Cemetery Dance Online

Review: Necronomicon – A Manual of Corpse Eating by Martin Llewellyn

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 7, 2021May 1, 2021ReviewsBiting Dog Press, Martin Llewellyn, Necronomicon, Reviews, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

Necronomicon: A Manual of Corpse Eating by Martin Llewellyn
Biting Dog Press (December 2019)
42 pages; Limited Edition (35 copies)
Reviewed by Rick Hipson

Welcome to a grotesque and fascinating journey into the historical depths of the Book of the Dead and its curator, the mad alchemist, Abdullah Alhazred. Martin Llewellyn, who provides translations from Alhazred’s ancient texts, proclaims he obtained the pages in error when they fell from another book he had requested from the Rare Books and Music in the British Library. Knowing he shouldn’t scour the third century torn, scorched and barely illegible texts, how could he resist? His translations now remain for your eyes only. Or, at least for those lucky enough to own one of only thirty-five copies produced.Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Illustrating the Necronomicon with George A. Walker

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 5, 2021May 10, 2021InterviewsGeorge A. Walker, Interviews, Necronomicon, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

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photo of illustrator George A. Walker — NECRONOMICON illustrator George A. Walker (Photo courtesy Michelle Walker)

An Associate Professor at OCAD University of Toronto, George A. Walker is an award-winning Canadian wood engraver, teacher, book artist, author and illustrator who resides in Toronto, Ontario. Elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Art for his contribution to the cultural area of Book Arts, George has exhibited his wood engravings and limited-edition books internationally for over twenty years through such presses as Cheshire Cat Press, Porcupine Quill Press, and Biting Dog Press. George has also created highly collectable, revered works such as The Mysterious Death of Tom Thompson (2011), Book of Hours: A 9/11 Story (2008) and The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe (2005) among many others. George continues to carve his visionary style and prowess into the woods of Canadian Maple, often making his paper by scratch, and inspires awe and wonder with every groove of his engraving tools.

Most recently, I sat down with George to discuss his design work on Necronomicon: A Manual of Corpse Eating, written by Martin Llewellyn. Originally published in 2019, it’s promotional push was interrupted by our current pandemic, but a proper launch party is planned for the near future. Sit back and enjoy as George and I discuss what drew him to this morbid and fascinating world of sacrifice and scientific controversy. Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Unearthing the Necronomicon with Martin Llewellyn

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 3, 2021May 6, 2021InterviewsInterviews, Martin Llewellyn, Necronomicon, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

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photo of author Martin Llewellyn — Author Martin Llewellyn

Martin Llewellyn is a graduate of King’s College in London, UK, where he studied literature and earned his doctorate. His novels include House of the Missing and Necronomicon: A Manual of Corpse Eating, which I was fortunate enough to chat with him about.

Necronomicon is a metafictional representation of Abdulah Alhazred polarizing medical practices as he evolved into ritualistic religious practices which eventually drove him insane during his pursuit to communicate with the Old Gods and achieve life beyond death.

Join Martin and I as we discuss teachings and inspirations surrounding his newest book, poignantly illustrated by the award-winning wood engraver, George A. Walker.Continue Reading

Revelations: Algernon Blackwood

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 30, 2021April 25, 2021RevelationsAlgernon Blackwood, Columns, Kevin Lucia, Revelations1 Comment

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black and white photo of author Algernon Blackwood — Algernon Blackwood

Writing this column is occasionally daunting. I often grapple with the unfortunate reality that not only is it impossible for me to completely cover every important horror/spec fic writer, it’s also hard to read everything written by the writers I highlight. In some cases — writers with modest outputs, or contemporary writers I’ve been reading right along — that’s not such a difficulty.

However, with other writers, such as the focus of today’s column — Algernon Blackwood — I simply have to be content with believing I’ve read enough of their work to offer an informed opinion and recommendation. Even so, there’s still that little irrational insecurity (anyone who knows me knows I’m nothing more than a bundle of irrational insecurities) someone will pipe up in the comments, “Oh, but have you read THIS story by INSERT AUTHOR NAME HERE? You haven’t? Oh.”Continue Reading

Review: Daphne Byrne by Laura Marks, Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 28, 2021April 25, 2021Reviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Danica Davidson, Daphne Byrne, DC Comics, Hill House Comics, Joe Hill, Kelley Jones, Laura Marks, Michelle Madsen, Reviews, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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cover of the graphic novel Daphne Byrne Daphne Byrne by Laura Marks, Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen
DC Comics (November 2020)
160 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Danica Davidson

14-year-old Daphne Byrne lives in a world where she doesn’t belong. Her father was the only person who understood her, but he died in a disgraceful way, a way that gives gossips plenty to talk about. This is 1886 in New York, and Daphne’s morbid, literate, precocious personality doesn’t fit well in a time and place where women are expected to be docile and obedient. The other girls at school all make fun of her, so she doesn’t fit in anywhere.Continue Reading

Review: Your Turn to Suffer by Tim Waggoner

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 26, 2021April 25, 2021ReviewsFlame Tree Press, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, Tim Waggoner, Your Turn to SufferLeave a comment

cover of your turn to suffer by tim waggoner Your Turn to Suffer by Tim Waggoner
Flame Tree Press (March 2021)
256 pages; $21.74 hardcover; $14.16 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

Lori suffers from stress-induced migraines. She is enjoying a pain-free day shopping for groceries when she is approached by a woman crowding her personal space. Lori notices the woman has peculiar eyes… a slit instead of a round pupil.

“Confess and atone-or suffer.”Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Max Booth III

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 23, 2021April 22, 2021InterviewsInterviews, Max Booth III, Tyler JonesLeave a comment

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photo of author Max Booth III — Max Booth III

Max Booth III is the editor-in-chief of Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, the managing editor of Dark Moon Digest, and the host of two podcasts: Ghoulish and Castle Rock Radio. He’s the author of We Need to Do Something, Touch the Night, Carnivorous Lunar Activities, and several other novels. Bylines include LitReactor, CrimeReads, the San Antonio Current, Fangoria, and Film 14. Follow him on Twitter (GiveMeYourTeeth) or visit him at TalesFromTheBooth.com. He lives in Texas.Continue Reading

Review: We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 22, 2021April 21, 2021ReviewsAnton Cancre, Max Booth III, Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, Reviews, We Need to Do SomethingLeave a comment

We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III
Perpetual Motion Machine Press (May 2020)
122 pages; $12.95 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

Max Booth III is carving a niche out for himself as the king of premises that should not, in any way whatsoever, work. Yet, somehow, he does it. Every frickin’ time. Even with that anthology that every editor on the planet curses him for. I’ll be damned if he doesn’t pull it off again with We Need to Do Something.Continue Reading

Review: Take Your Turn, Teddy by Haley Newlin

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 20, 2021April 19, 2021ReviewsHaley Newlin, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, Take Your Turn TeddyLeave a comment

cover of Take Your Turn, Teddy by Haley Newlin Take Your Turn Teddy by Haley Newlin
New Degree Press (December 2020)
382 pages; $18.04 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

Haley Newlin’s Take Your Turn, Teddy is a dark, psychological horror story exploring the manifestations of early childhood trauma. Newlin uses themes of domestic violence, anxiety, and isolation to create a provocative landscape, The Shadow, for her characters to encounter and battle. A disturbing glimpse of how a broken spirit can unleash powerful demons of the soul. Absolutely captivating, I couldn’t put it down.Continue Reading

Exhumed: “Little Precious” and “Anka”

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 16, 2021April 4, 2021ExhumedColumns, Exhumed, Graham Masterton, K. Edwin Fritz, Tom ElliotLeave a comment

banner reading Exhumed - The Fiction of Cemetery Dance by K. Edwin Fritz

Don’t you hate it when online columnists start a post by explaining why they haven’t posted in a while?

Me too. Me too.

Anyway, here’s a bullet list explaining why I haven’t posted in a while:
2019:

Moved
New job
Had a baby

2020:

COVID
Moved again
Another new job
Baby is a toddler now, & as much as I love her, she’s exhausting

So, since it’s obviously been a while…
*checks watch
*frowns
*checks calendar
Eh-heh.
*smiles
…let me remind everyone what this column is all about.Continue Reading

Review: A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 14, 2021April 10, 2021ReviewsA Collection of Dreamscapes, Christina Sng, Joshua Gage, Raw Dog Screaming Press, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng
Raw Dog Screaming Press (April 2020)
169 pages; $14.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Christina Sng’s collection A Collection of Nightmares won the Bram Stoker award for best poetry collection in 2017. Her follow-up book, A Collection of Dreamscapes, has all the promise of her previous successes. It’s already been listed as one of Reading Vicariously’s Must-Reads from 2020, Tor Nightlife’s Ten Best Horror Poetry Collections of 2020, and Well Read Beard’s Top Five 2020 Poetry Collections, as well as being short listed for the 2021 Stoker Award. Reading the collection, it is obvious why it is receiving so many accolades. It’s a very strong collection of mythic horror poetry that readers will enjoy.Continue Reading

Review: The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 12, 2021April 10, 2021Reviews, The Comic VaultAbby Howard, Columns, Iron Circus Comics, Joshua Gage, Reviews, The Comic Vault, The Crossroads at MidnightLeave a comment

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cover of The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard

The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard
Iron Circus Comics (February 2021)
320 pages; $18 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Abby Howard is a cartoonist whose interests include dinosaurs, horror, and Spoons, her beautiful cat. She’s been drawing comics since she first discovered there was such thing, eventually putting them online and gaining a following of over 30,000 fans. Her newest collection is The Crossroads at Midnight, a teen horror collection of five short comic stories.Continue Reading

Revelations: Kristi DeMeester

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 9, 2021April 4, 2021RevelationsColumns, Kevin Lucia, Kristi DeMeester, RevelationsLeave a comment

Banner for Revelations, the column written by Kevin Lucia for Cemetery Dance

photo of author Krist DeMeester — Kristi DeMeester

As many of you know, I began this column (almost five years ago, which is a little mind-blowing) with the intention of chronicling the writers who impacted me during a very transitional period in my writing career. Writers who exposed me to new things, new kinds of horrors and writing styles. However, a year or so ago I realized this column should evolve and start featuring newly discovered contemporary writers right alongside the masters of years gone by. The first of these newly discovered writers was Peter Laws. Today’s featured writer is Kristi DeMeester, author of the amazing, beautifully bleak novel Beneath, and the powerful short story collection Everything That’s Underneath.Continue Reading

Chart of Darkness by Kevin Quigley: Surprise In-Stock Limited Edition Already 90% Sold Out!

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 7, 2021January 11, 2022Breaking NewsLeave a comment

We’re extremely pleased to announce we’re publishing Chart of Darkness by Kevin Quigley as a “surprise in-stock” Limited Edition, and thanks to the booming market for all things Stephen King, this special edition is already 90% sold out!

About the Book:
Stephen King’s unprecedented career has yielded him more than thirty #1 New York Times bestselling books. He is the only writer to have ever reached the top slot of that list in five different decades. And in 1996, the Times changed their policies regarding bestsellers because King had too many at the same time. But how did it all happen? And why?

From Stephen King expert Kevin Quigley comes a fascinating journey through King’s unprecedented career by way of the charts that helped define it. Chart of Darkness is the first book that navigates King’s popular success through the odd and tempestuous world of The New York Times Bestsellers List.

What was King’s first novel to hit #1? (Hint: It wasn’t Carrie.) What happened when King went up against Harry Potter, and how did the showdown end? How did Joyland break King’s decade-long streak of no #1 paperbacks?

It’s all charted here in a fun, narrative look at the sweep of Stephen King’s amazing body of work!

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

Review: The Wind in My Heart by Douglas Wynne

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 7, 2021April 4, 2021ReviewsCrystal Lake Publishing, Douglas Wynne, Janelle Janson, Reviews, The Wind in My HeartLeave a comment

cover of The Wind in My Heart by Douglas Wynne The Wind in My Heart by Douglas Wynne
Crystal Lake Publishing (January 2021)
362 pages; $8.75 paperback; e-book $3.99
Reviewed by Janelle Janson

Douglas Wynne’s The Wind in My Heart has a fun premise and is a quick read! This story kept me engaged with its touch of mystery and quirky characters.

Miles Landry is the private detective at Insight Detective Agency. Known around the local bar scene as “Dirty Laundry,” he tends to handle extramarital affairs. Immediately after a scorned woman shows up at his office to teach him a lesson, he receives a call for an unusual job. A Buddhist monk named Jigme Rinpoche wants to hire him to find a former student’s reincarnated soul. A series of murders against gang members have popped up in Chinatown, and he believes this former student is responsible. Even though Landry thinks this monk is wasting his time, he’s curious nonetheless and heads to the temple for the meeting.Continue Reading

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