Reviews Archives - Page 28 of 60 - Cemetery Dance Online

Review: The Girl in the Video by Michael David Wilson

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 13, 2020April 12, 2020ReviewsMichael David Wilson, Mother Horror, Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, The Girl in the VideoLeave a comment

The Girl in the Video by Michael David Wilson
Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing (April 28, 2020)
106 pages; $12.95 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

We all know Michael David Wilson from the infamous podcast, This is Horror. Michael is the one with the exceptionally wonderful British accent. If you haven’t listened to an episode, question what it is about your life that needs assistance and then at least start listening to This is Horror on a regular basis. It’s a great way to get your life back on track.

The Girl in the Video is Wilson’s first published book of any kind and I know exactly why Max Booth III picked it up for Perpetual Motion Machine…Continue Reading

Review: Shades by Geoff Cooper and Brian Keene

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 8, 2020March 31, 2020ReviewsBrian Keene, Geoff Cooper, Kevin Lucia, Poltergeist Press, Reviews, ShadesLeave a comment

Shades by Geoff Cooper and Brian Keene
Poltergeist Press (January 2020)
194 pages; $10.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

By the time I stumbled into the horror scene, Shades was a long-out of print Cemetery Dance title, and I was sad I’d missed the boat. I love coming-of-age stories, and this one looked awesome. Imagine my delight when I learned Poltergeist Press was re-releasing it in paperback and ebook. It went right on the birthday list, and lucky me, it showed up in the mail on that blessed day.Continue Reading

Review: The Bedlam Philharmonic and Other Poems by Steven Withrow

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 6, 2020March 31, 2020ReviewsJoshua Gage, Reviews, Steven Withrow, The Bedlam Philharmonic and Other PoemsLeave a comment

The Bedlam Philharmonic and Other Poems by Steven Withrow
Lulu.com (March 2020)
52 pages, $6.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Steven Withrow is a poet, author, and teacher from Falmouth. He is also a reporter for the local Enterprise newspapers. His poems for children and adults have appeared in journals and anthologies worldwide, including the National Geographic Books of Animal and Nature Poetry, Calliope, and Cape Cod Poetry Review. He visits schools and libraries throughout New England working with students and teachers in reading and writing verse. He is a graduate of Roger Williams University and Emerson College. His newest collection is The Bedlam Philharmonic and Other Poems. Continue Reading

Review: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 1, 2020March 29, 2020ReviewsMother Horror, Quirk Books, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires1 Comment

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Quirk Books (April 7, 2020)
408 pages; $15.29 paperback; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

You might be a horror book consumer like me and have already bought into the Grady Hendrix brand. You come for the unique titles and clever packaging (My Best Friend’s Exorcism) but you stay for the alluring storytelling, memorable characters, and iconic cultural references.Continue Reading

Review: The Reddening by Adam Nevill

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 30, 2020March 29, 2020ReviewsAdam Nevill, Dave Simms, Reviews, The ReddeningLeave a comment

The Reddening by Adam Nevill
Ritual Limited (October 2019)
420 pages; $15.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Adam Nevill is a special writer. Those familiar with The Ritual, either the novel or the Netflix adaptation last year, know it’s a story that elevated horror in a way few authors can these days. Those who are fans of Banquet of the Damned, Last Days, and Apartment 16 realize the man writes with a smooth fury that evokes comparisons of Peter Straub, later-Robert McCammon, or Graham Joyce. Still, Nevill has a voice that’s all his own.Continue Reading

Review: The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 27, 2020March 26, 2020ReviewsGwendolyn Kiste, Invention of Ghosts, Nightscape Press, ReviewsLeave a comment

The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste
Nightscape Press (2020)
64 pages; $30 limited edition
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

Gwendolyn Kiste is a rare kind of speculative writer: the kind able to craft highly metaphorical and allegorical tales which also vibrate with a resonance that cuts close to the bone and pierces the heart. As a reader, I’ve always needed to feel something in response to a work of fiction. From fun, escapist thrillers to “high brow literary horror,” if I don’t feel something for the characters and about their situations, the story bounces right off me, no matter how finely written it is.Continue Reading

Review: Whispers in the Ear of a Dreaming Ape by Joshua Chaplinsky

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 25, 2020March 22, 2020ReviewsCLASH Books, Joshua Chaplinsky, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, Whispers in the Ear of a Dreaming ApeLeave a comment

Whispers in the Ear of a Dreaming Ape by Joshua Chaplinsky
CLASH Books (October 2019)
185 pages; $13.95 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

It’s this reader’s opinion that short story collections are the best way to read a new author. It’s the quickest way to discover an author’s versatility; each story an opportunity to showcase a variety of unique skills without being locked into one narrative.

I also believe that a reader begins their relationship with a book with the cover. In this case, primate skulls in bold, appealing colors with a recognizable Matthew Revert style. A real winner for me. A cover-buy.Continue Reading

Review: Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 23, 2020March 22, 2020ReviewsBent Heavens, Blu Gilliand, Daniel Kraus, ReviewsLeave a comment

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus
Henry Holt and Company (February 2020)
304 pages; $12.39 hardcover; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

Liv is a teenage girl, a high school freshman living with the typical teenage drama that comes with trying to find your crowd, not to mention your own identity. Unfortunately for Liz, she has more than the usual obstacles standing in the way of acceptance and self-confidence; she has to carry the burden of being the daughter of the man who went missing, showed up raving and naked in the middle of town, and then disappeared again.Continue Reading

Review: Beyond the Gate by Mary SanGiovanni

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 18, 2020March 15, 2020ReviewsBeyond the Gate, Kathy Ryan, Kevin Lucia, Mary SanGiovanni, ReviewsLeave a comment

Beyond the Gate by Mary SanGiovanni
Lyrical Underground (November 2019)
197 pages; $15.95 paperback; $8.69 e-book
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

If you’re a fan of cosmic horror and you’ve yet to delve into the work of Mary SanGiovanni, you need to rectify that, immediately. Without a doubt, SanGiovanni is one the best writers on the cosmic horror scene today. And best of all, SanGiovanni hasn’t been content to rehash old Lovecraftian gods. She’s invented her own mythos full of eldritch beings and malevolent aliens, a dizzying pantheon of epic proportions that is fresh, original, and contemporary. Her Hollower trilogy is still one of my favorites, and I still maintain that Thrall is simply one of the most original novels of cosmic horror I’ve ever read.Continue Reading

Till the Score is Paid by Gemma Amor

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 16, 2020March 15, 2020ReviewsGemma Amor, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, Till the Score is PaidLeave a comment

Till the Score is Paid by Gemma Amor
Giles Press (December 2019)
254 pages; $12.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

Some authors have a storytelling voice that feels familiar to the reader. I often say that these authors’ books are like coming home after wearing formal clothes all day, and then putting on your favorite pajamas; the definition of comfort.

Gemma Amor’s writing style “fits me.” We are a perfect reader/author match. The minute I start reading one of her short stories I am immediately drawn in and compelled to finish. It’s difficult for me to put any story of her’s down until I’m done.Continue Reading

Review: The Boneyard by Keith Minnion

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 11, 2020March 13, 2020ReviewsCrossroad Press, Dave Simms, Keith Minnion, Reviews, The Boneyard1 Comment

The Boneyard by Keith Minnion
Crossroad Press (September 2014)
320 pages; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Keith Minnion has long been a force in the horror genre, both as an author and artist. He made his name as an illustrator for several magazines and publishers, most notably and recently for the Stephen King/Richard Chizmar novels Gwendy’s Button Box and Gwendy’s Magic Feather. His short stories have been making the rounds since 1979 and his two collections have garnered high praise.

His first novel The Boneyard, immensely readable and well-written, tears into ground that feels untrodden and fresh. Finding something new these days is tough; finding something that is both new and successful in execution is much tougher. This novel nails it on both counts.Continue Reading

Review: A Wind of Knives by Ed Kurtz

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 10, 2020March 9, 2020ReviewsA Wind of Knives, Ed Kurtz, Kevin Lucia, ReviewsLeave a comment

A Wind of Knives by Ed Kurtz
Independently Published (December 2019)
140 pages; $7.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

A Wind of Knives by Ed Kurtz is a grim beauty to behold. One part realistic western reminiscent of the late Ed Gorman’s work; one part rumination on the nature of love and the desperate ties which bind us together; all parts sad, brutal, and tragic. This isn’t a Saturday afternoon spaghetti western in which the good guys wear white and the bad guys wear black, with blazing six guns and stalwart heroes riding off into the sunset. It’s a melancholic story of a man fueled by revenge and the deep, aching pain that not only comes from loss, but also from the deepest kinds of betrayal.Continue Reading

Review: Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 2, 2020March 3, 2020ReviewsBlackwood, Blu Gilliand, Michael Farris Smith, ReviewsLeave a comment

Cover of Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith
Little, Brown and Company (March 2020)
304 pages; $27 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

If you’ve been to the South you’ve seen kudzu, the suffocating green vine that will envelop anything that stands still long enough. It fills gullys and blankets hills. It climbs telephone poles and encircles trees. It’s got a deep foothold in the region, and it’s tough. I once saw a car that had plunged nose-first into a kudzu-filled ravine, its taillights the only thing visible through the green webbing — webbing strong enough to catch the car like a net and keep it from hitting the ground.

Were the kudzu to disappear one day, to turn brown and crumble the way other, lesser plants do, there’s no telling what would be revealed. Abandoned pickup trucks. Forgotten general stores and shotgun houses. Animal bones by the millions. And secrets…so many secrets.Continue Reading

Review: Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 26, 2020February 25, 2020ReviewsJohn B. Kachuba, Kevin Lucia, Reviews, Shapeshifters: A HistoryLeave a comment

Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba
Reaktion Books (June 2019)
208 pages; $15.78 hardcover
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

As an English teacher and lover of myths and folklore, nonfiction works on the historical and mythical backgrounds of monsters and such is right up my alley. I love reading how strange beliefs, customs, and folktales serve as the roots of some of our more famous monsters and horror fiction beasties. So, as you can imagine, when Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba showed up on my doorstep, I was pretty excited. Continue Reading

Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 25, 2020February 25, 2020ReviewsAlma Katsu, Dave Simms, Reviews, The DeepLeave a comment

The Deep by Alma Katsu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (March 10, 2020)
432 pages; $18.39 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Those who devoured Alma Katsu’s The Hunger (which should have won awards across the board last year—pun intended) will want to take the plunge into The Deep, a beautifully disturbing cross-genre tale that might even top that previous novel. Whereas The Hunger mined the ill-fated travels of the pioneers who traversed the Donner Pass, this one dives into the mystique of the Titanic, yet with a twist. The ship had a sister—the Britannic. This ship was retrofitted to be a hospital to be used during the war.Continue Reading

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