Review: 'Echoes of Darkness' by Rob Smales

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 16, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Echoes of Darkness, Featured, Reviews, Rob SmalesLeave a comment

Echoes of Darkness by Rob Smales
Books & Boos Press (February 2016)
265 pages; $10.79 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Echoes of Darkness is a baker’s dozen of high caliber horror shorts; some have been published elsewhere and several are new to this collection. I can’t say I’ve read a lot of Rob Smales’ writing, but this collection has propelled him to the top of my list of writers to keep an eye on. His stories are compelling, entertaining and, on occasion, horrific.Continue Reading

Review: 'Children of the Dark' by Jonathan Janz

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 14, 2016ReviewsChildren of the Dark, Featured, Jonathan Janz, Reviews, Sinister Grin Press2 Comments

Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz
Sinister Grin Press (March 15, 2016)
293 pages; $6.49 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

Reviews for Children of the Dark, the new novel from Jonathan Janz via Sinister Grin Press, have been flowing freely for the last couple of weeks, and if I’ve seen one reference to Stephen King’s “The Body” or Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life, I’ve seen a dozen. Each time I’d think, if I was Jonathan Janz I might ask people to ease back on that, because…talk about setting expectations on “High.”

Then I dug into the book itself and, well, I can see where those other reviewers are coming from.Continue Reading

Review: 'Wrapped in Skin' by Mark Morris

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 11, 2016ReviewsChiZine Publications, Featured, Mark Morris, Reviews, Wrapped in SkinLeave a comment

Wrapped in Skin by Mark Morris
ChiZine Publications (February 2016)
300 pages; $16.99 paperback
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

Until now, my only experience with Mark Morris’s work was the first two
excellent books in his Obsidian Heart series (The Wolves of London and The Society of Blood). Those books, coupled with this collection just released by ChiZine Publications, have motivated me to explore the rest of the author’s deep back catalog. After spending a few days wandering through the wastelands of Wrapped in Skin, I’m in awe of the sheer breadth of talent Morris brings to the table, and I can’t wait to read more of his work.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

Review: 'While the Black Stars Burn' by Lucy Snyder

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 7, 2016ReviewsAnton Cancre, Featured, Lucy Snyder, Raw Dog Screaming Press, Reviews, While the Black Stars BurnLeave a comment

While the Black Stars Burn by Lucy Snyder
Raw Dog Screaming Press (November 2015)
166 pages; $13.95 paperback; ebook $4.99
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

I’ve been a huge fan of Lucy Snyder’s work for years. Her yarns are fun, gutsy and weird as all get out. While the Black Stars Burn, though, has caused me to realize how important it is in the pantheon of full out capital-L Literature.

“Mostly Monsters” makes this indisputably clear from the first page. On the surface, we have the destructive relationship between a father and his daughter and the damage it causes. A sharp, heartbreakingly personal tale of familial horror that kicked me right in the teeth. At the same time, it screams its manifesto to refuse to look away from the small terrors that shape us daily. The sense of causation here, the implications of what went wrong, where and what could be done to keep it from happening in the future are woven through every word without ever stopping the story itself or robbing it of emotional impact.Continue Reading

Review: 'Northwoods' by Bill Schweigart

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 4, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Bill Schweigart, Featured, Hydra, Northwoods, ReviewsLeave a comment

Northwoods by Bill Schweigart
Hydra (February 2016)
202 pages; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

It’s been a year since the events in The Beast of Barcroft, and friends Ben McKelvie and Lindsay Clark are still trying to put their lives back together when they each get a call from the mysterious and very wealthy Richard Severance, asking them to drop everything and head to Minnesota.

Richard has a fascination with cryptozoology, a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven due to lack of evidence. This includes living examples of animals that are otherwise considered extinct, animals whose existence lacks physical evidence but which appear in folklore, such as Bigfoot and Chupacabra; and wild animals drastically outside their normal geographic ranges.Continue Reading

Review: 'SNAFU: Hunters' edited by Amanda J. Spedding and Geoff Brown

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 2, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Amanda J. Spedding, Cohesion Press, Featured, Geoff Brown, Reviews, SNAFU: HuntersLeave a comment

SNAFU: Hunters edited by Amanda J. Spedding and Geoff Brown
Cohesion Press (February 2016)
327 pages; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Admittedly, I’m a bit of a pessimist. I see an anthology series in its fifth incarnation and I fully expect it not to be as good as its predecessors. I’m overjoyed to say that is not the case with the SNAFU series from Cohesion Press. It’s hard to believe that a little over eighteen months ago the very first SNAFU anthology saw the light of day.

Here’s what I said about the first book…

My expectations were not that high for this anthology. Although I love horror in all its many forms, I’ve never been that big a fan of the military story. Well, I needn’t have worried at all. SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror delivers. Every story killed (pun intended).

Each book in the series has taken a slightly different approach to the military horror theme. This time it’s all about hunters, both the hunter and the hunted.Continue Reading

Review: 'Paper Tigers' by Damien Angelica Walters

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 29, 2016ReviewsDamien Angelica Walters, Featured, Jonathan Reitan, Paper Tigers, ReviewsLeave a comment

Paper Tigers by Damien Angelica Walters
Dark House Press (February 29, 2016)
286 pages; $10.63 paperback
Reviewed by Jonathan Reitan

In a horribly tragic apartment fire, Allison is left disfigured and emotionally haunted by the inner ghosts of pain the trauma has caused. Her disfigurement is so overpowering, Allison confines herself to her home to escape the constant stares and whispers from the outside world. A nagging mother and routine visits with a therapist are her only connections to reality.

In her own personal confinement, Allison finds solace in collecting old photo albums and forgotten photos from sales and thrift stores. It’s through these photos of other people’s families and other people’s memories that Allison escapes. She transforms herself into their memories, their past…while leaving her sorrowful and somber self in another plane.Continue Reading

Paper Cuts: Binge Smarter: 4 Film Books Every Horror Fan Should Read (and Movies to Go With Them)

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 26, 2016Paper CutsAdam Cesare, Columns, Featured, Paper CutsLeave a comment

PaperCuts-web

Paper (n): material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on

Cut (v): make (a movie) into a coherent whole by removing parts or placing them in a different order.

Binge Smarter: 4 Film Books Every Horror Fan Should Read (and Movies to Go With Them)

danse So far this column has been about two things: horror fiction and horror film. And where they overlap. With various digressions where it has suited my mood.

But the name “Paper Cuts” is broad enough that it shouldn’t limit our book discussions purely to fiction titles. Right?

In that spirit, here are four nonfiction film books (some criticism, some history, some reference) that I think every horror film fan should read.Continue Reading

Review: 'Ritualistic Human Sacrifice' by C.V. Hunt

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 24, 2016ReviewsAnton Cancre, C.V. Hunt, Featured, Grindhouse Press, Reviews, Ritualistic Human Sacrifice1 Comment

Ritualistic Human Sacrifice by C.V. Hunt
Grindhouse Press (October 2015)
200 pages; $12.95 paperback; ebook $3.99
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

So, there’s this guy. Nick Graves. Nick is a bit of a jerk. He hates his wife, but when her surprise pregnancy derails his plan to divorce her, he decides to move them both far from friends, family and anything they know. That’ll show her. Too bad he didn’t look into the neighbors a bit closer as everyone he meets seems to act very strange and they have their own plans for him.

Let’s be straight here: this is not a book for most of you.Continue Reading

Exclusive Excerpt: 'Paper Tigers' by Damien Angelica Walters

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 22, 2016Free FictionDamien Angelica Walters, Featured, Fiction, Paper TigersLeave a comment

Today we’re excited to bring readers an exclusive excerpt from Paper Tigers, the forthcoming novel from Damien Angelica Walters (due out on February 29 from Dark House Press). The early word on the novel is that it’s “…a hauntingly elegant portrait of loneliness and longing for healing…” (author Bracken MaCleod) and “Wonderfully creepy and heartwarming…” (editor Sarah Read).

If you want to know more about the novel, check out our recent interview with Walters. For now, we hope you enjoy this special peek inside its pages.

An Interview with Damien Angelica Walters: Taming the 'Paper Tigers'

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 19, 2016InterviewsBlu Gilliand, Damien Angelica Walters, Featured, Interviews, Paper TigersLeave a comment

An Interview with Damien Angelica Walters:
Taming the Paper Tigers

Dark House Press will release Damien Angelica Walters‘ new novel, Paper Tigers, on February 29. An author’s life is always extra hectic when a new release is close, so we at Cemetery Dance Online were glad to snag a few minutes with Walters to talk about her latest book and her approach to the craft of writing. We invite you to spend some time with Walters today, and check back on February 22 for an exclusive excerpt of Paper Tigers.Continue Reading

Review: 'This Year's Class Picture' by Dan Simmons

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 17, 2016ReviewsBlu Gilliand, Dan Simmons, Featured, Reviews, Subterranean Press, This Year's Class Picture1 Comment

This Year’s Class Picture by Dan Simmons
Subterranean Press (March 2016)
54 pages; $20 hardcover; $50 signed, numbered limited edition
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

The limited edition hardcover treatment for a short story might seem like overkill, but some pieces deserve to be highlighted on their own. Such is the case with This Year’s Class Picture, a classic zombie tale by Dan Simmons that first appeared nearly 25 years ago in John Skipp and Craig Spector’s stellar anthology Still Dead: Book of the Dead 2.

Ms. Geiss is dealing with the aftermath of the zombie uprising as best she can – staying vigilant, fortifying her sanctuary, keeping a watchful eye out at all times. She’s also trying to maintain some sense of normalcy, albeit through some rather extreme measures. Ms. Geiss was a fourth grade teacher in another life and another world; a dedicated educator who chose the school she taught in for years as her safe place during the end of the world; a woman who now maintains and attempts to teach a small class of undead children in her former classroom.Continue Reading

What I Learned From Stephen King: What Makes a Great Teacher

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 15, 2016What I Learned from Stephen KingColumns, Featured, Jason Sechrest, What I Learned from Stephen King3 Comments

JSechrest-webbanner5

What Makes a Great Teacher

kingteach1 With a title like What I Learned From Stephen King, I suppose at some point you and I are going to need to sit down and discuss the subject of teachers. I also suppose now would be as good a time as any.

Stephen King once said, “Good teachers can be trained, if they really want to learn. Great teachers, like Socrates, are born.” He should know. He taught writing to high school students at Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine, plus spent a year teaching as a writer-in-residence at his alma mater, the University of Maine, in the late 1970s while still establishing himself as a writer. Continue Reading

Horror Drive-In: Dear Mr. Death

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 11, 2016Horror Drive-InColumns, Featured, Horror Drive-In, Mark Justice, Mark Sieber1 Comment

HorrorDrive-In-web

Dear Mr. Death

Dear Mr. Death,

I understand that you have a job to do. I don’t like it, any more than I like the job done by the taxman. I guess both are necessary evils. We all have an appointment with you, sir, though I do regret that engagement. I am trying to accept the inevitability. Yet I feel that you have been working overtime too much of late.

You’ve taken famous people we’ve known all of our lives. Friends, family members. Your given duty, I realize, but perhaps you could take a holiday. An extended one.Continue Reading

Binge Smarter: 4 Film Books Every Horror Fan Should Read (and Movies to Go With Them)

An Interview with Damien Angelica Walters: Taming the Paper Tigers

What Makes a Great Teacher

Dear Mr. Death

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An Interview with Damien Angelica Walters:
Taming the Paper Tigers