people think it’s a joke or a parody. 

“Wait, this book is about women who have lost their pussy and some detective helps them find it?” 

That’s exactly right.Continue Reading

Review: Entomophobia by Sarah Hans

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cover of EntomophobiaEntomophobia by Sarah Hans
Omnium Gatherum Media (January 2022)
178 pages; $14.99 Paperback; $3.49 ebook
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

Bugs, amiright? Creepy little bastards. Skittering around on too many legs. Staring at us with too many eyes. Click-clacking their chitinous carapaces from the dark corners. Then they have the nerve to squirt out all those gloppy bits when you squish them. EW!Continue Reading

Review: The Headsman by Cristina Mirzoi

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cover of The HeadsmanThe Headsman by Cristina Mirzoi
Independently Published (January 2022)
41 pages; $3.50 e-book
Reviewed by R.B. Payne

One of the joys of living abroad is meeting new writers and connecting as storytellers. Living in Europe, that means meeting poets, writers, and artists from various countries and cultures. 

Cristina Mîrzoi is Romanian and English and also speaks Spanish and French. She is a member of the European Dark Fiction Writers group. She is a new writer, emerging onto the scene. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to her and encourage you to take the time to support her by reading her tale.

Without delay, then, let’s review The Headsman by Cristina Mîrzoi.Continue Reading