Joshua Gage Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Cemetery Dance Online

Review: Stars, Hide Your Fire by Kel McDonald and Jose Pimienta

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 5, 2021October 4, 2021Reviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Iron Circus Comics, Jose Pimienta, Joshua Gage, Kel McDonald, Reviews, Stars Hide Your Fire, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

Stars, Hide Your Fire by Kel McDonald and Jose Pimienta
Iron Circus Comics (October 5, 2021)
162 pages; paperback $15; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Andrea and Darra live in a dead-end Massachusetts town, making their way through high school with hopeful (but slim) dreams of escape. Everything’s going according to plan until a chance encounter with an otherworldly spirit named Carmen changes everything! Carmen promises Andrea eternal life, but a mysterious young boy named Liam shows up claiming he had also made a deal with Carmen, and it didn’t go well . . . 100 years ago. Liam must convince his new friends of Carmen’s evil nature before Andrea is tricked into a supernatural bargain that will upend her new life before it even starts in Stars, Hide Your Fire written by Kel McDonald and illustrated by Joe Pimienta.Continue Reading

Review: Monstrum Poetica by Jezzy Wolfe

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 20, 2021September 19, 2021ReviewsJezzy Wolfe, Joshua Gage, Monstrum Poetica, Raw Dog Screaming Press, ReviewsLeave a comment

Monstrum Poetica by Jezzy Wolfe
Raw Dog Screaming Press (September 2021)
130 pages; paperback $12.95; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Jezzy Wolfe is an author of dark fiction, with a predilection for absurdity. A lifelong native of Virginia Beach, Jezzy lives with her family and quite a few ferrets. Her poems and stories have appeared in various ezines and magazines. Her newest collection of poetry is Monstrum Poetica.Continue Reading

Review: The Smallest of Bones by Holly Lyn Walrath

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 17, 2021September 19, 2021ReviewsCLASH Books, Holly Lynn Walrath, Joshua Gage, poetry, Reviews, The Smallest of BonesLeave a comment

cover of The Smallest of Bones by Holly Lynn Walrath The Smallest of Bones by Holly Lyn Walrath
Clash Books (September 28, 2021)
90 pages; $14.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Holly Lyn Walrath’s poetry and short fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, Daily Science Fiction, Liminality, and Analog. She is the author of Glimmerglass Girl (Finishing Line Press, 2018), winner of the Elgin Award for best speculative chapbook, and Numinose Lapidi, a chapbook in Italian from Kipple Press. Her newest collection is The Smallest of Bones, a collection of minimalist poems that deal with the body and the horrors found within.Continue Reading

Review: Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota: Poems by Amelia Gorman

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 1, 2021August 29, 2021ReviewsAmelia Gorman, Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota, Interstellar Flight Press, Joshua Gage, ReviewsLeave a comment

Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota: Poems by Amelia Gorman
Interstellar Flight Press (September 6, 2021)
62 pages; $11.99 paperback; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

At first glance, Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota is not a book of horror poetry, or speculative poetry at all. It reads, on the surface, like a book of nature poems, possibly odes to or personifications of the titular invasive species. However, reading the author’s notes, it becomes clear the book and its poems are set in the near-future. If the world is not post-apocalyptic, or even apocalyptic, it’s certainly leaning that way, and nature is beginning to rear her powerful head and reclaim what’s rightfully hers, and Gorman is there to record all the awful details.Continue Reading

Review: No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils by Laura J. Campbell

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 19, 2021July 11, 2021ReviewsDark Owl Publishing, Joshua Gage, Laura J. Campbell, No Lesser Angels No Greater Devils, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils by Laura J. Campbell No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils by Laura J. Campbell
Dark Owl Publishing (May 2021)
300 pages; $11.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Laura J. Campbell’s newest collection, No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils, is a weighty but impressive short story collection.Continue Reading

Review: Tears on the Glass Desert by Wesley D. Gray

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 30, 2021June 27, 2021ReviewsJoshua Gage, Marrowroot Press, Reviews, Tears on the Glass Desert, Wesley D. GrayLeave a comment

cover of Tears on the Glass Desert by Wesley Gray Tears on the Glass Desert: Speculative Poetry of Holocaust, Fallout, and Decay by Wesley D. Gray
Marrowroot Press (June 2021)
47 pages; $5.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Wesley D. Gray is a writer of things mostly strange. His newest collection of poetry is Tears on the Glass Desert, which is a post-apocalyptic nightmare that will certainly capture the attention of horror poetry readers.Continue Reading

Review: Hallowed Days by Daniel Hale

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 23, 2021June 18, 2021ReviewsDaniel Hale, Hallowed Days, Joshua Gage, JournalStone, ReviewsLeave a comment

Hallowed Days by Daniel Hale
JournalStone Publishing (November 2020)
156 pages; $15.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Hallowed Days is a dark fantasy- and horror-themed anthology focusing primarily on Christmas and Halloween. What makes Hale’s fiction so potent is the way he builds up to the ominous dread at the end of his stories. Rarely do we see any actual blood and guts, and most of the stories depend on tiny details that are magnified at the end of the tale. Continue Reading

Review: Where the Wolf by Sally Rosen Kindred

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 1, 2021May 27, 2021ReviewsDiode Editions, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Sally Rosen Kindred, Where the WolfLeave a comment

cover of Where the Wolf Where the Wolf by Sally Rosen Kindred
Diode Editions (June 15, 2021)
82 pages; $18.00 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Sally Rosen Kindred is a well-known poet and teacher. She has multiple chapbooks and full-length collections published. She has also been the recipient of two Individual Artist Awards in Poetry from the Maryland State Arts Council. Her upcoming collection, Where the Wolf, was the winner of the Diode Editions Book Prize. Continue Reading

Review: Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 17, 2021May 16, 2021ReviewsAlex DiFrancesco, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Seven Stories Press, TransmutationLeave a comment

cover of Transmutation buy Alex DiFrancesco Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco
Seven Stories Press (June 8, 2021)
140 pages; $16.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Alex DiFrancesco is a multi-genre phenom who is taking the literary world by storm. In 2019, they published their essay collection Psychopomps (Civil Coping Mechanisms Press) and their novel All City (Seven Stories Press), which was the first finalist for the Ohioana Book Awards by a transgender author. DiFrancesco is the human companion of a rescue Westie named Roxy Music, Dog of Doom. Their newest book is a collection of short stories titled Transmutation, and it is a necessity for any fan of horror literature.Continue Reading

Review: The Golem & the Nazi by Anna Cates

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 12, 2021May 11, 2021ReviewsAnna Cates, Joshua Gage, Red Moon Press, Reviews, The Golem & the NaziLeave a comment

cover of the golem & the nazi by anna cates The Golem & the Nazi by Anna Cates
Red Moon Press (2020)
118 pages, $15 Paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Haibun is an interesting form. From 17th-century Japan, the term was first used by haiku poet Basho to describe a hybrid writing style of terse prose accompanied by haiku. In her book The Golem & the Nazi, Anna Cates uses a Western version of this form to weave a very dark and fantastic spell for her readers.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

Review: You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife edited by Kel McDonald and Andrea Purcell

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 22, 2021March 15, 2021Reviews, The Comic VaultAn Anthology of the Afterlife, Andrea Purcell, Iron Circus Comics, Joshua Gage, Kel McDonald, Reviews, The Comic Vault, You DiedLeave a comment

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cover of You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife

You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife edited by Kel McDonald and Andrea Purcell
Iron Circus Comics (March 31, 2021)
260 pages, $20 Paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

In her introduction to You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife, Caitlin Dougherty compares the anthology to a medieval memento mori. This is a fitting comparison. This book is both a reminder, to the reader, that they will die, but also about the equanimity of death. Everyone will die, and once they’re dead, there’s nothing in this world that they can do about it. This anthology confronts these facts head on, and in a way, helps the reader confront their own deaths as well as the deaths of those they love.Continue Reading

Review: Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 18, 2021March 16, 2021ReviewsCradleland of Parasites, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Sara Tantlinger, Strangehouse BooksLeave a comment

cover of Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger
Strangehouse Books (October 2020)
89 pages; $14.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Sara Tantlinger is a phenom when it comes to horror poetry. Author of three poetry collections, including the award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland, Tantlinger is one of the vibrant new voices in horror poetry. Her newest collection, Cradleland of Parasites, is no exception, and this take on the Black Death is a brilliant and chilling book of poetry.Continue Reading

Review: Many Restless Concerns by Gayle Brandeis

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 15, 2021February 14, 2021ReviewsBlack Lawrence Press, Gayle Brandeis, Joshua Gage, Many Restless Concerns, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Many Restless Concerns by Gayle Brandeis Many Restless Concerns by Gayle Brandeis
Black Lawrence Press (February 14, 2020)
160 pages; $17.95 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Most horror readers are familiar with Elizabeth Batharoy, one of history’s most famous murderers and the source of much vampire lore. Much less is known about her victims, which leads readers and historians to a lot of speculation as to who these young women were and what drew them towards Batharoy’s clutches. In her newest poetry collection, Many Restless Concerns, Gayle Brandeis uses hybrid text techniques to give voice to these victims, channeling the idea of a collective voice, or chorus, as the persona in this really dark and enticing collection.Continue Reading

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